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Richard Carpenter: 34th Worst Challenge Ever!
- Thread starter Scarface
- Start date
Deano's Right Foot
Well-known member
Did Gazza's (sorry, Paul Gascoigne's) cup final antics get in there?
JJ McClure
Go Jags
A few players in there more than once,
John Fashanu
Kevin Muscatt
Graeme Souness
Chris Kamara
dirty swines the lot of 'em.
John Fashanu
Kevin Muscatt
Graeme Souness
Chris Kamara
dirty swines the lot of 'em.
West Hoathly Seagull
Honorary Ruffian
Vinny Jones's tackle on Gary Stevens, Gavin Maguire's on Danny Thomas (both career ending), and how about Vinny Jones's on Gazza's nads?
And what about Henry Hughton's all-out assault on Gerry Ryan?
And what about Henry Hughton's all-out assault on Gerry Ryan?
The Large One
Who's Next?
Where was Henry Hughton's rape/lunge on Gerry Ryan then?
Superseagull
Well-known member
- Jul 8, 2003
- 2,123
I will always remember Paul Wood's (I think) right boot making huge contact with Larry Mays Knee. I was stood on the East terrace right in front of where it happened. The noise his knee made as it parted company temporarily with the rest of his leg was terrible. This has to be the worst tackle by a player on a teammate I have ever seen. I don't think Larry May ever kicked a ball again.
West Hoathly Seagull
Honorary Ruffian
The Large One said:
As I asked above, TLO. I suppose they only went for high profile cases. Is the Roy Keane tackle on Alf Inge Haaland there?
Incredigull
In Cervesio Felicitas
hiney said:
That's the spirit ...
On the Left Wing
KIT NAPIER
There was also the Paraguay player who shot the referee dead - that was a pretty bad challenge! And again, no red card for it!
On the Left Wing
KIT NAPIER
Roy Keane's on Alf Inge Haaland was also quite vicious
Scarface
New member
- Thread starter
- #39
The full list:
Hard - but fair? Come and have a go then...
By Bill Edgar
They say football was once a more physical sport, but is the claim justified? Judge for yourself from the 50 worst tackles, elbows and stamps to have scarred the game
50 Willie Young, for Arsenal v West Ham United, May 1980 Paul Allen becomes the youngest player in a Wembley FA Cup Final at 17, but his hopes of scoring for West Ham are cruelly dashed. With a clear run on goal, he is chopped down from behind by Young, who concedes a free kick and is merely booked. The incident probably hastens the introduction of red cards for professional fouls.
49 Justin Edinburgh, for Tottenham Hotspur v Sheffield Wednesday, February 1998 The defender’s challenge breaks the leg of Ian Nolan, who is sidelined for 18 months as a result. The Wednesday player takes legal action and receives £35,000 in an out-of-court settlement.
48 Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, for Manchester United v Newcastle United, April 1998 Chasing victory in a vain pursuit of Arsenal at the top of the table, United are caught upfield in the closing moments. Solskjaer chases back and cynically brings down Rob Lee to receive a red card for a professional foul.
47 Vadim Evseev, for Russia v Wales, November 2003 The full back’s foul on Ryan Giggs, for which he receives no punishment, infuriates the Wales winger. “It was high and dangerous. It made me very angry,” Giggs says — so angry, in fact, that he responds with an elbow that earns him a two-match international ban.
46 Alan Shearer, for Newcastle United v Leicester City, April 1998 The striker slides in late on Neil Lennon, then apparently kicks him in the face as Lennon gets up. For some reason the kick is not apparent to the FA, which decides against punishing Shearer after studying video evidence.
45 Michael Hughes, for Northern Ireland v Wales, September 2004 Believing he has been elbowed, Hughes chases after Robbie Savage, who has the ball, and scythes him down from behind. He then pushes over the protesting Welshman and is sent off, along with his rival.
44 Eric Cantona, for Manchester United v Swindon Town, March 1994 As United head for the Double, the Frenchman performs a double of his own, a red card against Arsenal coming three days after a similar punishment for a stamp on John Moncur, of Swindon.
