I dont understand what the big fuss is about. Some of these namby pamby players would have cried to mummy if they had to play during the 70's and 80's. There were far less incidents back then of players legs getting broken than there is today. They should all man up and stop complaining and understand that football is still a physical game. Players like Souness, Hunter and Bremner were all nasty tacklers but they never got crucified for a miss timed tackle like De Jong and co. of today seem to.
Sooner or later you will not be allowed to tackle anyone at all. Accidents happen on a football pitch from miss time tackles and all those complaining about it should take up a tamer sport if they cant handle a little bit of physical contact. Its geting boring hearing managers and certain sections of Arsenal fans complaining about it now.
---------- Post added at 08:19 AM ---------- Previous post was at 07:10 AM ----------
Interesting Article about it.
Some of the greatest players down the years have been strong, no nonsense central midfielders, players who commentators crave to label as being a ‘battler’ or a ‘midfield general’. In the modern game a quality defensive midfielder can play a key role in providing teams with a balance that allows attacking talent to burst forward, while providing an anchorage and protection to the back four. Roy Keane, Patrick Vieira and Gennaro Gattuso are prime examples of the archetypal defensive midfielder who’s aggressive demeanor on the football pitch is encouraged and loved by the fans of their team. However in the eyes of the opposition, players and fans alike, here are players who are simply out to take advantage of the fact football is a contact sport.
There are few leagues in the world that can match the physicality of the English Premier League. The average British player, rightly or wrongly, has been imprinted with a stereotype of ‘strength over technicality’, in that height and power matter a great deal more than the ability to spot and play a weighted through ball. While teams such as Blackburn and Stoke continue to play effective football with such a physical tactical approach to the game such stereotypes and arguments will continue to persist. This has led to the English game becoming the stomping ground for footballers who are not afraid to get physical and throw themselves into a tackle. Consequently various foreign players who have come in to the league from abroad have also relished the physical side of the game.
The recent Premier League match between Manchester City and Newcastle saw Nigel De Jong break Hatem Ben Arfa’s leg in two separate places. It is fortunate for Ben Arfa that he remains in an early stage of his career, for older players it would be difficult to return as the same player before the injury occurred. The challenge has consequently led to action by the Dutch national team as Bert Van Marwijk has decided that enough is enough for a player with a particularly chequered past in regards to reckless challenges
Roy Keane’s disgraceful tackle on Alf Inge Haaland, which effectively resulted in the Norwegian retiring from football in 2003, still lingers in the mind when you consider whether there is still a place for physicality in the modern game. Keane’s admission that he deliberately set out to cause Haaland harm when he committed the challenge sets an ever so dangerous precedent which makes one wonder about how many players seek to cause damage to their opponents. If you consider that a football pitch is ultimately a ‘no holds barred’ mentality, as players are able to commit grievous acts of violence, which are consequently punished by a footballing body, then there is little deterrent to stop players committing to such career threatening challenges. However the instinctive nature of football, and sport in general, means that such fouls are bound to happen at some point or other and attempts to avoid contact would rip the heart and soul out of the game.
http://football-globe.net/2010/10/04/is-football-becoming-too-physical/
Sooner or later you will not be allowed to tackle anyone at all. Accidents happen on a football pitch from miss time tackles and all those complaining about it should take up a tamer sport if they cant handle a little bit of physical contact. Its geting boring hearing managers and certain sections of Arsenal fans complaining about it now.
---------- Post added at 08:19 AM ---------- Previous post was at 07:10 AM ----------
Interesting Article about it.
Some of the greatest players down the years have been strong, no nonsense central midfielders, players who commentators crave to label as being a ‘battler’ or a ‘midfield general’. In the modern game a quality defensive midfielder can play a key role in providing teams with a balance that allows attacking talent to burst forward, while providing an anchorage and protection to the back four. Roy Keane, Patrick Vieira and Gennaro Gattuso are prime examples of the archetypal defensive midfielder who’s aggressive demeanor on the football pitch is encouraged and loved by the fans of their team. However in the eyes of the opposition, players and fans alike, here are players who are simply out to take advantage of the fact football is a contact sport.
There are few leagues in the world that can match the physicality of the English Premier League. The average British player, rightly or wrongly, has been imprinted with a stereotype of ‘strength over technicality’, in that height and power matter a great deal more than the ability to spot and play a weighted through ball. While teams such as Blackburn and Stoke continue to play effective football with such a physical tactical approach to the game such stereotypes and arguments will continue to persist. This has led to the English game becoming the stomping ground for footballers who are not afraid to get physical and throw themselves into a tackle. Consequently various foreign players who have come in to the league from abroad have also relished the physical side of the game.
The recent Premier League match between Manchester City and Newcastle saw Nigel De Jong break Hatem Ben Arfa’s leg in two separate places. It is fortunate for Ben Arfa that he remains in an early stage of his career, for older players it would be difficult to return as the same player before the injury occurred. The challenge has consequently led to action by the Dutch national team as Bert Van Marwijk has decided that enough is enough for a player with a particularly chequered past in regards to reckless challenges
For Van Marwijk to so publicly criticise one of his regular selections can be seen as being a case of double standards. Let’s not forget that this was the man who sent his Holland team into the World Cup final prepared to kick the living daylights out of their Spanish counterparts, with De Jong very much at the heart of the plan. De Jong’s tackle also comes on the same weekend as Wolves captain Karl Henry’s awful challenge on Wigan’s Jordi Gomez, which could have potentially left the player with a hugely serious injury. Two horror tackles in one weekend must have the Football Association contemplating methods of prevention and deterrence.
However, is the uproar against players like De Jong and Henry simply an example of English football taking a more continental approach to the idea of physicality? Looking back over the past few decades it becomes apparent that football has become much more controlled in terms of how it permits strong challenges. During the 1970′s Chelsea’s Ron Harris was given the nickname ‘Chopper’ due to his approach to defending which included taking the man as much as he took the ball. De Jong is simply a modern example of such a player, and he is not alone. Mark Van Bommel, Lee Cattermole and Javier Mascherano instantly spring to mind as physical, competitive players who appreciate the contact of the sport. So it is clear that while there seems to be a wider acknowledgement of poor tackles in the modern game, there are still players whose sole purpose is to get in the face of the opposition by breaking down potential attacks. This is not a position that is going to disappear, especially in the wake of the 4231 formation which has become rife across the globe in it’s attempt to become the modern equivalent of the 442.
Roy Keane’s disgraceful tackle on Alf Inge Haaland, which effectively resulted in the Norwegian retiring from football in 2003, still lingers in the mind when you consider whether there is still a place for physicality in the modern game. Keane’s admission that he deliberately set out to cause Haaland harm when he committed the challenge sets an ever so dangerous precedent which makes one wonder about how many players seek to cause damage to their opponents. If you consider that a football pitch is ultimately a ‘no holds barred’ mentality, as players are able to commit grievous acts of violence, which are consequently punished by a footballing body, then there is little deterrent to stop players committing to such career threatening challenges. However the instinctive nature of football, and sport in general, means that such fouls are bound to happen at some point or other and attempts to avoid contact would rip the heart and soul out of the game.
http://football-globe.net/2010/10/04/is-football-becoming-too-physical/
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