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Comment: Ryan Shawcross Deserves England Call-Up And Should Not Be Branded A Thug For Aaron Ramsey Leg-Break
Stoke defender gets well-deserved call-up to England squad despite red card
| Bet: | Returns: | Sunderland £34.00 | Draw £33.00 | Arsenal £21.00 |
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| Bet: | Returns: | Sunderland £35.00 | Draw £33.00 | Arsenal £21.00 |
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| Bet: | Returns: | Sunderland £34.00 | Draw £33.00 | Arsenal £21.50 |
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| Bet: | Returns: | Sunderland £35.00 | Draw £34.00 | Arsenal £21.00 |
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| Bet: | Returns: | Sunderland £38.50 | Draw £35.50 | Arsenal £20.40 |
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Feb 27, 2010 9:10:00 PM
By Steven Saunders
Some things in football unify everyone concerned – players and fans, usually at each other’s throats for 90 minutes, recognise the momentous nature of some incidents.
The sickened look on every single player’s face when they realised Ryan Shawcross’s challenge on Aaron Ramsey during a full-blooded encounter between Stoke and Arsenal was one such time. It conveyed itself to the stands, where both sets of supporters applauded wholeheartedly when Ramsey was eventually stretchered from the field.
The conflict only really starts when people voice their opinions on how much Shawcross is to blame for the horrific injury.
Within moments of the challenge, Goal.com’s forums were buzzing with discussion – and conflicting opinion. Goonerjay29 described it as “…a good tackle, even though the collision between him [Ramsey] and Shawcross seemed hard”, yet benry14 said “I feel sickened that [Ramsey’s] burgeoning career [is] ruined by thugs of Shawcross’s nature”.
It is unfair to castigate Shawcross as a thug for this horrendous accident – and that is all it was, an accident.
One that leaves 19-year-old Ramsey’s career in the balance and could prove as destructive, albeit in a very different sense, to that of the Stoke defender, himself only 22.
And just minutes ago, he was named in Fabio Capello’s England squad for the friendly against Egypt at Wembley on Wednesday. He may well have ended up starting and still could – though whether he is mentally prepared for such a step after this incident (and whether Capello would intensify the spotlight that is bound to be on the young player now) makes it unlikely.
But that is the form with which Shawcross is now playing. He began his career at Manchester United, though never played for the first team, instead going on loan to feeder club Royal Antwerp in Belgium and then joining Stoke on loan.
That move became permanent in January 2008, with Stoke still in the Championship. Shawcross took the step down and has steadily worked his way back up, and only in recent months have his performances attracted the praise they deserve.
For some, talk of an England call-up will seem fanciful – but that is as much down to perceptions of Stoke being a bruising, no-nonsense team. If Shawcross suffered by association before, that is nothing compared to some of the less informed opinions that will be offered about him following this accident.
Breaking point | Shawcross horrified as Whelan comes to aid of Ramsey
Careful analysis of the challenge between him and Ramsey – not a job for the squeamish – shows that the Arsenal man’s foot is planted in the ground as he arrives on a loose ball a fraction of a second before Shawcross’s swinging boot. And it should be stressed that the swinging boot is intended for the ball, not for Ramsey’s shin.
The sheer pace of the challenge, combined with the fact that Ramsey’s leg is firmly planted, leads to the injury. Not thuggery. This season will have brought hundreds more vicious challenges than Shawcross’s – but none will provoke more vicious reactions.
Shawcross's reaction itself was telling. The domineering defender was immediately horrified and very soon began crying, far too shaken to even leave the field before attempting to first apologise to Ramsey and then almost stumble to the touchline, repeatedly lifting his shirt to his face to either wipe away the tears or hide his face. Or both.
Glenn Whelan immediately went to Ramsey and held the Arsenal man until the physios dashed onto the field. This, too, characterised that while Stoke are certainly a more forceful team than Arsenal, the match itself was not one in which they took a 'by any means necessary' approach to stopping their visitors from north London.
Ramsey will need the brilliant minds of surgeons to rebuild his career. Only narrow minds would wish ill on Shawcross because of it.
The sickened look on every single player’s face when they realised Ryan Shawcross’s challenge on Aaron Ramsey during a full-blooded encounter between Stoke and Arsenal was one such time. It conveyed itself to the stands, where both sets of supporters applauded wholeheartedly when Ramsey was eventually stretchered from the field.
The conflict only really starts when people voice their opinions on how much Shawcross is to blame for the horrific injury.
Within moments of the challenge, Goal.com’s forums were buzzing with discussion – and conflicting opinion. Goonerjay29 described it as “…a good tackle, even though the collision between him [Ramsey] and Shawcross seemed hard”, yet benry14 said “I feel sickened that [Ramsey’s] burgeoning career [is] ruined by thugs of Shawcross’s nature”.
It is unfair to castigate Shawcross as a thug for this horrendous accident – and that is all it was, an accident.
One that leaves 19-year-old Ramsey’s career in the balance and could prove as destructive, albeit in a very different sense, to that of the Stoke defender, himself only 22.
And just minutes ago, he was named in Fabio Capello’s England squad for the friendly against Egypt at Wembley on Wednesday. He may well have ended up starting and still could – though whether he is mentally prepared for such a step after this incident (and whether Capello would intensify the spotlight that is bound to be on the young player now) makes it unlikely.
But that is the form with which Shawcross is now playing. He began his career at Manchester United, though never played for the first team, instead going on loan to feeder club Royal Antwerp in Belgium and then joining Stoke on loan.
That move became permanent in January 2008, with Stoke still in the Championship. Shawcross took the step down and has steadily worked his way back up, and only in recent months have his performances attracted the praise they deserve.
For some, talk of an England call-up will seem fanciful – but that is as much down to perceptions of Stoke being a bruising, no-nonsense team. If Shawcross suffered by association before, that is nothing compared to some of the less informed opinions that will be offered about him following this accident.
Breaking point | Shawcross horrified as Whelan comes to aid of Ramsey
Careful analysis of the challenge between him and Ramsey – not a job for the squeamish – shows that the Arsenal man’s foot is planted in the ground as he arrives on a loose ball a fraction of a second before Shawcross’s swinging boot. And it should be stressed that the swinging boot is intended for the ball, not for Ramsey’s shin.
The sheer pace of the challenge, combined with the fact that Ramsey’s leg is firmly planted, leads to the injury. Not thuggery. This season will have brought hundreds more vicious challenges than Shawcross’s – but none will provoke more vicious reactions.
Shawcross's reaction itself was telling. The domineering defender was immediately horrified and very soon began crying, far too shaken to even leave the field before attempting to first apologise to Ramsey and then almost stumble to the touchline, repeatedly lifting his shirt to his face to either wipe away the tears or hide his face. Or both.
Glenn Whelan immediately went to Ramsey and held the Arsenal man until the physios dashed onto the field. This, too, characterised that while Stoke are certainly a more forceful team than Arsenal, the match itself was not one in which they took a 'by any means necessary' approach to stopping their visitors from north London.
Ramsey will need the brilliant minds of surgeons to rebuild his career. Only narrow minds would wish ill on Shawcross because of it.
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