43 Jimmy Case, for Liverpool v Tottenham Hotspur, March 1977 A ferocious tackle by Case puts John Gorman out of action for more than a year. The man favoured by Glenn Hoddle as an assistant manager never fully recovers, playing just 15 more league games.
42 Mauricio Taricco, for Tottenham Hotspur v Chelsea, March 2002 The Argentine full back, dismissed seven days earlier against Manchester United, receives another red card for a high tackle on Graeme Le Saux. It is the latest episode in their long-running feud.
41 Nicky Summerbee, for Sunderland v Coventry City, February 2000 Stephen Froggatt had recently made the England substitutes’ bench, but after a late challenge by Summerbee he manages only a few more games in his career.
40 Dennis Bergkamp, for Arsenal v Liverpool, January 2002 The Dutchman has been responsible for so many stamps that a job at Royal Mail surely awaits. Among his collection is this sly kick on Jamie Carragher to earn a red card in a Highbury FA Cup tie.
39 George Best, for Manchester United v Manchester City, December 1970 A sliding late tackle breaks the leg of Glyn Pardoe, who manages only a further 44 games in his career. “As I was dropping I was waving to the bench,” the City player says later of the foul.
38 Lee Bowyer, for Leeds United v Tottenham Hotspur, February 2000 Both clubs are fined £150,000 after a mass brawl at Elland Road that follows a two-footed lunge by Bowyer into the chest of Stephen Clemence. Leeds United could do with that money now.
37 Frank Barson, for Manchester United v Aston Villa, September 1925 On Barson’s first return to Villa Park after leaving the club, he sends Billy Walker crashing on to the cinder track. The United player commiserates with Walker in the dressing-room. “You know I would never hurt a hair on your head, lad,” he says.
36 Steven Gerrard, for Liverpool v Everton, December 2002 The referee misses Gerrard’s two-foot lunge at Gary Naysmith and Gérard Houllier, the Liverpool manager, defies video evidence with a ludicrous assessment: “You have those sorts of things in derbies and if the FA decide to act, then they have to do that in every game and for every tackle.” Gerrard is banned for three games.
35 Iwan Roberts, for Norwich City v Wolverhampton Wanderers, December 1999 Angered by the foul by Kevin Muscat on Craig Bellamy (see No 23), Roberts exacts revenge by stamping on the back of the Australian. “I have always said that if you get a chance to get a bit of retribution, then I think you’ve got to take it,” Roberts says in his autobiography. “That was an ideal opportunity for me to do it sort of accidentally.” The forward is fined £2,500 and banned for three matches.
34 Richard Carpenter, for Cardiff City v Reading, December 1999 Chris Casper, a former colleague of David Beckham in the Manchester United youth team, suffers a broken fibula and tibia, as well as knee and ankle ligament damage, in a challenge by Carpenter. He has not played again. After a legal battle he agrees to accept compensation of about £1 million.
33 Ioan Ganea, for Romania v Scotland, March 2004 Already disliked by England fans for scoring the penalty that knocked Kevin Keegan’s side out of the European Championship in 2000, the Romania striker antagonises the Scots as well when his late challenge leaves John Kennedy with knee ligament damage just ten minutes into the Celtic player’s international debut. The 20-year-old is expected to be out of action for a year.
32 Graeme Souness, for Rangers v Hibernian, August 1986 Souness starts as he means to go on at Easter Road in his first match as the Rangers player-manager. A high tackle on George McCluskey leaves the Hibernian player needing stitches on his shin and Souness is sent off.
31 Chris Kamara, for Swindon Town v Shrewsbury Town, January 1988 Jim Melrose suffers a broken cheekbone in an incident that ends with Kamara being fined £1,200 for causing grievous bodily harm. He is the first professional player in British football to be fined by a court for an on-pitch assault.
