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by BlueMoonAwoken » Tue Oct 12, 2010 1:55 am
by Sister of fu » Tue Oct 12, 2010 6:37 am
BlueMoonAwoken wrote:Which team does his son play for?
by hyper » Tue Oct 12, 2010 6:57 am
De Jong will certainly need a good lawyer
by french_tony » Tue Oct 12, 2010 6:59 am
by Mase » Tue Oct 12, 2010 8:08 am
Shaun Wright-Phillips has vowed to fight for his place and earn a new contract at Manchester City.
The England winger is hoping to be handed a regular spot at City and secure his Eastlands future beyond 2012.
Wright-Phillips, who celebrates his 29th birthday later this month, has started just two of City's 12 games this season.
Roberto Mancini has preferred to use David Silva, James Milner and Adam Johnson in the wide attacking roles and Wright-Phillips has admitted that the Italian boss has given him no assurances about his future.
"No, he hasn't really," he told the Manchester Evening News. "But the important thing at the minute is to do as well as we can in the league.
Long-term aim
"When they think the time is right, I'll look at it. I would like to stay for the long term.
"Obviously nothing's been sorted out yet but it hasn't stopped me from working hard and being happy.
"The main thing is I'm enjoying my time here and that's all I'm concentrating on."
The Academy graduate's current deal, signed when he rejoined City from Chelsea for £9million in August 2008, has just under two years to run.
But he is eager to avoid a repeat of the contract controversy his dad, the former Arsenal striker, caused in a radio interview in March.
Ian Wright claimed that the Blues were "mugging off" his son and "treating him like a youth-team player" after they offered to up the winger's wages from £60,000 to £70,000 a week.
That offer was rejected by Wright-Phillips, and City are in no rush to reopen negotiations.
Patient
The summer signings of Silva and Milner, and the fine form of Johnson, have left Wright-Phillips facing the prospect of being a fringe player this season so the winger must show he is worth both a regular role and a new deal.
"I've been training well. I've been working hard and it's just a matter of being patient," he added.
"The new signings are in and they deserve a chance and I'm prepared to fight for it.
"I have one year left on my contract after this season. If they want me, I'm here to stay. If not, I'm concentrating on what I have to do for the club now."
by london blue 2 » Tue Oct 12, 2010 8:18 am
by Slim » Tue Oct 12, 2010 8:21 am
london blue 2 wrote:Ian Wright is a knob.. we should follow our neighbours and ban the fucks that come out with this shit from press conferences etc!
by Ted Hughes » Tue Oct 12, 2010 9:28 am
by Beefymcfc » Tue Oct 12, 2010 10:58 am
by Mike J » Tue Oct 12, 2010 11:12 am
by Wooders » Tue Oct 12, 2010 11:12 am
by Goaters 103 » Tue Oct 12, 2010 11:19 am
by Tokyo Blue » Tue Oct 12, 2010 1:26 pm
Mike J wrote:apparently neil warnock is having a pop now, saying its the worst tackle he's ever seen. isnt this the bloke who defended chris morgan when he caved some poor cunts skull in!
by Mase » Tue Oct 12, 2010 1:53 pm
"I was running across a football pitch when I tripped on a divot left by a careless groundsman. I badly injured my knee and was out of the game for six months.
“I contacted Football Lawyers4U and they won me two million pounds, and had the groundsman executed by firing squad, all on a no-win, no fee basis.”
OK, the firing squad bit may be an exaggeration, but if Marseille get their way, the rest of it may be uncomfortably close to the truth for the future of football.
The sensitive French souls are exploring the possibility of suing City’s Nigel de Jong for his tackle on their player Hatem Ben Arfa, who was on loan at Newcastle at the time.
All sympathy in this case should be reserved for Ben Arfa, who suffered a horrible injury after a promising start to life in the Premier League.
Marseille, who were quite happy to let their precious commodity go on loan for a season, need to get a grip.
Of course, the likelihood is that they are making empty noises, simply jumping on the bandwagon which is already crammed full of radio shock jocks, Newcastle backroom suits, talking-head former professional footballers and Dutch witch-burners.
But in the bizarre event that Marseille actually do intend to take legal action against de Jong, they should sit down and think long and hard about what they are doing.
For a start, their biggest problem would be winning the case.
Opinion is wildly split about whether de Jong’s tackle was a bad one or simply an extremely hard one, and that particular debate could rumble on until doomsday.
If it ever ended up in a court of law, the consequences could be hilarious, lawyers for both sides calling up whole squads of ex-footballers to give their opinions, Match of the Day style.
For the last week you could not switch on a radio without hearing some old pro describing de Jong’s challenge as either a) attempted manslaughter or b) a good old-fashioned hard tackle.
You would have a judge, who thinks Sheffield Wednesday is a bank holiday, having to sift through bafflingly contradictory evidence.
One pundit calls it a good old-fashioned tackle, the next calls it a piece of evil on a par with eating children.
Judgments
Not one sensible critic of de Jong’s tackle has tried to claim that he deliberately set out to hurt Ben Arfa.
