Go break a leg....

[david in sweden]

used to be an encouraging phrase to theatrical artists to give a good performance..but it seems that it has taken a more sinister meaning in modern-day football - at least according to journalist Jan Majlard in today's Swedish paper Svenska Dagbladet. Swedes have long been fans of the English game since they started screening League football on TV in the 1970's, and modern day fans are as well informed as any in England.

 

Majlard points to the disturbing number of serious injuries recently (esp. in the Premier League) where dangerous and often pointless tackles have put players out of the game and into plaster casts for many months. What is to blame he asks?. Players today - often defenders... are bigger and stronger than they were when Keegan and Best were names to be feared and they played in the days when a 12 stone, 6 footer.. was regarded as a giant!

 

He lays the blame on ...the referees, who he says follow an unwritten directive from the PL to lay off the whistle and keep the cards in their pockets, whereas the same refs. often go beserk in international games and whistle continuously and will book everyone in sight.

 

Fortunately - " leg breaks " have been few and far between in Saints' history, although older fans may recall players like David Chadwick - a contemporary of the young Paine / Sydenham combination was a serious challenger to both of them because he was able to play on either wing..until his tragic injury put him out of the reckoning. There have been others but few come to mind just now .

 

The freak accident 1966 that saw Saints keeper Campbell Forsyth break a leg in a collision with his own full back Denis Hollywood, was ironically recalled when Hollywood broke his own leg some time later. Others come to mind, but few more tragic than the mercurial Marian Pahars whose career was effectively ended when horribly tackled by a nameless Swindon player in a pre-season friendly around 10 years ago.

 

Majlard finishes his article by surmising that refs. in Prem games are ineffectual because they have been told not to whistle so often and keep the game flowing, and this winds up the tempo ..and increases the possibility of badly-timed tackles and subsequent dangerous injuries.

 

Do you agree ..and what would you do to " punish " the offenders who may have been told to " stop " their opponents, one way... or another?

Edited 6 October, 2010 by david in sweden

[Doctoroncall]

Not sure I'd put the blame solely on the referees but they can certainly help by sending them off and the FA to extend the ban if need be.

 

A couple of leg breaks I've seen, the defender has gone in to the tackle with a bad technique where he has gone in for the ball (or man perhaps) with a straight leg with the force going down to his foot. The quicker/smarter attacker plays the ball and the force from the defender's tackle hits his foot/ankle/leg and snap!

 

The other reason which I saw somewhere (cannot remember) on the wear and tear injuries (muscule strains and metatarsal breaks) is that because there is no "winter break" as there are in other european leagues that there is a significant difference in favour of the other leagues on less injuries in the second half of the season. Of course if a two week break was introduced in the English leagues, it would be filled by friendlies.

Edited 6 October, 2010 by Doctoroncall

[lordswoodsaints]

Players are no longer permitted to tackle from behind they are forced to go for the more dangerous head on/front tackle IMO.

In the 70's the restrictions on tackling were minimal and the likes of best and keegan used to get battered every week,this was all probably at the request of the opposing manager but the difference is the flair players like best and keegan learned to deal with it and it made them better players.

In today's game the top players are constantly looking to the ref to protect them from the bad boys instead of improving their performance to combat the suspect tackles.

Diving and faking injuries is born out of the strict tackling rules in the modern game.

 

The game has completely changed since I was a kid and it is all down to money and greed,the clubs want to protect the vast sums of money tied up in their players and that is why managers are constantly moaning about refs and calling for there to be more technology involved.

[MarkSFC]

Players are much fitter, the game is quicker so almost inevitably there are going to be more injuries. Serious ones may still be much the same, it would be good to see some real stats because now we get to hear about every single injury because there ate cameras at every single game!

 

My memory is letting me down slightly but didn't Mark Wright break his leg in the collision with Shilts in the semi-final with Liverpool in 83/84?

 

As for stopping it I've always thought that maybe there should be a "penalty system" in place for the purbatrators of injuries in the following manner.

 

If for example defender tackle attacker ( be it fairly, without malice or otherwise) and the attacker breaks his leg the defender automatically gets a suspension say 6 games. If deemed deliberate - however that was determined - then further punishment could be added.

 

The scale would then role down e.g knee damage 4 games, ankle damage 2 games or something like that,

 

I think this would improve the standard of tackling and decision making on the field but also add some fairness for "unlucky" tackles.

[MbaleSaint]

 

My memory is letting me down slightly but didn't Mark Wright break his leg in the collision with Shilts in the semi-final with Liverpool in 83/84?

 

 

86 semi at White Hart Lane.

 

Heard Andy Townsend's leg break at Weymouth in pre-season friendly. Anyone remember the mass game of football on the pitch at half-time until some goon kicked the ball out of the ground?

[MarkSFC]

86 semi at White Hart Lane.

 

 

Oh yeah! Thanks

[david in sweden]

Not sure I'd put the blame solely on the referees but they can certainly help by sending them off and the FA to extend the ban if need be.

 

A couple of leg breaks I've seen, the defender has gone in to the tackle with a bad technique where he has gone in for the ball (or man perhaps) with a straight leg with the force going down to his foot. The quicker/smarter attacker plays the ball and the force from the defender's tackle hits his foot/ankle/leg and snap!

 

The other reason which I saw somewhere (cannot remember) on the wear and tear injuries (muscule strains and metatarsal breaks) is that because there is no "winter break" as there are in other european leagues that there is a significant difference in favour of the other leagues on less injuries in the second half of the season. Of course if a two week break was introduced in the English leagues, it would be filled by friendlies.

 

you've hit the nail on the head with a few of those comments.

The author of the article also pointed out that there are far fewer injuries of this sort in other Euro landa who do take a mid winter break. Although English fans would feel robbed, it may never happen as long as the TV sport monopolies control the fixture lists.