Every team has one, the player whose career had so much promise until it stuttered and stalled due to host of injury problems. Instead of etching themselves in the club’s history with man of the match displays, these frustrating stars end up becoming more familiar with the club physio than the man on the terrace.
Infuriatingly unreliable but packed with potential if only they could stay fit, these players offer brief moments of genius that encourage fans to believe they will prove their greatness, but after a handful of impressive showings they end up back on the treatment table collecting their bumper wage packets.
Whether it’s bad luck in the tackle or enduring countless fitness battles that can never be won, there are a number of talented stars that have had their ambitions curbed by an inability to complete 90 minutes on a regular basis. During the Premier League era certain players have made a name for themselves as the ‘sick note’ of their respective sides or been deprived of prestigious careers due to unforeseen heartbreak as their battle to return to fitness is as ill fated as their playing days.
With that in mind, it’s time to take a look at the Premier League’s Greatest Injury Prone XI.
Click on Kirkland below to see the greatest Premier League XI ‘that never was’
It feels as if sometimes in football, we get so wrapped up in witch hunts, controversies and Premier League melodrama, that we often lose sight of what’s going on in the present. A seemingly never-ending string of refereeing incidents seems to leave many of us baying for change, as opposed to analyzing the wreckage.
So often within the aftermath of a controversial red card, a missed off-the-ball incident or a disallowed goal, thoughts immediately turn to what could have been done to prevent it. The usual suspects of video technology and goal line technology are wheeled out with a certain level of self-satisfied confidence. The feeling seems to be that the influx of some 21st century additions could ease much of the problems that our game is currently facing.
And maybe to one extent, that’s true. In terms of goal line technology, we have already seen two systems in principal – in Hawk-Eye and GoalRef – come to the fore, with the proverbial heads up being given by football’s governing bodies. But it seems interesting that we should spend such time focusing on the complexities of technology in football and the hardest parts of the game to officiate, when our country’s referees seem unable to get the bread and butter right.
It’s an age-old argument that seemingly won’t ever disappear. Premier League referees go through the mill week in, week out, making unfeasibly difficult decisions in a professional sport that is played at untenably high speed. What’s more, where as the tools of their trade are their own vision and human judgment, the rest of the world gets to scrutinize their performance with a dozen slow motion camera and startling high definition video technology. They’re never likely to look good every week, are they?
But there seems to be some things that are becoming increasingly difficult to account for within the modern game. In the same week in which ex-Premier League ref Graham Poll spoke of a past tendency to award decisions based on reputation, we saw a stonewall penalty decision missed by four match officials. Some will point to the refusal to award Luis Suarez a penalty under the bundling challenge of Leon Barnett as rough justice, but depending on your viewpoint, the connotations of the incident are very concerning indeed.
Why are we worrying about goal line technology when it appears that our refs seem unable to perform the basic task of judging each foul on its own merits?
Of course, the Suarez debacle is a highly volatile example, but the point is there. Goal line technology is crucially important and it represents an addition to the game that is hardly going to sterilize in it the same way as video replays might. But the point remains that such incidents will crop up no more than a few times this season. Horrendously poor offside decisions and excruciatingly soft penalty calls blight us week in week out. Shouldn’t we be focusing on seeing our referees get the basic right before we start clamoring for technological change?
There is clearly an element of tedium to this debate. Referees mistakes are part and parcel of the game. If we were to introduce a medium to eradicate that, such as the use of video technology, that would undoubtedly sterilize the game and rob it of the spontaneity that we know and love. But no one expects refs to be bulletproof and free of making mistakes. We just want a little more consistency and a lot less continuous error.
The game can’t be officiated off the back of a series of agendas. Sitting down in a board room and pronouncing a desire to clamp down on diving, shouldn’t equate to a blanket prejudicial attitude to officiating player of Suarez’s ilk and so on. It’s currently diving, but we’ve seen a similar focus on the use of elbows and the showing of studs in tackles. This may reek of a moral panic, but we’ve just seen this story play out a hundred times. Our Premier League refs work under enormous pressure and there has been something of a groundswell of sympathy for our officials in recent weeks.
But despite the pressure they find themselves under, that shouldn’t stop us from critiquing their performance. There feels as if there is a very large, ambiguous blanket over the world of refereeing scrutiny and their subsequent punishment. Understandably, governing bodies don’t want to see match officials undermined, but any tangible solution will run that risk. Be it a more publicized grading system, retrospective punishment for players or a microphone hooked up to the match official, every possible alternative is thrown out as being ‘undermiming’. It feels as if you can’t win.
