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Callum McManaman: Pro Footballer On Why The Tackle Doesn’t Justify The Vilification

by David Preece
20 March 2013 45 Comments

Yes it was a bad tackle and yes, McManaman should have been carded and serve a three match ban. But why are fans on Twitter so desperate for a 21 year old to be lynched and paraded round town with his head on a stick?

Wigan’s Callum McManaman: The Tackle Doesn’t Justify The Twitter Vilification

Wigan’s Callum McManaman is the devil incarnate, or so I’m lead to believe. With a single lunge of his leg he was transformed from a young, exciting, talented prospect into the next Kevin Muscat (Defender, Australian, easily vexed). The Wigan player has no previous form for this sort of thing of course but hey, he’s got a 100% record: 1 Premier League start, 1 injury inducing tackle. Then I hear public outcry from the stands: “He’s a disgrace! Three matches isn’t a long enough ban for him! Ban him for life with Shawcross, Martin Taylor and the rest of that mob!” is what I imagine Arsene Wenger would be shouting at his TV. Perhaps in French though. It’s in the minutes following the incident, iPhone in hand, that  bafflement washes over me.

After daring to show a degree of disagreement with the general consensus I had football fanatics tweeting me that Callum McManaman should have both his legs broke, he should never be allowed to play again and dishearteningly, I even saw one writer for The Times calling for him to be “shamed in to not doing it again”. Ah, Twitter: the voice of reason.

I just don’t share the indignation of the masses so forgive me for asking this: can someone tell me why you are so hellbent on seeing him punished? If there was clear intent, and I’m pretty sure we can rule that out, why are people so outraged on Haidara’s behalf? The injustice? Don’t make me laugh. This is sport not a war crimes trial at The Hague. It’s not that I don’t have sympathy for Newcastle’s Massadio Haidara. A shudder goes through me whenever I see another player being carried off the pitch in pain because I know the exact cocktail of pain and fear as you lie there hoping the agony subsides. It’s in these situations where you can find the most empathy amongst all players.

With every tackle made, the potential for something to go wrong exists. There’s an innate desire to win the ball, especially in defensive areas where a lost tackle may result in conceding a goal. You don’t want to be the one who let the side down and as long as football is played and tackling isn’t outlawed altogether, you’ll always get the odd tackle like this. In any 50/50 challenge there will always be one player who is a fraction sharper in mind or body than the other and in the moment you realise you’ve committed to a challenge you’re not going to win, there’s a natural instinct to protect yourself. This is something that’s crept into the modern game, rather than players going over the top of the ball in malice, it’s quite often a last second change of heart to make sure they don’t end up coming off second best that leads to ugly challenges. Some might call it cowardice, some might say it’s a natural reaction but look at the injuries someone like Bryan Robson suffered  throwing himself in to lost cause tackles and you can see why 100% honesty isn’t always the best policy.

In any contact sport there has to be a margin for error and misjudgment when competing for possession without the pitchfork pointing from stands. I suppose Twitter can take a large portion of blame for the instantaneous outpouring of outrage towards anything that strays either side of what is normal and acceptable but I just don’t agree with it in this instance. When I see the vilification of a twenty-one year old player making his debut for Wigan in the high pressure atmosphere of a Premier League relegation fight, I go straight in to full-on defensive mode. I can’t help it. What I think has been missing from the shouts of “HE DEFINITELY MEANT TO BREAK HAIDER’S LEG!!!” and the less irate “McManaman’s a disgrace! Make and example of him!” is an appropriate analysis of what happened. Let’s walk through it.

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Wigan vs Newcastle: Call Off The Callum McManaman Witch Hunt

Newcastle’s Yanga-Mbiwa plays the ball out to Haidara. As the ball travels to Haidara, Wigan’s McManaman holds his ground. No sign of a hothead with a mind full of rash intentions so far. If he’d lost control and was to be accused of recklessness, he’d have followed the ball as it traveled towards Haidara and attempted to take the ball and the man then. The ball then arrives at Haidara’s feet but his touch is heavy and bounces out of his immediate control. McManaman sees this and in a split second he decides he can win the ball. Here’s the crucial point. He’s not sat at home, all relaxed with a cup of tea, a packet of chocolate digestives and SKY+ rewind button for company. He is not a robot sent back from the future who can calculate every single possibility and choose the best option in a fraction of an instant. Neither does liquid hydrogen run through his veins.

