Salut! Sunderland joins all real football fans – including the Stoke City supporters who showed their own decency tonight – in wishing Aaron Ramsey the strongest, fullest and fastest recovery possible from the horrible injury he suffered in Arsenal’s victory at the Britannia stadium.
It was a really bad challenge by Ryan Shawcross, who was rightly shown a straight red card.
But I am not convinced there was a shred of malice in that challenge. There was clearly a lot of recklessness, however. Shawcross himself seemed to acknowledge this, pausing on his tearful way from the field to offer apologies to Ramsey.
Cesc Fabregas did a lot a head-shaking during the long stoppage as medics dealt with the unfortunate Ramsey, and he complained on TV later about the lack of protection players received in the Premier League.
I do not equate his challenge last week on John Mensah with what happened tonight. Yet there appeared to be an element of revenge at the Emirates and even Gooners visiting this site have been critical of his actions; it is clear, in other words, that Fabregas himself is not above foul play.
Should Shawcross be dropped from the England squad so soon after his inclusion, as a mark of football’s desire to eliminate reckless conduct that has such serious consequences? That would probably be an appropriate response, yes. Should he be treated as a pariah because of his actions at Stoke City tonight? No.
Salut! Sunderland, or this part of it, hopes Arsenal go on to win the Premier League, not because of tonight but because of the style of football they play (not being Chelsea or Man Utd helps a bit, too, if we are frank).
But it also hopes they do so without unworthy accompanying soundbites from players or staff seeking to blacken the name of a player who is honest enough to know he made a dreadful mistake that threatens a fellow footballer’s career. I have seen the incident several times on YouTube – while not feeling it right to post the footage here – and have seen no trace of intent.
Colin Randall
I feel every sympathy for Aaron Ramsey, but their is far too many gooners on here being disrespectful, i used to rate you as one of the better fans in the League but this constant whinging and telling people to fuck off is making me change my mind. If you don’t want our sympathy then don’t come the page and tell us, Lorik cana is a aggressive player but your mentality is all about “poor arsenal”. Man up, and get on with it, every side loses valuable players, and to the idiot who says we didn’t match you for football at the SoL, well the score never lies mate, ta ra!
Apart from not supporting Sunderland, you are so sensible that you could even by my daughter, Nathalie.
No malice in the tackle but it was definately meant to be a strong challenge..its dangerous play to come steaming in like that and kicking the ball (Ramsey’s foot) so hard like that at point blank range, I’m surprised they didn’t both get broken legs. 3 match ban is sufficient. I like Arsenal fans and I’ sorry for Ramsey and I hope they win the league (I’m a Liverpool fan though!).Lets not forget Gallas’s recent challange though (no malice but dangerous and could have caused serious damage too). Every team have their players capable of seriously hurting someone else with a crunching tackle/foul.
Anyway hope Arsenal win the league – this might just unite them (even got Sol Campbell pumped up for once!) and wish Ramsey a speedy recovery.
johnny and gooner b11.. spot on lads spot on.. couldn’t have said it better myself
dude it shouldn’t be about weather it was intentional or not…..you say 4 to 6 games…..i’m saying 10-15 games for recklessness as they have in other countries like belgium as a player recently recieved. if i kill someone driving weather i intentionally mean to kill/hurt i’m still going to prison, it’s not the same but you are potentially ending a guy’s career and certainly putting it on hold
i don’t remember a tackle in 20 years that was done in malice or intent other than keanes tackle on inge haaland, and ben thatchers on mendez
This talk of Shawcross receiving a 4 to 6 game ban is ludicrous. It was clearly unintentional.
Shawcross went for the ball. It was mis-timed and very unfortunate that Ramsey broke his leg. It’s sad and I wish the lad a speedy recovery but it’s a physical game. It’s part and parcel of football, these things happen. I don’t think it was as malicious as people are making it out to be.