Because finding a solution to ease the chronic, basic errors that match officials make – or at least reasoning behind their logic – is just as important as the implementation of goal line technology. All people remember from England’s 1-0 victory over Ukraine, was the touted ‘ghost-goal’. The media got themselves in quite a frenzy and the calls for technology to be rafter in were more aggressive than ever. What people tend to forget was that the goal should never have stood anyway, as it was offside. It is the bread and butter, which is as important as anything else.
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It’s difficult to instigate an argument such as one about refereeing performance, without being able to offer a real, valuable solution. But although the call to arms to implement modern day technology into football is a valuable one, fans should be under no illusion that it will present a magic tonic to officiating gripes that dominate games every weekend.
Subtle compromises are there, such as a stricter system for grading referees or even the importation of foreign referees. But just a little bit of consistency and an improvement of the basics, would feel as refreshing as any deluge of technological advancement.
What do you think about the consistency of Premier League refs? Desperate for technology or would you rather we sorted out the basics first? Let me know what you think on Twitter: follow @samuel_antrobus and tell me how you see it.
England under-21’s beat Serbia 1-0 on Tuesday night, but the game was overshadowed by ugly scenes at the final whistle.
Connor Wickham scored in the last minute to give the visitors a 2-0 aggregate win and secure their place at the European Championships in 2013.
However, Danny Rose was sent off in the dying moments and it has been revealed that the Tottenham defender was racially abused by members of the crowd.
England goalkeeping coach Martin Thomas appeared to be head-butted as he left the pitch, whilst some of the players and assistant Steve Wigley were also attacked.
The FA has confirmed that they intend to take a strong stance after the incidents and will appeal to Uefa.
“The FA condemns both the scenes of racism and the confrontation at the final whistle during which time our players and staff were under extreme provocation,” the statement, published in The Guardian states.
“The FA has reported a number of incidents of racism to Uefa following the fixture. These were seemingly aimed at a number of England black players by the crowd. The matter is now with Uefa.”
Stuart Pearce and Jordan Henderson both also stated that they were fully aware of racist chants and monkey noises from the home faithful.
“I think there were one or two racist incidents that came from the crowd and they have been reported to Uefa by ourselves. It is in their hands now; they will have to deal with that,” Pearce stated.
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“There was a lot of racist abuse out there from the stands and a lot going on after the game. There were also stones, coins and seats getting thrown at us. What happened wasn’t nice and is not called for in football,” Henderson added.
Bottom of the table Southampton entertain Swansea on Saturday, with rumours circulating about the security of Nigel Adkins job.
Adkins has endured a difficult start to his Premier League career, collecting just one win from their opening ten fixtures, with only four points and the worst defensive record in the division ensuring they remain at the foot of the table.
Swansea will be hoping to further their struggles, as they look to push into the top half of the table. Michael Laudrup enjoyed arguably his best week since taking charge of the Swans last week, overseeing a Capital One Cup win over Liverpool at Anfield, and then a commendable fight back against league leaders Chelsea which resulted in a 1-1 draw last weekend.
Southampton goalkeeper Artur Boruc is back in contention after an alleged incident in their last home game with Tottenham.
The Pole missed Monday’s defeat at West Brom following allegations he threw a bottle at home fans and swore at them, but Adkins says he is back in contention following the conclusion of a investigation.
Meanwhile Swansea are set to be without Spanish defender Chico Flores, who is struggling to overcome a dead leg.
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Whatever region of the country you find yourself in, there will always be local clubs who view one another as rivals. Be that the Midlands, London, Manchester or Merseyside – England has some of the biggest derbies on the football calendar.
Some of these rivalries have existed for over 100 years, some exist because of geographical proximity, whereas others exist between clubs that battle it out for silverware every season. Nonetheless, these rivalries all have a fascinating history.
Unfortunately, derby days are often marred by violence and rioting. The atmosphere of these games can affect players like that of no other game – and red cards are highly likely in these ties. This list comprises 15 of the fiercest rivalries in the English game, with some of these being particularly intimidating affairs.
Click on the North London derby the unveil the 15
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Have I missed any great English rivalries? Are there any particular sides that your team has a chequered history with? Let me know on Twitter @dudeyoungy
It’s standard procedure for the Arsenal community on Twitter and Facebook to blow up following a flurry of disappointing results and even one that goes on to further accentuate the club’s current position. Those who go on to voice their displeasure, as they are wholly entitled to do so, are broken up by others who remain firm that the club is on the right path and knee-jerk reactions are a fool’s game.
