Post by Bismarck on Mar 17, 2008 4:28:24 GMT
It got lost rather amid Alex Ferguson and Carlos Queiroz's spoutings, but Cristiano Ronaldo reminded me of a long held bug-bear after the Manchester United v Portsmouth game......
I've always wondered why the delicate attacking flowers think they should be treated any differently to the rest......
Presumably Ronaldo was expecting was us all to say 'No Cristiano - please don't stop your stepovers. We must stop these brutish defenders hurting you so.'
It fits with the arrogance of players like Ronaldo that they appear to think they are the only people that matter on a football pitch, and their wishes should be paramount......
The attitude conveyed in these comments is that people show up at football matches only to coo at lollipops from the likes of Ronaldo, rather than appreciate the game as a whole......
The idea that players should be protected is a curious one. Protected from what exactly?
If he means they should be allowed to show off their latest tricks without fear of being tackled, it shows a basic misunderstanding of the game. This may come as a shock, but attackers are not the only players on the pitch. Defending is a skill that should be appreciated as much as a nimble drop of the shoulder......
Go to any game, and a tough, well-executed tackle gets just about as big a cheer as a graceful crossfield pass. At Manchester United, the most revered player of recent years was Roy Keane, a man who made a living by stopping players like Ronaldo. Before that there was Bryan Robson. Even Eric Cantona wasn't averse to the odd crunching challenge.......
If he means players should be protected from being injured, then how will a couple of yellow cards help? Of course, truly nasty and aggressive tackles should be punished, but Ronaldo was speaking after a game in which he was shoved over a couple of times, not after his leg had been broken.......
In any case, take a look at the most serious injuries of the past few years. Jimmy Bullard, Eduardo, Djibril Cisse, Alan Smith - all were caused by rotten luck or freak tackles that, 99 times out of 100, would have resulted in nothing.......
How is a referee supposed to legislate against that? Do we seriously believe that if Martin Taylor had been on a booking, Eduardo would be playing this weekend?
It all fits in with the idea that football is now a consumer product. The masses pay their money, sit back and wish to be entertained by silky, attacking football, and simply grumble when they are not.......
Alan Durban once said after his Stoke side put in a stultifying, defensive performance against Arsenal in 1980: "If you want entertainment, go and watch a bunch of clowns."
It sums up the difference between a spectator and a fan perfectly. Spectators want to see an entertaining match, fans want to see their side win............
Ronaldo is brilliant to admire for those of us who don't support Manchester United, but what does he expect? Defenders to step aside and let him pass when he goes tearing down the wing?
Football is a competition, not an exhibition. It is as much a battle of defence and attack as a form of entertainment. Maybe it's defenders who need protection from people like Ronaldo and his self-absorption......what do you think?
I've always wondered why the delicate attacking flowers think they should be treated any differently to the rest......
Presumably Ronaldo was expecting was us all to say 'No Cristiano - please don't stop your stepovers. We must stop these brutish defenders hurting you so.'
It fits with the arrogance of players like Ronaldo that they appear to think they are the only people that matter on a football pitch, and their wishes should be paramount......
The attitude conveyed in these comments is that people show up at football matches only to coo at lollipops from the likes of Ronaldo, rather than appreciate the game as a whole......
The idea that players should be protected is a curious one. Protected from what exactly?
If he means they should be allowed to show off their latest tricks without fear of being tackled, it shows a basic misunderstanding of the game. This may come as a shock, but attackers are not the only players on the pitch. Defending is a skill that should be appreciated as much as a nimble drop of the shoulder......
Go to any game, and a tough, well-executed tackle gets just about as big a cheer as a graceful crossfield pass. At Manchester United, the most revered player of recent years was Roy Keane, a man who made a living by stopping players like Ronaldo. Before that there was Bryan Robson. Even Eric Cantona wasn't averse to the odd crunching challenge.......
If he means players should be protected from being injured, then how will a couple of yellow cards help? Of course, truly nasty and aggressive tackles should be punished, but Ronaldo was speaking after a game in which he was shoved over a couple of times, not after his leg had been broken.......
In any case, take a look at the most serious injuries of the past few years. Jimmy Bullard, Eduardo, Djibril Cisse, Alan Smith - all were caused by rotten luck or freak tackles that, 99 times out of 100, would have resulted in nothing.......
How is a referee supposed to legislate against that? Do we seriously believe that if Martin Taylor had been on a booking, Eduardo would be playing this weekend?
It all fits in with the idea that football is now a consumer product. The masses pay their money, sit back and wish to be entertained by silky, attacking football, and simply grumble when they are not.......
Alan Durban once said after his Stoke side put in a stultifying, defensive performance against Arsenal in 1980: "If you want entertainment, go and watch a bunch of clowns."
It sums up the difference between a spectator and a fan perfectly. Spectators want to see an entertaining match, fans want to see their side win............
Ronaldo is brilliant to admire for those of us who don't support Manchester United, but what does he expect? Defenders to step aside and let him pass when he goes tearing down the wing?
Football is a competition, not an exhibition. It is as much a battle of defence and attack as a form of entertainment. Maybe it's defenders who need protection from people like Ronaldo and his self-absorption......what do you think?