Reece Chaplin
Ryan Shawcross intercepts the ball, he tries to run with it but loses control, Aaron Ramsey touches the ball and within a glance CRASH! Shawcross had cynically gone straight through the Arsenal player like a raging bull that had been let loose on the streets of Spain, for the festival of Sanfermines (Running of the Bulls).
Normally you would volunteer to be a part of this event, however something tells me Ramsey did not want to partake in this.
It has been nearly five years since Stoke’s captain committed this reckless challenge, and it is safe to say we haven't wiped this day from our memories. The animosity that we were subjected to that day will make Gooners all over the world grit their teeth in disgust and the consequence of this will mean that the Gunners and the Potters will forever hold a place in the rivalry history books.
This rivalry won’t come as a surprise to many ‘older’ Arsenal fans because for them it is like having a distant strange family member who you try to keep concealed from the neighbours but just won’t go away, probably because they are scared of being lonely. This skeleton in the closet dates back over 40 years ago, taking us back in time to the early 1970s which saw Arsenal and Stoke battle it out in the FA Cup semi-finals on two consecutive seasons. This is where the foundation of the Gunners and Potters rivalry began as Stoke fans feel both fixtures were won in controversial circumstances, consequently knocking them out of the Cup. Stoke’s return to the top flight re-ignited an old rivalry and the Ramsey incident poured fuel on the fire.
What fans boo a player who’s just snapped his leg? If anything they should boo the perpetrator that just got shown a red card and let down his club, yet the Stoke faithful decide to pick on someone who is already down, facing the worst experience of his life. Bullies you might think, are the best way to describe Stoke City fans. You still boo Ramsey now just because he refuses to forgive the person that intentionally set out to hurt him - why? Would you forgive someone who did you serious harm and hospitalised you?
The damage done from the 27-year-old was a lot worse than anyone could have imagined, as Ramsey suffered fractures to both the fibula and tibia of his right leg. This injury wasn't just a blow to one of our up and coming talent’s career, but also to the team, having a massive effect on the season ahead. You know the situation on the pitch is serious when Sol Campbell loses it.
What angers me most is Tony Pulis' abrupt response to Arsene Wenger after the match saying, “He can’t comment on my players. He doesn’t know what my players are made of or are about.”
I understand that as a manager you're going to defend your team but there was no real acknowledgment of just how bad the foul was or any sympathy towards Ramsey. Instead we only hear about how Shawcross was upset, yet he wasn't the one facing nine months out of football. The reason there is still conflict between both sets of fans is because Shawcross came across as the victim. This card wasn't pulled out just once like the red card he was shown for the challenge, but he has been playing it for almost five years because Ramsey won’t forgive him. If he left it at that instead of making a commotion about the whole affair we would be able to start building bridges of some sort.
I will be honest and admit that before this assault took place, I didn't mind Stoke City. I quite enjoy watching an English underdog team do well. To some extent there is an element of admiration towards a club like Stoke being able to sustain a run of years in the Premier League, maybe because it is an extremely difficult achievement. The club also took it one step further and brought European football nights to the county of Staffordshire, which is commendable and you can only praise them on getting through to the Europa League. However, with this new era around the club, you need the right-minded fans because they are the ones who make a name for the club off the pitch and dare I say it around the world. The Stoke fans (not all but some) seem to be more fixated on being a hooligan rather than enjoying the entertainment provided for them.
Over the past four years Shawcross has been defended by people saying "he's not that kind of player!” However I think this could be self-destructive because the moment he commits another horrific challenge, the floodgates will open again. Will the people that once defended him then start saying he is that kind of player? If you look at previous incidents involving his terrible tackles you will find that he broke Francis Jeffers's ankle in 2007; he injured Emmanuel Adebayor in a Stoke-Arsenal fixture, even though Adebayor and the ball were off the pitch at the time. Even in reserve games you will see this evidence. The saving grace for Shawcross is you could see that he was distraught.
The rivalry bound a moment of destruction that will hold its place for the foreseeable future as both sets of fans will look for this fixture as soon as the season calendar is released, because it is a match of vengeance, bitterness and pure grit. The 67th minute saw Ramsey booed at the Britannia stadium back in December and that could only be a ploy to rile up our fans and to disrespect a player that has battled his way back to the top against all obstacles. Although that time it was Ramsey who was the one doing the tackling.