What can hardly be disputed, though, is that Arsenal have lost their sense of tradition and pride through the appointments of outsiders into key positions. Ivan Gazidis, Stan Kroenke and Richard Law are not Arsenal supporters, nor were they particularly clued up on the history of the club prior to entering their current positions. In Gazidis and Law’s cases, they were brought in for their ability to push the club forward on the financial side and helping to create a global brand, as well as dealing with transfers and contracts. For Kroenke, and based largely on his franchises in America, he’s a guy in it for the safety that Arsenal provide as a club. Last season the St. Louis Rams finished with a 2-14 record, and he seems totally content for the Colorado Avalanche to go up and down the NHL Northwest division but without much excitement for or in the postseason. It’s just not his game.
Arsenal have lost so much of their tradition and winning mentality over the past six years that it wasn’t out of place for supporters to call for Peter Hill-Wood’s resignation as Chairman. His family are as much a part of the club’s history as Highbury and the trophies won, but he appears to be doing nothing positive for the club and has long outstayed his welcome.
What the club needed was Patrick Vieira when he became available last year. The club should have jumped at the chance of appointing a player who was such a large part of the recent successes under Arsene Wenger instead of lazily wheeling out the excuse that there wasn’t a position available for him. Vieira’s presence at the club should have started a trend whereby former players begin taking up positions either in coaching roles or elsewhere.
Arsenal would not have lost a North London Derby with Thierry Henry in the team, nor would they have lost with Tony Adams or Lee Dixon. That isn’t a slight on the easy targets in the team today, but it’s about the importance and history of the rivalry and what it means to supporters. The older heads from the George Graham era would have rightly educated the newer foreign players on the rivalry with Tottenham, rather than having a now out of touch board room casually plugging the derby on a website.
There’s a reason that Ajax have so much success and why they’re continually praised for their commitment to youth. Their status may have diminished in European football, but appointing people like Frank de Boer and Dennis Bergkamp was the right move for that club: it was a smart and calculated move. Barcelona are the same, as are Bayern Munich, who have Catalans, Germans and former stars running the show. It’s not just about keeping the club in check behind the scenes and ensuring that successes are achievable in the future, it’s also about the public image and saying the right things. Supporters don’t want to hear that fourth place is a trophy; the fantastic history of Arsenal wasn’t built on being fourth best and largely forgettable to anyone outside of north London.
The club missed a massive trick in turning Vieira away when he expressed a desire to join in some capacity. How arrogant, he disrespectful, how stubborn. The sense that the club don’t need outside help or even a different view is exactly what has brought them into this state of struggling to push forward.
The important figures at the club don’t care that the away supporters are so prominent when watching games on television, or that they take up a large section of the cheaper seats in the stadium. The important figures dished out that ridiculous Elvis song as a poor attempt to replicate the atmosphere created by “You’ll Never Walk Alone.” It wasn’t what supporters wanted and yet it remained a regular feature for so long.
There’s no acknowledgement for the club’s colours and their traditional away kits. Barcelona would never be caught wearing a white kit, while Ajax’s shirts remain classy and easily identifiable. But that doesn’t matter as long as variety boosts the revenue from those who’ll buy the kits each year regardless.
Even if the club were experiencing success on the pitch, there’s still a concern that Arsenal is not the Arsenal it once was. It’s a moneymaking machine wrapping up a product and selling it for extortionate prices. There’s no connection and little familiarity. The clock end only came into being a good handful of years following the Emirates’ opening, and the north bank has passed from memory into myth. It’s the story that has to be fed to the younger generation rather than the experience.
The big clubs on the continent are about continuity and tradition. Manchester United have been able to teach the newer stars about the history of the club through veterans like Gary Neville, Paul Scholes and Ryan Giggs. Players like that do serve an important purpose beyond just their contributions on the pitch.
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A smart club would go about finding ways to lift supporters in any positive way they can. Every Arsenal fan is counting down the days until Thierry Henry returns in a permanent role, and the suggestions for Dennis Bergkamp to join are not too quiet, either.
But for the way Arsenal portray themselves as an intelligently run club, it doesn’t make up for the lack of connection there is between them and the supporters. A presence like Patrick Vieira would have gone some way to bridging that divide.
Arsenal fans – anyone remember Julio Baptista? The Brazilian striker was only at the Emirates for a single season, and made an overall limited impact on Arsenal’s 2006-7 campaign. A burly forward most familiar with the Spanish style of football after three years in La Liga, he struggled to adapt to the pace of the Premier League and made little impact on the competition, with over half of his 24 appearances coming as a substitute.
