Here is what a ref and expert says: "Diego Costa didn’t deserve to be dismissed on Saturday and Kevin Friend called both incidents involving the combative centre forward correctly." "In the second half the Chelsea forward was a little unlucky after his trailing arm caught Wes Brown in the face during an aerial challenge. It was not a deliberate act – a player will clench his fist to give power through the elbow if he wants to hurt the opponent – but worthy of a yellow card as he should have been more aware of the consequences of his movement. While Friend did well with these two incidents it was very disappointing to see him ignoring the open, and blatant, grappling by Sunderland’s defenders at Chelsea set pieces. They clearly saw Gary Cahill and John Terry as dangers and, in what looked like pre-planned tactics, held them at almost every set piece. Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/ar...helsea-striker-Diego-Costa.html#ixzz3KdAhxUJ2
The Daily Mail really is your bible Katie. Do you have pictures of Princess Diana and Oswald Mosley on your bedroom wall (next to the framed ticket from the match your mammy took you to)?
100% agree with Poll re the grappling. It was a blatant tactic to stop the threat from set pieces. If Refs start stopping this blatant cheating then we'll see more goals / pens and it'll be more exciting for everyone. Another plague on our game. The defenders weren't even watching the ball and spent the whole time pre-corners chasing our players to hold them. I'm not saying this is solely a Sunderland thing and I'm sure our defenders do it as well but it needs to be stopped. What's the point of even having corners if you have no chance of attacking the ball?
Also, refs see it, so why are they so afraid to punish? Who else remembers this costing us v Inter in the champions league as well. Ironically Jose was in charge for that!!
im sure they're afraid it'll spurn too many cheap penalties. I'd rather see a few games go 6-3 etc. just so we get it out of the game because its ridiculous.
Perhaps. Obviously it's a contact sport so there will always be some form of contact and therefore grey areas. But it seems so rare that pens are given for it now that defenders are taking more and more liberties. Saturday was ridiculous, the amount of grappling going on, no intent to play or even watch the ball. I'm amazed it's allowed to happen so constantly and blatantly in front of the ref. The other way round (i.e using an opposing player to gain some extra height) is so often punished as is any contact on the keeper.
See post 4. And I've honestly never seen them do it remotely to the extent as to what was happening at the weekend. Fair play though, the ref was weak and you knew you were getting away with it.
I see what you mean about post 4. please log in to view this image please log in to view this image please log in to view this image please log in to view this image please log in to view this image please log in to view this image please log in to view this image please log in to view this image please log in to view this image
A still image proves jack ****. And on most of those the players are holding each other, especially the top one. You, like every fan of actual football,l should want this removed from the game. It's as bad as diving.
I wholeheartedly agree. However the pontification from Chelsea supporters is nonetheless ironic in that some of your players are amongst the worst culprits for it. I have at no time defended it is serious terms. And the denial that Costa should not have been sent off is frankly ridiculous. And some of the still images are canny damning...
I disagree, it's part of the game and if you get caught then so be it but in general it's part of the physical battle and both strikers and defenders do it.
Honestly, why should it be part of the game though?. Within reason you should be able to physically compete for a ball. But basically holding a player to stop him attacking a corner, not even looking at the ball yourself etc surely shouldn't be part of the game? Like most things there is a grey area but refs are literally turning a blind eye to it. If someone enters the box and is tripped you'd get a pen. This is no different really.
Yet supported by an ex referee. Now I'm not saying all refs are brilliant or always right but at least his opinion is somewhat unbiased as opposed to you or I. Personally I could see why he wasn't sent off and have seen them given as well. It's not a blatant one.
Yeah in some circumstances the ref has to deal with it and take the appropriate action but on other occasions it's just 2 players battling for the ball and both parties will use their arms, I don't think it's a huge problem.
Its not often refs come out and are critical of fellow refs. Just one persons opinoin in isolation is as much good as your opinion or mine.
The problem is than 90% of the time it is both players doing it. One player gives the other a shove or a tug to get them off balance, then the only way the other can stay with them is to grapple back. If refs start giving penalties every time it happens, you will just find the attacking players grabbing and pushing defenders all the time, in the knowledge that if the defender grabs back to try and keep their balance then they will get a penalty. If refs showed zero tolerance then pretty much every set piece would end with a free kick or a penalty, which would just make the game a joke. It wouldn't be stamped out over time either, as the attackers would still be shoving and grabbing the defenders as they would be happy to trade the risk of a free kick for the risk of a penalty, particularly if they are unlikely to reach the ball.
I agree but at the moment where they are rarely given so defenders may as well just wrestle attackers to the floor.