30 Michael Owen, for Liverpool against Manchester United, April 1998 In his autobiography, Owen admits his guilt over a vicious tackle on Ronny Johnsen, for which he is dismissed. “That was a head-down, lost-the-plot kind of day,” he says. “Even an hour before the game I was sharpening my studs for battle. It was total red mist.”
29 John Fashanu, for Wimbledon v Norwich City, December 1987 John O’Neill suffers a serious knee injury on his Norwich debut that ends his career. He sues Fashanu, who agrees to pay him £70,000, but O’Neill has to foot the legal bill of £150,000. He then takes a degree in economics and accountancy.
28 Terry Yorath, for Leeds United v Bayern Munich, May 1975 The European Cup final lasts only four minutes for Björn Andersson, Bayern’s Swede, who is carried off with a leg injury sustained in a bad tackle by Yorath.
27 Vinnie Jones, for Wimbledon v Tottenham Hotspur, November 1986 The future Welshman is at his notorious worst, his challenge leaving Gary Stevens, the Tottenham and England defender, with badly damaged knee ligaments. Stevens never recovers his top form.
26 John Pelosi, for St Johnstone v Dunfermline Athletic, October 1981 Pelosi almost becomes the first British footballer to be taken to court by a fellow professional over a foul, but he settles out of court with Jim Brown for £20,000. The full back’s career is ended by the challenge, which leaves him with a compound fracture of the leg. Pelosi is banned for six months.
25 Charlie Thomson, for Sunderland v Aston Villa, April 1913 Thomson, the Sunderland captain, sends Harry Hampton to the ground with a shuddering crash in the 1913 FA Cup Final. Hampton lashes out with his boot in response. However, bearing in mind the sensibilities of the watching Earl of Plymouth, who presents the trophy, Arthur Adams, the referee, decides against a dismissal. Adams and the players are suspended for a month for their actions.
24 John Cornforth, for Swansea City v Stockport County, March 1993 A high tackle by Cornforth wrecks the career of Brian McCord. The Stockport player does not even win a free kick for the tackle that breaks a leg in two places, but a court awards him more than £250,000 in damages.
23 Kevin Muscat, for Wolverhampton Wanderers v Norwich City, December 1998 The Australia defender’s tackle leaves Craig Bellamy with a gashed knee that needs nine stitches. Norwich supporters have yet to forgive Muscat.
22 Gavin Maguire, for Queens Park Rangers v Tottenham Hotspur, March 1987 Tottenham’s season ends in disappointment as their pursuit of the three main domestic trophies yields none, but at least they can try again next year. Poor Danny Thomas, the full back, has his career ended at the age of 25 by a crude challenge from Maguire.
21 Kenny Burns, for Birmingham City v Aston Villa, September 1975 The first derby between these rivals since Villa’s promotion in the summer is marked by the Birmingham defender’s dreadful challenge on John Robson. Burns “sorted him out good and proper”, according to Brian Little, who scores the winning goal for Villa after an error by . . . Burns.
20 Kevin Muscat, for Wolverhampton Wanderers v Charlton Athletic, February 1998 The Australia full back is not punished by the referee for a tackle that leaves Matt Holmes needing four leg operations and doctors initially fearing an amputation. Holmes wins damages of £250,000 after a legal action against Wolves and Muscat.
19 Martin Buchan, for Manchester United v Manchester City, November 1975 The Scotland defender clatters into Colin Bell just below the knee, wrecking his career. Ligament damage means he does not play for two years and manages only around 30 more games. Some supporters leave the match in tears, according to legend.
18 Chris Kamara, for Stoke City v West Ham United, August 1989 The fiery Kamara’s challenge breaks the leg of Frank McAvennie on the opening day of the season. The Scot does not start another league game until the first day of the following campaign.
17 Peter McParland, for Aston Villa v Manchester United, May 1957 Early in the FA Cup Final the Villa player’s shoulder charge on Ray Wood, the United goalkeeper, breaks his cheekbone and forces him to spend the rest of the game either on the sidelines or as a passenger on the wing. McParland is not even booked.
