“He just kept saying: My leg, my leg”

GLENN WHELAN has been reliving the moments when he tried to assist Aaron Ramsey after the tackle on Saturday which broke the Arsenal player’s leg.

Stoke’s Irish international midfielder was the first on hand at the scene in the Britannia Stadium and has since featured prominently in television coverage and in press photographs trying to comfort the stricken youngster whilst Ramsey’s team-mates hold their heads in horror.

“First and foremost, everyone involved hopes the young lad gets back as soon as possible, and at the standard he plays at, because he looks a terrific player,” said Whelan yesterday at the Arsenal training ground where Ireland have been preparing for tonight’s game against Brazil.

“I was the next one in for the tackle, and saw what was going on. The lad himself kept trying to look at his leg and trying to hold it. I was just, more or less, trying to take his mind off it, saying to him not to think about it and to try and think of something else.

“He knew straight away. He just kept saying: ‘my leg, my leg’. He actually held onto me with the pain he was going through.

“It’s the first time I’ve seen that on a football pitch and, touch wood, it will never happen again. It was just because I was there, I was the next one in. If I was on the other side of the pitch, I don’t think I would have gone anywhere near him. I was just trying to do what I could to help the lad out.”

Whelan says he agrees with Sky Sports’ decision on the day not to show a replay of the tackle or the graphic image of Ramsey’s shattered leg as he lay on the ground in agony. However, because he believes that his team mate Ryan Shawcross, although red-carded for the tackle, had intended no malice as he went in for the ball, Whelan does think that, if needs be, the authorities and the two clubs involved should review the images in private to determine the truth of exactly what happened.

“I haven’t actually seen the tackle again and if I had the chance to see it I’d turn the telly off, myself,” said the Dubliner. “You have got young people watching who probably couldn’t stomach something like this, and so they were probably right not to show it again at the time. But if it means the Premier League or the two clubs sitting down and looking at it again, I think that’s okay. But I think Sky were right not to show a replay because it’s the kind of thing that can make people feel queasy.”

In particular, Whelan thinks that Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger’s angry perspective could benefit from a review of the incident away from the heat of the moment.

“At the time, Mr Wenger probably felt a bit upset because of how bad the injury was, and it is not the first time it has happened to his players,” Whelan observed. “But if he looks back at it and sees the tackle, then I am sure he will probably take those views back.

“When I saw it happen I did not think it was a dirty tackle – maybe a bit late but no more. These things happen and you have to get on with it.

“First and foremost, we’re obviously thinking of the lad himself and hoping he gets back fit.

“For Ryan himself, he was obviously devastated. For him to cry as he’s coming off, you know it’s upset him.

“I don’t think anyone goes into a tackle looking to break a leg or injure a player, although there is a fine line between being hard and being dirty. But I think that was a hard tackle. The two players could go in for that tackle 100 times again and nothing would happen.”

On a happier note, Whelan is looking forward to building on Ireland’s World Cup campaign in European Championship qualifiers. “On paper, everyone might say our group looks a little bit easy but there are no easy international games and we’ve got some tough places to go,” he said.

“But we just have to worry about ourselves and try as get as many points as we can. Nobody really gave us a chance of winning the group last time around whereas people’s expectations have gone sky-high now and we’d be one of the favourites to come out of the group.”

But, first up, there’s the small matter of a game in the Emirates tonight against everybody’s favourite other international team.

“Obviously, playing for your country is a big thing but playing for your country against a team like Brazil is unbelievable for the lads who get the chance,” Whelan said. “It’s a big thing for everyone.”