n nearly 20 years as a professional footballer, I don’t think I ever saw an incident like the Luis Suarez bite.
I’ve seen bad tackles, nasty ones, high ones, late ones, premeditated ones. I’ ve seen players have real head-throws and totally lose the plot under pressure and in a rage. I had one of them myself when I stuck the V’s up at my own supporters on a pre-season tour. At least I didn’t bite anyone.
Over the years, there have of course been plenty of controversial incidents we can recall watching on TV. I remember as a young kid being absolutely disgusted with Franck Rikjaard when he spat at Rudi Voeller at Italia 90.
Then along comes Luis Suarez.
One off: Kevin Kilbane has never seen anything like the Luis Suarez biting incident
I’ve read this week that Suarez is regarded as a street player in Uruguay, and someone who plays like it is a game of survival, him against the world. It doesn’t excuse his primeval behaviour, but it might explain it.
Most strikers like space, whether it is in front or behind them where they can drop off to collect the ball, they just like to find plenty of it.
No Appeal: Liverpool will not appeal Suarez's 10 game ban
But Suarez is different. He likes to have bodies around him. And if you watch him he is always close to the centre-half and he thrives on the individual tussles and scrapping in and around the penalty area. We don’t see most of these confrontations close up, but you just know there are sly elbows, kicks, pulls and nips going on all the time. He thrives on them and loves to annoy defenders with more than his unbelievable skill.
There are few strikers around who can get the ball out of such confined spaces and with his unreal work-rate and creative brain, he is one of the best in the world.
But playing in that way, with that proximity to big centre-backs, there is clearly a danger Suarez is going to get into trouble, especially with his volatile and totally unpredictable character. As Ivanovic discovered.
Suarez knows he was in the wrong, and so do Liverpool and it is right that the player and club have decided against an appeal yesterday.
It is just a shame that decision was preceded by the reaction of Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers, following chief executive Ian Ayres’ comments earlier in the week. Once again, Liverpool have not handled a Suarez disciplinary issue particularly well.
When Eric Cantona went flying into the fans at Selhurst Park in 1995, he was banned for four months immediately by Manchester United, and that ban was doubled by the FA. Liverpool surely didn’t think their £300,000 fine would be enough to placate the FA, who were criticised for not taking enough action over Suarez in the Patrice Evra/racism row.
I can understand Rodgers wanting to protect the player, and Liverpool wanting to be seen to do everything to ensure they keep Suarez. He will have six more matches to serve at the beginning of next season, which will take him into September, and the possibility he might leave before then must have crossed Liverpool’s mind – and a few clubs in Europe willing to gamble on him.
This was always going to be a difficult first season at Anfield for Rodgers and without the man who has just been banned, it would have been considerably harder. Liverpool need to give him time, unlike their last two managers.
Give him time: Liverpool, and their manager Brendan Rodgers, should give Suarez time
But from the moment he opened his mouth in the Channel 5 documentary in August, to his bewildering reaction to the Suarez ban this week, he has been trying to say all the right things. And that just hasn’t come across to the wider public. Perhaps he is trying too hard to be natural and thoughtful in his press conferences and after-match interviews. It comes across as scripted and false to me.
With their stature and history, Liverpool are one of the biggest clubs in the world. They should be competing for the Champions League every season. But the game has changed and Liverpool have been left behind.
That is not Brendan Rodgers’ fault and he should be judged on the club’s progress next season. But Luis Suarez has just made it a hell of a lot harder for him.
Hard work: Kilbane raised more than £10,000 running the London Marathon, his first, for the Down's Syndrome Association
Coming into the last four miles in Westminster last week reminded me of the scene in Poznan station during the Euro 2012 finals.
There were jaded, weary-legged folks all around me. As I tried to make my way to the finishing line in my first London Marathon, I had to step over the exhausted runners and somehow keep going.
That last stretch was torture. My lungs were fine but the legs had gone and my head kept saying ‘just pack up’. I knew if I stopped for just a second, I would not be able to get going again.
So I plodded on and the last 800 metres was the longest stretch of my life.
But it was a brilliant experience. There were a few shouts of ‘Zinedine’ and ‘Killer’ which definitely helped.
We’ve nearly reached £10,000 for the Down’s Syndrome Association, which makes the pain all worthwhile.
This week's best: Robin Van Persie (right)has been the difference between Manchester United and Manchester City this season
Thumbs-up - Robin van Persie
He narrowly edges Borussia Dortmund’s Robert Lewandowski for the award this week but the Manchester United striker’s hat-trick on Monday night was incredible. What a way to win the title, and van Persie has been the difference between United and City this season.
No wonder both clubs wanted him so much.
But what about the prospect of Lewandowski joining Manchester United this summer and adding even more firepower? If that happens the rest of England might as well as forget about challenging for the title next season.
Previous: Luis Suarez also bit PSV's Otman Bakkal in Holland while playing for Ajax
Thumbs-down - Luis Suarez
The only excuse I can have for the Liverpool striker is that he was not in control of himself when he sunk his teeth into Chelsea’s Branislav Ivanovic.
But he has previous and if anything the first incident in Holland was even worse.
He has learned nothing and he clearly needs help. He is a world class striker who would walk into any squad in Europe and he would be sadly missed if he went. But only for his football.