What if Eduardo had to have his foot amputated because of THAT tackle by Martin Taylor? What if Peter Cech had become paralysed as a result of Stephen Hunt’s challenge?

Of course, there is a precedent for when a mistimed challenged actually destroyed a player’s career. All rise who remember David Busst who never recovered from multiple fractures suffered when he was playing for Coventry against Manchester United.

Speaking of Manchester United, note that all the above challenges were harsh but not deliberate. Roy Keane’s on Alf-Inge Haaland on the other hand… football has become a very rough and gladiatorial sport.

'I’d hate to think there is a manager out there somewhere with a brief to one of his players to destroy the career of, say, Cristiano Ronaldo or Wayne Rooney for the short-term gain of a single point'


People pay sky-high prices and tune in regularly to see 11 men busting their gut against 11 men in the rough and tumble that has characterised the English Premier League as opposed to the sterile Serie A or La Liga.

It's fun to see strikers chasing back and harrying defenders and bulky hard-men throwing their weight into a full-blooded tackle against a slithery opponent. But it isn’t fun to see Eduardo cringing on the pitch in pain.

I read a remark from a fan site that smirked at the weakness of the Arsenal players when they were unnerved at Eduardo’s injury. Cesc Fabregas is no warrior, they claimed. He can’t even stand the sight of blood.

These same cynics forget that over 10 years ago the hardest-of-hard-men Peter Schmeichel needed therapy after seeing the bones protruding out from Busst’s leg. So should the violence – intentional or otherwise – in the Premier League be toned down?

Detractors will argue that injuries like Eduardo suffered are far and few between. In fact, it was more than 10 years ago that something similar happened. Besides, the spectacle of seeing someone playing with 110% commitment going hard into the tackle is what makes the Premier League what it is today – entertaining.

But those in favour of the motion say that when players go full tilt against another, the next career-ending injury is just waiting to happen - and happen soon. Week-in, week-out, we see some horrendous tackles, most mistimed by players not adept or even trained in the art of tackling.

Players play each week with a real probability that it could be their last. Yet all 11 men who take to the pitch know it's expected of them to give their 110%. The are briefed – half-mockingly albeit ironically in hindsight - to maim their opponent with guile or brute force or in any way they deem fit.

Like in rugby, the call is for you to get your tackle in early, even if it's late. The irony is that the tackle that befell Eduardo was not even the worst we have seen this season. There have been much much worse and Lee Bowyer must account for at least half of them.

Martin Taylor is a good man caught out by the effects of a clumsy challenge. He was and will forever be punished for it. No doubt his tackle will go down in history and be referred to as “oooo…a Taylor lunge” by a commentator when another defender makes a similar mistimed challenge.

In the wake of the Taylor challenge, there was a call to ban him for life. Arsene Wenger himself led the charge. And although the Arsenal manager has since withdrawn his position, he isn’t far wrong in demanding that something needs to be done in order to accord some protection to the players on the pitch – especially against those who deliberately choose to do harm. I would support that.

Sin-bins for bad tackles should be a must. Taylor should be punished not with just a red card, but with time out of the game commensurate to that of Eduardo. If there is any intention to harm in the offence, then a year-long ban needs to be introduced. More if greater damage resulted.

The offender must be punished just as the victim suffers. Justice must not only be done but also be seen to be done. The reality must be curtailed for this game to mean anything.

As I recall, Keane suffered no long-term effects of his tackle on Haaland. He got away with effectively a slap on the wrist. That is so incommensurate to the damage Haaland himself suffered and a career that was lost.

In the game today, it is accepted that a manager should demand his players dig into a tackle, no matter how horrendous, rather than allow a Ronaldo to run wild and run free. We fans, too, have been no less guilty. How many times have we belted out in stadiums and in pubs around the country for a defender to bring down a forward, to foul him, trip him or maim him in order to stop his progress?

I’d hate to think there is a manager out there somewhere with a brief to one of his players to destroy the career of, say, Cristiano Ronaldo or Wayne Rooney for the short-term gain of a single point. But the precedent of Taylor, malicious or not, and Keane before him and the very many Bowyers running around in the Premier League are testament that the offender can flourish whilst his victim lies helpless and sometimes hopeless in some hospital bed somewhere.

Their examples will encourage more players to bite the ankles of offending forwards. One day, I wouldn’t be surprised if some hard-nosed defender grafted blades into his shin and scythed off a forward’s leg to hold up as a spoils of a game while the victim lay with blood gushing on the floor. What a spectator sport that would be. Should command a pretty penny on BskyB.