Arsenal branded a bunch of thugs for their behaviour
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Jack Wilshere's horror show: Arsene Wenger's campaign backfires as Arsenal starlet is sent off in disgrace
Seeing red: Jack Wilshere clatters into Birmingham's Nikola Zigic and is sent off
England starlet Jack Wilshere severely embarrassed his Arsenal manager yesterday when the teenager was sent off for precisely the kind of reckless challenge Arsene Wenger wants outlawed from the game.
And Birmingham boss Alex McLeish was quick to highlight Wenger’s inconsistency after the Frenchman insisted 18-year-old Wilshere had not intended to hurt striker Nikola Zigic, but had simply mistimed his injury-time tackle
during Arsenal’s 2-1 victory.Wenger accepted that Wilshere deserved to be sent off by referee Martin Atkinson but he publicly defended the midfield star who is expected to have a big future as an England international.
‘He got the red card he deserved, but he didn’t want to hurt the player,’ said Wenger. ‘He just mistimed the tackle.’
But McLeish said Wenger’s claims warranted little sympathy as the bad blood between the clubs, emanating from Martin Taylor’s tackle on Eduardo in February 2008 which caused the former Arsenal striker sickening injuries, surfaced again.
‘We’ve had to put up with the Eduardo stuff for a couple of years,’ said McLeish. ‘It’s scandalous. Martin Taylor committed a mistimed tackle that caused terrible damage to Eduardo.
‘We are not citing Jack Wilshere as a dirty player, but it was a bad tackle and Zigic was lucky today. He could have been caused terrible damage, too.’
Walking away: Wilshere leaves the scene of the crime
Wenger’s stance in taking the high ground against those who impose themselves physically rebounded on him when Wilshere became the third Arsenal player to be shown the red card this season, following Alex Song and Laurent Koscielny.
Wilshere’s tackle on Zigic, striking the giant Serbia striker’s right ankle with a raised foot and studs showing, happened in front of Wenger. The Frenchman complained: ‘He was one of the best players on the football pitch today but you only want to talk about this tackle.’
Embarrassingly for Wenger, he even highlighted his views in his programme notes. He wrote: ‘We must fight to keep beautiful tackling — and that’s tackling with the desire to get the ball back, rather than jumping in at any cost. Managers have an important part to play — we are all responsible for the behaviour of our teams.’
Last night a contrite Wilshere admitted: ‘I mistimed the challenge on Zigic and accept that I deserved
to be sent off.‘I have no complaints about the red card and I will learn from this. I’m missing three matches now,
which I’m really disappointed about, but I just want to say that I deserved the red card.’
Foul play: Arsene Wenger reacts to a Stephen Carr challenge on Marouane Chamakh
Earlier, Arsenal defender Emmanuel Eboue escaped with a yellow card after wrapping his legs around Liam Ridgewell.
Yet Wenger reacted tetchily when questioned on the subject that he has placed on football’s agenda.
‘We are the team with the most fouls committed against us,’ he argued. ‘I’ve spoken with Wilshere and he will be punished, as he will be suspended from the next three games in the Premier League. But he said he mistimed the tackle and I accept that. He was reliable defensively and creating offensively. Overall, he had a very good game.’
No love lost: Roger Johnson snarls at Marouane Chamakh after the Moroccan striker won a penalty
Birmingham’s Roger Johnson could yet face trial by TV after an aerial challenge on Arsenal’s Marouane Chamakh went unpunished. Replays showed the Arsenal striker was struck in the head by Johnson’s elbow.
Arsenal won Wenger’s 800th game as manager with a penalty from Samir Nasri and a goal by Chamakh after Zigic had headed Birmingham into the lead.
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wenger's two face showing again??
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ARSENAL were under fierce attack last night from Birmingham's players for their controversial behaviour at the Emirates.
Alex McLeish's team, who lost 2-1 on Saturday, are furious with the North Londoners following FIVE flashpoints:
It came just 24 hours after boss Arsene Wenger demanded tougher sanctions for tackles from hatchet men. Yet Birmingham were furious after...
1. Jack Wilshere's reckless lunge on striker Nikola Zigic, which saw the Arsenal youngster sent off.
2. A 'dive' from Marouane Chamakh following Scott Dann's challenge, which let Samri Nasri equalise from the spot.
3. Nasri jabbed a knee into the back of Liam Ridgewell which boss Alex McLeish felt should have seen him sent off.
4. An alleged punch in the face to David Murphy which left the sub needing stitches.
5. A "scissor" tackle from Emmanuel Eboue on left-back Ridgewell.
Jack Wilshere sees red for horror tackle on Nicola ZigicBrum defender Roger Johnson said: "Wilshere's challenge looked bad, not dissimilar to Taylor's challenge on Eduardo two years ago - ankle height, could have snapped his leg. Thankfully it didn't.
"Chamakh's reaction was an embarrassment. These decisions determine people's livelihoods.
"We could go down by a point and we look back to a game like this and think we've been harshly done by. But that's football."
Dann said: "I didn't even touch him. The lad knows he conned he ref."
Johnson faces an FA probe after elbowing Chamakh, although this was not seen by ref Martin Atkinson. The centre-back could face a two-game ban if video evidence is used.
Yet boss McLeish said: "The tackle by Nasri is a sending-off for me. He's kneed the guy in the back. Is that not violent conduct?
"I don't mean to be a whinger but we've had a lot of decisions go against us over the last wee while. One of our players is going to have to get hit with a baseball bat to get a penalty, that's for sure.
"Eboue had the scissor challenge on Ridgewell. We know the damage it can do.
"Murphy says he got a punch in the face. Whether it was deliberate, I don't know. He's got stitches. I don't know who did it. Let's investigate."
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Arsenal players branded thugs? We are talking about Birmingham for god sake, the very same team that broke Eduardo's leg. Arsenal needed to show them who's the boss mah
