#PrayForBertrand - Chelsea defender pulls out of England squad with... a sore throat

Ryan Bertrand has been subjected to largely light-hearted ribbing after leaving the England camp with a reported sore throat. Here we look at some of the reactions...

Football has been getting some stick recently for the cowardly way in which players are diving, rolling around and hitting the deck as if an anonymous and highly trained ball bearing sniper is picking them out from the highest places in the various grounds across the country.

In a week that has seen Paul Wood, a rugby league player, continue playing for 40 minutes with a ruptured testicle you can understand the perhaps, lack of sympathy for Chelsea’s Ryan Bertrand who has withdrawn from the England squad with … a sore throat.

It is irritating, hell, I have a sore throat right now but I am still trying not to cry off as it isn’t something that warrants such a break. On the other hand England do already have Ashley Cole and Leighton Baines at left-back duties so he might not be needed.

Here is what the fine folk of Twitropolis have been saying about it…

Sam Elliott ‏@SamElliott_NLP

Nothing like giving the "football's not a mans' sport" brigade some ammo. Ryan Bertrand has left the England camp as he "has a sore throat"

Martin Williams ‏@Martin1Williams

#Chelsea full-back Ryan Bertrand pulls out of the England squad for Friday's World Cup qualifier vSan Marino due to...a sore throat!

PlayUp Football ‏@playupfootball

Ryan Bertrand has pulled out of the England squad with a sore throat! Nearly as bad as Theo Walcott's bruised thigh!

footie news & gossip ‏@caughtoffside

Ryan Bertrand has pulled out of the England squad for the San Marino qualifier because of a 'sore throat', is that a joke? Incredible

Tom Clarke ‏@Clarkey101

Ryan Bertrand has pulled out of the England squad due to a sore throat. You have to be kidding me.

jameskinner ‏@jsknr_

A 'sore throat' is probably the soppiest excuse ever by a football player, cough cough Ryan Bertrand.

Megan Jones ‏@MeganLJones91

Couldn't Roy give Ryan Bertrand a packet of lockets and a slap #ridiculous

Dominique Gilbert ‏@dom_gilbert

I just refuse to believe Ryan Bertrand has a sore throat...

Martin Connor ‏@Conbags

Ryan Bertrand pulls out of England game with sore throat. @granite1990 can you tell the lads I won't be there tonight? I have an itchy eye

josh p ‏@joshpoole23

Lets get this straight Ryan Bertrand earns about £50,000 p/w and he can`t afford a packet of strepsils for like a quid

The folk of Twitter are an unforgiving bunch, with the tongue firmly in cheek hash tag #PrayForBertrand also gaining momentum.

Vicki Boyde ‏@Boydalarr

#PrayForBertrand My thoughts are with him at this extremely difficult time.

jordan thomas ‏@Jordyt1992

I have a really bad feeling bertrand wont pull through this :-/#prayforbertrand

nick ‏@nickc_1991

Ryan Bertrand is out of the England game with a sore throat - hope he recovers from this career threatening injury! #PrayForBertrand

Could he not have said he had sprained a knee, tweaked a knee…anything other than a sore throat?

What are your thoughts on the issue?

Mathew Nash

@hitcmathewnash Google+more stories from Mathew Nash

I’m Mathew Nash a 23 year old graduate in Sports Studies and I have an insatiable love for sport. With a particularly keen interest for the madcap world of football I have always been known amongst friends as a beacon for bizarre sporting trivia and knowledge. My other passion is for writing and hopefully combining the two will create a superb and entertaining marriage that will create, divide and share opinion.