Risk of Sports Injury?

At first take, who looks more likely to have a significant injury, or three, during their football career?

Jack Wilshere (right) of Arsenal and Fernandinho of Manchester City battle for the ball

Jack Wilshere is a talented professional player but his record of injuries do not bode well for this future, especially if one looks at his body mechanics (kinesthetics). Wilshere looks awkward, unbalanced and ungainly.

Aesthetics plays a huge part in a professional athlete's long-term performance, sustainability and longevity. Just look at tennis legend Roger Federer, a wonderfully graceful athlete who has avoided major injuries throughout his long career while performing consistently at the highest level.

Let's not forget how Alex Ferguson regards athletes too (plus he is known to have a good eye for choosing winning racehorses).

Writing in his autobiography in 2013, Ferguson painted the scene in the Manchester United boardroom, prior to Jordan Henderson’s £16 million move from Sunderland to Liverpool (reference):

“We looked at Jordan Henderson a lot and Steve Bruce was unfailingly enthusiastic about him. Against that we noticed that Henderson runs from his knees, with a straight back, while the modern footballer runs from his hips. We thought his gait might cause him problems later in his career.”

Jordan Henderson, running style

So, from a refereeing perspective, match officials should also pay attention to their body mechanics, running style and movement. Referees are athletes and can also benefit from understanding and improving themselves aesthetically. 


Reference

Arsenal star Jack Wilshere complains about three refereeing decisions from Carabao Cup final loss to Manchester City in a statement: 'These are facts'  (Daily Mail)

Barton's Comments About Tevez Justify HKRef's Open Suggestion to the FA

Finally after 18 months, Joey Barton has spoken about what happened between him and Carlos Tevez during that fateful match between Manchester City and Queens Park Rangers that resulted in Barton getting a 12-match ban from the FA.

Carlos Tevez provoked Joey Barton, and Barton fell for it hook, line and sinker. Pic Andy Hooper.

At the time, HKRef suggested that Tevez must have done something to provoke Barton to elbow him. The FA did not bother taking retrospective action on Carlos Tevez and therefore sent out the message that it is uninterested in seeking real justice in the game.

IMHO, Barton is a dedicated, talented and committed player. His weakness is his temperament, which many players recognize and therefore exploit. This is because Barton has gained a bad boy reputation due to the consequences stemming from his uncontrollable temperament.

Referees can learn a lot about officiating effectively from this kind of knowledge about players.

Minor Contact May Cause Major Problems

The following incident occurred during a Copa Del Rey (King's Cup) round of 16 second-leg match between Real Madrid and Celta Vigo on Wednesday 9 January 2013. The match finished 4—0, with Real Madrid winning 5—2 on aggregate.

Real Madrid's Cristiano Ronaldo (white 7) races forward with the ball and does his trademark "skip" to simultaneously change direction of the ball and himself. Subsequently, the defender (red 2) tries to adjust himself accordingly. Here are the freeze frames:

 

 

 

Clash of thighs and knees here!

 

  

Full impact of downward force on left leg (red player)

 

 

 

 

Unfortunately, there was slight contact as the Celta Vigo defender's left knee brushed against Ronaldo's right thigh just before he expected to land on his left foot and push off hard to change his direction. At high speed, this alters certain trajectories of movement, so that now the defender's left leg has a more open (obtuse) angle than anticipated which cannot take the full impact of the downward force exerted on it. The left knee jarred and crumpled (plus the ankle may have also been sprained) and this is why the freak injury occurred.

Furthermore, Ronaldo's right leg trajectory was also altered, which is why he lost his footing and fell.

A freak injury caused by unexpected minor contact

 

The referee knew there was contact, and therefore played advantage when Ronaldo quickly got back on his feet and continued to attack toward goal.


Why post about this? In the EPL, there is much heated discussion about Tottenham Hotspur player Gareth Bale and his reputation for diving or going to ground easily. He has been cautioned five times since the beginning of the season, all for simulation. Some of his cautions were correct and some are debatable because there was contact before Bale went to ground.

This concept of "slight contact" having a significant effect on an athlete moving at high speed perhaps deserves more consideration. Match officials are always striving to improve their skills, and having more examples and research on this concept can help Referees better understand why some players may appear to go down easily at the slightest contact. Can slight contact really have a major impact on a player's movement? Further examples and research would benefit Referees who encounter such incidents at the highest (and fastest) levels.


References

Sunderland 1 Tottenham 2: Bale caught up in new diving storm but Spurs go marching on (Daily Mail)

Bale dives into face-to-face talks with ref Marriner as Spurs ace tries to get rid of his reputation (Daily Mail)

Referee Mark Clattenburg Back In Command Part 1 of 2

The following incidents occurred during the EPL match between Arsenal and Swansea on Saturday 1 December 2012. The match finished 0—2, with 1YC.

This was Referee Mark Clattenburg's first match back in the middle following his forced 4-week hiatus due to Chelsea's poor and pathetic allegation that he used racist and 'inappropriate language' to Chelsea players in November's match against Manchester United. Clattenburg produced a commanding performance.


Incident One: Foul Identification

In the 5', Clattenburg showed he was still sharp and up to speed with the EPL as he spotted a foul by Arsenal defender Thomas Vermaelen (red 5) on Swansea attacker Michu (white 9). Here are the freeze frames:

Referee Clattenburg had to see through some players from about 20 yards away

Whether this tackle is considered careless or reckless depends on the standard imposed by the match referee. We know the EPL is a physical league with many Referees permitting tough challenges. Furthermore, this challenge occurred in the 5' and many experienced defenders "test the water" in the opening minutes of a match with heavy tackles.


Incident Two: Clattenburg's Characteristic Cowboy Crouch

In the 14', Arsenal goalkeeper Wojciech Szczesny pulls off a double save and the ball goes out for a corner. Here are some freeze frames:

Clattenburg has put himself in the standard position, and with his characterisic legs apart as if straddling a horse. This is perhaps related to his Classic Cowboy Crouch when he performs his duties as an EAR (extra AR).

Plus there is a potential pun about "Being put straight back on the saddle" that may be lost on Clattenburg's employers who unfortunately did not give the positive impression that they were supporting him in the face of, and subsequent failure of, Chelsea's racism charge.


Incident Three: Obstructing An Opponent

In the 51' Arsenal attacker Gervinho plays a quick one—two but is obstructed by Swansea defender Chico Flores. Here are the freeze frames:

Replays suggest it was a foul, but since Clattenburg was very close to the play he immediately put his hands behind his back to communicate to everyone that, in the opinion of the Referee, there was no foul.

The incident occurred outside the penalty area, so if a foul was awarded it would have been a DFK just outside the box.


Incident Four: No Penalty Call

In the 71', Clattenburg makes an excellent decision when Arsenal attacker Olivier Giroud is suddenly put through on goal. Swansea defender Chico Flores makes a last-gasp tackle. Here are the freeze frames:

Giroud has green-tipped boots and Flores has white-tipped boots, which helps reviewers and assessors when watching replays!

Clattenburg acknowledges his AR2, since there is clear communication between them. AR2 probably assisted by saying something like "no foul" or "no penalty".

Arsene Wenger thinks "penalty"

Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger appears mortified that nothing (no penalty, no red card) was given. From his view from the technical area (far away and possibly without the proper angle), it may have looked as though it was a foul.

This was a great call, and will be further mentioned when this post resumes in Part 2 of Referee Mark Clattenburg Back In Command.

Welcome back Clatts!