The worst charge laid at his door is that he was reckless, or dangerous. The whole debate boils down to what point a hard tackle crosses the line and becomes a reckless tackle.
It is virtually impossible to qualify or quantify that line, and that is why any legal case against de Jong would have to be thrown out of court.
Judgments that have gone against players for bad tackles have been far clearer cut than that of de Jong.
United youngster Ben Collett received £4.5m for a career-ending challenge in a reserve match against Middlesbrough – the challenge was indefensible, and Boro’s argument was more about whether Collett would ever have made it as a footballer.
Bradford’s Gordon Watson won £1m for loss of earnings after an atrocious, high, two-footed challenge by Huddersfield’s Kevin Gray.
Jimmy Hill called the foul “late, dangerous and violent” and there were few who disagreed. And Reading’s Chris Casper, who went on to manage Bury and is now a youth coach at United, won undisclosed damages for a shocking tackle which ended his career.
The law has to treat conduct which occurs in a sporting arena differently to everyday conduct. The benchmark would appear to be whether the challenge was more violent than could reasonably be expected in a contact sport.
Hence a boxer will not find himself in trouble for punching an opponent in the head, but he could well find himself in legal hot water if he was to bite or knee the man.
All of which means de Jong’s challenge, which has divided expert opinion but has not been slated as intentionally violent, could not, and should not, go anywhere near a court. The repercussions if it did would be drastic for football.
Dug-outs would have to be extended to allow a legion of lawyers, health and safety executives, forensic scientists and claims processors to take their rightful places.
Ex-pro and radio pundit Alan Brazil suggested that ball boys would be replaced by policemen.
And ambulance-chasing law firms could set up shop on Hough End and Hackney Marshes every Sunday morning, sure of a bit of business.
Take physical contact out of football, which is what Marseille appear to want, and it loses its soul.
The English game is more physical than the Dutch, French, Spanish and most other leagues – and it is a huge part of why it is so popular throughout the world.
There is only so much prettiness you can take in a game. The sight of a midfielder legitimately thundering into a challenge is as much a part of football as a Cruyff turn or a Messi chip.
In the recent City v Chelsea game, apart from the winning Carlos Tevez goal, there was one moment which had the crowd on its feet, roaring and cheering louder than at any other point.
It came as three City men hurled themselves into tackles, disrupting Chelsea’s rhythm and hammering home the fact that they were willing to lay their bodies on the line to defend their lead.
Such stuff stirs the blood and stiffens the sinews, but occasionally – very occasionally, thankfully – it results in the kind of accident which befell Ben Arfa. It is an occupational hazard, and one which is understood by every footballer who laces up his boots, whether it be for the Frog and Kettle or for Real Madrid.
Of course the law has to be observed, and there are clearly times when the law should intervene, as in the cases of young footballers whose careers are shattered by wilful acts of violence.
But to throw the court doors open for a legal challenge to ANY tough tackle, or indeed any act of negligence, would be an end to football as a spectacle.
by bluej » Tue Oct 12, 2010 2:04 pm
He has gone over the ball in the World Cup and the Premier League
And the bottom line is, I never set out to injure the keeper. I just wanted to let him know I was there.
I could have done his standing leg, or ankle, but I didn't.
I went for the ball. He played the rest of the match.
by Piccsnumberoneblue » Tue Oct 12, 2010 2:16 pm
Ted Hughes wrote:It's about time City started defending their player PROPERLY. A few words from Kiddo about DeJong being a nice bloke is fuck all. If this was the rags, Ferguson & Co would be going fucking ballistic about this even if their player had gunned down the cunt in broad daylight. DEJONG'S NOT GUILTY FFS, GET BEHIND HIM CITY. OPEN YOUR FUCKING TRAP MANCINI.
by ant london » Tue Oct 12, 2010 2:16 pm
bluej wrote:I daresay if I published something saying slanderous about Ian Wright I would hear about it sharpish.
by DoomMerchant » Tue Oct 12, 2010 3:49 pm
Mike J wrote:apparently neil warnock is having a pop now, saying its the worst tackle he's ever seen. isnt this the bloke who defended chris morgan when he caved some poor cunts skull in!
never known an over reaction like this. its incredible.
by The Man In Blue » Tue Oct 12, 2010 4:59 pm
DoomMerchant wrote:Mike J wrote:apparently neil warnock is having a pop now, saying its the worst tackle he's ever seen. isnt this the bloke who defended chris morgan when he caved some poor cunts skull in!
never known an over reaction like this. its incredible.
Its almost like a comedy sketch. I mean fuck me. Im fighting with friends who are Arse fans who are now hanging on Wengers pussy ass bitching about the tackle. Honestly, i think i see more dangerous tackles in nearly every match i wAtch than NIgels tackle. Who will stand up and tell the world to lick our hairy nuts? Cookie needs to go on a fucking rant and bullock these cunts. It's time for us to unleash our inappropriate Chief Exec onto the sitch.
Cheers
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