Stephen Hunt on Cech

[OwlsFan]

Didn't look deliberate to me - in fact looked quite harmless which it obviously wasn't. I thought Mourinho's comments were harsh.

Wonder should goal keepers be allowed wear some sort of head protection.

[pineapple stu]

Wonder should goal keepers be allowed wear some sort of head protection.
Now there's a knee jerk reaction if ever there was one.

How often do keepers suffer serious head injuries? Very rarely. Would a helmet on the keeper be more likely to smash some forward's knee than save the keeper's head? Probably.

[eirebhoy]

It obviously wasn't deliberate. You'd know that just from the fact it was a Stephen Hunt challenge on Petr Cech in the 2nd minute of the match. There's absolutely no reason for him the intentionally hurt him.

Mourinho said Cech could have died but it certainly didn't look that bad on TV.

[Stuttgart88]

On Goals on Sunday on SKY they kept replaying it from behind the goalline.

You could clearly see that Hunt merely pulled up, albeit in the unusual manner of going to ground on his knees, and Cech's sideways momentum took him into his knee. Hunt's line of running was well away from the ball. Nasty accident, no more. At worst it was clumsy.

Chelsea yet again have shown their lack of class. In my opinion there was far more intent in the tackle on Given that also resulted in surgery. Harewood was frustrated at losing the game and went for a tackle where he had no chance of making the ball. There was no intent to injure but it was a very poor tackle.

In Hunt's case he wasn't even trying to get near to Cech or the ball. He realised he wasn't going to get it so he pulled up. If no contact was made he'd simply have slid on his knees over the goalline.

No Chelsea player admonished Hunt at the time which says a lot.

Newcastle and Given both accepted the outcome like sportsmen. Mourinho and Chelsea reacted to this incident like they're some sort of precious untouchables. To compare this incident to the Essien horror tackle on Haaman is disgraceful, but the least you'd expect from Mourinho, Kenyon et al.

I'd ordinarily be very protective of a keeper in this instance. In 1994 I got a kick in the temple diving at a centre forward's feet. I was knocked unconscious immediately, swallowed my tongue & stopped breathing. The referee saved my life. Despite a minor whiplash injury I resumed played again 2 weeks later and accepted all the apologies from my opponents as my teammates assured me it was an accident. If only Chelsea could do the same.

[BrayUnknowns]

Total accident IMO, no mallice or intent what so ever. "The great one" was a disgrace with his commets, really showed himself up to be the clown that he is.

On another note, how long before Hunt gets a call up to the senior Irish side.

[Stuttgart88]

On another note, how long before Hunt gets a call up to the senior Irish side.
From what I saw in highlights he's defintely got something to offer. Beat his man several times, nearly set up Doyle to score and was generally tenacious and always looking to get forward.

[OwlsFan]

Now there's a knee jerk reaction if ever there was one.

How often do keepers suffer serious head injuries? Very rarely. Would a helmet on the keeper be more likely to smash some forward's knee than save the keeper's head? Probably.

Isn't it better to have a knee jerk reaction to save a life rather than wait for the accident to happen. I was thinking in term of some think carbon fibre herlmet will give the goalie some sort of protection. Knee vs the Head. I'll sooner protect the head although I take your point.

Yes, I thought Mourinho's comments were a disgrace to blacken a man's character like that when there didn't seem to be any obvious deliberate intention to hurt Cech.

[noby]

I read the Sunday papers before I saw the incident. By Mourinho's description I was expecting a horror tackle.
Seemed a pure accident by the look of it.
There's a half hour interview with Hunt on WLR Terrace Talk tonight, if anyone's interested. Not sure if it's available on the web though.

[DmanDmythDledge]

Mourinho is a blantant liar, but I didn't think he would stoop as low as he did. Could Hunt take libel/slander (whichever one it is) against him?

[geysir]

I thought the obvious interpretation was that Mourinho is just playing a crude political card. Similar in a way to his antics slurring the character of the referee (Barca game) in order to get an acceptable choice appointed for the return CL game, it worked then.

[Lim till i die]

Isn't it better to have a knee jerk reaction

If only Hunt had had one we could have avoided all this unpleasantness :p

I'll get my coat :o

[BrayUnknowns]

Mourinho is a blantant liar, but I didn't think he would stoop as low as he did. Could Hunt take libel/slander (whichever one it is) against him?

Now Drogba, of all people ! has come out and said that Hunt meant to do it ! defo a case of slander there.

[colster]

I've looked at it a few times and can't help feeling that Hunt could have jumped over Cech.