16 Kevin Gray, for Huddersfield Town v Bradford City, February 1997 Gray is sued for negligence after his tackle leaves Gordon Watson, the Bradford City striker, with a double fracture of a leg that requires six operations. Watson wins more than £900,000 for loss of earnings and medical care costs.
15 John Fashanu, for Wimbledon against Tottenham Hotspur, November 1993 Gary Mabbutt goes up for an aerial challenge with Fashanu and the elbow that often endangers low-flying aircraft inflicts multiple fractures to the Tottenham defender’s eye socket. He is out of action for three months.
14 Gary Blissett, for Brentford v Torquay United, December 1991 John Uzzell suffers a damaged eye socket and fractured cheekbone in a clash with Blissett, who is dismissed but cleared of assault. Graham Kelly, the FA chief executive, says at the trial that you “could attend four matches a week and see up to 200 similar challenges”. That’s roughly 50 extremely violent challenges per game, or one every two minutes.
13 Paul Davis, for Arsenal v Southampton, October 1988 The midfield player swings an arm at Glen Cockerill’s face, breaking his jaw. The off-the-ball incident at Highbury is captured by ITN, prompting George Graham, the Arsenal manager, to announce a ban on BBC and ITV news cameras at the ground.
12 Lee Bowyer, for Leeds United v Málaga, December 2002 Video replays show Bowyer treading on the head of Gerardo, the Málaga defender, for which he receives a six-match ban from European competitions. An administrative mix-up at Newcastle United, whom he subsequently joins, effectively increases the suspension to 12 games.
11 Andoni Goicoechea, for Athletic Bilbao against Barcelona, September 1983 “The Butcher of Bilbao” earns a 16-match ban for a foul that breaks Diego Maradona’s ankle and damages ligaments.
10 Graeme Souness, for Rangers v Steaua Bucharest, March 1988 Employing the “I’m no worse than him” excuse, Souness rams his studs into Iosif Rotariu and then points to his own leg to explain that he had the same done to him earlier. Somehow he avoids a red card.
9 Benjamin Massing, for Cameroon v Argentina, June 1990 Claudio Caniggia manages to hurdle the first challenge as he speeds down the right and just about keeps his feet when a second opponent knocks into him, but Massing shows his team-mates how it is done, sending the Argentinian flying towards the touchline. He is sent off.
8 Paul Gascoigne, for Tottenham Hotspur v Nottingham Forest, May 1991 About half an hour after Des Lynam tells the nation that Gascoigne seemed a more mature character during a recent interview, the England midfield player self-destructs in the FA Cup Final, lunging manically at Gary Charles and rupturing his own cruciate knee ligaments in the process.
7 Duncan Ferguson, for Rangers v Raith Rovers, April 1994 Ferguson butts John McStay and becomes the first British professional footballer jailed for an on-field offence. Initially banned for 12 matches in Scotland, he receives a three-month prison sentence for assault a year and a half later, having joined Everton. He served 44 days.
6 Roy Keane, for Manchester United v Manchester City, April 2001 Having waited four years for revenge, Keane goes in high on Alf Inge Haaland and is sent off. He later explains himself in his autobiography: “I’d waited long enough. I f***ing hit him hard. The ball was there (I think). Take that, you c***. And don’t ever stand over me again sneering about fake injuries.”
5 João Morais, for Portugal v Brazil, July 1966 Pelé has already been softened up when Morais chops him down twice in quick succession in the final World Cup group game at Goodison Park. The Portugal player stays on the field and the Brazilian limps out of the tournament, vowing never to play in a World Cup again.
4 Neil Simpson, for Aberdeen v Rangers, October 1988 In an incident that sparks the bitter rivalry between the clubs’ fans that exists to this day, Simpson’s dreadful foul on Ian Durrant, a crowd favourite at Rangers, results in a knee injury that keeps the midfield player out for three years. Durrant sues Simpson and settles out of court for £300,000.
