Sam Haseltine, our Hammers previewer and Football United techie wizard, cornered our own Pete Sixsmith last night for a telephone interview that delayed Sixer’s evening meal but should be clickable above. It was a good idea to record such a discussion, though this may be Salut! Sunderland‘s last word, for now, on the Ilunga/Jones incident and the various side issues that have arisen …
This week has produced a good mix of views on the controversies triggered by the Sunderland v West Ham match. Most people have expressed themselves strongly but within the bounds of reason.
Many, but interestingly enough not all, Hammers fans now say the recent bad injury to Ilunga’s jaw justified his reaction to Kenwyne Jones’s push (a sending off offence, as we have acknowledged from the outset, but a pretty tame push as pushes go). Some West Ham supporters clearly still feel he made an awful lot of the challenge and that his intentions in doing so were fairly transparent.
But no one should doubt that the lad has suffered a nasty injury. This was pointed out in one of the very earliest of comments posted at Salut! Sunderland on Saturday evening. But I do not think anyone is suggesting Ilunga was brought back into the side while still injured, since that would have been grossly irresponsible on the part of Zola and his management colleagues.
To the West Ham fans who have engaged in genuine, if impassioned debate, I am as grateful as I am to Sunderland supporters who have done likewise. To those unable to conceal enmity, but quick to fire off moronic insults, I merely say that this is probably not the right kind of site for you to be visiting.
Colin Randall
The episode raises a question about fitness to play. Ilunga would have been very cautious about contact with his jaw, but that had nothing to do with going to the ground like a giant redwood under the saw.
Petr Cech now routinely dons the black hat that he has now worn for several seasons since his fractured skull. If he needs this headgear because the previous injury has made his skull more susceptible to futher injury then surely he shouldn’t be playing. If it’s unnecessary then he should simply remove it.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-1225483/Steve-Bruce-reignites-West-Ham-row-insisting-Herita-Ilunga-play-acted-Sunderlands-Kenwyne-Jones-sent-off.html?ITO=1490
I don’t want to drag this out but in Ilunga’s defence take a look at the pic in this article. Jones has a firm hand on his still mending broken jaw. I don’t and you don’t know for sure whether he was acting up. I’ve never seen him cheat before.
See Neil Moxley’s reasonable comments under the Salut! Smiles heading on the left. Like me, like most SAFC fans as far as I can tell, he doesn’t for a second claim Kenwyne didn’t bring the red card on himself. That has never been the issue of this discussion.
Yes the result would have, and should have, been the same, but a lot easier to take.
It really doesn’t matter that Ilunga went down like a sack of spuds, Jones raised his arms at him. That is why he was sent off. If Ilunga stayed on his feet the result would be the same.
How can anyone defend falling to the floor & having ice packs pressed against a non-existant injury?
A similar thing happened in Rugby recently, and the cheating player received a lengthy ban.
Yet another thing Football can learn from Rugby (and I’m no rugby fan, before anyone asks)
Diversionary tactics talking about Cana would tend to indicate that you are ducking the ‘real issue’. By this I take it you don’t like having a player who “act’s” to help an opposition player get sent off?
Whilst I certainly don’t condone Ilungas reaction I must say I am very disappointed that Steve Bruce saw the need to say what he did and Cana’s comments were very hypocritical considering he should have been shown a red before it even happened. Generally I thought the refereeing was poor but then having seen the other red cards on Match of the day and also watched the Arsenal Spurs game where there were 3 blatant bookins for Spurs players which the ref chose not to give made it more apparent how we need to now bring in the fourth official with TV Replays to back him up. I also felt that Kovac whilst a foul was not a booking it was obvious he didn’t see Bent and Malbranque seemed to go down like he had been poleaxed from a inocuous challenge for your first goal from the freekick but Mr Bruce didn’t see the need to mention that