EPL Talk - Latest Comments in Has everyone forgotten how to tackle?

Re: Has everyone forgotten how to tackle?

TheScout — Fri, 11 Jan 2008 09:22:55 -0000

Try watching the tackle again. Neville certainly did not make a meal out of it.

http://www.d1g.com/video/show/1673324

Re: Has everyone forgotten how to tackle?

Michael — Thu, 10 Jan 2008 16:08:37 -0000

Officials do get calls wrong; I would know, I'm a certified referee myself and have played soccer at a high enough level to see it in action.

This is a case of that. Look, the Everton player made a meal of it and there wasn't even much contact. Mikel came in from the front and with only one foot. This wasn't a scissors tackle or anything else that dangerous, it was the same as a lot of tackles I've seen that only get yellow cards.

The only, and I repeat, only reasons Mikel got sent off was because of his reputation and because referees have been instructed to crack down and take a no-tolerance policy towards these challenges, when they should be looked at on a case-by-case basis.

Re: Has everyone forgotten how to tackle?

The Scout — Thu, 10 Jan 2008 13:14:26 -0000

Let's clear up one misconception. It's not just two-footed tackles that need to be punished. There are also the scissors tackling or the clumsy one-footed studs-up or the raking of the studs down the shin, etc, etc which are just as dangerous. It seems they are being cracked down on because players do need a certain amount of protection from thuggery and recklessness.

My estimation is that Mikel was sent off not just because his studs were showing but also because his challenge was high and it did not appear to be a "reasonable" attempt at winning the ball. Reputation certainly could have played a part but quite simply the lad does not know how to tackle in accordance with the rules of the game. As a player you have to know that when you go to ground and attempt a slide tackle that there is an element of timing that you have to get spot on or you run the risk of committing a foul.

The official has the discretion to deem an action like Mikel's as dangerous play, which it was. Neville could easily have had his ankle broken had he not reacted as quickly as he did. The FIFA laws of the game state:

A player, substitute or substituted player is sent off and shown the red
card if he commits any of the following seven offences:
1. is guilty of serious foul play
2. is guilty of violent conduct
3. spits at an opponent or any other person
4. denies the opposing team a goal or an obvious goalscoring opportunity
by deliberately handling the ball (this does not apply to a
goalkeeper within his own penalty area)
5. denies an obvious goalscoring opportunity to an opponent moving
towards the player’s goal by an offence punishable by a free kick
or a penalty kick
6. uses offensive or insulting or abusive language and/or gestures
7. receives a second caution in the same match

A further clarification states that: "A tackle, which endangers the safety of an opponent, must be sanctioned as serious foul play."

Do officials get calls wrong? Certainly. There were two calls in the FA Cup that I can think of (Ispwich and Burnley players being sent off ) that replays showed were "incorrect" calls. As it stands currently, officials are tasked with making split second judgements without the benefit of replays. Introducing video replays is debatable because I've seen tackles that looked worse (as well as less offensive) when they were slowed down or shown from a different angle in a replay.

Re: Has everyone forgotten how to tackle?

Darin — Thu, 10 Jan 2008 08:48:41 -0000

Not to mention the red card against the Ipswich player in the FA Cup that should have been yellow at most...

Re: Has everyone forgotten how to tackle?

Michael — Wed, 09 Jan 2008 21:58:10 -0000

My thoughts exactly, wanderer_abroad.

Re: Has everyone forgotten how to tackle?

wanderer_abroad — Wed, 09 Jan 2008 20:22:22 -0000

Call me bias but I think one of the people to blame for the sudden harshness of referees is Sir Alex Ferguson. For years he has been moaning to referees about such tackles - obviously only for self-interest - and is always questioning the referees decision in other matches. I think its down to him and other managers that the referees have been told to enforce the rule book to the extact letter of the law instead of using common sense when dealing with matters like this. The Mikel red card was never a sending off offence even though it was a silly challenge.

Re: Has everyone forgotten how to tackle?

Michael — Wed, 09 Jan 2008 19:04:48 -0000

To be fair, that shouldn't have been a red card for Mikel. Yes, his studs were up, but it was one-footed and from the front. The red card was a case of a player who has a bad reputation and referees instructed to take a zero-tolerance policy on tackles like that, when in reality it should be taken case-by-case and not just blanket red cards.

Re: Has everyone forgotten how to tackle?

Ginto — Wed, 09 Jan 2008 15:14:10 -0000

What is strange is that I was watching some old FA Cup replays on FSC and really enjoyed seeing some vintage English football. The thing that I noticed, however, was that I think the tackles were generally horrific. The fact that most of the tackles I saw weren't even punished with a foul (much less a booking), leads me to think tackling in general must be very, very difficult.

I've only just started playing football, at an -ahem- advanced age, and slide tackling is not allowed at all so I don't know how difficult a skill it really is. I would think though that if you can make a good cross-field pass and have basic football skills, you should be able to make a clean tackle. My limited viewing of H.S. football has shown me that the boys (and girls) in High School can normally tackle pretty well without going in either two-footed or with their studs up.