used to use that joke when i was doing our matchday threads , before my justifiable sacking , originally started thinking of 8 sided D&D dice but now favour a "owzat" set done for football - not sure anyone would notice the difference tbh
On the dele alli diving thing I wonder how long before he goes onto the pitch wearing speedos .On a serious note I am really angry he keeps diving .I don't like cheating and that's what it amounts to FFS DELE CUT IT OUT
Yeh I heard that and it's wrong in my opinion I don't care what team divers play for it needs to be stamped out of the game
First manager to go public with what they already say to their players in private. Very smart deflection onto his rivals.
I think what Poch would like is for Alli to get better at diving. Let’s face it, he’s pretty crap! I suspect that’s because cheating doesn’t come naturally to the lad. Hopefully, Poch will work on that, in training.
yup... i think poch should go out and transfer ashley young as he would be a great mentor for young Alli! how you been hiagy
I’m enjoying my retirement from the Prem board, Bobby. The wum guns have been pawned. Good idea re Ashley Young. He could be our diving coach.
Diving? This kind of play started in places like Argentina so it's not surprising Pochettino makes a case for it. It's an interesting point though; football is about trickery yes it is but surely that's with the ball not the man? Thinking about it I suppose it does include trickery without the ball, as in running as a decoy, and moving to put a player offside. I am beginning to consider that Poch may have a point. The ref is already more than just a rule enforcer, his decisions often shape the game and more and more you see decisions made because a 'wrong' decision was made earlier in the game, a sort of redressing of the balance. I think if someone is sent off it's always now more likely that someone else will follow. On top of all that TV has a bigger and bigger influence as it revels in the controversy of the game rather than the football. It's football Jim but not as we know it!
I don't think that anyone's calling for Corinthians levels of honesty and sportsmanship, but there needs to be a line. Pochettino's drawn his way later than I would do. I understand what he means and there are obvious examples of things that people would think are fine, while moaning about diving. Emre Can insisted to the officials that Dejan Lovren didn't kick the ball that played Harry Kane onside for the first penalty. He was intentionally attempting to mislead an official to get a favourable penalty decision. Why's that any better than somebody diving in the box? It's an interesting question, but I'd prefer that our players not cheat, frankly. What's the distinction between gamesmanship and cheating? It may be like the art and porn thing. Hard to define, but you know it when you see it.
I've suggested this before but no harm in repeating it. Why can't we demand complete honesty in interactions with the ref. If the ref was allowed to ask Lovren whether he touched the ball and he was required to answer truthfully (on pain say of a deduction of ten points if he told a lie) then there would have been no controversy on Sunday. The problem with 'diving' is that it is so objective. I'm pretty sure Dele was deliberately trying to deceive the ref on Sunday but he might just have over-balanced in trying to avoid a challenge that never came. If the ref could ask both players involved in a challenge what happened and there was a massive penalty for a lie then there wouldn't be any point in simulation.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/42979212 Anyone think that if any of us were convicted of this that we would hang on to our job?
Because players can be wrong? If Lovren said that he swung at the ball, but didn't know if he hit it or not, then how can you prove he's lying? You've offered a similar example for diving. Jamie Vardy often dives by initiating contact himself, then throwing himself to the floor. Everyone would just start doing that to give themselves plausible deniability. Pundits need to stop excusing this crap and the game needs to bring back some respect for the officials. Rugby rules for addressing the ref or linesmen and the media need to stop slagging off people that make correct decisions. Pochettino was right about that part. They're slaughtered when they get things wrong and receive no credit for being right. Moss has made four big decisions in the two Liverpool games that he's officiated this season. He sent off Mane for kicking Ederson in the face, booked Alli for diving and got both penalty calls right. They've absolutely hammered him for the three that went against the Scousers.
Why aren't Barcelona and Real Madrid being looked into for being part of a criminal conspiracy? How many of their high profile employees have robbed the Spanish taxpayer?
All good points. The Vardy problem only arises because the Laws are not clear as to what is a foul. You often see a defender plant a leg on the ground, the attacker trips over it and gets a free-kick. I actually can't tell from reading the Laws if that is intended or not.....
