Chelsea News 24/7Writer: Merlin 
Date:Thursday January 24 2013
Time: 12:56PM
UK time is: 22:07:01
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Hazard - No Excuses for That!
My, oh my, what another shambolic episode we find ourselves embroiled in.
This morning I`ve ploughed through numerous comments on various threads, relating to the Eden Hazard incident. Opinion, strangely, seems to be mixed. Some reckon it was outrageous, others reckon the ball-boy deserved it?
Picking through the remnants of a shattered dream and watching the incident time-and-time again, it`s plain for all to see (on the slow-motion replays) that Hazard did indeed kick the young lad.
Now, some of you point out that the youngster was genuinely trying to waste time, but two wrongs definitely don`t make a right, do they?
Others point out that the youngster made a right meal of the incident, rolling around as if he`d been pole-axed whilst also, apparently, having courted some kind of notoriety on Twitter, an acceptable point but it still doesn`t make what Eden did acceptable.
Following the final whistle, it appears that Hazard was somewhat remorseful and met his victim, seventeen year-old Charlie Morgan, in the Chelsea dressing room, where apologies (from both sides) were offered.
Talking to the media about what happened, Eden is reputed to have remarked,
"The boy put his whole body on to the ball and I was just trying to kick the ball."
"I think I kicked the ball and not the boy. I apologize."
"The ball-boy came in and we had a quick chat. I apologized and the boy apologized as well. It is over. Sorry."
Something of a blinkered view there from the offender, look at the footage again Eden!
Sucked into the row, Rafa Benitez also had a few words to say, once again trying to smooth over the situation, remarking to the media,
"The boy has been in the dressing room and they both know they were wrong."
"The boy was wasting time and Hazard wanted to get the ball back quickly. He was frustrated and was trying to kick the ball."
Still, Rafa, that`s not an acceptable reason for what happened.
However, whilst the Football Association may be very keen to pursue some sort of action against Eden, it appears that the Police won`t with a spokesperson remarking,
"The Police have interviewed the boy and his father and no charges are being pressed. The boy is fine, he is not hurt."
Maybe, and some will say the manner in which he milked what happened would suggest he`d be a good successor to the Welsh acting line that produced Antony Hopkins and Richard Burton, could we really complain if the FA hit Eden with a huge fine and a lengthy ban?
I`d suggest not!
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Your Comments
Hazard deserves what he'll get, but all the moral pontificating by the press is pretty hypocritical. It was all in the heat of the moment, given the game, the score and what was at stake, can't say I would have done anything different. Of course I would have bitterly regret my temper getting the better of me in that instant, but it would have been too late by then. The old farts in the press really don't live in the real world at times..
Spursex
Chelsea had approach FA for transferring Hazard 3 match ban on Torres...They say they have no problem if FA can extend the ban to rest of the season...But Chelsea are facing problem from the rest of the PL team they say they wont allow Torres to get ban and will fight for it...
shlok27
this shows he did not kick the boy! http://i.minus.com/ibcN3plDZj7bbS
unclezillion
Apologies have been made, the father isn't going to court, a red card has been issued. What is the problem now?
traykidd
and that the boy was in fact attempting to roll on the ball again!
unclezillion
and that the boy was in fact attempting to roll on the ball again!
unclezillion
you get a straight red these days for attempting a tackle with intent i shudder to think what the FA will make of this. Expecting a lengthy ban from the FA for hazard for this, and he deserves at least 3 game ban.
ktm_blues
He was right,I am afraid.That idiot was wasting time.
cfc250
Both ballboy and player were in the wrong. But one is a just a boy, the other is a professional footballer. That said, this has been blown all out of proprotion. Another 17 year old boy was knocked unconcious in a football match last night and is currently undergoing tests in hospital, yet all the talk is about this incident.
Rocky7
yes but Hazard was not on twitter saying he was going to do it. This whole thing was pre meditated by the 17 year old boy. At 17 he is an adult in the eyes of the law!
unclezillion
Well what hazard did in hindsight was probably on the spur of the moment bcos we were going to loose the match anyways...but to push all the blame on him is grossly unfair...this is the boy's tweet before the match: The king of all ball boys is back making his final appearance #needed #for #timewasting....this is just disgusting...and he is not a kid, he is 17 years for crying out loud...he knew exactly what he was doing and he was sleeping on the ball...and if I factor in the way he was rolling on the floor after hazard obviously kicked the ball under him..it made the ball ''man'' a lot more pathetic really...I have played football to some good level in the past and this is something I am sure I have done before..the ball is big enough such that when you kick the ball that way...you only make minimal contact with the person...personally I wont castigate Hazard, cos I could have done exactly the same thing....he has apologized and that should end it....if he is banned extensively by the FA, I'll suppoprt him all through it...check tweeter....99% of tweets are behind hazard....the ball man is disgusting and a moron...he should be banned from working in such capacity in the future...of course I dont expect us to appeal the ban...it stays and that ends it...
