Lee Hendrie slams Everton midfielder Amadou Onana after incident v Newcastle
Lee Hendrie has slammed Amadou Onana after the Everton midfielder clashed with Newcastle United striker Callum Wilson.
The midfielder hit the deck in the 22nd minute of the game after an off-the-ball incident with Wilson, which went unpunished by referee Tony Harrington.
Hendrie was less than impressed with the Belgium international after he appeared to go down under minimal contact.
“There’s not an awful lot in it, it’s pathetic really,” said Hendrie (Sky Sports 19:53, 19 October).
“I think Wilson might have said something to Onana when he was down and that’s caused a bit of a fracas with Coleman coming over.”
Poor moment
It was a really poor moment from Onana and one that he must learn from. Wilson barely touched him and it just looked as if he was trying to get the Newcastle man in trouble, which is sadly part of the modern game. It’s a shame because he looked like one of the batter players for Everton in the first half, with the 20-year-old make a number of progressive runs up the pitch.
Players looking to get other professionals in trouble is starting to become a common occurrence in nearly every single match across the length and breadth of the country. It’s not just Onana this evening.
Officials brandishing cards for players’ theatrics could well be a route for the authorities to go down in the future. More often than not, off-the-ball incidents are rarely malicious and purely one player trying to get another in trouble with the officials in order to gain an advantage.
Sadly with the way the football authorities work in England, it’s hard to see any sensible decision being made when it comes to play-acting.