What he does have is that split-second instinct that has been formed over hundreds of games since he first touched a ball. He has assessed situations such as this one thousands of times over and he’s come to a point where thought doesn’t come in to it. Past experience and instinctive judgements take over. It becomes second nature, particularly in British football where tempo of pass and speed of thought are more frequent and higher paced. Unfortunately the ball sat up at a height which meant his follow through will be dangerous but it’s now too late for him to retract his foot. He’s not Inspector Gadget. It’s a bad tackle, he doesnt cleanly take the ball, it should be a red card. Agreed.

But to those who accuse him of lack of thought and sheer recklessness, I admire your ability to slow down time and thoughtfully process questions such as “Can I get to the ball first? Shall I try to win it? Is there a possibility I may injure my opponent or even injure myself?” within the blink of an eye.

I’ve been on either end of tackles such as McManaman’s and come off second best in a few of them but you put trust in your fellow professionals and presume their intent was not to harm. Two incidents in particular spring to mind. One was a challenge from ex-Coventry City striker, John Williams who slid in after I had secured the ball in my hands and I ended up with seven stitches above my eye and a nurse asking me “Has your nose always been like that?”.

The second was perhaps a bit more controversial. It was at Ibrox, as Artur Numan pumped a long ball forward I was confident I could race from my box and clear the danger with my head. I was right, I won the ball comfortably. The next thing I know, I look up and see the Aberdeen club doctor with his two identical brothers stood either side of him and able to touch my ear with the tip of my nose. On both occasions I was asked by journalists “Did you think it was intentional?” to which I simply replied “No.” and I moved on. You see? Because you know what it’s like to have the threat of your career being ended with every challenge you make, your empathy stops you from attempting to cause harm to your opponent.

THIS is why people say “He’s not that type of lad.”. THIS is why it’s said so often because we all know our already miniscule lifespan as a player is under threat with every turn, challenge and in the case of some cruciate ligament injuries, a mere step. Football is as safe a game as at any other time since it’s inception and incidents like these are so rare you can recall every one. We can all see that the end result is regrettable. Nobody wants to see players writhing around in agony but to suggest, as some have done, that by going unpunished, McManaman’s exploits will be copied on school fields and local parks of Britain is ridiculous. Cries for tackles like this to driven out of the game are redundant and are the calls of one who obviously hasn’t been watching football for the last ten years. We’ve already dealt with wild challenges but now the cynicism has been extracted from tackles we should avoid seeing the evil in the cumbersome and mistimed.

One thing I can understand is the reaction of both clubs as they’re merely protecting their own. Newcastle’s John Carver was quite right to fight his player’s corner whilst all Wigan chairman Dave Whelan was trying to do, in his elderly, ham-fisted manner, was to shield his boy from the barrage of abuse that winged his way. My hope was that Haidara makes a swift recovery, McManaman receives an appropriate three match ban and we move on but the FA have decided to prolong the outrage and put the lawyers of Tyneside on full alert.

All I’ve tried to do here is put a more measured slant on a situation that’s in danger of getting out of hand but before you leave your abuse at the bottom of this page, do me a favour. The next time one of your players loses a tackle or backs out of a challenge and you call him a “fanny” for not showing commitment, just remember your reaction to what happened at the DW Stadium. You wouldn’t want anyone getting hurt, would you?

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image descriptionCOMMENTS

legolad 4:27 pm, 20-Mar-2013

here here about time this ridiculous press was put to bed

modernist 4:32 pm, 20-Mar-2013

These are extract from a match report at the time on MCFCReserves website, see if you can spot anything familiar… ‘Gai Assulin was stretchered off in injury time with his right leg in a brace, following a wild challenge by Callum McManaman, which caused some friction between the two benches.’ ‘Just as the clock ticked into the 90th minute, Gai Assulin picked the ball up just inside Wigan’s half and Callum McManaman ran from City’s half and dived in very late and caught Gai on his right leg with the studs showing.”

Dave 4:48 pm, 20-Mar-2013

The voice of reason, at last.

