Honesty in Football

[SeagullSongs]

I think it's ridiculous that a group of grown men (sic) doing their job on a football pitch will be less honest than a group of lads playing down the park...

If I was Robbie Fowler, after winning that penalty-that-shouldn't-have-been, I'd have just smashed it high and wide in protest.

 

[BadFish]

I don't normally start threads and only post infrequently, but I felt compelled to write something to guage others' feelings on this 'honesty' thing in football.

I have just watched MOTD and listened to Villas-Boas on his post match speak and how refreshing it was to hear someone who was honest and reflecting that his team did not perform and that west brom were far superior. Here is a man who is under tremendous pressure but still has the dignity and humility to accept that his team was second best. Trouble is, he'll probably get the sack for being honest.

The other side - Suarez. Blatantly dived to gain a penalty yesterday and FAKED injury to justify his cause. This man is everything I despise in football but his actions are still endorsed by many as 'it's a part of the game', and by his manager. He will have a long and prosperous career in football. What a great role model he sets to all those impressionable kids who try and mimick him on the football field.

To me, football has it wrong and something needs to be sorted out from the top. It appears that there is no room for honesty, doing the right thing and general sportsmanship. However, cheating, on the surface of it all, gets you everywhere.

With FIFA at the top honesty, morality and fairness don't stand a chance.

 

[Seagull over Canaryland]

Interesting to read the amount of flack that CMS has got from Donny after yesterday. He did spend a lot of time on the deck but from my perspective all bar one of these challenges on him were fouls. Having watched CMS over the last few months he certainly hassles defenders but has never struck me as being a 'diver' so seems harsh to label him as such. We are no angels but do seem to have got our discipline under control and think this is helping our undeated run in 2012. OK neutrals would say I am biased but maybe Donny were being a bit anti, given their paranoia over the Lewis Dunk/Billy Sharp thing?

On the other hand (among his various misdemeanours) Diouf did two almost identical swallow dives that were so blatant that it seemed the Ref would just card him for 'simulation', but he gained free kicks. Yet CMS got a yellow for a gentle shoulder challenge that won the ball and the Donny player went down as if poleaxed. The ref was weak and fell for their strong arm tactics - letting various robust Donny challenges by their big boys go unpunished, yet several of ours were penalised 'cos their big boy suddenly fell over under the lightest challenge. They were certainly allowed to bully us and it worked in disrupting our flow.

I am relieved that we didn't get any more yellows (or possibly reds) because the ref was so poor and with his trigger happy reputation that it seemed inevitable. I thought Ashley Barnes did well not to lose his head in spite of some nasty provocation that he might well have risen to in the past and at one point I thought El-Abd had a red mist for Diouf but fortunately sense prevailed.

 

[Tomnorthi]

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[APACHE]

Human nature dictates at times people wiill do anything to suceed.

 

[Seagull on the wing]

It has to be said that it is so easy to con a ref...how many times have you seen an incident in the goal area on TV and you thought..'That's no penalty'...yet when they show it from another angle you can see a blatant foul...remember the ref sees it from the angle where he is positioned and has to make his mind up in an instant ..yes he can consult his linesman/fourth offical..but what a stop/start game that would be. Having said that Suarez got 5.9 5.9 5.8 5.9 6.0 from the 5 judges for his almost perfect dive.

 

[Tricky Dicky]

People seem to think that "simulation", cheating, diving have all started with the premiership and its' money - it's been going on forever. The odd touches of sportmanship and civility do stand out - I'm sure we can remember most of the obvious ones, Di Canio, Robbie fowler etc., but they'll never be the norm, money or not.

 

[fly high]

Part of the blame must lay with refs, they have said when players go down they judge the reaction of the player ‘fouled’ & his team mates as to if it was a foul & if it warrants a booking or red card. This not only encourages players to go down as the slightest of touches but also to roll around as if they have been poleaxed. Conversely you see players who are clearly being fouled but keep going, even in the box and because of the foul they can’t pass/shot properly but nothing is given. The ref may even say after the match that if a player had gone down he would have awarded a penalty, so what does that say to players? Fall over at every opportunity & simulate injury.

 

[Mellotron]

He really was exceptionally twattish wasn't he? The day someone behaving like that is fined or banned we'll have progress

Thing is though, if he hadn't gone down, there wouldn't have been a red. And it definitely was a red. Difficult one.

 

[PILTDOWN MAN]

Part of the blame must lay with refs, they have said when players go down they judge the reaction of the player ‘fouled’ & his team mates as to if it was a foul & if it warrants a booking or red card. This not only encourages players to go down as the slightest of touches but also to roll around as if they have been poleaxed. Conversely you see players who are clearly being fouled but keep going, even in the box and because of the foul they can’t pass/shot properly but nothing is given. The ref may even say after the match that if a player had gone down he would have awarded a penalty, so what does that say to players? Fall over at every opportunity & simulate injury.