layorh12
**was probably on the spur of the moment and not needed bcos we were gointa loose the match anyways
layorh12
Every single footballer (except Ferdinard and you know why) that I follow on tweeter supported Hazard (Owen, Luke Shaw, Bale, peenar, our own Pat nevin, I could go on)...these guys are players and they know how these things are...The FA should do whatever they wanta do and we move on...Hazard had no malicious intent and the boy did not even suffer a bruise...so what are we talking about here...?...I pity the future of england...if that ball 'man' ever becomes a referree then football in england is screwed...I am almost sure chris foyd was that way too when he was younger...the entire scenario is a joke!!!
layorh12
First of all the ball boy is not a boy. He's 17.5 years old - old enough to get married and join the army in England and not much younger than Hazard. Hazard went for the ball and took a bit of the man with him. The boy was not really hurt, he was obviously acting. Hazard probably had to go, but should not need to serve more than a 3 match ban as it is obvious to everyone he was not trying to kick the ball boy. Some in the media are painting this as a "new low in football" "worse than Cantona" It was an extraordinary incident but only in so much as I have never before seen a ball boy lie on top of the ball to waste time. Most pros sympathize with Hazard because most know that in the heat of battle, under the provocation Hazard was under, they would have done exactly the same thing. It doesn't mean Hazard shouldn't have been sent-off but it certainly puts the incident into context. It can't be both the most disgraceful episode ever in English football and something virtually every other footballer would have done. Just be thankful it wasn't John Terry. To misquote Balotelli "WHY ALWAYS US?"
CobhamBlue
Ball boy is an idiot and so is the Swansea player that shouts out to him to not give the ball back thus making the idiot boy lay on the ball! Hazard did the right thing and he gets my backing 100%.
Dave-David
@Cobhamblue...what annoys me the most is that nobody is talking about the ball 'man' absolutely shambolic act...a ball boy should not take sides...he should do his job!....the ball man stated on tweeter before the match...''he was needed for some time wasting''...that in itself is somthing the FA should look into, but we know they wont do that.....the entire english journo are looking for stories even when there is none....terrible!
layorh12
@Dave-david...thumbs up mate...we are not morons we know what is right and wrong...lets address the real issues.!
layorh12
this is why everyone hates chelsea, regardless of the ball boy wasting time thats what they do, its the advantage of being home. what if the referee makes a wrong decision can hazard kick him too? he's accepted it was a mistake so should the planks on here defending him, what next, terry isn't a racist? wayne bridge asked terry to plow his wife? the kid deserved to shot with a bb gun? i used to feel empathyfor chelsea fans, take all the bought success you want but that russian plank has destroyed all the integrity your club once had. not one supporter wanted jose or ancelotti sacked and di matteo was disgracefully treated. your owner along with terry has turned chelsea into the most hated club in english footall and all for what? because he wanted a new toy. i used to love watching chelsea in the zola days and had a lot of respect and affection towards the way you played but all of that has gone and its easy to see why when you encourage and defend the behaviour of the players lately. add to all of it, the one footballer you have who has been a servant to the club and is admired by most neutral fans isn't deservng of an extension despite his loyalty, lampard and the decent chelsea fans deserve better
spurticus87
The ballboy sems to recover well. https://mobile.twitter.com/BBCSporf/statuses/294210587234295810
Lakupiippu
spurticus87
The ones who Hates on Lampard are Glory fans and Trolls
Lakupiippu
Shameful article from you Merlin . Your entitled to your opinion but its completely WRONG . Your as bad as every other anti Chelsea reporter who's having a field day with this . He did not kick that ball boy . Your as naive as those "reporters" at the DM if you think otherwise . This is an all new low for this "Chelsea" site . WHAT A JOKE
ZolaIsALegend
@Spurticus....you entire rant is based on the your perception that Harzard kicked the ball 'man'..and he got him injured....the idiot was play acting...hazard only kicked the ball and more like touched the boy..chesk the social media and you will see the reaction of the neutrals..the ball man is a fecking disgrace...anyways the english will deal with their worries....!...enough said
layorh12
spurticus87, Didn't Gareth Bale as good as admit he'd have done the same thing? Doesn't make it right, but the whole saga has once again been blown out of all proportion by the media and I have a feeling this is the best thing that has ever happened in Charlie Morgan's life.
