*Official* English Football Season 2013-14

[Pothas]

That Pepe and Fabregas thing was just funny. Pepe and Ramos are such cartoon villains that I just find it entertaining, even more so when Diego Costa is involved as well.

Agree about the time wasting though, they only had one minute of added on time in the first half yesterday.

 

[Pothas]

Got to laugh at Ronaldo having a moan when the worst decision was probably for his penalty.

 

[sledger]

This is really cringe, but quite funny:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ytYBCOTUluo

 

[Pothas]

Yeah saw that a couple of weeks ago, is pretty great if not all that surprising.

 

[Magrat Garlick]

Three quarters of German club chairmen voting against the use of goalline cameras (despite this goal being awarded just five months ago)

It's not just FIFA who refuse to move into the Century of the Fruitbat...

 

[MW1304]

I always find attitudes like this properly bizarre.

Yes it's a bit annoying and yes they do it far, far too much. But if you can't enjoy an out-of-this-world game like that because of diving then I'm not sure football is the sport for you. Diving in particular is one of those things that can happen often and not kill a game. If there were just as many niggly fouls as there were dives then we'd all have been bored out of our minds.

Yes you can disagree with it but I don't see how it is a 'properly bizarre' attitude to get fed up with constant diving and play-acting. I personally get pissed off with it, especially to such a great extent, as a football fan and I know plenty of people who are completely put off the sport solely because of that aspect. I wish it would **** off out of the sport.

 

[Furball]

I'll get bothered about diving when defenders cut out cynical fouls and get properly punished for it.

 

[Furball]

That's surely not a penalty either. Really poor refereeing in this game.

I don't get how the 2nd penalty wasn't a penalty. Watch Xabi Alonso, he blatantly kicks Iniesta to bring him down. Stonewaller.

 

[Uppercut]

He plays the ball.

 

[GIMH]

I'll get bothered about diving when defenders cut out cynical fouls and get properly punished for it.

Because two wrongs make a right?

 

[Furball]

Because two wrongs make a right?

No they don't, but foul play from defenders is equally as abhorrent yet people don't get all up in arms about it. When you see the amount of wrestling that defenders are allowed to get away with at set pieces, is it any wonder that forwards have to resort to throwing themselves to the ground in order to try and win fouls?

Funnily enough when defenders win free kicks by throwing themselves to the ground when under pressure from an opposition forward there's never the same outrage either.

How anyone could watch last night's game then whinge about diving is beyond me. Sure, some of the antics were embarassing, but watch the football ffs.

 

[Uppercut]

Because two wrongs make a right?

Nah, the point is that you can't deal with one without dealing with the other. Speaking as a scumbag defender, it's ****ing amazing playing against forwards who don't dive. You can hack, shove and wrestle them the whole game and they'll be lucky to get a single free kick for it.

Refs still don't spot a lot of cynical fouls in the Premiership. They always ***** out of booking players in the first fifteen minutes especially.

But the most important thing is that they start giving fouls when the forwards try to stay on their feet. It just doesn't happen- there was a really good example involved Suarez (of all people) during the United-pool game. And if a striker manages to get a shot away despite being absolutely crunched, for some reason that's not a penalty.

 

[GIMH]

I definitely agree with the last bit; however IMO that's a problem that's come about purely because of diving.

 

[Eds]

Yes you can disagree with it but I don't see how it is a 'properly bizarre' attitude to get fed up with constant diving and play-acting. I personally get pissed off with it, especially to such a great extent, as a football fan and I know plenty of people who are completely put off the sport solely because of that aspect. I wish it would **** off out of the sport.

I'm not saying it's wrong to get fed up with it. I'm saying it's wrong that people can say it was unwatchable because of the diving.

I'm yet to hear a proper reason why diving is any worse than appealing for a corner/throw-in/etc. you know isn't yours, or a tactical foul from a defender, or asking for another player to be booked, or anything along those lines. And they all happen every single game.

There's a lot of things I wish didn't happen in football but they do, and they happen a lot. Perhaps if they annoy you to that level then football isn't for you.

 

[Furball]

Nah, the point is that you can't deal with one without dealing with the other. Speaking as a scumbag defender, it's ****ing amazing playing against forwards who don't dive. You can hack, shove and wrestle them the whole game and they'll be lucky to get a single free kick for it.

Refs still don't spot a lot of cynical fouls in the Premiership. They always ***** out of booking players in the first fifteen minutes especially.

But the most important thing is that they start giving fouls when the forwards try to stay on their feet. It just doesn't happen- there was a really good example involved Suarez (of all people) during the United-pool game. And if a striker manages to get a shot away despite being absolutely crunched, for some reason that's not a penalty.

Perfect example; in amongst the doing United took I'd forgotten about that incident. Suarez tries to do the right thing and doesn't get a penalty. How can anyone be surprised that he tends to go to ground a bit easily under slight contact when he doesn't get the decision when he's fouled but doesn't go down?

 

[Furball]

I definitely agree with the last bit; however IMO that's a problem that's come about purely because of diving.

I would say it's the other way around. If I get clipped, try and stay on my feet and as a result don't get a decision then I'm not going to make any effort to stay on my feet the next time I'm clipped.

 

[GIMH]

I'm yet to hear a proper reason why diving is any worse than appealing for a corner/throw-in/etc. you know isn't yours, or a tactical foul from a defender, or asking for another player to be booked, or anything along those lines. And they all happen every single game.

If this is serious then I despair. Utterly absurd comparison.

Edit - tactical fouls are rarely gotten away with and are usually a booking. Pretty straightforward. And asking for other players to be booked is a blight on the game and most would agree on that.

But the corner thing. Man, just what.

I sympathise with AMF groups more and more, and I really don't want to

 

[GIMH]

I would say it's the other way around. If I get clipped, try and stay on my feet and as a result don't get a decision then I'm not going to make any effort to stay on my feet the next time I'm clipped.

The only reasons a player would stay on his feet when fouled are:

1. Feels he has an advantage
2. Is worried the referee may think he has dived
3. Is a complete numpty

Number 1 & 3 are by the by, number 2 wouldn't happen if the game wasn't blighted by diving. No way on any planet is it the other way round.

And y'all would do well to remember that football is a contact sport. People can go on about English stereotypes and all that but that's not really the point.

 

[GIMH]

BBC Sport - Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and Kieran Gibbs cleared by FA

Ox a lucky man IMO. Defenders don't have goal scoring opportunity fouls overturned if it's Fernando Torres they foul

 

[Eds]

If this is serious then I despair. Utterly absurd comparison.

Edit - tactical fouls are rarely gotten away with and are usually a booking. Pretty straightforward. And asking for other players to be booked is a blight on the game and most would agree on that.

But the corner thing. Man, just what.

I sympathise with AMF groups more and more, and I really don't want to

Tactical fouls are rarely gotten away with? FMD there's enough Martin Skrtel shirt-tugging for a YouTube compilation ffs.

And what's so bad about the corner thing? Obviously diving is of more importance in the outcome of a game but they're pretty similar issues, no?