Wenger blasts Stoke 'cowards'

[Gaz]

Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger has accused some of Stoke's players of deliberately trying to injure his players.

Gunners stars Theo Walcott and Emmanuel Adebayor both picked up injuries during last weekend's 2-1 defeat at the Britannia Stadium.

The duo will miss Wednesday's UEFA Champions League clash with Fenerbahce as a result with Walcott having the better chance of returning against Manchester United this weekend.

Wenger was unhappy with Stoke's physical approach and has described those who injured Walcott and Adebayor as 'cowards'.

"For me, you need to have more courage to play football when you know somebody is tackling you from behind without any intention to play the ball, with only one intention to hurt you and I can show you some tackles where I can prove what I say," said Wenger.

"The one who is tackling is not the brave one, for me the brave one is the one trying to play football.

"Do you really feel that [Rory] Delap tried to play the ball when he tackled Walcott or that [Ryan] Shawcross tried to play the ball when he tackled Adebayor off the pitch?

"All the players have been injured deliberately.

"For me, the brave one is not the one who tackles from behind, but the player who tries to play football. That's the coward."

The Frenchman was also adamant it was not the first time opponents had hurt his players with reckless challenges, with the badly-broken leg Eduardo suffered against Birmingham last season the most notable example.

Defender Bacary Sagna was also hurt against Stoke and had been receiving treatment on an ankle injury in a bid to be fit for tomorrow's game.

Wenger added: "Do you want me to tell you the players we have lost here? Diaby, deliberate foul from behind, Rosicky, deliberate foul, Eduardo, deliberate foul. Now we lose Walcott, deliberate foul, and we have lost Sagna - deliberate foul on him.

"There is only one intention when he is tackled and that is the ankle. And you want me on top of that to sit here and say, 'Yes, sorry we are not brave'?"

http://www.skysports.com/story/0,19528,11095_4454712,00.html

What an absolute ******, when will the dosy **** realise football is a contact sport? Teams like Stoke are going to be physical and get at Arsenal because they know there's a good likelihood that they'll fall to pieces like they always did against Bolton.

[Reece]

He says the same **** every time they lose.

[-V-]

He does say the same **** and i have little sympathy for him BUT he does have a point this time. I hate Stoke, they remind me so much of Sam Allerdyce's Bolton. Horrible team.

I used to like Pulis but he's acting the cunt now. Especially didnt like his comments when they played Chelsea after getting a draw against us. He said they were a class above. Prick

[Slinky Skills]

I'd love to play against a team like Stoke, bunch of cunts.

I'd be in there snapping the ****ers, cunts the lot of em!

[Marky]

Iv never liked Stoke.

[McDermotX]

Yep,
don't like Stoke...................
.................but the arrogance of Wenger never ceases to amaze me..

For the record, I didn't see Arsenal play much football, or make any effort to, the other day..

[-V-]

Wenger ****ed up in that game. He selected a team with little pace to hurt Stoke. He played 2 tall strikers up front and Denilson wide right. Leaving out Walcott, Van Persie and Vela from the start was his mistake. Those kind of quick flair players would of hurt Stoke

[Sisterstiffticket]

There was one point in the Radio 5 interview when he said..."People say we don't fancy it. Well of course we don't fancy it..."
I felt like pointing and in a mocking tone singing..."You admitted you don't fancy it...You admitted you don't fancy it..."
But then I thought...no, one **** is enough in all this!

My fart goes out to him, bless him.

[Neil Young]

I'd love to play against a team like Stoke, bunch of cunts.

I'd be in there snapping the ****ers, cunts the lot of em!

Is your username ironic then?

[dww]

It's an odd one as I do have some sympathy for his point in the Arsenal still seem to be victimised in terms of cards per foul when I watch them. I also think he is right in that players should be protected from potentially injury causing fouls intentional or not and quick skillful player like those he collects will be hit by more of these and they aren't dealt with well at present.

However to claim people make these tackles deliberately to injure players I think is going too far. Added to the fact that he always seems to excuse these fouls when they are commited by one of his players and was always using the 'everyone knows he is not that sort of player' when Bergkamp lost his temper and lashed out with his elbow.

I would also suggest it is likely to be counter productive to have this whinge in public. It must have a bad effect on a team already captained by the ever so slightly temperamental Gallas.

[Sarb]

He's got a point to be honest. The foul on Adebayor was a shocker. The foul on Walcott, well the player slid in, missed the player with the left leg and took him down with the right.

Dirty team

[Gaz]

I don't have any sympathy for him, there are not many teams who can go out and match Arsenal in terms of pure footballing ability, Teams like Stoke have to play to their strengths and if that involves stopping a player like Walcott having a clean run through on goal then fair enough. I remember last season when we played Arsenal in the CL Quarter final i think it was Andy townsend saying Aurellio should have been prepared to take Walcott out and take the yellow card rather than letting him run past and put the ball on a plate for Adebayor, it's been happening in football for years and it's a part of the game, injuries happen in contact sports and until Platini gets his way and makes it a non contact sport it will continue to happen

[Chrono]

He may have a point but he has just magnified the hard tackles his team is going to receive and lessened the likelyhood a ref will punish it.

Idiotic move and screams of the desperation of a man seeing yet another season slowly fold.

[Sarb]

I don't have any sympathy for him, there are not many teams who can go out and match Arsenal in terms of pure footballing ability, Teams like Stoke have to play to their strengths and if that involves stopping a player like Walcott having a clean run through on goal then fair enough. I remember last season when we played Arsenal in the CL Quarter final i think it was Andy townsend saying Aurellio should have been prepared to take Walcott out and take the yellow card rather than letting him run past and put the ball on a plate for Adebayor, it's been happening in football for years and it's a part of the game, injuries happen in contact sports and until Platini gets his way and makes it a non contact sport it will continue to happen

Would you be that non-plussed about it, if Torres was through on goal against Stoke and someone came and took him out deliberately and put him out for an extended period of time?

I bet you wouldn't

[Sisterstiffticket]

...Loving it!