Totally agree. The commentators say it all the time. Oh he could have should have gone down. It shouldn't make a jot of difference, if you're being fouled and the advantage is not beneficial then the infringement should be penalized.

 

[Dirk Gently]

Add to this Newcastle's Tiote yesterday. Yes, Sessegnon swung an arm at him, but it was gentle as anything and it him below the neck. Tiote then stands for a second like a toddler wondering if anyone's seen him fall over - and goes down pole-axed and clutching his face!

 

[aolstudios]

Add to this Newcastle's Tiote yesterday. Yes, Sessegnon swung an arm at him, but it was gentle as anything and it him below the neck. Tiote then stands for a second like a toddler wondering if anyone's seen him fall over - and goes down pole-axed and clutching his face!

absolutely, although we're aready discussing this

 

[aolstudios]

Thing is though, if he hadn't gone down, there wouldn't have been a red. And it definitely was a red. Difficult one.

Hear what you're saying but he was acting and it was utterly premeditated and over dramatised. He should have a retrospective red imho. This wasn't falling over easily in the box (although I hate that too). This was acting, big style and at some point something has to be done about it

 

[Mellotron]

Hear what you're saying but he was acting and it was utterly premeditated and over dramatised. He should have a retrospective red imho. This wasn't falling over easily in the box (although I hate that too). This was acting, big style and at some point something has to be done about it

I agree his reaction was ridiculous, I'm not sure what players should do when struck in the face off the ball though. If they stay on their feet, 99 times out of 100 the ref won't be made aware of the incident.

"Man up", perhaps?

 

[aolstudios]

I agree his reaction was ridiculous, I'm not sure what players should do when struck in the face off the ball though. If they stay on their feet, 99 times out of 100 the ref won't be made aware of the incident.

"Man up", perhaps?

I wouldn't have called it struck - brushed was more like it. He wasn't hurt or disadvantaged and had just poked Sessignon (who didn't go down btw) in the eye. I don't like to use the term 'man up', as knuckle draggers have been using it about Anton Ferdinand (and Mendoza on here) recently but if not hurt or disadvantaged he should've got on with the game. He's a cheat & an embarrassment

 

[Mellotron]

I wouldn't have called it struck - brushed was more like it. He wasn't hurt or disadvantaged and had just poked Sessignon (who didn't go down btw) in the eye. I don't like to use the term 'man up', as knuckle draggers have been using it about Anton Ferdinand (and Mendoza on here) recently but if not hurt or disadvantaged he should've got on with the game. He's a cheat & an embarrassment

But you understand if someone swings a punch at someone's head and totally misses, by the letter of the law it's still a red card, right? Like if someone lunges in two footed and misses the player.

It's all about the INTENT, not the OUTCOME.

 

[aolstudios]

But you understand if someone swings a punch at someone's head and totally misses, by the letter of the law it's still a red card, right? Like if someone lunges in two footed and misses the player.

It's all about the INTENT, not the OUTCOME.

Again, I get your point but he didn't swing a punch did he? He gently raised an arm (which was naive, of course). He was poked in the eye - there's intent & outcome in that. The point is that Tiote (if that's how you spell it) acted. Premeditatedly. That is the problem & the issue. I'm not suggesting Sessignon wasn't flirting with a sending off, just that that shouldn't cloud, mitigate or encourage Tiote's ridiculous behaviour

 

[sten_super]

But you understand if someone swings a punch at someone's head and totally misses, by the letter of the law it's still a red card, right? Like if someone lunges in two footed and misses the player.

It's all about the INTENT, not the OUTCOME.

So are you saying that if someone takes a swing at a player and misses, the attacked player should fall over and roll around on the floor looking injured?

 

[Triggaaar]

Suarez. Blatantly dived to gain a penalty yesterday and FAKED injury to justify his cause. This man is everything I despise in football but his actions are still endorsed by many as 'it's a part of the game', and by his manager.

This can only be fixed by FIFA. If every team were to cheat, and they do, but my teams didn't, I'd be pissed off. We'd all be pissed off.

Zaha dived when we played there, getting them a 1-0 lead. Say Buckley then dived at the other end (I'm not so sure he did, but many think he did) to get us a 1-1 draw - are Brighton fans happy that he cheated or disappointed? They're happy.

Only FIFA can stop it with severe sanctions for cheats.

 

[Common as Mook]

People seem to think that "simulation", cheating, diving have all started with the premiership and its' money - it's been going on forever. The odd touches of sportmanship and civility do stand out - I'm sure we can remember most of the obvious ones, Di Canio, Robbie fowler etc., but they'll never be the norm, money or not.

Two words.

Francis. Lee.

Invented diving in this country.