Football GIF: Did Ashley Williams Mean To Smack Robin Van Persie In The Head?

Alan Duffy

23rd, December 2012

31 Comments

By Alan Duffy

According to Sir Alex Ferguson, Ashley William’s launching of the ball into the back of RVP’s head could have killed the Dutch striker and the Scotsman now wants the Swansea defender banned.

What do you think, did he do it on purpose?

One thing’s for sure though, Williams will have won himself a lot of new fans in north London.

Posted in GIFs, Man Utd, Swansea City

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31 Comments

  1. […] the Red Devils pushed for the winner, but both sides became embroiled in a right old  hoo-ha after Ashley Williams lashed the ball into the back of Van Persie’s head. Both players were booked in the ensuing meleé but ultimately United just couldn’t get that […]

  2. kct says:

    Think he did it on purpose, you can see on the follow-through that he’s trying to keep it low. I agree with Ferguson on this one, Van persie is very lucky.

  3. Jamie says:

    In nearly four decades of management, the most dangerous thing Ferguson has seen is someone having a ball kicked at their head? He’s one of the most hypocritical men there is and he should be ashamed of what he said.

  4. opopmmomp says:

    kct is delusional – it may have been on purpose but van persie is in no way ‘lucky’ to be alive

  5. Anonymous says:

    cmon behave

  6. Mike says:

    No, if you pause the clip just as he is about to kick the ball, he is definitely looking to clear it up the park F’youson is getting on his high horse again about nothing. Probably frustrated by the draw. RETIRE YOU OLD HAS BEEN!

  7. Nuno says:

    I think it’s quite obvious he meant to hit him, he doesn’t even tries to seem surprised.
    And I do think this is worthy of a retrospective ban, but in no way is he “lucky to be alive”, that is NOT a bowling ball.

  8. juan says:

    Pretty sure ferguson’s overreacting but I think Williams meant it, ref had already blown his whistle but Williams went for it anyway, could actually have done a lot of damage if van Persie’s head was closer.

  9. hasselhof says:

    no way. look at which direction his planted foot is facing. And RVP sure got up might quickly for someone that was on the precipice of death.

  10. Zam says:

    The truth is in the middle IMO, certainly on purpose, very possibly dangerous, but no, not life threatening.

  11. Mr Sensible says:

    I think he meant it but there’s no way of proving it. The whistle had gone, he had a faction of time to think and though he might as well kick it really hard at RVP’s head to piss him off.

    I understand what Fergie is saying but he’s being a little bit extreme.

  12. Anonymous says:

    Try lying on the floor and having a ball pelted at your head. Not a united fan but we all want a clean game.

  13. Wesley says:

    There is never a good reason to kick a ball at someone’s head. He only has to hit him unluckily, and RVP gets a whiplash or what if he hits him in the temple area…

  14. Jumbo says:

    Mike you may want to think straight before passing judgement on the greatest manager of the English Premier League. I agree that the comments from the gaffer are over the top but there definitely is intent there from Williams or was he just that stupid not to realise that the ” main attacking threat” that he earmarked should ” never be given the ball” pre match was less than a couple of inches from his right boot

  15. Flemming says:

    For the record, kcp didn’t actually say ‘lucky to be alive’, just ‘lucky’. He could mean ‘lucky it was a ball and not a knife’.

  16. MGJ says:

    He said “…lucky, to be alive maybe…”. People have fallen over and died in freak incidents and this could possibly have been one, although it might have been a very unlucky impact for it to happen. In any event, nobody but Andy Williams will know what the real intention was. If it had not struck RVP a booking would have been the result. Nothing happened and that’s the important thing.

  17. JT says:

    So Fergie openly backed Cantona who kung fu kicked a fan, kept Keane as captain after he admitted that he intentionally injured Haaland plus kicks a boot at Beckhams head… And yet he wants to moan about a football being kicked by an opposition player that happens to hit one of his players?? Hypocritical mug!

  18. usrick says:

    It looks to me like it was intentional, but I’m definitely not certain. Not enough for a ban.

  19. dbm says:

    Who do we consider to be “honest” managers these days? Paul Lambert pulled no punches about his team being spanked by Chelsea but then again after 8-0 you have nothing to hide. David Moyes seemed pretty honest and upfront about the Fellaini/Shawcross incident and took his own player down a peg. We all know SAF values winning above all else and rarely bashes his own players in public. Fat Sam seems pretty honest about his players even if he is way out of touch about his management abilities. MY point is to all the SAF haters: name a manager who would not have been upset about that incident. Whether there was intent or not it could have been very serious.

  20. todger says:

    Looks as if he tried to smash it into his own player not the dutch skunk

  21. joe says:

    @JT: Well said. Even as a non Arsenal fan (and a Dutchman to boot), I’ve never liked Van Persie and seeing him harassing the referee over a meaningless little incident. These things happen, get over it. I would have sent VP off for being a c*ck in the aftermath rather than Williams for kicking it. And as for SAF-the hypocrisy really knows no bounds. As JT says, this is all very rich from someone who turned a blind eye when his own players inflicted GBH upon others.

  22. mareantheone says:

    as far as i can see, he hits it with the outside of his foot. i really don’t think he meant that, and if he did, he would have hit it with his laces, no?

  23. b says:

    RVP deserves it

  24. mareantheone says:

    oh, and remember john terry, in chelsea v arsenal, when diaby cleared his head in stead of the ball? that was life-threatening. this one… mmmnot so much.

  25. OldNumber7Shirt says:

    Least of what RVP deserves

  26. Fat Nakago says:

    Didn’t look intentional to me. It looks more like he’s trying to clear the ball, has his eyes on the ball so he strikes IT and not RVP’s melon. Look like he shanks it off RVP. From the clip, can’t tell if or when the whistle blew.

  27. Scott says:

    Eyes never left RVP’s head. Not during the lead up, the swing, ball contact with foot, with head, never. He was really interested in RVP’s head regardless of his intent.

  28. joe says:

    @Scott: How can you tell from that that he wasn’t looking at the ball?

  29. Dael Morris says:

    definitely in purpose. thought so at the time, even more sure now. if you remember the game live, everyone else relaxed when the whistle went. not a reflex on his part. a decision.

    not life’s threatening though. but here’s the thing – Alex’s remarks weren’t for the haters on this thread. they were for his team, and for his players. that’s why United continues to win while the rest fumble the fuck around.

  30. […] put the ball in the net. They have fended off the big clubs to retain the services of star defender Ashley Williams, and have added some firepower up front in the form of Ivorian striker Wilfried Bony (more below). […]

  31. beje says:

    I would love to see Ashley W in Arsenal shirt.

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