JayT 4:51 pm, 20-Mar-2013

Well said. At last a voice of reason, let's just hope it can be heard over the screams of the pitchfork wielding mob.

thank you 4:59 pm, 20-Mar-2013

thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you.

Mark Dawber 5:03 pm, 20-Mar-2013

Excellent Article! Mistimed challenge from an enthusiastic young man, lets hope the injury isnt too bad and move on.

Dan 5:07 pm, 20-Mar-2013

Brilliant article.The fact is that a ball was there to be won. Obviously,nobody likes seeing injuries like that. I even saw a great comment... "How can the ref not send him off!!" **Pretty hard when a man is standing in front of him** The mass hysteria in having McManaman hung drawn and quartered is crazy. If anyone should be vilified, it should be the F.A for not having video replay.

David 5:09 pm, 20-Mar-2013

Modernist: from a MCFC website. Totally unbiased, obviously.

jason 5:11 pm, 20-Mar-2013

Modernist - Get a grip . Im sure you could drag up dirt on a lot of players in their reserve days . How Pathetic . Very good piece of journalism David .At last somebody says it like it is and doesnt go over the top like a lot of journos and geordie fans . WELL DONE .

Tom 5:24 pm, 20-Mar-2013

"The Wigan player has no previous form for this sort of thing of course" - really? http://mcfcreservesandacademy.co.uk/wigan-homeeds1011/ - of course much of the outrage probably comes from people unfamiliar with McManaman's previous, but thought it was worth pointing out

steven 5:34 pm, 20-Mar-2013

All the people who keep posting links referring to the man city incident do my head in. Yeah we know, everyone knows. These are the same people who get excited when someone dies and they get to tell others about it. Nob heads.

Trent 5:35 pm, 20-Mar-2013

Excellent article, at last a voice of reason. As a Wigan fan I agree it should be a red card. Had a Newcastle player made the same tackle I would have expected a red for it. I think it was Sterling who broke Ben Watson's leg in a similar kind of incident but it didn't generate this kind of witch hunt.

jason 5:40 pm, 20-Mar-2013

Tom the same goes for you GET A GRIP . The incident in question was a second yellowand both players got taken off . CM had to have stitches in his leg so there are always 2 sides to a story . If we stop players going in for a 50/50 balls that are in the air we may as welll ditch football and play futsal . Accident plain and simple . Put the pitchforks away lads .

Lefty 5:46 pm, 20-Mar-2013

A balanced response from a fellow professional. Thank you

Tom 5:56 pm, 20-Mar-2013

@Jason: I thought it was possible to contribute to a conversation without being at one extreme - maybe not. No one should assume condemnation of a tackle in isolation is consistent with a 'let's all make it a non-contact sport' mindset. Maybe I was being pedantic by pointing out the reserve game, but you seem to have put words in my mouth about views on tackling in a wider sense

James 5:57 pm, 20-Mar-2013

Finally someone who actually played the game and isn't afraid of telling it how exactly like it is. Unfortunately football is now dominated by people who do not understand the game.

peterreece 6:21 pm, 20-Mar-2013

I've been reading the press for a reasonable reaction and at last we've found it. Well done David. I'm a Latics fan and perhaps not objective but I do agree it should have been a red card but now leave the lad alone. He's not responsible for the failings of the referee and assistant nor is he for the way the FA rules are set up (which incidentally Newcastle agreed to). I hope Haidara recovers quickly and that Callum learns from the experience. Meanwhile I'm still trying to get used to the fact that little Wigan Athletic are now the bad boys of the Premier League. How weird!

Stephen 6:28 pm, 20-Mar-2013

Best article I've seen regarding this incident. I wish the Newcastle fans who are accusing McManaman of being a thug and intentionally injuring Haidara would take a deep breath, sit down calmly and read this article right through. One last thing, Whelan and Martinez have been misrepresented in the media. Just look at their reaction to Ben Watsons broken leg vs Liverpool and the over the top tackle on Ryo Myaichi vs Everton which ended his season. Not one word of blame or accusation of any sort of foul play.

Catherine O'Connell 6:30 pm, 20-Mar-2013

At last the voice of reason!!