[Stuttgart88]

The thing is that he had already pulled up, and had gone to ground intending to slide on his knees. His "line" was well wide of where Cech gathered the ball.

Why did he go to slide on his knees is anyone's guess. No malice at all, but careless.

[see's it]

Isn't it better to have a knee jerk reaction to save a life rather than wait for the accident to happen. I was thinking in term of some think carbon fibre herlmet will give the goalie some sort of protection. Knee vs the Head. I'll sooner protect the head although I take your point.

Yes, I thought Mourinho's comments were a disgrace to blacken a man's character like that when there didn't seem to be any obvious deliberate intention to hurt Cech.

could wear something like they do in rugby maybe

[Jerry The Saint]

'From the first minute, he (Hunt) tried to intimidate us, to show that he didn't fear us and that we'd better be ready for one hell of a challenge for 90 minutes'

Outrageous!:eek: This Hunt must be banned for life for trying to play like this against mighty Chelseas.:mad:

[colster]

The thing is that he had already pulled up, and had gone to ground intending to slide on his knees. His "line" was well wide of where Cech gathered the ball.

Why did he go to slide on his knees is anyone's guess. No malice at all, but careless.

I've had a look at it from a couple of angles and I still feel he could have avoided him. Did he intentionally try to make contact with Cech, I don't know.
I think Mourinho's reaction was understandable in the circumstances. I think most managers would have had the same reaction.

[jebus]

I don't think Hunt meant to hurt Cech but I do think he left his leg there to try and shake up Cech alright. Whether you want to say that that is a tackle with intent or malice is up to you, its a bit like a guy stabbing another guy, second guy dies, and the murderer gets done for manslaughter and not murder because he didn't intend to kill him (what an odd remark).

But anyway it's done and Hunt has apologised, which is all he can do, and that should be that, Mourinho and Chelsea should let it lie for once and everyone can move on. That said I agree with Lehmann in this morning's papers saying that refs in England don't give keepers or players enough protection, and that it is glossed over by commentators saying it was a 'clumsy' challenge, and that 'it's a man's game', the refs in England should have a look at their European (in particular Spanish) counterparts, people who know how to protect a player whilst letting a game flow

[Stuttgart88]

Here's what the excellent Martin Samuel of The Times thinks:

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,8305-2409107,00.html

[osgood was good]

As a long time Chelsea fan im disgusted by the remarks J.M. has come out with in the last 7 days. I watched the incident , no intent to hurt our keeper and i feel sorry for Hunt . The challenge wasnt malicious , clumsey and wreckless yeah but not vicious.
I am hoping that we can put it down to JM being somewhat emotional at the time - you have to remember that his comments would have come within 10 minutes of seeing Carlo stretchered off and looking like a man with a very very serious injury.
J.M is good at what he does , but awful at what he says . Having a stab at the Reading officals over the time it took the ambulance to get to the ground was disgraceful and uncalled for . I know the human mind can act really quickly, and a reaction is always on the cards but to drag the issue out for over 5 days is madness . J.M . should have just get on doing what hes good at .

[Stuttgart88]

I think that's a very fair and magnanimous opinion offered there owg.

[Docboy]

I'm sick & tired of all the fuss the lad has created ableit accidently. Sky Sports interviewing Cech's ma and her saying it was definitely deliberate?!! Unbelievable.

As far as mourinho's comparison with Essien's tackle last year the main difference is that his tackle looked worse every time you saw it whereas for the life of me I can't see that Hunt meant it,no matter how many times I've watched it.

[geysir]

I'm sick & tired of all the fuss the lad has created ableit accidently. Sky Sports interviewing Cech's ma and her saying it was definitely deliberate?!! Unbelievable.
By accounts, Liam Brady's missus has opinions on football matters that are well respected.

[eirebhoy]

As far as mourinho's comparison with Essien's tackle last year the main difference is that his tackle looked worse every time you saw it whereas for the life of me I can't see that Hunt meant it,no matter how many times I've watched it.
As a matter of interest what did Mourinho say about Essien at the time?

[geysir]

It's Pythonesque comedy.
I remember his initial reaction to the Essien tackle was (to paraphrase) 'I can't give an opinion because I didn't see it' But he did see Sissoka's tackle on whoever in the same game.
Later, after he saw it, he prefered not to comment with some cryptic logic.

The Essien tackle did not look malicious to me. Not in the same league as Keane's tackle on that Norwegian.

[OwlsFan]

Didn't put Hunt off on Sunday as he was getting stuck in, to Lehmann as well, who pointed a finger at him.