The horrific injury of Arsenal’s Brazilian-born Croatian player, Eduardo da Silva, has brought the topic of hard tackling to the forefront once again.
Arsène Wenger’s initial outburst that the perpetrator of the tackle, Birmingham’s Martin Taylor, should never be allowed to play again, was tempered later after he had seen the television replay and apparently talked to Taylor.
The debate seems to be whether it was naked aggression and a totally unfair tackle or a reasonable attempt to win the ball, albeit considerably late after da Silva had played the ball, and put down to the speed at which the game is now played.
Whatever the truth, the referee Mike Dean had no hesitation in sending Taylor off, although it was only a few minutes into the game.
But this wasn’t enough for Patrick Barclay, the distinguished but often wrong, columnist of the
Sunday Telegraph. Referees, he said, must share the blame for the game’s growing brutality. His theory behind this statement is that he believes that referees don’t issue enough yellow cards earlier enough in the game. He backed up his claim with statistics which showed that so far in this season’s Premier League, 68% of yellow cards have been issued in the second half. Having said
that in this instance, Mike Dean had no alternative but to issue the red card, he claimed that by and large Premiership referees allow ‘an early studding or two’ in the interest of ‘managing the
game’ - in other words keeping as many players on the field for as long as possible.
Although I dispute that referees are prepared to allow a ‘little early studding’, there is no doubt that most referees do their best to keep players on the field. What referees are taught as part of their man-management skills, which is no doubt what Patrick Barclay was referring to, is that in the first instance a quiet word after a foul may be all that is required. This is often so quiet that no one except the player concerned is aware that it has taken place. Next is a public word, when everyone realises that the referee has spoken to the offending player. This would be followed by what is known as an admonishment, in other words the player is clearly warned that any further misconduct will lead to a yellow card.
This is the ‘stepped discipline’ routine which culminates in yellow and then red cards. However, there is nothing to say that this must be done in order. Depending on the severity of the offence referees may start anywhere and I don’t think that they now shirk from issuing an early yellow card. Vinny Jones’s record of a caution three seconds into the game has not been beaten but I think referees are now more aware of the early ‘intimidatory’ foul, although it is still part of the game.
Watching one of the previous round ties in the FA Cup, I heard the commentator praise a defender after clattering into an opponent. ‘That’s good defending, letting know your opponent that you are about.’
We all know that there are lies, damned lies and statistics and these figures prove nothing. There will almost always be more yellow cards in the second half of a match than in the first. It’s a fact that games get tougher in the second half and that’s not entirely due to the exhortations of the coaches at their half-time team talk. Time starts to run out to get that goal back or to maintain that lead and desperate measures are sometimes seen to be required. On top of this, players become tired and exasperated so tackles can become ragged. Referees’ man management is intended to prevent such tackles and the blame can only lie with those who make them, and those who encourage them.
Dick Sawdon Smith
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© R Sawdon Smith 2008