CobhamBlue
im not saying hazard deserves a lengthy ban or was malicious but the red card was deserved and his actions as much as they are understandable are not defendable and laku its the chelsea fans who love lampard are the ones that i respct
spurticus87
as i said cobham understandable not defendable
spurticus87
@spurticus87....given the ball man's tweet before the match which reads ''The king of all ball boys is back making his final appearance #needed #for #timewasting''....shouldn't an action be taken against him too....if you wanta judge then be wholistic in your judgement...the ball man is not a kindergaten...he had a plan and was sticking to it...if you feel hazard deserves a red card...then the ball man deserves to be banned from acting in such capacity in the future...i keep saying this...if that ball man even becomes a referee you can imagine what will happen in games...
layorh12
spurticus87, Most Chelsea supporters accepted he'll get a 3 match ban. The problems start when the media call it the most disgraceful incident ever in English football and start talking about 6 or 9 month bans. That's what gets the hackles up and makes everyone defensive.
CobhamBlue
agree that the ball boy should be banned from ball boying lol that sounds wrong
spurticus87
@spurticus...ball boying yeah??...truly sounds funny...looool...good way to end it...
layorh12
^^^more like ball 'maning'....loool
layorh12
If you want an example of OTT media listen to the Talksport commentary. The commentator basically made out Hazard had beaten an 11 year old boy senseless. If your understanding of the incident was formed by the commentator you'd be expecting to witness a bloodbath not a 17 year old rolling around like Drogba in his pomp!
CobhamBlue
the most disgracful thing ever witnessed in football is gary neville' goalgasm lol it still haunts me now
spurticus87
the irony is i dont even think he deserves anything more than a 1 game ban, my point is he was wrong end of story, read through some of the quotes on here
spurticus87
I wonder about the calls for a ban and a longer suspension. When I first saw it, I was appalled and felt that whatever the FA threw at Eden would be a lesson he needed to learn. It becomes more complicated, though, when you consider the boy's complicity in this. I don't condone what Eden did at all, but this isn't the same situation as one where there's a clear victim and a clear perpetrator. Merlin himself said two wrongs doesn't make a right--TWO wrongs. And I agree with that. But then we get into discussions about who was "more wrong." Surely, that's Eden because he's the adult and the high-profile person with a responsibility to himself and the club. Then again, that fact doesn't excuse the boy, who also has a job to do and who was visibly trying to cheat. He created the situation in the first place. So if Eden is punished further, the boy should be as well, though I'm sure the punishments will be significantly different. I just hope the FA doesn't try to make an example out of Eden with a ridiculous ban because this situation, in my opinion, isn't as black and white as a severe punishment might indicate. This isn't a Cantona kung-fu kick or what Ron Artest did in the NBA.
RadioactiveD
Yes, there is a good excuse. The 17 yo didn't do his job but tried to squander time and sabotage the game. Hazard simply got the ball back, whereas this chubby disgrace of a human being (Charlie Morgan) pulled "a Busquet" and feigned injury. He wasn't hurt or anything, just trying (successfully) to damage Chelsea's chances and to have Hazard sent off. Sure, yellow card as Hazard intervened in a situation where the referee should have added more time AND the referee should have the ball guy sent to the stands and Swansea should have been fined for negligent employees.
Maestrinho
@Radio...thanks...you actuallty found the words I could not..good post!
layorh12
If I was in hazard's shoe I'll kick the boy with the ball and he'll have bruises, I can be that temperamental and I might not, but does that justify it? No it does not, that was the reason I made an example yesterday, no matter how ur crime is justified in a court of law, they still get to sentence the offender, that is it, he got the red card, end off, let's move on and not dwell on it anymore and focus on turning our season around so we'll be ahead of spurs, arsenal and if possible city at the end of the season
Desmondadonis
And this is what the ever crazy Joey barton has to say:
'What I am reading about Hazard? Kicked a ball boy! What?'
'After reviewing last nights footage, I've come to the conclusion that the games gone. Ballboys aged 17, time wasting, then rollin round like they've been shot. Games gone. He was actually claiming to be best time waster in the world on twitter yesterday! WTF' that all about?'
'The bigger deal for me is 17 year old ballboys, employed by football clubs to waste time...'
'Swansea should face punishment also in my eyes. Hazard will be vilified for his over reaction.'
'But as normal, the media hysteria will cause the populace to miss the real crime here...'
'Hazard only crime is he hasn't kicked him hard enough...'
soo...I dont know why the whole world is making Hazard look like a terminator...football in england will only have deeper issues in the future!
layorh12
Now that is talking sense @radio, that is the whole point
Desmondadonis
http://i.minus.com/ibcN3plDZj7bbS watch it an see Hazard does not kick the boy and the boy tries to roll onto the ball again!!! There should be no ban at all!
unclezillion
layorh, your quoting someone whose brother is in jail for murder and who actually stubbed a lit cigar out in a team mates face, barton is scum and shouldn't be allowed an opinon on anything other than being raped in prison, to everyone who is slating the theatrics of the ball boy/man, there is a massive irony given it was football we were all watching last night lol
spurticus87
@Spurticus..looooooooool...but I do acknowledged that...I said in my post ''this is what the EVER crazy JOey Barton has to say''...at least it shows I have some kind of understanding of the personality involved...lmao!!!!!!.....
