Birmingham City: Is Jack Wilshere's tackle going to get the Martin Taylor treatment?

Oct 18 2010 by Colin Tattum, Birmingham Mail

ALEX McLeish has insisted that even the best players produced horror tackles.

And he argued that a line should now be drawn under the Martin Taylor-Eduardo saga following Jack Wilshere’s red card lunge at Nikola Zigic.

“Wilshere’s was a deserved red card,” stated McLeish.

“He’s not a dirty player, he’s not the sort to go over the top, but it shows that even the best players can mistime tackles. Zigic was lucky. He could have had his leg shattered, similar to Eduardo.

“Taylor was vilified - and still gets vilified to this day - people are still going to interview Eduardo about ‘that’ tackle. It’s scandalous.

“Will people be interviewing Jack Wilshere in a year’s time about his tackle?

“That’s why this massive reaction to tackles puzzles me. You’re still going to get the occasional stray tackle.

“Hopefully it will help everybody jumping on the bandwagon to understand - and we should put the Taylor one to bed now.”

Arsene Wenger's programme notes made fascinating reading.

"A good tackle is technically beautiful to watch," he wrote. "That means your feet are on the ground, you're getting the ball back and only playing the ball.

"When a guy tackles with one leg and it closes like scissors with the second, for me that is putting another player's career under threat."

A bit like Emmanuel Eboue's challenge on Liam Ridgewell, then.