Kane and Grealish get a lot of stick for going down, but to be fair to them they do get hit most the time, they buy it and look for it by getting their bodies in the way , but if you watch the defenders just keep clattering in to them clumsily, they fall for it every time, surely as everybody else can see what they do, the defenders need to be more clever and stop giving them opportunity.
The spirit of the game is one thing decisions that are made are another. If the ref awards a penalty then it's a penalty like it or not. Nobody's going to kick it over the bar just to maintain the spirit of the game. I was watching with some people one of whom knew bugger all about football. She couldn't understand why an own goal counts for the attacking team. If a team wants to win they should have to score their own goals! Maybe in the 'spirit of the game' own goals should be discounted?
I wonder if Dietmar Hamann is refusing to acknowledge the Germans win at Italia 90 where Klinsmann dived his way to the final? ****'em we're in the final and I hope we employ every bit of gamesmanship we can on Sunday to win it. A trophy in my lifetime would be amazing and in 12 months time no one will remember how it was or wasn't won. (The early post about the "hand of god" was well made though )
I agree, with only 4 days to the final whereby the Italians have had an extra day, Henderson should start and maybe one or two others just to freshen things up.
Based solely on other semi, Italy currently look an "easier" prospect than Spain would have been...better team got through last night, poorer team got through in other. But, maybe the dynamics will be different and Italy will return to what they were like before the semis.
You'll probably be the only person I "know" to be there, so can we live vicariously through you on Sunday night? Rick-style live tweeting?
Exactly There was contact, at speed, and he went down after the contact. Rules say that is a penalty. If anyone wants to change the rules to " you should be able to kick people quite hard, but not too hard", for example, then they should start lobbying for that. But even is successful we'd still be having arguments about what 'quite' and 'too' mean
Sadly, I'm no Rick when it comes to live tweeting, I'm too busy watching the game, but I'll try and bung a few bits and bobs up. See if I can get another endorsement from Rick...
Erm .. If Sterling being fouled wasn't a penalty, this free kick should have been re-taken. please log in to view this image