Graham 6:43 pm, 20-Mar-2013

Excellent article , one further point the instant after the tackle no Newcastle player complained nor was there a reaction on the bench until they'd seen the slow motion replay. A mistimed attempt to get the ball which should have been a red in hindsight but mass murderers have had a better press than McMannaman

David Cooper 8:29 pm, 20-Mar-2013

Totally agree. If you look at the pictures from the tackle it looks like a dangerous malicious stamp way above the ball. When you actually see the challenge in motion, it still is a dangerous challenge but the ball was actually at the height of McMananans foot a fraction of a second before. He didn't win the ball as clean as a whistle like Wheelan claims but he did touch the ball and then make contact with Haidara knee. It wasn't pre-meditated it was a rash challenge and just something that happens in a contact sport. Yes it should have been a red card and a ban but leave off the young lad, let him learn from his mistakes rather than vilifying him!

Martin 8:30 pm, 20-Mar-2013

thank you for a more balanced approach yes I am A Wigan Athletic supporter and have been watching Football since the 1970s I ahve seen far worse tackles than Mcmanamans, yes it turned out badly but I do not think there was intent. I could spend all night listing them but one thing I do remember is my dad telling me Footbal had gone soft then, soft in the 1970s Then again I say the same thing to my Kids now

craig perry 9:48 pm, 20-Mar-2013

Great article. At last, some common sense.

BOB 9:54 pm, 20-Mar-2013

It is blatantly obvious that you lot need a trip to Specsavers; McManaman is a dirty player and your Chairman is an Idiot. There is no place in the Premier League for cheats like Wigan; lets hope you small little club disappears into obscurity where you belong

gaz 10:20 pm, 20-Mar-2013

what load of bollocks the tacle was a disgrace with intent. enough said

Jo brads 10:49 pm, 20-Mar-2013

Great article, I like you go into defensive mode when I see player unjustly targeted

Stuart Latimer 11:37 pm, 20-Mar-2013

Callum McManaman has got previous which you no doubt now know yet the link below will take any other casual readers of your nonsense to a story of him being responsible for another player leaving the field of play on a stretcher. Had he been punished severely for the tackle in that game he may have thought twice about diving it recklessly on Sunday. http://tyneandwear.sky.com/sportsnews/article/60213/haidara-tackle-was-not-the-first-mcmanaman-reckless-challenge

helen 12:04 am, 21-Mar-2013

Worst most dangerous attempt to win a ball I've ever seen. Dreadful challenge. Majority of professional footballers who have commented on this have agreed with this statement. And winning the ball is irrelevant you can punch someone in the face and win the ball does that make it ok? Even if not premeditated which is a whole other argument, it's incredibly dangerous and shouldn't be something that 'just happens' its a totally unnatural way to challenge for a ball - studs up knee height following through with BOTH legs at full pelt!!! Come on. Stop trying to mitigate something that was truly appalling.

Tony 12:20 am, 21-Mar-2013

David Preece er en idiot mackem. Lort fodboldspiller, der ikke har nogen anelse om, hvad han taler om.

john doc 1:22 am, 21-Mar-2013

what a load of bull shit,the lad Mcmanaman in the Elite Academy League last season put a Man city player in a leg brace and stretcherd off, The 21-year-old received a second yellow card following an incident during a match against Manchester City's Elite Development Squad in 2011, which left opposing midfielder Gai Assulin requiring a leg brace, a 3 game ban minimum was the least the F A. could have given as in my view it is the worst tackle i have seen for a number of years, as Mark Lawrenson said on MOTD it was a very bad tackle,, lets think of the french lad for newcastle united at this time and not the Chairman of Wigan or Mcmanaman ... F.A. wake up and give the lad his suspension that he deserves.

David Preece 2:30 am, 21-Mar-2013

Helen, you make a well balanced, thoughtful argument. I take you point. John Doc: You don't but accept you disagree. Fair play. Tony: Fint. Du er ikke enig med mig men hvis du er så klog, tale engelsk så alle kan forstår hvad du siger for helvede.

Steve J 8:47 am, 21-Mar-2013

The key to me was that the barcodes played on, didn't even claim for a freekick nor harass the ref afterwards. All happened very fast as per the game nowadays, plus would the #morons be as prolific if they hadn't lost again to Wigan Athletic. A well balanced article from someone who has actually played the game not a #FIFA idiot sat behind a keyboard.

