The Arsenal Society VI

If anyone wants to throw up please go ahead and read the following article.

http://blogs.soccernet.com/stokecity/archives/2010/03/englands_ryan_shawcross_can_ho_1.php

I'm so angry I can't even put it into words.

Somehow managed to get to the end of that bile..
So long as attitudes such as this exist within the game Arsenal (an others) players will continue to leave the ground on stretchers. How can you defend Shawcross, I don't think he meant it but that's irrelevant, he's still broken our players' leg in two places. This 'he's not that kind of player' 'he's never got a red card' ******** has to stop. Knobbled Jeffers a couple of years ago, nearly did Adebarndoor last year and this year Ramsey, considering he's not that kind of player he's pretty good at being that kind of player..
You only have to see him charging around the pitch like some roid ravaged pitbull to see that he's a player trying to compensate for his inferior ability and skills with blood and thunder, and he's lauded for it. The english public and media (I'm not gonna be snobbish, myself included) loves the kind of last ditch, gladiatorial defending that's purveyed with varying degress of success from 6ft tall 6ft wide lad who'd kick you round the schoolyard up to our dear leader, John Terry. We don't want our defenders subtly reading the game making intelligent decisions, we'd much prefer they were caught woefully out of position make up the 50 yards ground on Johnny Foreigner and take him out just before he knocks us out the World Cup, if our guy gets the ball well great. 'No nonsene', 'Commitment' and 'Bravery' are, in the context of the English game, euphemisms for technical inferiority and poor intelligence.

Somehow managed to get to the end of that bile..
So long as attitudes such as this exist within the game Arsenal (an others) players will continue to leave the ground on stretchers. How can you defend Shawcross, I don't think he meant it but that's irrelevant, he's still broken our players' leg in two places. This 'he's not that kind of player' 'he's never got a red card' ******** has to stop. Knobbled Jeffers a couple of years ago, nearly did Adebarndoor last year and this year Ramsey, considering he's not that kind of player he's pretty good at being that kind of player..
You only have to see him charging around the pitch like some roid ravaged pitbull to see that he's a player trying to compensate for his inferior ability and skills with blood and thunder, and he's lauded for it. The english public and media (I'm not gonna be snobbish, myself included) loves the kind of last ditch, gladiatorial defending that's purveyed with varying degress of success from 6ft tall 6ft wide lad who'd kick you round the schoolyard up to our dear leader, John Terry. We don't want our defenders subtly reading the game making intelligent decisions, we'd much prefer they were caught woefully out of position make up the 50 yards ground on Johnny Foreigner and take him out just before he knocks us out the World Cup, if our guy gets the ball well great. 'No nonsene', 'Commitment' and 'Bravery' are, in the context of the English game, euphemisms for technical inferiority and poor intelligence.

Have you never watched foreign football before
Defenders the world over are nasty pieces of work, it is part of the mental aspect of the game to put the striker off.

Not as much as I'd like no. I'd agree we haven't quite produced anyone of the notoriety of Goiko but I believe that preference for physicality over technique is by far best exemplified here.
Out national team we've got this magnificent iconic image of Terry Butcher, and yet, despite his sins, Glenn Hoddle is largely forgotten as one of the best footballers we've ever produced.

Chiellini. He who apparently tool out RVP earlier in the season, also not English. Puyol is not your typical continental defender either.......

I agree with you tbh, if you (anyone) were asked to briefly describe the differences between the english game and that of other countries around the continent, even around the world as a whole you'd have to say the physical side of the english game is one of the stand out points. But more often than not physicality just means brutality, which will result in a poor spectacle and inevitable injuries.

On Hoddle, I think it was Ossie Ardiles who described him as 'Maradona without pace' a few months back, now that may be taking it too far, it certainly made me lol, but you're right, he is one of the best players the country has produced but barely gets recognition of that.

Edit: I'm not saying there aren't players who are more physical than technical anywhere other over here, but it tends to be a case of individuals rather than whole teams.

Puyol is very good footballing defender, he'd be Stoke's playmaker.

What I choose to do with my perfumed hankerchiefs is my own business, when you choose a player because he gets stuck in rather than because he can actually make a competent tackle you end up with the reckless challenges like the one on Saturday. It was more a wider point about english attitudes to defending than just pinpointing at Shawcross. When you send out technically inept footballers with the gameplan of 'they don't like it up 'em' then eventually someone gets hurt.

If you don't watch foreign football then how can you hold the foreign defenders up as some kind of masters of the art of getting the ball without tackling?

There are a lot of foreign defenders, notoriously Argentinians and Italians, who happily take players out off the ball, crunch in to them knee high and rake their studs down the back of their legs to cause niggly injuries.

Puyol is very good footballing defender, he'd be Stoke's playmaker.

What I choose to do with my perfumed hankerchiefs is my own business, when you choose a player because he gets stuck in rather than because he can actually make a competent tackle you end up with the reckless challenges like the one on Saturday. It was more a wider point about english attitudes to defending than just pinpointing at Shawcross. When you send out technically inept footballers with the gameplan of 'they don't like it up 'em' then eventually someone gets hurt.

John Terry for instance (who you are saying is your typical hoofer) is always reported as being one of the most skillfull players in England just that he doesn't do it during matches as it is not his job.
(This is not what I am saying, it is what is reported by people not working any angle).

How is "not as much as I'd like' the same as I "don't watch foreign football"

My argument is tinted slightly by the great italian defenders of the previous decade perhaps, the quality of their defenders has slid a little in the past few years. The home of the catanaccio and librero where defending was about denying space and starting attakcs from the back, not hobbling people.

You just said you don't watch much foreign football, yet you can somehow dismiss my take on Puyol. How? He's not technically the best defender in the world.....

Perfumed hankerchiefs? Good for you.....

Rosicky summed it up in an interview on SSN today, he said something like 'we don't mind the committed, physical teams but would like more protection....' Arsenal fans were lolling around when Ronaldo was getting kicked around the pitch a few years ago..... oh the hypocrisy.

Except Anthony, I'm negging everyone in that other thread for proving my point that this country needs gassing for thinking so little of itself and not responding to a challenge.

I'd imagine its more the Arsenals, Chelseas, Liverpools and Utds who are watched worldwide rather than the Stokes and Boltons etc

Using the Stoke example again, if we are going to compare to the main rival for viewing it would have to be Spain, the corresponding team, in terms of momentary placement in the table over there is Athletico. Who would you rather watch, a bunch of scotes trying to throw the ball into the next whilst hacking half the opposition to pieces or a team of technical players who work their chances well and try to win that way?