3 Georges Santos, for Sheffield United v West Bromwich Albion, March 2002 In the Battle of Bramall Lane, which is abandoned when United lose three players to red cards and one to injury, the foul by Santos on Andy Johnson stands out. Santos, whose jaw was broken by Johnson’s elbow in a previous game, leaps high as he launches himself into Johnson for the most obvious dismissal in football history, just seconds after his arrival as a substitute.
2 Mario David, for Italy v Chile, June 1962 The Italian kicks Leonel Sánchez repeatedly, so the Chilean punches him in return. David responds with a karate kick to his opponent’s neck and is sent off by Ken Aston, the English referee, in the so-called Battle of Santiago at the World Cup finals in Chile.
1 Harald Schumacher, for West Germany v France, July 1982 As Patrick Battiston runs clear in the World Cup semi-final he meets the on-rushing Germany goalkeeper, whose forearm smash leaves him unconscious and with broken teeth (Schumacher offers to pay for them to be capped). France are not even awarded a free kick.
Hard - but fair? Come and have a go then...
By Bill Edgar
They say football was once a more physical sport, but is the claim justified? Judge for yourself from the 50 worst tackles, elbows and stamps to have scarred the game
50 Willie Young, for Arsenal v West Ham United, May 1980 Paul Allen becomes the youngest player in a Wembley FA Cup Final at 17, but his hopes of scoring for West Ham are cruelly dashed. With a clear run on goal, he is chopped down from behind by Young, who concedes a free kick and is merely booked. The incident probably hastens the introduction of red cards for professional fouls.
49 Justin Edinburgh, for Tottenham Hotspur v Sheffield Wednesday, February 1998 The defender’s challenge breaks the leg of Ian Nolan, who is sidelined for 18 months as a result. The Wednesday player takes legal action and receives £35,000 in an out-of-court settlement.
48 Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, for Manchester United v Newcastle United, April 1998 Chasing victory in a vain pursuit of Arsenal at the top of the table, United are caught upfield in the closing moments. Solskjaer chases back and cynically brings down Rob Lee to receive a red card for a professional foul.
47 Vadim Evseev, for Russia v Wales, November 2003 The full back’s foul on Ryan Giggs, for which he receives no punishment, infuriates the Wales winger. “It was high and dangerous. It made me very angry,” Giggs says — so angry, in fact, that he responds with an elbow that earns him a two-match international ban.
46 Alan Shearer, for Newcastle United v Leicester City, April 1998 The striker slides in late on Neil Lennon, then apparently kicks him in the face as Lennon gets up. For some reason the kick is not apparent to the FA, which decides against punishing Shearer after studying video evidence.
45 Michael Hughes, for Northern Ireland v Wales, September 2004 Believing he has been elbowed, Hughes chases after Robbie Savage, who has the ball, and scythes him down from behind. He then pushes over the protesting Welshman and is sent off, along with his rival.
44 Eric Cantona, for Manchester United v Swindon Town, March 1994 As United head for the Double, the Frenchman performs a double of his own, a red card against Arsenal coming three days after a similar punishment for a stamp on John Moncur, of Swindon.
43 Jimmy Case, for Liverpool v Tottenham Hotspur, March 1977 A ferocious tackle by Case puts John Gorman out of action for more than a year. The man favoured by Glenn Hoddle as an assistant manager never fully recovers, playing just 15 more league games.
42 Mauricio Taricco, for Tottenham Hotspur v Chelsea, March 2002 The Argentine full back, dismissed seven days earlier against Manchester United, receives another red card for a high tackle on Graeme Le Saux. It is the latest episode in their long-running feud.
41 Nicky Summerbee, for Sunderland v Coventry City, February 2000 Stephen Froggatt had recently made the England substitutes’ bench, but after a late challenge by Summerbee he manages only a few more games in his career.
40 Dennis Bergkamp, for Arsenal v Liverpool, January 2002 The Dutchman has been responsible for so many stamps that a job at Royal Mail surely awaits. Among his collection is this sly kick on Jamie Carragher to earn a red card in a Highbury FA Cup tie.