layorh12
At 17 years of age the ball boy should be a professional footballer.For christ sake he is no longer a kid and to think that every thing he accomplish was premeditated.Even though we all knw what hazard did was wrong but what should be done to someone who instigate provocation.
sunnymakcres
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sd38KUjmOho uncle zillion now watch the kick from the apropriate angle
spurticus87
@unclezillion..come off dream land...we are chelsea so expect the full ban plus a likely extension....fasten your seat belt mate!
layorh12
layhor12 fair enough my apologies, there is one thing that everyone is overlooking, chelsea players, swansea players, fans, journo's and pundits........ IT WAS ABSOLUTELY ******** HILARIOUS!! ive never laughed so much in all my life watching football, congratulations to eden hazard and the ball manboy for making what had been a relatively dull game sensational
spurticus87
@Spurticus...I am with you on that....I kinda feel for hazard though..seem a cool bloke...I hope he has learnt from the experience, hopefully he'll take it on the chin and just move on....and I hope the ball man also grows up...when i remember the incident, I still laff though!!!!!
layorh12
screw him he gets what he deserves for turning us down to join you! all for what an extra £120 thousand a week and champions league football??!! ;)
spurticus87
@Spurtcicus...now you are taking it personal...spurs are on the right track though and in time will attract top talents going by recent events...AVB was quite *****ty when he was with us...but I think he has gotten a grip...while I had my doubts, I now think he is a good coach..you guys are lucky....'l soon employ my 12th manager....looooool
layorh12
@ layorh12 cheers mate, enjoyed the banter wih you all today good luck scrapping it out for fourth with arsenal and everton ;)
spurticus87
@Spurticus...thats sounds more like spurs...beware of arsenal though....'ll finish at least 3rd without a doubt....keep scapping your wins and who knows?...you might end up 4th...players like Adebayor always dampen the mood you know...all the very best!
layorh12
And now Hambourg wants to keep Bruma permanently...i mean how do we handle that?...that is one of the disadvatages of allowing our youngsters stay too long on loan outside the club...especially the very good ones...I dont think Bruma will oppose to it too much even though I think he has place at chelsea (brana appears to be on the decline plus he ls already near 30)...the board should please call KDB and Courtoius back asap from Germany and spain respectively at the end of this season before they start feeling tooo comfy....we cant loose our top youngsters, cos if we do, the essence of the so called youth developement strategy will be defeated...
layorh12
I won't mind if they have him there permanently, we should just try and make profit out of the deal, kalas is better with what I saw of both players, rajkovic too, we won't miss him. KDB and courtois are the ones I am really worried about, any news on ulisses davila?
Desmondadonis
Davila..4 goals in 21 appearances in spanish second division is not exactly very interesting...but i must admit he is probably still growing...haven't we sold Rajkovic..cos of work permit issues...?...was sad when I read that or is there is buy back clause..?even if there is I doubt the club will activate it...asides that I still dont think he has made the required number of appearances for his national team needed to sort out his work permit issues...its looking like kalas is the one for the future...life could be funny!
layorh12
@layorh, we inserted a buy back in rajkovic's deal as I read back then, I am disappointed that davila is not making much of a progress even in the spanish league segunda, as I said in another article, it is obvious that we need squad depth and some quality players, but how many teams will release their players half way to the season? And if we ened up buying average squad players are we sure rafa would use them? It is obvious that he is overeliant on mazacar and just hope they have a moment of individual brilliance to win him games, if we don't get him ronaldo and messi he won't stop using mazacar week in week out
Desmondadonis
@Desmond certain very good players have been rumoured to have relaase clauses in their contracts and if we meet this, their clubs will have no option than to deal...Fellani, Montinho,Capuoe Aspas, Benat, Isco and even Wilian...since the board does not wanta take the more econoomical and intelligent route of recalling our talented loanees...then they should stump out the fecking cash and strengthen the damn squad irrespective of rafa...there's none of the players i mentioned above that we'll buy and FSW will be mad enough not to use....the board should use their brains and make the freaking signings!!
layorh12
As I said in another article, layorh, willian and felliani will be perfect and willian will brush mata off as no.10 with ease, fellaini will plug the pivot hole, but fellaini and willian won't leave their respective clubs for anything less than £50m, are we sure that roman is willing to spend that amount yet again? After his 80m in the summer didn't do much to the team
Desmondadonis
Maybe all clubs should announce the ball boys names prior to KO, along with the substitutes. All boy boys would then be involved in team talks prior to the game and would act as instructed, utilizing every opportunity to waste time and delay the game as they deem fit. If any particular ball boy surpasses expectations, he could then demand a higher wage, or insist that he wished to be transfered to another club. Fame and glory beckons.