Arsenal had nearly landed Baptista the year before. After two seasons at Sevilla which produced a remarkable 47 goals in 79 appearances across all competitions, by 2005 Baptista was touted as one of the most talented forwards on the market as Real Madrid and Arsenal led the chase to sign him. In addition, the then-24-year-old was an emerging part of the Brazilian national squad, for whom he often featured in more of an attacking midfield position and acted more as a link-up playmaker than a goal threat.
In that one-year stay, however, Baptista did break a club record, registering four goals in a single game againstLiverpoolin the League Cup quarter-finals. It was the performance that summed up why Arsene Wenger had been so interested in Baptista’s services before. A free-kick, a placed 20-yard strike and two tap-ins showed his versatility and for once Baptista’s trickery and guile were complimented by some genuine pace. He could have had a fifth goal but Jerzy Dudek saved his second-half penalty.
Wenger, a staunch defender of the striker throughout his difficult season inEngland, hailed Baptista’s performance after the game, calling him “a mentally very strong player… his quality is fantastic”.
The goals kept coming in the next round of the League Cup as Baptista scored two more against arch-rivals Tottenham in the semi-finals. He couldn’t help Arsenal overcomeChelseain the final, but the two games – the virtuoso performance againstLiverpoolin particular – had left Gunners fans with some insight into what might have been from Julio Baptista.
It’s obvious that his best performances came in the League Cup for Arsenal and his goals are equivalent to those of Theo Walcott in this year’s Capital One Cup – although Arsene Wenger will be hoping that Walcott takes his form into league games, something which Baptista failed to do.
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Unfortunately, ‘The Beast’ hasn’t produced the same magic since, either. With the loan expiring in the summer of 2007, Baptista returned to Real Madrid but couldn’t produce the La Liga form of his time at Sevilla, and is currently without a club after stints with Roma andMalaga, where on both occasions he faded away after showing early promise. His involvement with the national side has fizzled out, too, and the 31-year-old has not been capped since 2010.
English fans, then, can count themselves lucky that they got a little taste of Baptista’s brilliance with that memorable display against Liverpool at Anfield.
Newcastle have agreed a £5m fee with Lille for full-back Mathieu Debuchy, according to reports from Sky Sports.
The French international is a long-term target of the Premier League club, who were rumoured to be interested in his signature during the summer.
After previously stating his willingness to move to the North East of England, it is thought that a deal for the 27-year-old could be concluded within the opening week of the transfer window
Real Madrid and Inter Milan were thought to be interested in the full-back, but neither have made an official bid, leaving the door open for the Magpies.
Current St James’ Park midfielder Yohan Cabaye, who was Debuchy’s team-mate at Lille, is thought to have had a major influence on the deal, persuading his countryman to move to the Tyne club.
Newcastle manager Alan Pardew is thought to be keen on strengthening his back line during the New Year and sees Debuchy as the ideal candidate to add some solidity.
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It is believed that he may be keen to add further reinforcements, with a centre-back rumoured to be on his mind due to the shaky performances of Fabricio Coloccini and James Perch.
Debuchy was key part of the French side at EURO 2012, helping his nation reach the quarter-finals, where they lost to eventual winners Spain.
It has taken seven years since arriving at Arsenal, but Theo Walcott’s career has finally started. Maybe that’s giving this whole contract situation an unnecessary Hollywood touch, but considering the time it took to get the deal signed and delivered – and Arsenal are certainly not without fault – there is rightly plenty expected from the England international.
Walcott has become the best paid player at Arsenal following this round of negotiations, but he’s far from their best on the pitch. What the contract represents is something more than just extending the stay of one of the club’s most important names; there’s no escaping how devastating Walcott’s departure could have been to the club’s image and the supporters’ mind-set, an impact which stretches far beyond the loss of his realistic value on the pitch.
But I have no reservations about saying that this protracted saga was all about the money, while talk of positions on the field was a cleverly placed, yet not totally convincing smokescreen. Walcott got exactly what he wanted; he was under no pressure to sign a contract at Arsenal and certainly could have been given stronger promises of silverware at other clubs. But becoming the highest paid player at Arsenal signals his arrival at the big time. He can no longer hide behind Cesc Fabregas or Robin van Persie; he can no longer use the excuse that he’s young and still learning his trade. Playing out of position is one thing, but there is a lot of criticism that can justifiably be levelled at his technique and propensity to be wasteful. Walcott is a man, one who is now on a senior squad member’s wages.
