The game was over over as far as the result goes. Sunderland were losing 3-0 and added time was being played out when Dan Smith pretty much ended what should have been a great footballing career for Abou Diaby. The challenge was deemed worthy of just a booking when in reality a three match ban wouldn’t have been enough.
Sunderland caretaker manager Kevin Ball said at the time:
“In my opinion, I felt Dan Smith did go for the ball and the lad knocked it away and he accidentally caught him. Yes, it isn’t an injury you want to see happen to a player. But he went for the ball and the player passed it quicker than Dan could get there.”
A two footed tackle is never an accident is it? I’m not trying to suggest Smith set out to cause Diaby the extent of damage he suffered but seldom does a reckless challenge end well for the guy on the receiving end. As Ivan Campo found out when he had his foot broken during a match against Arsenal. Greta Steinsson, also of Bolton was on the end of a nasty studs up challenge against a Wenger team who the Frenchman had previously suggested needed more protection from officials. The perpetrator on both occasions was Abou Diaby. Steinsson was lucky though, no serious damage occurred. Same goes for John Terry when a high flying Diaby boot caught him hard in the face. Stop it!
Despite the serious injury Diaby suffered which kept him out of the game for a long time, he did recover well enough to return. Not for long periods though as injury after injury followed. Until the 2009/10 season when he managed 40 appearances, the other 140 were scattered over nearly ten years. His best performances were arguably in the 2007 Carling Cup Final against Chelsea and the 2012 league match at Anfield against Liverpool.
His worst, or rather the one which still sticks in my mind was his spat with that little git Joey Barton. We were 4-0 up when Diaby saw red. Literally. Theo Walcott had opened the scoring within a minute of the game starting. Johan Djourou headed home our second before a couple of strikes from Robin van Persie should have secured maximum points at St James Park.
Then came the little spat.
Diaby was a dick for giving Phil Dowd no choice but to send him off but even so, we really should have been able to defend a 4-0 lead. As for Abou Diaby, he never had the chance to prove himself really. Injuries made sure of that.
Stay safe guys, stay healthy.
Alan Smith ” It always looks worse in slow motion”
What a complete knob this guy is. How has he even been employed to comment on ONE game let alone being employed full time by sky is beyond me.
His boring tones makes me sick, and to think he once played for our wonderful club.
Sorry about my French rico, but this guy never ceases to wind me up. He’s always against Arsenal. I’m sick that he earned a good living off our club.
No problem Vcc. Smith is just one in a list who seem to have turned against their old club for television employment…
Wenger’s fault. He banned Smitty from the training ground and most other arsenal activities. Maybe the reason he developed a downer on the club, a club he loved and held dear, until Wenger’s spiteful repost to an article he wrote.
Petty or what?
Plus he’s not helped by his monotonous West Midlands drawl…..just saying!
Morning all. Lovely day here. Another day to dodge the refabrication of our delapidated fence. I hate fencing!
What about Merson and the rest though Wavy? Plus didn’t Wenger ban Smith because of his negative punditry rather than before it? I’m with Wenger on that one.
Fencing? Very difficult with two metre social distancing Wavy. 😉
Good day all.
Wenger got rid of Merson too remember . It seems that in the Wenger world you bought into his whole philosophy or you went . Reforming Merson was a hopeless task he was apart from being a football genius a womanising , drink , drugs and gambling addict.at various times allegedly , but he was drummed out and has consequently little time for the club.
Charlie Nick was long before Wenger but Graham shot him out in 1988 just before we went on our winning streak . Bendtner , Fabregas , O’leary , and of course his biggest critic Stewart Robson all left for various reasons .
I often wonder whether it was the autocratic Old Etonian board and the way these people left that is the reason for people feeling hard done by.
Hi All It must be more to it then a problem with Wenger lets face it the still carried on rubbishing Arsenal after he left just bitter old men who would sell there soul if it sold copies of what they had written
Scott another great win she is looking better each race
Geoff, Incredible win from our dog.
Big final next week 🙂
Morning all.
Exits, dismissals, transfers etc etc must happen at other clubs too though Potter but I’ve not heard so many ex players/staff of one club be so bitter or negative as those who left Arsenal.
Maybe it’s simply a case of me/us not taking as much notice when it comes to others..
Always handy to know an electrician when your light comes away from the kitchen ceiling…
Is it the rose , or integral to the lamp . Or do you know one ?
The actual light fitting so it was hanging by its wire. Just had it fixed though by a very kind electrician.
Just seen the news, a clap epidemic spreading across the country. 😷
Oops! Sorry, that should be “clapping” not clap. 😉
Good clapping turnout where I live…
Yes, footballers have to be sensitive to the general situation, with so many people struggling to keep their heads above water, so it makes good PR for the top earners to maybe take a wage cut, to show that we’re all in this together even though we know that we aren’t.
Maybe even agents, I’m sure the super agents could contribute.
But don’t just stop at footballers, what about other sportsmen and women, those in golf, rugby, cricket, tennis, formula 1, horse racing, boxing, they could all chip in.
Then what about TV and film stars, editors, producers, directors, business types, George Osborne and Tony Blair, all those big earners in the City, the brokers, let’s be having you, let’s see all of you donate to some fund for those struggling, maybe some kind of financial reward for NHS staff when this nightmare is over.
Richard Branson could spare a few bob and George Soros also what about Stan?
And at the end of it we could go to the Chinese government and say ‘Oi, this is down to you so how about some reparations Comrade….
Kev, I would love to see somebody take on the Chinese Government over this!!!!
Scott….its easy buddy. We should ALL boycott buying anything from China.
I refuse to enter Starbucks, and I never buy anything French. Just my little stand. Drop in the ocean I know, but it makes me feel better.
Your not alone VCC , Lots of the fruit in supermarkets comes from outside the E.U we tend to buy that as opposed to French product .
I used to work for an old auto electrical manufacturer in Redditch but we were taken over by the French ( Valeo ) and all made redundant . Now when I look , most of the product they sell is imported from China or Eastern Europe . We used to make Horns , Relays , Flasher units , buzzers etc probably Kev’s FX4 had them fitted and I am sure that given the right time could have been knocking out Respirators with ease .
But that’s where our manufacturing base went .
Morning guys.
New post up now