Blueheart9
@Desmond...If I was on the board I wont have loaned out KDB, I wont have sold Danny (I would def find a way to convince him to stay), I would have retained one of Meireles or Essien and lastly I'll probably have recalled josh in this window if I see the need for it...since we cant think, plan and take the sensible route..then we can as well just spend the cash...we seem to lack foresight...all I know is the worst thing we can do to ourselves is to leave the squad the way it is (we even had the effontery to loan Piazon out!!!!..it is boadering round insanity really)...we'll only have ourselves and our inept board to blame...i dont want us to do a liverpool but that probability is there and real!!!!.....
layorh12
^^I would have only bought BA this window under such scenario if I was a decision maker on the board..
layorh12
And now there is a new twist to the Isco gist...he is signing a new contract pretty soon...“Very soon we will be presenting the contract renewal of Isco. He is a symbol of this club.” But he also suggested he could leave down the line, meaning that the new deal was mainly to up his release clause from €20 million to around €40 million: “No player is sure to always stay.”-Malaga’s sporting director; via espn soccernet....So why did we loan Piazon there...the ways of the chelsea board can only be understood by the chelsea board...I rest my case.
layorh12
Willian and fellaini?yes thats exactly what we need a CaM and a CDM with no vision. desmondadonis you forgot to add another CB and another 'winger' that doesn't add width or be able to cross. Willian adds nothing and fellaini is not even remotely useful to us. Thank god your not in charge of transfers.
Humza_96
What a weird article by Merlin.
Merlin, please show us a clear video of Eden kicking the ballman. If he kicked the ballman, then why did the ball rolled out of the other side ???!
..Hazard said , that he kicked the ball. Are you saying Eden is a liar ???!!!
Strapping Blue
IF HAZARD KICKED THE BALLBOY, THEN WHY DIDN'T THE BALLBOY AND HIS FATHER SUE HAZARD ???!!!! Because they don't have a case.
Strapping Blue
Humza, oh shut up, your nack of making a fool out of urself is getting to border on being pathetic, state ur case and don't thrash a comment, if u make sense fine, if u sound like a clueless person, fine too. Mata is not fit for no.10 and willian showed what a real 10 can do, he is a player that made our defense gasp for breath on both legs, we need players like that, fellaini is strong on the ball and can be a very good CM for us, why u say we need a CB is really beyond me, I guess u are at ur football manager self again, another CB, after terry,cahill, iva and luiz, looool, moses is coming back in 2-3 weeks, hazard and moses can be the wingers, if we get one more, fine, if we don't, we don't need to break a sweat over it, marin is a natural winger and we haven't seen hide and hair of him for crucial games, so which winger is out there that rafa will use immediately? Seriously use ur brain before u thrash a comment
Desmondadonis
Well I'm staying very factual on the whole thing. 1) The young man in question premeditatedly set out to deliberately waste time. 2) Hazard tried to get the ball when he had no right to. 3) Hazard DID get the ball with a toe poke, but it's his shin which appears to catch the lad in the ribs. 4) The lad initially appears fine by sitting up and gesturing to the ref only to curl up in a ball and rub his eyes a minute later. Was he genuinely hurt or in pain? Was he just trying to fake it? Who knows! By the letter of the law Hazard is guilty of violent conduct and gets sent off. This is normally a 3-game ban and so be it. We all move on and learn the lesson of not getting involved in such things. My concern is these reports of a possible 5 game ban floating about.
Bizarre_Blue
@layorh, it is alarming that we are not linked to any player for now, and I am not sure of what to think anymore, but if we can make fellaini and willian happen, it will solve our immediate problem, fellaini gives us all the steel we want in the middle, and willian is a CAM that knows how to use the ball without being easily dispossesed, as he showed us in the UCL he can use the ball very well and is not easily bullied off the ball, his presence in the middle will be very useful, can we get him? I don't really know as spurs were interested at a time and city, we can't get isco now for obvious reasons, and I read somewhere that iago aspas is valencia bound, capoue I read somehwere is very good but I also read that he is injury prone too, so I don't really know what to think, If we can get fellaini in the middle, it will be very good for us
Desmondadonis
pff brentford, newcastle, reading, blah, blah.
he'll be back before we go to get beaten by city.
arbor9
@desmondadonis if we use willian the way we been using mata, in no time he won't be fit to be our no10. My opinion mata is a better no10 than willian but still saying I won't mind him coming to Chelsea to fight for a place in the midfield. I was listening to talksport the other day they rated mata ahead of silva and carzola, lets appreciate mata more I wish he was the wan earning 175k becos he deserves it.
Pila12
@Desmond, while I rate Fellani very highly, I still dont think he'll solve our deep lying play maker issues...although he'll give us a lot of other things...well I guess we'll have to wait and see...I am concerned though...
layorh12
Willian is the most composed player iv'e ever seen on the ball.He always
seems to have so much time,class act.