In fact, it almost looked as though Ramsey had done it to himself when you look at it in slow motion (from what I saw on MOTD). He looks as though he’d gone over on his ankle just as Shawcross was going in for the challenge.
Get well soon Ramsey lad.
Another innocent mistimed tackle… Come on man. Everyone knows Arsenal are a bit soft, so everyone gets stuck into them. The problem being – what happens when it doesn’t work? You get stuck in that little bit harder… Then this shit happens, and it – on a regular basis. It’s easy for those of you who don’t support Arsenal to call it whining but it’s your teams that are doing it. You may only do it once, twice a year when you play us but we’re on the receiving end of it week in, week out. Sure the boy was sorry after but you know, you play with fire, you get burnt. He was mouthing off and ‘putting it about throughout the match – letting every one know what a hard case he is. Well he’s fucking not, he’s a cry baby. ‘Oh I didn’t mean it’ now everyone’s saying he’s only a kid. He’s a wanker. If you’re going to be dirty at least have the fucking courage of your conviction. Now we’ve got another player out for the best part of a year and you’ll all tell us we’re wankers for complaining about it. Fine but when you get a team that’s half decent and everyone keeps breaking your players legs – see how tolerant you feel.
nice to see blogs from other teams fans of support for the young lad… would at least be surprised to see this happen from the Chelsea part of the web!
Oh, and though I heard some pro-Shawcross chanting (which I hope – or am I being too charitable ? – was intended to console him rather than to condone his actions), I did not hear the repellent one mocking Aaron’s injury, as mentioned above.
I was referring in my posting to the apparently overwhelming sympathy he was shown as he was stretchered to the ambulance. Stoke has no monopoly when it comes to toerag supporters, but anyone who joined in the “only got one leg” taunt should be shot.
and again i’ll say it, your compassion to write the article is appreciated.
no challenge there from me mate. but i’m still saying you better just the fuck up about our captain!
especially after witnessing cana at work to accuse cesc of anything is ridiculous. yes blame him for being frustrated and petulant if you want to clutch at straws but i can assure you he has never in his life gone into a challenge to do them in. (by the way i’m not saying shawcross did before you start up) seems to me you’re just having a pop
Seems to me everyone agrees this was a dreadful challenge, with terrible consequences and that absence of malice does not excuse the offender. We disagree, in some cases, on how much mitigation lack of intent deserves. We clearly disagree on whether only southern teams can play slick, foul-free football.
Some people go further, because of blind partisanship, uncontrollable rage or a simple inability to express themselves without resorting to abuse.
That’s a shame. But I challenge intelligent, fair-minded Arsenal fans to find in the original posting any suggestion that it was made without sincere feelings about Aaron Ramsey, proper criticism of the perpetrator and genuine admiration of Arsenal FC.
MATT SKINNER, les the tube here. u 2 bit twat. i watched the game in holloway. gooner for 30 fucking years and i’ve seen 3 challenges on good players in 5 years……as many people have said (ds gooner etc) u r A TWAT. arsene never see’s anything? ummm true, but did keown, adams, bould, petit, or them end careers? no YOU FUCKWAD TUBE…..mate, your mums still lacating so go eat
Your argument is so weak Matt. Just come to terms with that there is no excuse for tackles like that. They have no place on a football pitch. It’s a very reckless tackle by a professional that should know better… But then again he had 25,000 yobs winding him up for it
by the way matt i am yet to see an honest ’50-50′ challenge result in such a horrific leg break. you can’t do such damage without tackling with some sort of intention to do some damage
Hopefully the racist english media will make more of it because Ramsey is Welsh. That’s our only hope for justice right now
read my previous post you toss pot goon… i stated i hope i Aaron gets well soon and all goes well in his recovery. I do not condone bad tackles but this WAS not a malicious tackle, but is a tackle that has had unfortunate conciquences.
