Meyler goes down very easily. Has done since the first game he played for us. Wish our players didn't, but it's part of the game now. The referee gave the penalty, it wasn't earned. There is a generation that has grown up watching sanitised, non-contact football where players will do everything within the rules (and without), to gain an advantage for their team. It's the norm now.
I know, I saw it. I'm just saying that he does have a tendency to throw himself to the floor - usually when under pressure from an opponent in his own half. Elmo is becoming a bit of a flange too.
Elmo pissed me of more than anyone else has yesterday. I can deal with players going down when they are clipped to emphasise the foul to the referee but staying down for ages clutching your face if pathetic.
Just watched Goals on Sunday, Kamara and Sheringham both say dive. So thats pretty much everyone calling it a dive.
I can't understand the Baggies fans getting on Longs back, he didn't appeal and the ref gave what he saw. Looking at the replay I think he was clipped, which is why he went to ground.
After now watching replay of the 'penalty' I am 33/33/33 % on he was clipped slightly/he fell over his own feet/he dived. Agreed it was soft whichever way is dressed up. Didn't sit easy with me at the game and was glad Rosy scored from saved penalty rather than the actual penalty. I missed MOTD last night and this morning (was at Miranda who was fabulous btw) not sure what the 'experts' (using this term very loosely) said about it. Myler did get clipped/stumbled which looked very similar incident and got back up. Maybe Brucey needs to get some of the lads tested for Dyspraxia. Otherwise a kick up the arse is needed if they test negative.
I'm not sure how anyone can call it a dive. As someone with a reputation for 'doing a Daley', the fact he didn't appeal and got straight up after falling over is telling enough. And, if you actually bother to watch the replay, you can see that as he steps forward he rolls his ankle, causing him to fall. It couldn't be more clear cut. Not a penalty, not a dive.
^This...neither Meyler or Long appealed after falling to the deck. Sagbo appealed for his and got nowt...and that looked a stone wall pen! If you look at the highlights Jela appealed for Long's and was directly in the line of sight of the ref who thought 'yep...he's been clipped there...Pen!' I don't know why people are ****ing complaining about our players falling over...we're not Palace or any of the top 4 who dive all the ****ing time...we need as many points as possible (from decisions like that one yesterday) to stay up this season and the next...
If you watch his right foot just before he goes over, he turns it slightly inward as though he's going to nudge the ball with the outside edge of his boot to keep it out in front of him but at that precise moment his left (trailing) leg catches on the defenders legs and he therefore has both feet off the ground and isn't able to put either down quickly to regain his balance. Therefore, he takes a tumble and then immediately gets back up with the intention of carrying on playing. Admittedly, unless you look very closely, it is difficult to work out why he went down but that's my opinion. However, he got straight up, carried on and didn't appeal; how can anyone label that a dive. Two weeks in a row one of our players is vilified in the media and by other team's supporters for something they didn't do, because video footage can be interpreted to suggest they did. Just goes to show the camera can lie! By the way I'm referring to the alleged spitting incident last week rather than Boyd's dive (he did seem to go down before the contact with Hart) but that would have got him a yellow at most, instead of which, he's been labelled as disgusting and handed a 3 match ban for something that he's adamant that he didn't do. Hardly fair and whatever happened to innocent until proven guilty, he wasn't even allowed to state his case.
The Long penalty was similar to the Jelavic / Kompany incident last week. In both cases our players were forcing themselves between the opponent and the ball and needed to physically assert control. Jelavic pushed Kompany down and ended up being rugby tackled, Long lost his balance and fell. Yes he instinctively made it look like a trip, but he realised his mistake and got straight up without appealing. I don't condone any player falling when they could stay on their feet, but Long genuinely fell and it's to his credit he didn't appeal
I just can't see why you think its a dive Chazz as he catches the defender, its not a penalty but i don't get how after watching the replays you can call it a dive. I agree all divers are cheaters but every person who plays football cheats, every single one claims a corner that wasn't, every single one pulls and pushes in the penalty area. You can't call just divers cheaters, every player who played yesterday i bet cheated in one way or another to single one form of cheating out as better than anything else is wrong. Anichebe pushed and shoved Rosie 3 or 4 times, that's cheating. Elmo dived to try and win a free kick that's cheating, but both are just as bad as each other and yet one gets a ton of abuse and attention the other just because its a push doesn't. Never get why one form of cheating is worse than another as it's not.
