Just about everyone that witnessed the unfortunate coming together, at Goodison Park, that resulted in James McCarthy break two bones in his leg will be unsettled by the recollection.
The Everton and Ireland midfielder had chased back to intercept a Salomon Rondon shot but, by getting in front of the West Brom striker, he received a kick to the back of his calf that resulted in the highly unfortunate injury.
His fibula and tibia broken,
McCarthy lay on the pitch in agony as medics rushed onto the field of play. It had been Rondon that alerted the match officials, medics and most of the ground to McCarthy's predicament. Having only recently returned from a prolonged spell on the sidelines, it was a cruel blow to McCarthy.
Rondon was distraught by McCarthy's injury and was visibly upset on the pitch during the 1-1 Premier League draw. Following the game, he posted his best wishes to McCarthy.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BeLtkblAHMz/?hl=en&taken-by=salorondon23
Most involved in the game - playing, coaching, supporting or analysing - will have felt sympathy for both men, but not Stan Collymore.
The former Liverpool and England striker,
writing about the incident in his Daily Mirror column, is lacking in both sympathy and empathy. He declares:
'Broken legs are part of football and always have been, and just as there was no blame on Rondon, so there was no need for any tears from him...
'It’s a tough game at times and I don’t want to see the West Brom No. 9 now using what happened at the weekend to McCarthy as an excuse for any dip in form.'
Nice one Stan.
First up, not many players could simply break the legs [accidentally or otherwise] of a fellow player and simply shake it off as something that happens in the game. The 28-year-old Venezuelan reacted like so many would have and won a lot of support for his heartfelt support of McCarthy.
Secondly, Rondon has not played since Saturday's league fixture so Collymore is reaching here. There is no dip in form and no need for excuses. Even if his column was written in a month's time, with Rondon experiencing a slump in form, it would be harsh.
As it stands, though, not even four days have past and the Baggies forward is already getting grief or a "dip" that has not, or may not, happen.