what people have to realise is this isn’t about INTENT or MALICE! this is about RECKLESSNESS, there needs to be a protocol in place retrospective for recklessness, if i run somebody over with my car and kill them, weather i intended to kill/hurt him isn’t the point, i can still go to jail for recklessness, and what we’re talking about here is potentially ending another players career or certainly putting it on hold, there needs to be something in place, a 10-15 match ban retrospective according to the outcome WHICH WAS A BROKEN LEG FROM A SHIN HEIGHT TACLKE OF THE TIBULAR AND FIBULAR, PERIOD!….in belgium they gave wittsel of standard liege a 15game ban….WE NEED THAT AS A DETTERENT! the consensus in the premier league from most teams north of birmingham is that arsenal don’t like it up em….they don’t like the ruff stuff, but 3 of these in 5years is no coincidence, a british player, because of the way he raised as a footballer believes when you tell him to show commitment means to run longer and tackle harder when that isn’t the case, if the FA do not protect the premierships top players they’ll stop coming over to these shores….and all that will remain are the dan smiths, the taylors and the shawcross’s of this world, not malicious players but simply british players.
well whatever you are matt, one thing is for sure you’re an utter **** for saying this shit.
what am i being baised about? which player of ours has broken someone’s leg? or are you forgetting we are a club that has not recieved a single red card this season. or is that a biased fact too!
clearly matt you are not a football supporter at all
Matt Skinner judging from the damage he did without having his studs up Ramsey’s leg would probably have been on the other side of the pitch if he would have had them up.
Yes people are tackled all the time but that happens when both players are running forward. If you have ever played a game of football you know how volatile tackles like the one Shawcross did are. Coming in sliding straight for a player going forward is extremely dangerous and I don’t understand how you can sit here and defend it. Do you even like football?
Ds goon you complete muppet! i’m not a sunderland supporter! Sorry the truth hurts, plain and simple how do you get off by being so bias week in week out!
oskar turns out i just made the point you did a while back! i also bet matt is the kind of twat that would condone those horrible (minority) of stoke fans that were apparently singing ‘he’s one got one leg’ after the incident.
Oskar, you have contridicted yourself…. “…Shawcross clipped him…” (Clip? blow me that happens all the time, his studs were not up) Mistimed tackles happen all the time in this game, after all this is a CONTACT SPORT, lets ban half the players who tackle in every game then!!!! It was a %0 50 tackle you complete tube. Roy Keane on Hangaland was a horrible tackle with intent!
matt plain and simply there’s nothing to say about people like you.
‘Arsenal are prone to the odd tackle of controversy too…. Or did you and Arsene “Not See them” !
‘Arsenal are prone to the odd tackle of controversy too…. Or did you and Arsene “Not See them” !’ honestly you muppet where do you get off saqying bollox like this after supprting a team with the likes of cana and dan smith in it??
Well said ds goon! Shawcross tears doesn’t change anything
Since you say this is not a sign of a general mindset, then I guess Arsenal have three ankle breaks on northern teams due them, eh?
Earlier in the game, Eboue was freed in on goal, the goalie came out for the ball, and Eboue leaped over him to avoid hurting him. Ryan Shawcross would have kicked, recklessly, and gutted the goalie — that’s what reckless play means, and it is the way northern teams think they have to play to have success against Arsenal. Three times against the same team? Yeah, just a coincidence.
Who really wants sympathy cloaked in denial.
though i will say i don’t believe shawcross meant to break the poor lads leg (but who really does??) but it is very clear to see that it was extremely reckless and if you’re going to follow through like that clearly it’s to do some damage so that much he is accountable for and no amount of his tears will change that
matt skinner. a 50 50 tackle would be both of them coming in for the ball in a challenge. In this case Ramsey intercepted the ball and then Shawcross clipped him. By any standard it is a horrible mistimed tackle. You simply cannot defend it. I do not wish any harm to Shawcross but a lenghty spell on the sidelines would serve him right.
When have an Arsenal player broken another players leg or ankle in a tackle like that?
