Whilst I’ve probably been guilty of tweaking a few headlines in order to sink a few clicks in the past, I’d like to think that I follow some kind of editorial standard. The same can’t be said of the The Metro, who have twisted a quote concerning Arsenal midfielder Jack Wilshere, to suit their own purposes.
I can’t say that I’m surprised. But the fact that this kind of thing continues to happen is disappointing.
Let’s break it down. The Metro recently ran with the following headline: ‘Jack Wilshere wants more game time at Arsenal, reveals Roy Hodgson’. Naturally, I was a little bemused by this, given Wilshere’s injury problems in recent months and (sucker that I am), I clicked on the link to find out more.
Here’s what Roy Hodgson said in the first place:
“One thing Jack has mentioned recently has been that he has had a lack of 90-minute match practice and he obviously feels that he needs a few more games under his belt. But there will be 28 games that he can possibly play before we go to Brazil so it’s not something that bothers me enormously in November.”
“That question could be a relevant one at the end of April or the start of May if he is still not playing games, but at the moment, I am just happy to accept that.”
Hodgson’s comments were fair and well considered. He even added: ‘It’s going to take Jack some time. He admits that, as does Arsene’.
It’s not that Jack feels like he’s being short-changed by Arsenal, as the aforementioned headline seems to suggest. The problem lies in Jack Wilshere’s constant injury niggles.
I’m not surprised that a 21-year-old footballer with as much talent as Jack Wilshere is keen to play as much as possible. But given his dicky knee, there’s not much that can be done. If he plays when he shouldn’t and exacerbates his injury, he’s only going to make things worse.
Arsene Wenger is simply acting on the advice of the Arsenal medical team. What’s more, Roy Hodgson and the England set-up have been good when it comes to making sure that Jack doesn’t get over-used.
So let’s not make a mountain out of a molehill here. We’re all well aware of the situation. If Jack bides his time, convalesces from his knee/ankle issues, then he could well develop into one of the best midfielders in the world.
Sure, he’ll put in the odd bad performance along the way, but let’s give the lad the time and space to pull it all together. Oh, and let’s not create sensationalist headlines just for the sake of it, eh?
What’s your take? Are Arsenal handling Jack Wilshere’s injury problems well?
Please follow @ThePerfectPass for more football related action!
ThisisFutbol.com are seeking new writers to join the team! If you’re passionate about football, drop us a line at “thisisfutbol.com@snack-media.com” to learn more.