Unfair criticism for Danny Murphy.

[Clemdog 39,388]

Im sure many watched or read Danny Murphy's comments on bad tackling in the EPL, coming already after a more than ordinary amount of leg breaks since the season started. Im also sure that even more have seen the backlash coming from Managers, the media and the LMA.

Here is what Danny actually said ;

"You get managers who are sending their teams out to stop other teams playing, which is happening more and more – the Stokes, Blackburns, Wolves. They can say it's effective and they have got to win games but the fact is the managers are sending out their players so pumped up there is inevitably going to be problems. Every ship has a captain and that's the manager who is in charge."

There also a few more quote's from Murphy Here.

I just watched Gerry Francis on SSN who is Stoke's First Team coach saying Murphy was unfair to comment as he doesn't know what is said in either of the dressing rooms of the three Managers. He also said that Murphy was out of order to say, and I quote 'Teams were going out to injure players'.

By the contrary that is not what Murphy said, in the same interview he said he said players aren't going out to break legs, but if they tackle in a certain way every proffesional knows they will do damage ;

I don't believe players are going out to break another player's leg but there has to be some logic and intelligence involved. If you are going at someone at a certain pace and you don't get it right you are going to hurt them.

I think thats a fair and justifiable statement to make after seeing Wilkinson's challenge on Moussa Dembele. Sam Allardyce said when asked about Murphy he hated the perception Murphy's comments made, and that he hated the doing of perception. Well Sam maybe you should listen to what Danny actually said, instead of just perceiving them as him saying they go out to injure players.

Undoubtely it may not of been clever of Danny Murphy to name names. But for years the media themseleves have named these clubs as rough and bully boys.

A link I found in seconds, concerning two clubs Murphy named.

In short, Murphy came out and stated that some teams stop play, they do this because they would simply be outplayed by better teams. Certain mangers go around doing this by getting their players too hyped and leading to over-zealous tackling.

Like I said naming Managers wasn't the wisest choice, but I'm sure these mangers wouldn't be quiet if one of their players leg was broken by Danny Murphy and were then asked a question by the media about it.

I don't blame Muprhy for being angry, his side have already lost 2 players this season to leg breaks, and in a recent game with Blackburn they conceeded a goal that came from a tactic that was unproffesional in every sense of the word. More unprofessional than Murphys comments.

Of course the speed of the game has made it easier for tackles to cause more harm, but Murphy was right in my opinion to critise some teams the way he did.

[papaguy51 912]

I was surprised that Murphy actually named and shamed individual clubs.

It's a hard issue to tackle. Listening to the old pros, you'd believe that football was much harder back in the 'olden days', yet you didn't see as many bad injuries back then as we do now.

The whole physical side of the game isn't anything new. It's been creeping into football since Osvaldo Zubeldia's Estudiantes side in the o1960s and has gradually cottoned on to every league on the planet.

[Clemdog 39,388]

There are certainly ways to go about it, and naming clubs wasn't the best idea. But all he did was give his opinion I suppose.

Murphy probably doesn't care much for the style of play seeing as his type of player is someone who is a step ahead of some players with his footballing brain. Also the fact his side went all the way to Europa League final last year by taking it to teams, probably leads him to think most other teams can also.

But as the stats show Fulham are in £198million in debt !

But if Henry's, Wilkinson's or De Jong's tackles had been against a Messi or the like the backlash would of been huge, even though he is the type of player that can control the ball at his feet like no other in the world.

The average counter argument of these managers is that 'the speed of the game is much faster', but if you look at these challenges this season that have ended in leg breaks, it's just sheer clumsyness or overzealousness.

Murphy was well within his rights.

[papaguy51 912]

Regardless of what the press try to preach to us Ben, I genuinely believe that the style of football in England is the reason why the absolute best of the best players don't move to England.

You get a lot of fouls in Spain, Italy and Germany, but they're only usually niggly trips to break the opposition's momentum. In England, you've got people who are poor footballers who simply go out to 'let their man know that they're there' and all the other cliched bullshit.

[ClintonGrey 365]

I see nothing wrong with the British style of defending and/or tackling, I don't even see why it's an issue that deserves criticism.

