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Birmingham condemn 'embarrassing' Chamakh

Jack Wilshere was sent off for a bad tackle on Nikola Zigic © PA Photos

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Birmingham City players and manager Alex McLeish have questioned the conduct of Arsenal's players in the Gunners' 2-1 victory at the Emirates on Saturday.

Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger is one of football's loudest critics against overly tough tackling but he was forced to admit his midfielder Jack Wilshere deserved red for his late challenge on Nikola Zigic.

Birmingham have spoken out about that incident and a string of other challenges - as well as striker Marouane Chamakh's apparent simulation after a lunge by Scott Dann to win the penalty that helped Arsenal draw level.

Defender Roger Johnson said: "Wilshere's challenge looked bad, not dissimilar to Taylor's challenge on Eduardo two years ago - ankle height, could have snapped his leg. Thankfully it didn't.

"Chamakh's reaction was an embarrassment. These decisions determine people's livelihoods. We could go down by a point and we look back to a game like this and think we've been harshly done by. But that's football."

Johnson's defensive partner Dann said: "I didn't even touch him. The lad knows he conned he ref."

McLeish was upset that Arsenal midfielder Samir Nasri, who scored the penalty following the Chamakh incident, stayed on the field following a clash with Liam Ridgewell.

McLeish said: "The tackle by Nasri is a sending-off for me. He's kneed the guy in the back. Is that not violent conduct? I don't mean to be a whinger but we've had a lot of decisions go against us over the last wee while. One of our players is going to have to get hit with a baseball bat to get a penalty, that's for sure."

The manager revealed that David Murphy needed stitches after allegedly being punched in the face by an unknown opponent while he also drew attention to a dangerous tackle by Emmanuel Eboue.

"Eboue had the scissor challenge on Ridgewell. We know the damage it can do. Murphy says he got a punch in the face. Whether it was deliberate, I don't know. He's got stitches. I don't know who did it. Let's investigate."

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