THEBREEZE
Thankfully the father is a prominent businessman with a level head, it could have been a kid from a different back round, criminal charges ect. And what the feck was our club doing posting crap on twitter, heads should roll
ten men
The problem with Willian is his extortionate price tag. Apart from that he's a class act.
Blue1989
Merlin don't you think you are taking this "fairness" thing too far? In other words you're wrong. I'm not going to rehash the arguments, plenty on here have already made valid points both ways BUT, & here's the important bit, they are making their points with the benefit of hindsight & the luxury of time to take a considered view. Eden had neither of those & anyone who has played the game competitively, at any level, will know that there but for the grace of God...........................
analooish
IN DEFENCE OF HAZARD
Eden did not kick that boy. He kicked the ball watch this video. http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-2267629/Eden-Hazard-ball-boy-row-new-footage-supports-Belgian-claim-kicked-ball.html 2. The boy refused to hand the ball back. He went on to lay on top of the ball and Eden made several attempts to get the ball before kicking it. 3. The boy in question is almost a man (17) he should have known better unless he was intentionally doing doing this to delay the game. Which from his twitter post he did. 4. This now sounds as if Swansea had some knowledge of this because he was called to come and help be a ball for the last game because according to his Twitter post he is the King of time wasting. 5. The boy goes on to display betting tickets which now brings to bear the fact that he made a wager on this game and wanted to influence the results which would be a criminal offence. 6. The lad went on to roll around as if he was really injured when he was not. Sad. The whole situation is sad and shameful and the press were quick to accuse Hazard of kicking the lad when everyone could see he kicked the ball. Sad
faara23
The whole hazard scenario is being overexagerated, the job of a ballboy is to get the ball back on the field of play asap why his he helding onto it as if his life depend on it. Have watch the replay many times and hazard clearly got the ball, even if he did got the ballman(17 and half yrs is no longer a boy he is old enough to impregnate a lady ask sterling of liverpool) in the process it is not malicious. So i can understand hazard frustration, all those people calling for hazard to be giving lengthy ban, can even do worse dan what hazard did in the heat of the moment, people react differently in any kind of situation, what may provoke you may not provoke me. So the ballboy instingate this scenario in the first place and he should take the larger part of the blame, as a matter of fact hazard should accept the three match ban and we move on, we should appeal if the FA add any additional ban to it.
Tosco
I Hazard really kicked the man, do you really think he would have been up and walking like that. This is just a smear campaign.
faara23
its a disgrace. im 17 (same as the ball boy) and a guys shoe got set on fire today while he was wearing it (yes a completely d!ckish thing to do but the reaction is whats important) everyone helped put it out and the guy laughed it off. guess the kids with million dollar daddys are different from us.
blueirishman
Hazard got carried away, no aggression in it, just tried to get the ball back, get over it. Ridiculous article, how can ye try to make Hazard look as if he assaulted someone, even the kids dad got him to apologise cause he knew nothin major happened
european_champions
Some great comments in support of Eden, at least some people aren't complete drama queens
european_champions
@desmondadonis explain to me how fellaini solves our pivot problems? And Willian? we have Mata Oscar and about 5 other CAM. and don't say Willian is better than Mata if you think that it just exposes your lack of knowledge. if Willian is better than Oscar or Mata how comes a 32 year old ronaldinho is selected ahead of him for Brazil?
Humza_96
Come on Merlin...Let's not push it. Hazard was wrong,ball boy/man was wrong,Hazard gets what he deserves a 3 match ban. End off...Let's not make too much out of this. They apologized to each other as they realized it was done in the heat of the moment. Hazard is a young lad who will learn from his actions and am sure he regrets his action. Nuff said. Not talking about this again,we have more pressing matters.
nelyvanile
Come on Merlin...Let's not push it. Hazard was wrong,ball boy/man was wrong,Hazard gets what he deserves a 3 match ban. End off...Let's not make too much out of this. They apologized to each other as they realized it was done in the heat of the moment. Hazard is a young lad who will learn from his actions and am sure he regrets his action. Nuff said. Not talking about this again,we have more pressing matters.
nelyvanile
Merlin,am disappointed with you in this article. How come you want to make Hazard a villain when he clearly did what he had to. We seem to ignore the main criminal here which is the ball man. I read what Pat Nevin has to say about this and i was quite conivinced am not alone in thinking Hazard did wrong by not actually kicking the man. If we want to blame Hazard,then we should think of hanging the exasperating ball man. The English FA and everything they stand for will become a joke if they hand Hazard further punishment.