39 George Best, for Manchester United v Manchester City, December 1970 A sliding late tackle breaks the leg of Glyn Pardoe, who manages only a further 44 games in his career. “As I was dropping I was waving to the bench,” the City player says later of the foul.
38 Lee Bowyer, for Leeds United v Tottenham Hotspur, February 2000 Both clubs are fined £150,000 after a mass brawl at Elland Road that follows a two-footed lunge by Bowyer into the chest of Stephen Clemence. Leeds United could do with that money now.
37 Frank Barson, for Manchester United v Aston Villa, September 1925 On Barson’s first return to Villa Park after leaving the club, he sends Billy Walker crashing on to the cinder track. The United player commiserates with Walker in the dressing-room. “You know I would never hurt a hair on your head, lad,” he says.
36 Steven Gerrard, for Liverpool v Everton, December 2002 The referee misses Gerrard’s two-foot lunge at Gary Naysmith and Gérard Houllier, the Liverpool manager, defies video evidence with a ludicrous assessment: “You have those sorts of things in derbies and if the FA decide to act, then they have to do that in every game and for every tackle.” Gerrard is banned for three games.
35 Iwan Roberts, for Norwich City v Wolverhampton Wanderers, December 1999 Angered by the foul by Kevin Muscat on Craig Bellamy (see No 23), Roberts exacts revenge by stamping on the back of the Australian. “I have always said that if you get a chance to get a bit of retribution, then I think you’ve got to take it,” Roberts says in his autobiography. “That was an ideal opportunity for me to do it sort of accidentally.” The forward is fined £2,500 and banned for three matches.
34 Richard Carpenter, for Cardiff City v Reading, December 1999 Chris Casper, a former colleague of David Beckham in the Manchester United youth team, suffers a broken fibula and tibia, as well as knee and ankle ligament damage, in a challenge by Carpenter. He has not played again. After a legal battle he agrees to accept compensation of about £1 million.
33 Ioan Ganea, for Romania v Scotland, March 2004 Already disliked by England fans for scoring the penalty that knocked Kevin Keegan’s side out of the European Championship in 2000, the Romania striker antagonises the Scots as well when his late challenge leaves John Kennedy with knee ligament damage just ten minutes into the Celtic player’s international debut. The 20-year-old is expected to be out of action for a year.
32 Graeme Souness, for Rangers v Hibernian, August 1986 Souness starts as he means to go on at Easter Road in his first match as the Rangers player-manager. A high tackle on George McCluskey leaves the Hibernian player needing stitches on his shin and Souness is sent off.
31 Chris Kamara, for Swindon Town v Shrewsbury Town, January 1988 Jim Melrose suffers a broken cheekbone in an incident that ends with Kamara being fined £1,200 for causing grievous bodily harm. He is the first professional player in British football to be fined by a court for an on-pitch assault.
30 Michael Owen, for Liverpool against Manchester United, April 1998 In his autobiography, Owen admits his guilt over a vicious tackle on Ronny Johnsen, for which he is dismissed. “That was a head-down, lost-the-plot kind of day,” he says. “Even an hour before the game I was sharpening my studs for battle. It was total red mist.”
29 John Fashanu, for Wimbledon v Norwich City, December 1987 John O’Neill suffers a serious knee injury on his Norwich debut that ends his career. He sues Fashanu, who agrees to pay him £70,000, but O’Neill has to foot the legal bill of £150,000. He then takes a degree in economics and accountancy.
28 Terry Yorath, for Leeds United v Bayern Munich, May 1975 The European Cup final lasts only four minutes for Björn Andersson, Bayern’s Swede, who is carried off with a leg injury sustained in a bad tackle by Yorath.
27 Vinnie Jones, for Wimbledon v Tottenham Hotspur, November 1986 The future Welshman is at his notorious worst, his challenge leaving Gary Stevens, the Tottenham and England defender, with badly damaged knee ligaments. Stevens never recovers his top form.
