Just back from the Blackburn game [Merged]

[Biscuit]

Maybe England will stand a chance of winning the world cup in my life time if they're picking up ''how it's done'' by Johnny Foreigners.

 

[Lady Whistledown]

It's just occurred to me that perhaps the large Stand Or Fall banner behind the North Stand seats is confusing some of the players.

 

[The Oldman]

It's just occurred to me that perhaps the large Stand Or Fall banner behind the North Stand seats is confusing some of the players.

 

[Mackenzie]

Every team needs a niggly player, El-Abd is ours. I appreciate his antics aren't everyone's cup of tea, but I think its funny. Nothing gets the crowd going like a bit of cheating.

 

[Bozza]

Every team needs a niggly player, El-Abd is ours. I appreciate his antics aren't everyone's cup of tea, but I think its funny. Nothing gets the crowd going like a bit of cheating.

I've got no issue with the niggly stuff, and the winding up of an opponent whilst appearing to be a cheeky happy-go-lucky chappy to the referee. It's all part of the game, and if an opposing forward falls for it and gets wound up then more fool them.

However going down like you've been shot and clutching your face when there has been no contact anywhere near your head is out and out cheating and has no place on a field. It is genuinely cringe-worthy and I don't want players representing my club doing it.

 

[Lady Whistledown]

Every team needs a niggly player, El-Abd is ours. I appreciate his antics aren't everyone's cup of tea, but I think its funny. Nothing gets the crowd going like a bit of cheating.

The hair ruffling, the winding up- I don't mind that at all. If it gets someone highly strung like Billy Sharp walking a tightrope, that's fine. Gamesmanship, professionalism, whatever you want to call it.

But I'm talking about the cheating. Last night, as stated previously, El Abd lost out to Rhodes in a tussle in the centre circle, and then hit the floor clutching his face when there was clearly no part of Rhodes anywhere near his head. I don't know, perhaps he got a speck of mud in his eye, flicked up from Rhodes' boots. But I do know from seeing with my own eyes that there was no obvious physical contact. What made it much worse was that, as Rhodes sprinted off goalwards with the ball, El Abd lay on the turf holding his face until it became obvious that the game was continuing, and that Rovers were advancing in a great position with only Greer covering, at which stage he then got straight up and legged it back to his position in defence, realising that we were in imminent danger of conceding a goal. The face-clutching was bad enough, but the miracle recovery was absolutely shoddy.

It's INFURIATING if you see an opponent do that, and I'm not going to defend it just because it's an Albion player. People would be going absolutely mental on here if an opponent did it.

 

[BRIGHT ON Q]

It's just occurred to me that perhaps the large Stand Or Fall banner behind the North Stand seats is confusing some of the players.

 

[Bodian]

Don't get to many games now (being way up north in Cumbria) so don't have the pleasure of watching the pass and move every week in the flesh to see how it should be played. But what most infuriated me, and those around me, last night wasn't the play acting or the not playing particularly well (we all have off days), but the seeming lack of urgency in the last 15-20 minutes - even once Buckley and CMS were on there didn't seem to be any real desire to get the ball up towards their goal until the very end. Or come to that, even over the half way line. Greer didn't seem to know what to do when he got the ball - which doesn't inspire confidence.

To be honest, we didn't look like scoring at all. Which makes their giving away a penalty so bizarre. If it had fallen to an Albion player, it's doubtful it would have gone in the net - even if it had gone goalbound in the first place.

Chatting to quite a few Blackburn fans on the way home they were quite philosophical about it all. They reckoned that their second half was one of their better periods of the season, but were more disappointed with their failure to take any of their chances rather than pissed off with us at equalising. But, by far their biggest moan was the rolling around and diving. One of them made the point that this makes it really difficult for the refs to get serious with the proper bad tackles. If you don't go down easy, then when you do get scythed - the chances are there'll be a booking. Otherwise, they were quite impressed with us, which makes you wonder what they normally have to put up with.

How many of us were there anyway - the Blackburn fans said it looked like 'a hundred'! Cheeky buggers.

And, what other place has no pub between the station and the ground??

 

[Mellor 3 Ward 4]

I've got no issue with the niggly stuff, and the winding up of an opponent whilst appearing to be a cheeky happy-go-lucky chappy to the referee. It's all part of the game, and if an opposing forward falls for it and gets wound up then more fool them.

However going down like you've been shot and clutching your face when there has been no contact anywhere near your head is out and out cheating and has no place on a field. It is genuinely cringe-worthy and I don't want players representing my club doing it.

Agree with all of this

 

[RupertsFlan]

I am struggling with the rolling around the floor stuff. I feel uncomfortable watching our players do it and desperately want Gus to stop this.

It was an interesting trip in many ways. A desperate town centre but beer at £1.98 a pint. A couple of very friendly locals who were in fact Everton fans. And then the absolute tirade of shit I had in the pub opposite the ground while waiting for a taxi back to the Premier Inn I was staying in. You f***ing faggot - you f***ing bent c**t - dont go near that f***ing queer he'll give you aids.

You f***ing chimpanzee fucker (I mean really? Where did that come from?), you f*** kids you f***ing faggot........absolutely unbelieveable.

For about two minutes at the bar that sort of vitriolic shit was spewing out from a group of four or five lads in their early 20's.

What an odd place. Last night as I passed the Welcome to East Sussex sign after two days on the road I can honestly say that I have never been filled with such a sense of joy and contentment.

Blackburn - what a dump.

 

[robynsdad]

Double standards are a fact of life in football, and rightly so - would be no fun otherwise! BUT maybe some things are more important than team loyalty. I agree that diving and cheating is ruining the whole game and shouldn't be ignored just because it is your team. Which begs the question - what can be done? If a majority of fans decide they are not going to accept it in their own team, how to express that? I suspect if players and manager really thought their own fans were unhappy, it would stop. But booing your own player during a game just can't be right. So how to make your feelings clear while still supporting the players 100%? answers on a postcard (or banner?)

 

[perseus]

I don't enjoy saying this at all, but "simulation" is a horrendous, FIFA-inspired word to allow players to be picked up for cheating without actually having to upset their delicate egos by directly calling them cheats or divers.

Its cheese rolls and I don't care. If the referee is any good, or even as bad as usual it won't make any difference and is just wasting time.

Now, as for spitting .... this should not be allowed in TV matches.