Is death an acceptable risk for being a GK?

[d3adly]

Fair comments by monsieur Wenger. If a player knows he's not going to get there he should pull out. No ifs, ands, buts or maybes. Players should work with each other to try and not injure their peers.

Pity I didn't say this to Roy Keane a few years ago...

as if he would've listened

 

[Aarfy Aardvark]

As a goalkeeper myself, I have no problem with the amount of protection we recieve. Most refs nearly always favour the goalkeeper when he is challenged. I have been knocked out once when a player went into a similar style Cech/Hunt ball. Luckily I was unconcious for about 30 seconds. Although I didn't have something of a epiphanic experience afterwards - you just have to realise its part of the game. Injuries like this one will happen.

Of course I could have been put into a coma - but the likelihood is, on the mini-bus home, I could well have been the victim of an innocent car-driver who ploughs straight into the mini-bus, whilst trying to get out of the way.

What happened on Saturday probably won't happen again in another 100,000 games. It was a complete fluke that both keepers got knocked out.

If we take the action that no ball is there to be won, especially when a goalkeeper flies out of his box, we are negating the actual laws of the game and bastardising it into game of netball.

I really feel for Petr Cech in this case. And I hope he can recover from this horrendous injury. Ditto for Cudicini as well.

 

[Aarfy Aardvark]

Ever so slightly an over reaction. How many goalkeepers have died on the job in the last 100 years?

Back in 2001, there was a Ukrainian goalie called Sergei Perkhun who played for CSKA Moscow who was put into a coma after a clash of heads and died a few days later.

However, in the past few seasons more professional outfield players (Feher, Foe, Abdelwahab) have died than goalkeepers.

Maybe we should be looking into that...

 

[Ebonix]

Haha. Thanks for the back-up while I was at work Matt.

Kaycee, I'm currently playing Semi-Pro football earning £25 per match. I know this isn't exactly anything to measure my knowledge of the game, but I'd like to think this is something to show that I know a bit about goalkeeping.

The challenge on Saturday, that left Cech in hospital. If you ask me, Hunt wasn't making an assualt on Cech's life or health for that matter. If you watch Hunt's right foot very closely, it almost buckles as he tries to slow down. I'd also like to know why anyone would try injuring someone with a knee when you've got some pretty nasty studs on the bottom of your boots?

Basically what I'm trying to say is, accidents do happen and there is such a thing as momentum. You're bound to get clattered somewhere in your career, its a contact sport and frankly I love the physical battle. Thats one of the reasons why I play football.

 

[itsbeenpickedup]

Accidents will unfortunately happen. I would pull out of a challenge on a goalkeeper if I was not going to get there first, but I have broken a goalkeepers ribs before which was a total accident. I went to try to kick the ball towards goal from a corner in a goalmouth scramble and he kind of just appeared from the side and got a knee straight in the rib cage. I didn't even see him coming and I'm not really sure how it happened. I'm sure there are plenty of examples like that and they probably outnumber the injuries that are recieved by chasing a 50/50 ball down. How can you increase goalkeepers protection? The only way is if you are saying players doing what Hunt did should be punished, but it would be hard to judge and implement as many times the ball is there to be won and you don't know if you might be able to get there and poke it away from the keeper.

 

[MikeyM]

hahaha. LAWL.

But, no keepers shouldn't wear head gear, that's just plain stoopid.

Not at all, and why would you find me wishing Petr Cech a speedy recovery funny? I don't care much for Chelsea as a team but I don't wish serious injury on opposition players. That goes beyond football for me, the guy has a family and has the right to earn a living as we all do.

The idea of headgear is certainly viable and whilst it might not be popular, protection for 'keepers' heads would certainly make the risks of concussion less. I can't see how that is stupid. Although I agree any increased risk to other players must also be considered.

As for the Roy Keane incident, that wasn't mistimed - he wanted to clatter Haaland - he says as much in his book.

Wenger also better keep in mind how his players have behaved in the past, Ian Wright's two footed jump on Peter Schmeichel for example. I hate it when opposition teams and managers start giving comments on everything. People in glass houses shouldn't throw stones! (And yes I include Sir Alex in that too)



Mike

 

[FFC2004]

New rules were brought in that outlawed elbowing another player. Did that ruin the game, as someone stated? The only diffence it made to the game was that it became safer. Now if this line of thought is fine for outfield players, then why not GK's, when they are in a situation where the ball is in their hands, why not just outlaw the act of someone coming in with his feet towards the GK's head? It sounds like common sense to me to limit this.

You agree with me when I say anyone can get injured correct? So why don't we disallow slide tackling, disallow any contact, disallow kicking the ball at a certain pace while there is a player within 5 feet of you in fear the may get hit by the ball?

I know this is not what you're saying pede, but the more rules we bring in, the more likely it is to take any physical aspect out of the game, and could easily slow the pace of the game down at the same time.

 

[Mandieta6]

I play youth, and several years ago my team qualified to play a european tournament, and one of the rules of that tournament was: Unless the ball is reasonably distanced from the keeper, any challenge to him will result in a card.

It seemed kinda over-the-top, at first. But that made me more aware of keeper safety and I realised how many people just don't care about safety. One last season ran for the ball which bounced towards the keeper, it was between knee and waist length when they both reach for the ball, the keeper try to punch it away because the other guy was trying to kick it, he tried to volley it oddly and missed the ball completely (K punched it away) and got K in the stomach.

That might not be as serious, but it happens way too often.

 

[FFC2004]

No

 

[Bobby]

Fair comments by monsieur Wenger. If a player knows he's not going to get there he should pull out. No ifs, ands, buts or maybes. Players should work with each other to try and not injure their peers.

Pity I didn't say this to Roy Keane a few years ago...

Except Lampard. If you hurt him, fair play.

Don't kill him though. Just rattle his cage.

 

[Atkins]

Goalkeepers have protection??? I think they get enough protection wearing gloves.

If a player intentionally hurts another player then obviously its a card, if a player accidently hurts another player, then its a free kick and get on with the job.

 

[Callum]

Hunt wasnt trying to injure cech, its pretty obvious, you dont go into a tackle with your knee to injure someone, because you're likely to get injured than he is.

 

[BBTB2007]

It has always been a contact sport and goalkeepers like Cech understand the risks. I tend to think that keepers are given enough protection nowadays when referees do their job properly and that nothing should be changed in terms of the rules. There was a time in the UK when a goal could be scored by sholulder barging a keeper who was holding the ball over the line.

 

[FFC2004]

It has always been a contact sport and goalkeepers like Cech understand the risks. I tend to think that keepers are given enough protection nowadays when referees do their job properly and that nothing should be changed in terms of the rules. There was a time in the UK when a goal could be scored by sholulder barging a keeper who was holding the ball over the line.