“Your boys aren’t coming off the pitch with halos on their heads.”
That was the rather trite and perhaps somewhat insensitive retort by Chris Coleman to an Irish reporter on the night that Neil ‘not-that-type-of-player’ Taylor broke Seamus Coleman’s leg with a challenge that was incredibly reckless to say the least.
No one had really suggested the contrary to the Welsh manager’s summation. It was a full-blooded game with a number of meaty challenges. But that isn’t really a defence or an excuse for the severe injury that the Everton fullback is now left with.
In fact some are suggesting that Taylor’s lunge on Coleman wasn’t even the worst of the night. Many are pointing to an earlier clatter involving Sunderland’s John O’Shea and Wales star man Gareth Bale in the Irish penalty area.
O’Shea felt the full force of Bale’s studs on his leg as he cleared the ball away from danger – and luckily for him, his foot wasn’t planted to the ground otherwise it could have been every bit as severe as Coleman’s cruel fate.
This is for all the morons trying to tell me that Bale went for the ball.Cowardly. O'Shea can count his lucky stars. https://t.co/JtPx83cFAq
— Didi Hamann (@DietmarHamann) March 24, 2017
Just seconds earlier, Bale connected late with O'Shea, who was incredibly lucky. #IrevWal pic.twitter.com/avjwtWid77
— Jacqui Oatley (@JacquiOatley) March 24, 2017
Awful thing about the Coleman-Taylor incident is that Bale's challenge on O'Shea would have had even worse results if his foot was grounded
— Gavan Reilly (@gavreilly) March 24, 2017
https://twitter.com/GaillimhJoe/status/845414295945068546
Gareth bale tackle is a straight red any day. Taylor one a bad one but bales worse
— Ross Wilson (@rosscowils88) March 25, 2017
As for any level of remorse, Chris Coleman has confirmed that Bale is unhappy about being booked for the challenge, and wants the yellow card to be retrospectively rescinded:
“I thought the ball was there, it was a cross and he had to go for it. If it was a bad challenge, there’s no sense of that in my dressing room; he wants to appeal the card that he got.”