26 John Pelosi, for St Johnstone v Dunfermline Athletic, October 1981 Pelosi almost becomes the first British footballer to be taken to court by a fellow professional over a foul, but he settles out of court with Jim Brown for £20,000. The full back’s career is ended by the challenge, which leaves him with a compound fracture of the leg. Pelosi is banned for six months.
25 Charlie Thomson, for Sunderland v Aston Villa, April 1913 Thomson, the Sunderland captain, sends Harry Hampton to the ground with a shuddering crash in the 1913 FA Cup Final. Hampton lashes out with his boot in response. However, bearing in mind the sensibilities of the watching Earl of Plymouth, who presents the trophy, Arthur Adams, the referee, decides against a dismissal. Adams and the players are suspended for a month for their actions.
24 John Cornforth, for Swansea City v Stockport County, March 1993 A high tackle by Cornforth wrecks the career of Brian McCord. The Stockport player does not even win a free kick for the tackle that breaks a leg in two places, but a court awards him more than £250,000 in damages.
23 Kevin Muscat, for Wolverhampton Wanderers v Norwich City, December 1998 The Australia defender’s tackle leaves Craig Bellamy with a gashed knee that needs nine stitches. Norwich supporters have yet to forgive Muscat.
22 Gavin Maguire, for Queens Park Rangers v Tottenham Hotspur, March 1987 Tottenham’s season ends in disappointment as their pursuit of the three main domestic trophies yields none, but at least they can try again next year. Poor Danny Thomas, the full back, has his career ended at the age of 25 by a crude challenge from Maguire.
21 Kenny Burns, for Birmingham City v Aston Villa, September 1975 The first derby between these rivals since Villa’s promotion in the summer is marked by the Birmingham defender’s dreadful challenge on John Robson. Burns “sorted him out good and proper”, according to Brian Little, who scores the winning goal for Villa after an error by . . . Burns.
20 Kevin Muscat, for Wolverhampton Wanderers v Charlton Athletic, February 1998 The Australia full back is not punished by the referee for a tackle that leaves Matt Holmes needing four leg operations and doctors initially fearing an amputation. Holmes wins damages of £250,000 after a legal action against Wolves and Muscat.
19 Martin Buchan, for Manchester United v Manchester City, November 1975 The Scotland defender clatters into Colin Bell just below the knee, wrecking his career. Ligament damage means he does not play for two years and manages only around 30 more games. Some supporters leave the match in tears, according to legend.
18 Chris Kamara, for Stoke City v West Ham United, August 1989 The fiery Kamara’s challenge breaks the leg of Frank McAvennie on the opening day of the season. The Scot does not start another league game until the first day of the following campaign.
17 Peter McParland, for Aston Villa v Manchester United, May 1957 Early in the FA Cup Final the Villa player’s shoulder charge on Ray Wood, the United goalkeeper, breaks his cheekbone and forces him to spend the rest of the game either on the sidelines or as a passenger on the wing. McParland is not even booked.
16 Kevin Gray, for Huddersfield Town v Bradford City, February 1997 Gray is sued for negligence after his tackle leaves Gordon Watson, the Bradford City striker, with a double fracture of a leg that requires six operations. Watson wins more than £900,000 for loss of earnings and medical care costs.
15 John Fashanu, for Wimbledon against Tottenham Hotspur, November 1993 Gary Mabbutt goes up for an aerial challenge with Fashanu and the elbow that often endangers low-flying aircraft inflicts multiple fractures to the Tottenham defender’s eye socket. He is out of action for three months.
14 Gary Blissett, for Brentford v Torquay United, December 1991 John Uzzell suffers a damaged eye socket and fractured cheekbone in a clash with Blissett, who is dismissed but cleared of assault. Graham Kelly, the FA chief executive, says at the trial that you “could attend four matches a week and see up to 200 similar challenges”. That’s roughly 50 extremely violent challenges per game, or one every two minutes.
