I sincerely believe that Shawcross had no intention of harming Aaron.....You must ask yourself why it so often seems to happen to Gunners and here is why....They hold on to the ball too long thus increasing the chances of contact.When you pass around the ball to spaces like Westham does,while taking every opportunity to give out the ball,you will always escape with minor or no injuries.

Weeee Njunge, that theory, IMHO is wrong... The key thing is these inferior teams are taught that to have any chance of beating the gunners, you have to get stuck in. Because gunners dont like it rough. So people like showgross want to show that they're on the pitch. by the way, showgross also broke franny jeffer's ankle in 2007. he also injured adebayor back in 2009. so he's no nice guy as they try to tell us... non football players like showgross should just be out of the game.

Is it because Arsenal move the ball around so quickly, that these lesser-talented individuals keep connecting with man not ball?



That is part of the reason but not all of it. Arsenal do keep the ball better than most and the degree to which they have possession throughout the game does frustrate the opposition.



Yet both Manchester United and Chelsea have actually made more successful passes this season than the Gunners. Arsenal have made 10,662 to United’s 10,914 and the Blues' 10,938.



Are Arsene Wenger’s side actually getting fouled more than other teams? The answer is no.



Three other teams have been kicked more than the Gunners this season. Arsenal are fourth in the ‘most-fouled table’. They have won 383 fouls this term, compared to Hull City, who have 387, and Everton and Spurs, who have received 390 apiece.



If you want to understand why the Gunners are repeatedly on the end of such brutal treatment, the key statistic is the disciplinary table.



Arsene Wenger’s men are second in this league only to nice-guys Fulham. Arsenal have 41 points as opposed to Manchester United, who sit in sixth place with 48 points, while Chelsea are happy to be mid-table on this occasion with 52 points.


What this tells you is that the other Premier League contenders are happy to dish it out as well as receive it. If your opponents know that you’re a bit tasty when it comes to a fight, then they’ll think twice about the way they treat you.

Perhaps Arsenal (or everyone else for that matter) should start dishing it out.

3 broken legs in 4 years is quite an alarming statistic. If you remember the Diaby incident - Arsenal were leading, it was end of the season, end of the game - there was no need for the challenge, no not the challenge, the assault.

I'm pretty sure if it was one of the England Golden boys (gerrard, lampard, terry, rooney), or even walcott for that matter, the story in the english press would be quite different.

Funny - I don't see such tackles while watching spanish soccer. Italians - maybe (but then they are thugs).

Shawgross - probably didn't mean to hurt the guy I think, but problem is that he has a 'record'.

Sir Alex Ferguson rang Showcross after the incident to give him support. The season of mind games is here with us.

Incidentally, the guy who broke Diaby's ankle had only played a few games in the premier league. It looked like he was brought in to injure someone. I do not think he ever played another premier league game. I think the English players look at foriegners as mercenaries out to take their jobs