Steven Gerrard has channelled his inner Roy Keane punditry in response to Saka requesting protection from the referee. In fairness, the rough treatment meted out to our meteoric winger was no worse than the usual fare that he regularly receives from defenders whose thought processes are a micro second slower than Saka’s feet.
The task of trying to marshall and subdue such a tricky and intelligent footballer is a nightmare for any defender and teams tend to double up on him. This enables them to rotationally foul him and reduce the risk of cards.
Gerrard was incensed at the suggestion that he requires protection, and his reasoning was ‘I am sitting here now with screws in my hip, I’ve had about 16 operations. I struggle to go to the gym at the moment’.
As a defence for continuing to allow Saka to be routinely fouled, it’s not a very convincing one. This is a 41 year old athlete who suggests that it’s only proper order that Saka should be roughed up, so that Saka can endure 16 operations and be crippled by his early 40’s. Surely the point is that Saka should be given every opportunity to avoid this fate by due diligence from the officials.
There is absolutely no doubt that the game suffers from a great deal of disgusting playacting and simulation, but the answer is not to give license to thuggery that will cripple the players who elevate the game. Particularly one who on the whole dusts himself off and gets on with things after the latest assault, which is how Saka generally reacts.
COYG!
Peter Doherty
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I think he said that out of the bitterness that we kicked their arse at their backyard.f***ing fool.
If I’m not mistaken, Mings has got a warning from the referee and a yellow card for his bad tackle?
I hope Saka is okay. We’ve seen too many dangerous challenges in EPL
The last one I saw against Arsenal was Danny Rose’s kick on Leno’s chest. A similar foul happened a few years ago in a low-quality Asian league and it was fatal
What about during the Everton game on Tomi
Yeah, the officials should’ve punished Mane and Godfrey harsher for their actions on Tomiyasu
Sometimes I wonder what the rules been made by English FA is all about. I can’t see in anyway how the players in the league are been treated as humans. First, overloaded fixtures compared to other leagues, Secondly, no Christmas break you must play for what you earn at all cost and Thirdly, too many physicality without major rules or sanctions been made on offenders to protect younger players. Yes, red card is been given but it doesn’t change any players condition if badly hurt. I think the FA should come up with stiffer measures for offenders. Hence, over time players would start playing safe and lacking in expression of their talents
and skills on the pitch. This would make
football matches boring.
Totally agreed, Sylva. But that’s why the players are paid much higher than a surgeon
Gerrard is speaking out of his arse. I recall another incident last year when he raved about leg breaking challenge going unpunished last year..
In the old days the ball players were usually protected by tit for tat tackles, along the lines of if you can do that I can do one better. May not work with this Arsenal team however. We already have a bad reputation with refs even though Arsenal are one of the cleanest teams out there. Go figure. It’s up to the refs to do their job. Very few of you young fans have any idea of how good George Best was. In his day every team had a leg chopper whose sole purpose was to hound the Nancy boy ball players We had Peter Storey. I can only imagine how good he would have been had the referees given him half the protection that today’s players receive. What a waste.
I would have thought that someone who’s had 16 operations,who at 40 has screws in his hip and complaining that he cannot go to gym, would be a bit more understanding,not only that but you would also expect him to realise that the game is constantly moving on .
Stupid and idiotic of Gerrard to spill such nonsense. Saka should wait to have his entire limbs chopped off before talking? If Gerrard whom I feel would have endure less fouls in his entire career to what Saka will endure in 5years has 16screws, it’s obvious he wishes Saka ends up having 160screws by age 40, and worse still, be immobile lest with a wheelchair.
16 operations, screws in the hip.
# ……..Saka ends up having 160 operations and multiple screws by age 40?
I grew up in the GG era as a young supporter so what I witness in todays game for me personally is quite embarrassing,with players rolling around pretending their hurt for them to all of sudden to start sprinting 2 seconds later .
We see it daily with what football players have become ,case in point Xhaka ,acts the hard man but gets touched and he’s crying like a little girl ,not only him ,as much as I love Martinelli he’s another one .
This side of the game I cannot stand but it seems the powers that be have lead us to where we are .
Big shout out to Odegaard who I’m not a big fan of football wise but the amount of times I’ve seen him hacked up and he just gets up and carry’s on ,that is what I want to see from a football player .
I don’t want to see leg breaking tackles but I want to see tackles that get you out of you’re seat without having to worry the player is going to roll out of the stadium because his shirt as been pulled .
100% right there Dan!
Saka is continuously targetted and I have highlighted this point before. Point is I dont know when the officials will take a strong view of the matter and offer more protection to Saka, who is so talented and intelligent that the only way the opposition can stop him is to foul him. Hope the officials open their eyes and the injustice to Saka stops.