Ohans
I do that kind of thing with my kids all the time. They are always diving on the ball, frustrated by the overwhelming skills of their father! Seriously I often kick the ball from underneath them frequently, just like that. This kid was 17! The same age as some top flight professionals. He was attempting to cheat. Totally with Joey Barton (that's a phrase I've never used). Oh and by the way it's also the sentiment of my hero and football intellectual Pat Nevin.
Nevinlegend
I don't think it will do Hazard's psyche any good to know that he is being slated by his club for fighting and showing such hunger for them. You bring out more loyalty from the players when you support them in times like this. Suarez got his entire club's support when he was under fire and it ended up making him stronger and endeared to the club. Get behind the lad folks, he is not that guilty.
Ohans
A new camera angle has been released in which clearly proves Hazard was kicking the ball not the bellboyhttp://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-2267629/Eden-Hazard-ball-boy-row-new-footage-supports-Belgian-claim-kicked-ball.html
bleedblueSTL
@Desmond....Did you really just say Willian is a better no10 than Mata is? Apart from those 2 games against us in which he played the games of his life,what other match have you seen him really perform in? This is a guy that finds it hard to get into the Selecao,the same Selecao in which our very own Oscar is a starting no10 ? And Fellaini,what is he gonna offer the pivot? His passing ability? Incase you have forgotten,we require someone who has a very good passing ability in the pivot. Someone who has the ability to control a game from the center and distribute the ball very well. Not just a brute. Fellaini,to the best of my knowledge can not do that. We already have Ramires who cant pass for his life and sometimes i wonder what he is doing in that midfield,but he works his socks off for the team and you always need players like that. What we need in that pivot now is someone in the mould of Mikel but with better ability to control the game and also dissect opponents defences with passes. We can not keep spending since we havnt got a permanent manager anyway but even when we do,i doubt those two players will be on our shopping list.
3nity
@3nity Thank you! Its strange how desmondadonis manages to avoid answering back to these kind of comments...
Humza_96
I will not underrate Willian if i were you. He is much more hardworking, stronger and faster than Mata. These Qualities may make him outshine Mata as #10 in the EPL. Though Mata is more creative and scores more goals than Willian.
SameX
But I dont think getting Felleini will solve anything.
SameX
have anyone play this ? http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-2267779/Eden-Hazard-kicks-Swansea-ball-boy-game--play-here.html , this was absolutely disgusting and funny..lol
chelsea44
Swansea are the main culprit training their ball boys time wasting.why is nobody seeing dis?.even laudrup said sometimes ago dat it's not wrong 2bribe club 2beat another club.his comments shows dat swansea is a currupt club.but i know d stupid f.a would not see it our way.just see wats happening wit ferguson.they want 2look in2 it where as if it were 2be other managers it would av been a ban and a fine straight away.what r.v.p did after he was fouled was worse dan what nasri did after he was fouled.yet nasri sees red for reacting but r.v.p got nothing.imagine if r.v.p had done dat as an arsenal player.remember what he did 2 cabaye.but fellaini was charged while nothing was done 2him.d media,d f.a,d referees and every1 else r just attacking us cuz we r chelsea.period.
zaput
Hazard didn't deserve the red card. end off
zosBlue
@3nity, with what I saw of willian he is better suited as a no.10 than mata, mata is no no.10, he is a starter but we should look for a place where he will be suited, as for the person asking me how many times I have seen willian, don't insult me mate, willain have been on the lips of many in europe for over 2 seasons ago, I have seen atleast 7 of his games and I think he is the perfect no.10 a team can have or oscar, willian can dribble better than mata, he can pass, has vision and can create, he is stronger on the ball than mata and would be perfect for us, fellaini is steel himself, he is very good in the air and it is difficult to get past him, if u note he is so versatile and having him will be like having 3 players in one, he can surely pass and for the neonate humza, he just jumped into a debate he knows nothing of which is saddening as he keeps making a fool of himself, @layorh mentioned some players when I asked him how many quality players are available this summer that can be prised off from their current team, I happen to choose the two that will suit us and the ones I like
Desmondadonis
Willian is over rated both in price and in quality, we don't need this guy, get Isco, he is much much better
chelsea44
From the latest development on the Hazard-ballman issue,it appears Hazard will be vindicated to some extent after all. Might just end up with a 3 match ban. Am sweating over his absence already,how are gonna cope without him?
Ohans
Poor Eden...coping without him will be tricky given our lack of activity so far in this window....what is with the ball boy playacting? anyway i wont really blame hazard but he should have controlled himself a little bit better for a ball boy that was clearly out of order...
