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Theo Walcott will be out of action for up to a month after Liam Ridgewell's challenge left him with knee ligament damage.
The England winger was sent for a scan after the Birmingham defender clattered him in the first-half of Saturday's clash.
Manager Arsene Wenger, who described Ridgewell's challenge as a “red-card offence”, said today: “The news is not good.
“We are without Theo Walcott for longer than expected. We thought it would be just 48 hours but it is a medial knee ligament, which is what I feared after the game. He will be out for three to four weeks.”
Birmingham boss Alex McLeish defended Ridgewell's tackle on Walcott, which ultimately forced the England winger out of the game.
He said: “It was a Stuart Pearce tackle, committed to getting the ball before the forward.
The problem sometimes is in the follow-through. But what do you do? You'll end up not making a tackle at all.
“I'm sure the Arsenal boys have made tackles like that in the past as well. Fabregas made one in the Blackburn game with his studs up and he was penalised for it. The referee chose not to penalise our one today and I thought that summed it up really.”
It was not the only point of conflict of the afternoon. Wenger also branded a section of the visiting fans “atrocious” after they sang “There's Only One Martin Taylor”, apparently glorifying the player whose x-rated tackle at St Andrew's sidelined the Croatian striker for a year.
Taylor was injured and did not feature in the 18-man squad on Saturday and Wenger said: “It was frankly atrocious. They will not be remembered for the quality of their taste with that kind of remark. I didn't say a word, I just thought that's low'.”
“I just put that in the ranks of stupidity — you want to forget about it and not talk too much about it because there's not a lot to say.
“People like that, one starts to say something stupid, everybody follows, even intelligent people. People lose their identity together and their sense of responsibility.
Wenger will be without Tomas Rosicky for tomorrow's Champions League trip to AZ Alkmaar after he picked up a knee injury against Birmingham but could be fit for Sunday's visit to WestHam.
Reader views (19)
Yes he got the ball, but I don't remember it being legal to follow through with your trailing leg and swipe into the opponent once the tackle has been made. Watch a replay, the intent is clear.
Still, at least it's a step up from Martin Taylor-they're actually attempting to kick a ball before injuring flair players. Thanks Birmingham!
- Ted, London UK
The same old mantra from Wenger and his Arsenal whingers.
Why don't we go the whole hog and ban any player who dares to touch or tackle an Arsenal player. The fact is Walcott is injury prone you only have to breathe on him and he goes over.
- James, Manchester England
Agree 101% with Alan of Guildord. The rule should be clarified. With sliding in bone crunching tackles like Ridgewell or Martin Taylor (when he broke Eduardo's leg), "getting contact with the ball" should not be enough if resulting in serve injuries to the opponent.
We all know that "getting contact of the ball" is just an excuse to injure. If one really wants to "get the ball", one needs to be able to control it. i.e. NOT SLIDING IN BUT STAND UPRIGHT !
- Wwuk1, Essex UK
To St, London:
Too true mate. Wenger crying out about bad tackles, how about Vieira, Bergkamp, Adams, Bould, Parlour...the list goes on. Ugly dirty football was in Arsenals DNA...
- Mike Patton, Lolndon
LET ME MAKE IT CLEAR TO YOU, IN CASE ANALYSIS IS NOT YOUR STONGER VIRTUE: CONTACT SPOTRTS: KARATE, KUNG FU, JUDO, WRESTLING,...
FOOTBALL: NOT!
Alan - you've had a shocker mate. Coat and cab for you.
- Rob, London
We seem so pre-occupied with diving, whilst inferior cowardly players make harmful challenges like this. Its time these thugs were banned for longer periods, it might make them think, assuming they are capable of thought, which I very much doubt.
- Rob Gooner, North London
pls people, we should not ignore facts, if something is wrong, it is just wrong despite who comitted it, MR Alex McLeish just proved that,
- Eliphas, windhoek, Namibia
Grow up gooners!
- Blue Baby, London
Wenger has spoken nothing but sense in this interview, saying he's disappointed Walcott's injured and that the chants from the Birmingham fans were in bad taste. What's wrong with that?
But still the Spurs fans and the anti-Wenger crowd crawl out of the woodwork to criticise him and Arsenal. It's getting really boring now!
- Steven, London
Alan, Guildford, you're living in cloud cuckoo land if you think footballs' not a contact sport. If the referee blew the whistle every time there was contact no match would ever be finished, and Arsenal are as bad as the rest. And to my recollection, shoulder to shoulder contact is still allowed..
- Paul, London
Mike Patton, a lot of them have probably never heard of George Graham. Arsenal only started when Wenger joined, right??
- St, London
ST London, FOOTBALL IS NOT A CONTACT SPORT!
LET ME MAKE IT CLEAR TO YOU, IN CASE ANALYSIS IS NOT YOUR STONGER VIRTUE: CONTACT SPOTRTS: KARATE, KUNG FU, JUDO, WRESTLING,...
FOOTBALL: NOT!
- Alan, Guildford
Although the chants were sick, the Arsenal fans moaning about the anti-football Birmingham play is somewhat hypocritical when for most of their history they have played dour agressive football more in the mode of Blackburn/Bolton.
These so called Arsenal fans have such short memories.
- Mike Patton, London
It is really sad that Macleish and his thugs can get away with things like that. The referee saw the tackle and was incompetent enough to allow it unpunished. Macleish at least insinuated that the referee was incompetent by not punishing it. As for the chants a good media would create a fuss and force the FA to take action. But it is Johnny Foreigner abd Wayne Rooney. Had it been Rooney or Owen there would have been a national outcry. SICK!!!
- Sorie Kamara 'Kamsoman', LONDON, UK
Its a shame that birmingham fans support their players to injure players rather than playing football. Anyway Birmingham are just making up the numbers of the EPL, I see no reason they would stay up in the EPL, relegation is a sure thing for them. Shame on you birmingham
- Fanner, sg jur
All the Birmingham fans have to celebrate is a Thug. For a team that represents England’s second city their teams record of success is abysmal. All you can do is laugh at them.
- Mick, London, England
McLeish couldn't hear the Birmingham fans, yet he praised them for their vocal support. What a coward. Just like the muppets who sang that song.
- Paddy, London
I don't really know why Wenger got into football if he was always unhappy with it being a contact sport. Perhaps he'd be better off coaching the Bolshoi Ballet or something? And his eyesight seems to have improved, eh!
- St, London
If referees did their job properly, non-footballing sides like Birmingham would be plying their trade in the lower leagues where they belong. Forget the Old Firm joining the premiership, do us all a favour and move Birmingham city to the SPL where they'd fit in! It would have the added bonus of moving these retarded so-called "fans" to the other side of Hadrian's Wall.
- Harry Barracuda, Manama, Bahrain
