I actually respect Owen for saying this, not many players would admit to it. Of course, he made it easier on him self by using examples from when he was playing for England. Wonder if the media will start referring to him as 'the ex-Liverpool player' for this story...
Michael Owen blames the diving culture in the game on the "influx of South American, Spanish and Italian players over the last 10yrs" then admits he dived at the World Cup finals 14yrs ago.
Diving has always been around as we know. However its not wrong to suggest foreign players are responsible in part. Not fully of course but they have a more accepting culture of diving abroad where as we at least try and pretend its a bad thing. You probably get a free car for dive of the season in Italy and Spain and in South America the best divers are gods ....... probably
Just think it's a little amusing, whats the bet Owen will have to deal with a little Pulis sheepishness now. "I want divers banned" Pulis. Yeah, ones not playing for his team but his own can dive all day. Pulis is a massive hypocrite like the arsehole he worships. Pulis - "OK lads I want you to really stick it to Liverpool, foul them kick them stamp and pull them but what ever you do.. do not dive" This is essentially what Pulis is saying with his stance, funnily enough if one of his goes over in similar fashion Pulis will say.. oh there was contact or I didnt see it ala wenger. The man is a pathetic person regardless of his coaching skills rather like his idol he condones thuggery and stamping but we must weed out diving and keep trying to injure other players.
in many ways woen took a dive in training for stoke last week to get out of a trip to anfield... o doubt he faked the injury... assclown.
I think Owen could have just towed the managers line so some credit is warranted. I have noticed a gradual shift away from it being all about Suarez, essentially any strikers out there with a shred of humanity would be defending the guy as they've all done it, If I was a pro striker I'd be saying, get off hte guys back we all do it. There has not been enough of that if you ask me, so many strikers have been very silent, Owen at least said it I guess. FIFA's comments have probably gained Suarez more sympathy from fellow players and the like.
Did Owen say he dived 14 years ago? What about in the 14 years since? Most players take a tumble at some point. its the ones who are always at it and never learn that are the issue.
Yep Owen did say it. The players that 'take a tumble at some point' are as much cheaters in the game as Suarez and probably get decisions whereas Suarez doesn't, that's why he should stay on his feet and leave the diving to those real cheats who benefit from it.
Yep, hasnt done so since he was told off though. Hasnt played much but still, hes not dived either. Means hes learning. Soon he will be able to tie his shoes as well.
"I'm totally against diving. I've never sought to get a penalty without actually being touched, but certainly virtually any player I know has gone down when they probably could have stayed on their feet." Misleading title.
Diving once 14 years ago isnt really what you would call cheating. Young and stupid sums it up better. Out of interest, who did young Mick play for in his diving days?
poor ashely i mean the paragon of virtue that is ferguson (read his comments on diving by nani) has dropped him for being a diving jesse... if only all managers were such saints... you have been warned brendan.. sack suarez right now.. let pulis and the like lie cheat and steal to the top but maintian your integrity at all costs!
It puts all of Owen's boarderline penalties before and since into question. 'Out of interest, who did young Mick play for in his diving days?' England.
Here goes.The most accomplished and/or persistent divers in the history of the English Premier League. This is of course a totally subjective analysis and not based on forensic investigations. Like all prestigious awards, the names are listed in reverse order. Feel free to add your own comments/observations. 10.Danny Wellbeck Since team mate Nani reformed his ways, Danny Wellbeck makes the list based as much on his theatrics for England as for Man United. Dives at speed and doesn't appeal, always a good combination. 9.Morton Gamst Pederson Serial diver when his Blackburn team are losing, even earned praise from MOTD pundit Alan Shearer for his comical fall against Arsenal in 2009 which Shearer decribed as "the worst dive I've ever seen in my life." 8. Jurgen Klinsman Came to Spurs in 1994 with a reputation for diving, and he didn't let us down. Gained cult status with Spurs fans by diving on his debut in a 4-3 win at Sheff Wednesday. What's more he even rubbed it in by celebrating with the "Klinsman dive" every time he scored. 7.Christiano Ronaldo Don't believe the hype, Ronaldo might not be diving as much as he was 4 or 5 years ago, but do a You Tube search and it's obvious that he's still diving at Real Madrid. By way of mitigation, since he was the best player in the Premiership he was the most likely to be fouled, and lost a lot of legitimate penalty appeals due to his reputation. 6 El Hadj Diouf Famously conned the referee to get a penalty for Senegal against Uruguay in the 2002 World Cup, then came to the Premiership and carried on where he left off. Once claimed he only dived on his manager Sam Allardyce's instructions. 5.Gareth Bale The only player to be booked twice for simulation last season Bale is a wily customer hiding behind an innocent face. Both tricky and speedy, he is a referee's nightmare when he goes to ground.Problem is.... it's all on camera Gareth. 4. Ashley Young Villa fans warned us about his diving but we never listened. And if he didn't know already Young soon discovered that Man Utd games get a bit more exposure. Blatant penalty-winning dives in successive home games last year brought him world renown and surely sparked interest from Hollywood agents. Even SAF had to "have a word with him." 3.Luis Suarez What can one say? If Suarez maintains his current diving form then it's only a matter of time before he overtakes the top two on this list. Tony Pulis is demanding a FA investigation in Suarez's diving, but since it's not as dangerous as Ryan Shawcross' tackling no one outside Stoke cares what he says 2.Didier Drogba A man mountain who "falls like a fairy" in the words of Bryan Robson. Jose Mourinho brought Didier Drogba to the Premiership and stubbornly refused to condemn his dramatics. Once he was at Inter however, it was a different story. "I am no longer manager of Chelsea so I don't have to defend them. So if I say Drogba is a diver then I am correct." Tell us something we don't know. 1.Robert Pries The King of Premiership divers, Pires didn't even need to be in the penalty area to take a tumble. He just needed to be in the vicinity of the ball. The Daily Mirror once dubbed him "The best French diver since Jacques Couteau." Most famous for a tumble at Highbury to win a penalty against Portsmouth, Pires' repertoire could fill an entire DVD. Strange how Arsene Wenger managed to miss it all.... Agree?