First, good form Mr. Randall in bringing out an article for Ramsey.
Second, while I acknowledge that Shawcross did not have any intention of breaking Ramsey’s leg, at the end of the day it was a reckless foolish tackle, and at the end of the day Arsenal are facing there third such injury in four years. No other club has faced this. Why is that? I think it’s simple probability; it’s commonly held that we don’t like it when other teams “get in our faces”, which results in more reckless tackles, even by teams who can and do play proper football. At least some of these tackles will go wrong, and if there are more reckless tackles against one team, it stands to mathematics that that team will suffer more from the tackles “gone wrong”.
Should Shawcross be banned? I am too angry right now to be an impartial judge (only common sense stops me from wanting to clatter into Shawcross with the very best of intentions; that would fix nothing), but it seems unfair that Ramsey missed several months for no fault of his, while Shawcross soldiers on, tears rolling down his innocent cheeks. But then, who said life is fair?
first thank you for the compassion.
now secondly i seriously think you shut the fuck about our captain. last week lorik cana’s challenge was a fucking disgrace for which he should have been sent off. how can you possibly accuse cesc of anything after having players like dan smith in your team is beyond me. it is absolutely no coincidence that we are the victims of these horrific tackles.
Les you complete tube, did you see the tackle / match?? There was no malice what so ever in that tackle. Unfortunately football is a contact sport and these things happen. A 50 50 tackle this was and as much as you Gooners and Cesc do not think so that is your opinion and IT IS a coincedence it has happened 3 times in 5 years so get over it, it’s the great game of English football. My sincere thoughts go to Aaron and his family for a speedy recovery and hope that he can come back show the talent, skill and character that has got him to this level at such a young age. Dig deep and get your memory bank working Gooners as Arsenal are prone to the odd tackle of controversy too…. Or did you and Arsene “Not See them” !
And amid all the common sense displayed by other Arsenal fans here, Okayplayer’s pathetic abuse just makes him look rather sad and stupid.
salutsunderland. You cannot match Arsenal for football in any game because that is not what your game is based on. You, like Stoke, go for set pieces and base your game around that. If it was effective over a season I would understand it but clearly it is not as all teams playing this game is in a relegation dog fight or at best like Stoke a midtable team with no higher ambitions. Sorry to burst your bubble but that is the truth
I think it was an exuberant, accidental challenge. I’ve watched the replay and I didn’t see any malice in it, and it doesn’t compare with the challenge on Eduardo. Shawcross was immediately shocked and sorrowful for what had happened. He should only be excluded from the England team if he has now lost his nerve. A 3 match ban would be enough. I am an Arsenal fan and would prefer not to see this type of play, but it is part of the game. Speedy recovery for Aaron and thanks for the 3 points!
Look, there is not the slightest desire here to defend or glorify thuggishness on the field.
Salut! Sunderland has been totally consistent in deploring cheating and foul play, even when committed by Sunderland players.
All I am saying is that Arsenal players are not saints. The rules and spirit of the game are broken by players of all clubs. Most if not all clubs have players capable of making mistimed, late, reckless tackles that have no malicious intent but can cause awful injuries.
Fabregas was understandably upset, as was Wenger; I am just warning against overdoing the victimhood as this threaten to undermine the sympathy the club deserve.
At the SoL, we matched the Gunners for football at times, and probably just about deserved the points. We all know it was different last week; I have repeatedly acknowledged my reservations about Lorik Cana’s actions, and not just in that game. But I don’t accept we clogged our way generally through the game. We were just second best.
We also played better football, again at times, in our games at Old Trafford and v Liverpool at home. We are in our present pickle because we have been useless in games where we shd be picking up points.