JohnnyOz
I think we should pity the poor lad - he thought the ball was a baby sheep
Dixons-Betting-Slip
Well with hazard out I think we would create next to nothing with a tired mata in the middle, hazard for me have been the only exciting player for the last couple of games, and we can't rest mata now though he needs a rest, as for those of u saying willian is overated, I am just laughing my arse off because it seem u have a shot memory, my answer to u is go back and rewatch both legs of our UCL games with shakter, as for willian not being in the selecao, do u honestly think oscar will be the brazil no.10 if he was playing for a team in ukraine instead of brazil? Willian is way better than most players in the selecao and I think the reason he wasn't called up is due to the league he plays in, how many of u guys have seen the ukrainian league this season? Let us be objective when debating, checkout willains pedigree in europe, he have always been impressive and having more quality player alongside him this season really caltapulted him, I can imagine what he'll be like in our team, spurs team or man utd, even city, I pray they get him if we don't, a player of his quality will bring excitement to the PL and improve it with his superior technical ability than most
Desmondadonis
About the Willian debate here, I think if you put oscar in that team and in that role, he would be equally add good if not better. Most people think so, that's why Oscar starts for the selecao. Mata is on a different planet, the best player in the premier league and one of the best in the world.
Mia Maynard
@desmond.....oscar plays in brazillian league which is below par than ukaine eague but still he is preferred as no 10 for brazil over wilian....its not about the league which he plays its about the quality of a player and oscar is way beyond william...william is an average player thats all he is...and shaktar makes him look like he is the next ronaldinho...he is not at any level compare to oscar...i would prefer piazon over william any day..william is a tad overrated...
shlok27
Is Willain under rated or over rated? I think more the former than the latter...However comparisons between him and Oscar are misplaced i think....Oscar is a rare gem of a player, you guys will see what i mean over the next couple of years.
JohnnyOz
Desmond i doubt you watch any ukrainian football yourself and you are basing your exagerated praise of william on the 2 games he played against us which is lazy and rediculous . For you to say that mata is lazy and a not a real no 10 is the most idiotic thing ive ever heard ,i dont know what planet u live on . He's by far our most creative player weve had since zola . Did you ever see Zola track back more than mata does ??? No u didnt because thats not his job ,hes there to float around the edge of the box ,pick up the ball and put it on a plate for our front men r score himself which is exactly what the little magician does and theres no one in the PL better at it than him . You saw us without him against qpr and we were hopelessly flat with nothing to offer ,diddly squat . Hes not a play maker ??? My lord what do u see when u watch football .crazy
ZolaIsALegend
Just to corroborate what really intelligent blokes have said here on VC (thats why I love this site)...here is what arsen Wenger has to say about the incident;
Both were wrong," Wenger said. "The ball boys are there to get the ball back as quickly to the players and into the game, they are not there to waste time. You have to educate the ball boys, that no matter if it is the home team or the away team, you have to get the ball back as quickly as possible.
"Everything else is not acceptable. For the rest, Hazard is not a violent player. He wanted to get the ball back as quickly as possible, which you can understand. In my opinion, he went in a little bit too strongly but I don't think he wanted to hurt the ball boy. He just wanted to get the ball back as quickly as possible."
"Yes, we should not become ridiculous there," he added. "He did not want to harm anybody. You finish the story with the red card."
The FA should not be stupid here...give hazard the freaking 3 match bann and let the whole episode end there. So Hazard returns against city....now that'll be perfect especially if Emenalo and co does the needful before the market closes!
layorh12
Lol desmondadonis spurting out a load of BS . still haven't explained about fellaini
Humza_96
@humza, I don't have to explain anything to u, if ur brain is too congealed to understand football, it is not my business, I have told u to ignore my comment over and over again, why are u stalking me huh? @zolaisalegend, if u know what is idiotic, then u'll know that the idiocy had leased itself to u for a year and more, never have I said mata is not creative, but u are blinded by that, u can't see what a no.10 does, watch wilshere of arsenal and u'll know what I mean if u have half a brain, rewatch our game with shakter home and away, add the juve game home and away to it and u'll see what a no.10 do with the ball, u are all carried away by his creativity and u forget other aspects of being a 10, which is good passing, drives and dictating of the game, for the last 2 months how many times have mata imposed himself on a game? Willian alone single handedly gave us a heart ache both home and away, continue to be blind to his brilliance and I pray our rivals get him, I am sure u'll keep moaning about it as u all moaned about aguero. Mata is suited perfectly behind a striker that is my assessment of him, not a no.10
Desmondadonis
@Desmond....whats going on mate? Whats happened to you?
You really rate Willian above Mata? Youve seen Willian play 7games by your own admission,how many games have you seen Mata play? Comparing Willian to Mata is an insult to Mata in my opinion. You are basing your arguments on Mata's performances in the last 2months? Cmon mate. The reason why Willian shined in those matches was because Fernandinho bossed our midfield! Watch those matches again and check out Fernandinho's influence.
Anyday,anytime and in any team,Oscar will surely bench Willian and dont even talk of Mata. And you said Fellaini is a good passer? Well,perhaps as good as Ramires is? Cmon,get your thinking hat back on and be you again!
3nity
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