Saturday’s win over Ipswich Town was undoubtedly an excellent one for the Bees as Championship survival was guaranteed. However, the result has been overshadowed by the leg-break Alan Judge sustained early in the match from Luke Hyam’s crunching tackle.
Portman Road is always a tough place to get a result. And against a team sent out by Mick McCarthey, you know it’s going to be physical. It would appear the Blues’ Gaffer had clearly primed his team, and Hyam in particular, to ‘put in a couple of early crunching tackles. Unfortunately, poor Alan Judge paid a huge price in just the third minute.
Nobody is accusing Hyam of deliberately attempting to break another player’s leg. But he must be experienced enough to know that his challenge was highly likely to do some serious damage.
‘The ball was there to be won’ is no defence when you know a fellow player’s shin is about to receive serious trauma. And if you honesty believe that a ball can be won, at any cost, you are simply a callous hypocrite.
Dangerous play is dangerous play whether a ball separates two opponents or not. Sentiments backed up by former Brentford player and manager Andy Scott via Twitter on Saturday evening.
Partisan opinion and the instinctive protection of your own team’s players are also all part and parcel of the game we all follow. And it is to be expected from Ipswich fans who have been quick to defend one of their own. Thankfully the majority have at least backed up their thoughts with a desire to offer their best wishes to Alan Judge.
McCarthy lost a huge amount of respect with his pedantic and uncaring post-match reactions. The former Republic of Ireland manager, who has admitted trying to buy the player last close season, was well aware that Judge was hoping to play his part in the Euros this summer and has been on the fringe of the Eire squad for the past year or so. So I am physically stunned by his lack of humility and compassion.
To then question whether the assault should have been a booking is plain twisted.
Bees manager Dean Smith was lambasted by McCarthy for calling Hyam’s tackle ‘a bit naughty’, the Town gaffer complaining;
“I think he’s won the ball. I’ve actually complained to the referee as to why it’s a booking if he’s won the ball. I don’t think it’s naughty at all. That surprised me and disappoints me if he’s said that, but we all have opinions.”
He went on to say;
“Actually, the decision of the referee (not awarding Ipswich a foul ahead of Brentford’s opener) has played a big part in costing us the game. Everybody and their f*****g grandmothers thought that was a foul.”
Classy Mick, really classy.
Seeing Hyam red carded during the injury time his reckless challenge had caused at least provided a grain of delayed justice. But the words of the Ipswich manager after the match have left a bad taste… we all know McCarthy winds his teams up before the game. That’s what you get with dinosaur managers like him.
And that is ultimately why his team is failing – an out-dated methodology and an out-dated mindset .. something that both Ipswich and Brentford fans both agreed after the match speaking on the Beesotted Pride of West London Podcast (link above).
Not all Ipswich fans agreed with Mick’s view on things thankfully as you can see.
One fan text us after the match .. apologised for the Alan Judge injury … and said he felt very let down by McCarthy’s interview.
His team were outplayed on the day. But it wasn’t just 3 points he lost at Portman Road. He lost his dignity too. And we will remember that for far longer.
As no doubt will Alan Judge.
Dave Lane
@beesotted100
Ipswich fan here, I was only remarking on the train on the way to the game that Hyam was an accident waiting to happen and unfortunately was proven correct.
If he’d been shown a straight red they’d be no complaints from 99% of home fans, and where Mick is coming from with his comments is beyond me. Hope Alan Judge makes a full recovery.
Nicely put Dave
This was on the ITFC website preview. Only Bees player mentioned. Looks almost like an intruction, which Hyam carried out to the letter.
“Judge is another one looking to stake a claim for a place at the European Championships in the summer, and made his full Ireland debut in last month’s friendly against Switzerland. It was a call-up that was richly deserved based on his form for his club so far this season, with the midfielder scoring 14, and assisting 11 in the Championship this season. Only Andre Gray and Ross McCormack have been involved in more goals than Judge this season, so he will be the one that the Bees will look towards for an attacking threat on Saturday.”
Only one player went out to hurt anyone on Saturday and that was Ryan Woods. What would he have said had he actually taken out Hyam’s knee in his challenge? “I did it for Judgey” would have looked a bit hollow then, wouldn’t it? Hyam’s tackle was a genuine attempt to get the ball with a very unfortunate result. Woods’s was the reaction of a petulant thug and he was lucky that the referee bottled the decision. Your players high-fiving each other after the sending off as well – pathetic.
And then Varney puts in a tackle on Woods in retaliation which should have been a red. And so it goes on……….
Was a superb tackle. Unfortunate to beak the blokes leg. But was a genuine tackle.
Brentwood fans are still crying about this. Lol, was a good tackle