A Chan 9:29 am, 21-Mar-2013

Sorry but I cannot accept the argument/explanation that "he's not that sort of lad". This player has a history of causing grievous bodily harm on the football pitch. He did it once as an academy player against Man City. Thats TWO major injuries caused by dangerous tackles by age 20. http://mcfcreservesandacademy.co.uk/wigan-homeeds1011/

paul 10:10 am, 21-Mar-2013

if newcastle are safe buy the time they play qpr and wigan need newcastle to beat wigan to stay up what then will newcastle play the youth squad

Joe 10:18 am, 21-Mar-2013

Good article David, but I think he still deserves a bit of punishment to be honest. You say that he's played hundreds of games, therefore he can play on instinct. In my opinion he should therefore know that going in that high is always going to be a bad idea? I can't say I have the thought process of a professional, but I think that in the same situation I'd have the experience to know that's stupid.

JayT 10:26 am, 21-Mar-2013

Here come the woppers!

GRAIG 11:09 am, 21-Mar-2013

Will Newcastle play there strongest team against QPR if they are safe and Wigan needs Newcastle to beat QPR i can see the kids getting played all this bother the fa has stired up if they had just given mc the ban it would be over with. FA FOOLS

Nick 1:24 pm, 21-Mar-2013

That tackle could have ended a young pro's career. Get over the fact that he plays for Wigan and look at the bigger picture. Someone's career should not be put at risk because of a moment of madness/stupidity. Anyone who does something like that needs to be banned from the game for five matches to send the message that this is not acceptable in our game

Alex 1:41 pm, 21-Mar-2013

Decent article. I'm a toon fan, and whilst I think it is a disgrace the FA haven't acted retrospectively, you can hardly blame the kid for that. Nobody I know of has seen the tackle against the city reserve player, so I'm not sure that a city website is the best place to form an opinion. It was a bad tackle, he should be banned for three games, but I don't believe there was malice or intent. By all accounts the lad has made contact with Haidara to meet and apologise. The kid didn't look pleased with his days work when he came off, so le't just leave it as it is. A bad, clumsy challenge and the FA are incompetent.

Skull 2:54 pm, 21-Mar-2013

The problem David is that you are a Mackem and as such your view is tainted whether you have a good point or not! (Tongue in cheek) Also to the Wigan fans who are wondering why McManaman and their club is being vilified it is due to a complete lack of remorse by McManaman both at the time and since (in contract to Shawcross who looked distraught at breaking Ramsay's leg) and your club! Martinez could have apologised immediately after the game but instead talked about 'intent'! Intent is not the issue when talking about dangerous play, the FIFA rules do not speak of intent being necessary! Finally, that complete moron Whelan felt the need to fertilise the airwaves with his drivel! If ever a candidate was needed to annotate the saying 'an empty vessel makes the most noise' it has to be this idiot! That is the reason why Wigan are being made out the bad guys, because they are and in reality a bit of common sense and an apology would have changed that! For the record I too think he went for the ball but completely missed it resulting in dangerous play, which should have been a 3 match ban and a red card at the time. I also agree that as the 'assistant ref' saw it nothing should be done, however I do think that assistant should never officiate at a top level game again as a result of video evidence being available of his incompetence!

lee 4:11 pm, 21-Mar-2013

Should have been a red Should have been handball But how many times have wigan been shafted against the barcodes Kilbane sent off never was a red Boyce sent off when it wad a perfect tackle and figs red card and penalty awarded At last a few decisions go our way But for all the shite callum is getting get a grip

lord creator 11:32 pm, 21-Mar-2013

he was clearly trying to volley the ball but missed it and Haidara ran into his leg, get a grip - it was clumsy at worst

lord creator 11:35 pm, 21-Mar-2013

and, Helen, there are thousands of worse challenges out there, watch/play more football

Mick Ellis 3:36 pm, 22-Mar-2013

Very good balanced view Preecy, let's hope the witchhunt subsides and both players meet up shake hands & resume their careers.

redmanthinks 10:21 pm, 22-Mar-2013

Interesting take on the situation, and one I agree with entirely. Unreasonable witch hunt

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