Wenger was right

It's been a while since I blogged due to internet issues and wanting to write about a few things that happened over the last few weeks including Egypt's magnificent and amazing win but all that has to be put back on the backburner tonight.

The first time I saw Martin Taylor, I was shocked by how little a footballer he looked. I'm not talking about him being too big, or too fat, or too small or whatever. It was when he ran, when he had the ball. Say what you want you want about Peter Crouch, call him lanky, beanpole etc forgetting that he's only about an inch taller than Kanu, and that his touch while nowhere close to being as sublime as the Nigerian legend, is still pretty darn competent. Crouch runs like an athlete. When I saw Taylor run, he ran like a golem.

The simplest thing looked difficult for him but the Birmingham fans loved him. they loved the way every single challenge turned into a battle between him and the opposite striker. For me, he was stuck in my memory as the most shocking choice of right-back ever. And no matter what his teammates say here and here his perfomance that day forever marked him as mediocre in my head.

Wenger was right in a way. Innocent until proven guilty, I am not going to accuse Taylor of deliberately setting out to damage Eduardo's leg. However, the get stuck in bit was for sure drummed into the Birmingham City squad. This is a team managed by a coach who took an unfashionable Scotland side to within an inch of Euro 2008, and guess what they didn't do it by playing like Arsenal against France but rather by sheer force of effort and will and from stretching the law a bit to rough up their more heralded opponents. Martin Taylor was merely trying to stamp his authority on the game and instead stamped Eduardo's leg into oblivion. Unless anyone wants to go to Taylor's local to interview the punters or maybe ask his partner if she heard him say 'Eduardo kill' in his sleep we'll have to take his word for it.

Eduardo's career might be over. He will have access to best doctors and rehab but he may never be the same again. Will he be a shrinking violet, plagued by the memories of the agony he faced at a few minutes to 1 on Feb 23rd? I would just be happy if he can walk without a limp.

Why was Wenger right then if Taylor didn't mean it. Because its clumsy and late tackles that cause injuries like this. I've managed to dredge up the stones to view the tackle, just before the impact on his leg, and ball is nowhere there. It was an ill timed lunge from a poor player. Taylor and players like him shouldn't play again because they are danger to other players on the pitch.

In comics, occasionally the villain is a character who is not evil, but whose power is so unstable they become a danger to others. Occasionally these characters have to be destroyed for the greater good. Sad, harsh but true.

Taylor shouldn't play not because of the tackle, but because he has shown himself to be so limited at what he does that he has drifted into dangerous territory. Paolo Maldini has been playing for over 20 years and has probably never broken anybodies leg. and he's been up against players far better than eduardo.

Taylor should not be playing at this level simply put. English football is reaping what it sows for developing mediocre players like him and playing them at the highest level. o


Get well soon, Eddie.