13 Paul Davis, for Arsenal v Southampton, October 1988 The midfield player swings an arm at Glen Cockerill’s face, breaking his jaw. The off-the-ball incident at Highbury is captured by ITN, prompting George Graham, the Arsenal manager, to announce a ban on BBC and ITV news cameras at the ground.
12 Lee Bowyer, for Leeds United v Málaga, December 2002 Video replays show Bowyer treading on the head of Gerardo, the Málaga defender, for which he receives a six-match ban from European competitions. An administrative mix-up at Newcastle United, whom he subsequently joins, effectively increases the suspension to 12 games.
11 Andoni Goicoechea, for Athletic Bilbao against Barcelona, September 1983 “The Butcher of Bilbao” earns a 16-match ban for a foul that breaks Diego Maradona’s ankle and damages ligaments.
10 Graeme Souness, for Rangers v Steaua Bucharest, March 1988 Employing the “I’m no worse than him” excuse, Souness rams his studs into Iosif Rotariu and then points to his own leg to explain that he had the same done to him earlier. Somehow he avoids a red card.
9 Benjamin Massing, for Cameroon v Argentina, June 1990 Claudio Caniggia manages to hurdle the first challenge as he speeds down the right and just about keeps his feet when a second opponent knocks into him, but Massing shows his team-mates how it is done, sending the Argentinian flying towards the touchline. He is sent off.
8 Paul Gascoigne, for Tottenham Hotspur v Nottingham Forest, May 1991 About half an hour after Des Lynam tells the nation that Gascoigne seemed a more mature character during a recent interview, the England midfield player self-destructs in the FA Cup Final, lunging manically at Gary Charles and rupturing his own cruciate knee ligaments in the process.
7 Duncan Ferguson, for Rangers v Raith Rovers, April 1994 Ferguson butts John McStay and becomes the first British professional footballer jailed for an on-field offence. Initially banned for 12 matches in Scotland, he receives a three-month prison sentence for assault a year and a half later, having joined Everton. He served 44 days.
6 Roy Keane, for Manchester United v Manchester City, April 2001 Having waited four years for revenge, Keane goes in high on Alf Inge Haaland and is sent off. He later explains himself in his autobiography: “I’d waited long enough. I f***ing hit him hard. The ball was there (I think). Take that, you c***. And don’t ever stand over me again sneering about fake injuries.”
5 João Morais, for Portugal v Brazil, July 1966 Pelé has already been softened up when Morais chops him down twice in quick succession in the final World Cup group game at Goodison Park. The Portugal player stays on the field and the Brazilian limps out of the tournament, vowing never to play in a World Cup again.
4 Neil Simpson, for Aberdeen v Rangers, October 1988 In an incident that sparks the bitter rivalry between the clubs’ fans that exists to this day, Simpson’s dreadful foul on Ian Durrant, a crowd favourite at Rangers, results in a knee injury that keeps the midfield player out for three years. Durrant sues Simpson and settles out of court for £300,000.
3 Georges Santos, for Sheffield United v West Bromwich Albion, March 2002 In the Battle of Bramall Lane, which is abandoned when United lose three players to red cards and one to injury, the foul by Santos on Andy Johnson stands out. Santos, whose jaw was broken by Johnson’s elbow in a previous game, leaps high as he launches himself into Johnson for the most obvious dismissal in football history, just seconds after his arrival as a substitute.
2 Mario David, for Italy v Chile, June 1962 The Italian kicks Leonel Sánchez repeatedly, so the Chilean punches him in return. David responds with a karate kick to his opponent’s neck and is sent off by Ken Aston, the English referee, in the so-called Battle of Santiago at the World Cup finals in Chile.
1 Harald Schumacher, for West Germany v France, July 1982 As Patrick Battiston runs clear in the World Cup semi-final he meets the on-rushing Germany goalkeeper, whose forearm smash leaves him unconscious and with broken teeth (Schumacher offers to pay for them to be capped). France are not even awarded a free kick.
dougdeep
New member
Whiteside on Ramsey. Worst ever.