So I do not agree for a second that only the elite play real football in England. France, though half of my family is French, has no right to lecture us on anything to do with quality (though I was impressed by the collective shame felt over the Thierry Henry episode).
i think what fabregas and wenger were trying to say, at a difficult time for them, was that arsenal do not mind a physical game but that other teams impression that arsenal are weak lead them to be too physical. i don’t think this is down to any any malace, more down to a slight over-zealousnous were they are more eager than usual to impose themselves on the arsenal players. as was said, three horrific incidents like this in 5years can’t be purely coincidental, in addition to the fact the year on year we seem to be one of the worst hit teams in terms of injured players.
this article is most appreciated by this arsenal fan, who also wished ramsey a speedy recovery, and hopefully the incident will also not affect shawcross too much, a player with a lot of potential
How conveniently you forget the two footed challange by Lorik Cana.
We’ve lost 3 players to these kind of challanges. Enough is enough, we do not want your sympathy of well wishes. Go fuck yourself!
get well soon Rambo.
Young guns pass on the word we have to stop this now
Every gooner around England and abroad has to make the FA realize that enough is enough
Every gooner with a blog has to criticize the FA because its because of their rules that this has happended to us year after year
use this website to complain to the FA
http://www.thefa.com/TheFA/WhoWeAre/ContactUs.aspx
another one for the FA
http://www.thefa.com/feedback/
this is for the premier league
info@premierleague.com.
I know you must be thinking that we can do much but we have a chance to finally stop this there are around 50 million arsenal fans world wide and its only 1% of them do somthing about it then we can atleast make the FA sit up and think about it
this is kind of what I wrote to them
FA
I know we like to be know as the physical league but this is getting out of hand
What’s the point of playing this way if players don’t want to play the ball but the players ?
Everytime I speak with my friends about football who live in countries like Spain and France they say that only the 4-5 clubs in clubs in England know how to play football and its true, the teams who do want to play Football, pure football are muscled off the ball or are struck down
This can’t be the way forward, can it ?
Arsenal who play the best football in England have been struck by this kind of tackles three time in five years how can we allow this kind of thing to go on?
Forget about the club and think about the players what about them ? we currently suffer from the biggest injury list of all the leagues and most of them are caused by this kind of horrific tackle.
You have to stop this and implement laws to make these kind of tackles no existent otherwise sooner or later they will destroy a players career and is that ever justifiable ?
Please I wish you would do something about this, we have been called the non football league far too long lets make this country play better football than Brazil
FA
I know we like to be know as the physical league but this is getting out of hand
What’s the point of playing this way if players don’t want to play the ball but the players ?
Everytime I speak with my friends about football who live in countries like Spain and France they say that only the 4-5 clubs in clubs in England know how to play football and its true, the teams who do want to play Football, pure football are muscled off the ball or are struck down
This can’t be the way forward, can it ?
Arsenal who play the best football in England have been struck by this kind of tackles three time in five years how can we allow this kind of thing to go on?
Forget about the club and think about the players what about them ? we currently suffer from the biggest injury list of all the leagues and most of them are caused by this kind of horrific tackle.
You have to stop this and implement laws to make these kind of tackles no existent otherwise sooner or later they will destroy a players career and is that ever justifiable ?
Please I wish you would do something about this, we have been called the non football league far too long lets make this country play better football than Brazil
I think you send the same thing if you dont want to write something else but please do soemthing
Well I agree that Shawcross had no intent of breaking Ramsey’s leg. However he had intent to stick one up the young gunner. That is what their coaches tell them to do and that is what they are tought to do when facing a faster and superior opponent.
This will unfortunately not be the last time it happens to an Arsenal player… I just hope the FA make an example of Shawcross. It is time to cut out bullshit tackles like that!
Very well said Mr Randall, you have shown real class for taking the time out to post a compassionate article for Ramsey, im sure from every gooner, thank you.
OOH TO BE A GOONER
Gooner would like to say thanks, but you question cesc. In 5yrs he has seen 3 bad leg injuries on his players. We need to say to dirty players u can’t do it. Shawcross should be banned 4 6 games and dropped from england. Argue if you will but how you feel if u lost reed, bent and malbraneque this season?