I’m not saying a chorus of boos should rain down on the player if he fails to live up to expectation for a prolonged spell in the coming months. However, I do believe that sport fans have a right to be critical. If that comes in the form of blogs or on Twitter then fine, but it’s also acceptable for fans to voice their opinions in a stadium. Footballers live in a completely different world to everyone else, but there are times when they need to be made aware of their responsibilities to their club. Rewards come in the form of big contracts, and especially Walcott’s with only a few years in length. Yet, there should be no immunity from those who are failing to earn it.
Walcott has delivered a number of performances this season that would suggest he deserves the contract he’s on. And once again, contracts such as these go beyond just what a player can do on the pitch. The spirit around the Emirates following the 7-3 win over Newcastle was incredibly high – arguably the highest it has been for a long time. Yes it’s nice for fans to experience big wins over teams who should be considered a good side in English football, but there was an added sense of hope, one which saw so many look to Walcott as the new star in a team desperately in need of one. After so many frustrating seasons, was he finally delivering on promises?
There might have been similar feelings against Reading in the League Cup, hope and belief in the player that he would do what was needed every time he was put through on goal and racing away from opposition defenders. Arsenal fans are currently more than deserving of something to be a little excited about; it’s not always a dangerous thing to get a little carried away by the potential of what’s to come.
Most will continue to look at Jack Wilshere as the face of this Arsenal team, and that is right. But Walcott has been in the team longer, is older, has experienced more, and thus has higher expectations. He’s far more than just a sprinter, but people want to see regularly that he is capable of so much more.
Walcott wanted a contract that gives an accurate representation of his status at Arsenal and in the England national team. However, that contract certainly doesn’t come without a great deal of expectation.
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Latching onto a fantastic pass by Lionel Messi to then bury past Malaga’s Willy Caballero was Cesc Fabregas, creator turned receiver. How often would Arsenal fans roll back the years and relive those wonderful displays they were gifted by one of the best midfielders in the world?
It was difficult for Arsenal supporters to part with Cesc Fabregas, not solely because he was their captain, talisman and a representation of just another big name to leave the club, but predominantly because he was one of the finest in world football and the best midfielder in England for years.
I wouldn’t blame anyone for begrudging Barcelona; they had Andres Iniesta and Xavi already, why did they need another one? Of course, it doesn’t just come down to something as simplistic as that.
Thierry Henry’s departure from Arsenal may have been the most heartbreaking when he finally did leave for the Camp Nou, but Cesc Fabregas was something else, a talent that you don’t come across very often and one who is yet to reach his prime as one of the world’s elite.
It’s always important to lift spirits, and at this time Arsene Wenger has an unenviable task of doing just that at the Emirates. But his words on Fabregas returning to Arsenal in the future do not sit comfortably.
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The past few seasons have taught us a lot about Barcelona, their values and the togetherness of those who grew up and dominate the various age groups in the youth system. Fabregas fought for at least a year to get his move back to Catalonia, to rejoin his best friend — who may become Barcelona captain one day. He wanted to continue his education and have the opportunity to play for one of his idols. It was a matter of trophies, but very much it was just about going home.
And why not? Barcelona have become the most successful, most attractive football team any of us has ever seen. Fabregas got his move and is now playing alongside a full cast of players who can match him in quality and help to guide the ship rather than just become passengers. Why, then, would he think about moving back to Arsenal in the future?
The truth is, no one really knows his intentions in five or six years time, not even Fabregas. What should be made clear is that this isn’t a group of players who will ever grow tired of winning. He may very well return to Arsenal for the final playing days of his career, but I don’t think it was the best comment to make from Wenger’s point of view at this time.
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Fabregas may arrive at a point in his career where he believes business in north London hasn’t been finished. He’s a sure bet to win La Liga this season, and it wouldn’t be the most surprising thing if he lifted the Champions League in May, too. Fitting, then, that the final is in London. It would probably be the greatest return any Arsenal fan could experience; there was Thierry Henry’s goal last season against Leeds, but it’s a huge difference to envisage Fabregas back, even at the age of 30, to play a significant role at Arsenal for a good handful of seasons.
Had circumstances been different, then maybe it would have been a little more acceptable to take in. Had Arsenal not relinquished their hold on some of the best players in England and Europe over the past few seasons then it might have been a different story. But when Arsenal supporters are desperate for signs of life inside the club, with the January window open and available for Wenger to strengthen a desperately weak squad, the comment about Fabregas just seems to deflect the need from more pressing matters. It’s a chance at nostalgia, but one which hasn’t been perfectly placed.