Considering that the worst tackle this year has come from a Dutch player as well, seen much worse from them than from us.

[Clemdog 39,388]

I'd side with you on that one also, the stats are there to show boys from the Home Nations coping very well at younger levels in comparison to other European nations though not being able to make that step up. I don't tend to watch as much oversea's football compared to many on here, but when I do, I don't see the type of players you see in the EPL.

[KTBFFH 0]

It's a hard issue to tackle.

Or a hard tackle to issue :o))

[H72 265]

Enjoyed reading this Ben.

[keithgersbear 3,225]

All Sam Allerdyce can do is post stats which don't tell the full story or the reality of the situation. We all know the old saying about stats.

[Bear 25]

I love it when players say stuff like this as all it does is spice up the game...........

[Clemdog 39,388]

Enjoyed reading this Ben.

Thank you Sir, some of us post topics that aren't just about 'Bleeding balls'

[H72 265]

Thank you Sir, some of us post topics that aren't just about 'Bleeding balls'

:lol:

I think I might put that up again. It is painfully hilarious. Theres this part, where he starts bleeding from his fucking balls, dude.

[Clemdog 39,388]

:lol:

I think I might put that up again. It is painfully hilarious. Theres this part, where he starts bleeding from his fucking balls, dude.

It's straight, it's straight it's just his asshole.

He handled the situation well, as soon as I realised my gouch was fucked I would of jumped infront of the closest bus.

[Gaffbear 4,082]

Nothing wrong with being honest and that's all Danny Murphy was....good on him

[Bear 25]

Nothing wrong with being honest and that's all Danny Murphy was....good on him

Exactly.................

[Jimfanciesthedude 24,058]

firstly, tackling, as they say, is an art

what some of todays players attempt is downright common assault, and the only reason they get away with it is because they are on a football field

ive said it a few times, de jong's tackle on ben arfa was nothing short of cowardly and criminal,

murphy is right in his comments, they are his opinions and he is entitled to them, but i agree with him completely

look at hery's sending off for wolves against wigan, if the wigan players leg was planted instead of off the ground he'd be lucky to play the game ever again

wether its the managers, or the coaches at fault im not sure, but it seems that todays players are taught that tackling should be as "hard as you can make it" with nothing else taken into consideration

[Bear 25]

firstly, tackling, as they say, is an art

what some of todays players attempt is downright common assault, and the only reason they get away with it is because they are on a football field

ive said it a few times, de jong's tackle on ben arfa was nothing short of cowardly and criminal,

murphy is right in his comments, they are his opinions and he is entitled to them, but i agree with him completely

look at hery's sending off for wolves against wigan, if the wigan players leg was planted instead of off the ground he'd be lucky to play the game ever again

wether its the managers, or the coaches at fault im not sure, but it seems that todays players are taught that tackling should be as "hard as you can make it" with nothing else taken into consideration

the good thing is he has now opened a can of worms which can go either way. it could make refs clamp down which in turns mean harsher decisions and wrong decisions. The good side is it will mean a lot of the hatchet men calm down and we see the flair footballers do their thing.

As you rightly say tackling is an Art. Remember Tony Adams tackle on Shevchenko at Wembley when Arsenal played there........that was up there with the Bobby Moore tackle

[Jimfanciesthedude 24,058]

the good thing is he has now opened a can of worms which can go either way. it could make refs clamp down which in turns mean harsher decisions and wrong decisions. The good side is it will mean a lot of the hatchet men calm down and we see the flair footballers do their thing.

As you rightly say tackling is an Art. Remember Tony Adams tackle on Shevchenko at Wembley when Arsenal played there........that was up there with the Bobby Moore tackle

thats the thing about the older defenders, they knew how to tackle cleanly and fairly, and also let the opposing strikers know that they were there

todays "hardmen" think that if they go in like a train and commit foul after foul, injuring players left right and centre, they will get the same reps as they guys from decades ago

i would love to see the likes of de jong , van bommel etc come up against the likes of bremner, souness and the players of that mould

then we would see the "real" football hardmen show why they got their names