Football season 2013-2014

My son went to the Crawley match at Bristol City, the away fan seats don't even have backs to them.

Looks like Ramires is now challenging Ashley Young's current gold medal position in the Premier League's unofficial diving competition. What can be done about these fakers?  

Just been talking to the son in law(Chelsea sth) even he says it was not a pen,but the gift from the ref was most kind.

Mista h

Players like Young and Ramires should have an automatic 5 match ban and their club docked 6 points if shown they have deliberately mislead the referee by diving. It's the only way to stop these pantomime queens. 

Oh no it won't!

What would you suggest the Howard? I think the only way is to retrospectively punish both the players and the clubs, especially with managers who appear to turn a blind eye or even support their players in these situations.

Sorry Steve that was supposed to be the oh no he won't oh yes he will as in pantomime.

I agree with you. Referees are in the main useless since they have become stars too.

Since the major influx of foreign players, footballers have turned into a bunch of wimps and actors.

Too much money too little loyalty. I no longer bother with it, save a casual passing  interest. 

OK debatable penalty but (and I may be biased...) playing devil's advocate here, Ramires is one of the most 'sinned against' players in The Premiership (although he can put his weight about too).

Not sure it was a 'dive' either compared with some of the flinging to the floor jobs we see..

Every time he plays he seems to be brought down at least 5 or 6 times in a game  by other players who can't cope with his speed when he sets of on one of those breaks. This means the whole attack (on which his game is based) breaks down when a free kick is awarded by clumsy/cynical/lesser/smarter players but by which time the opposition defence is back in place. With the commentator usually making reference to the the defender along the lines of "He'll take that...", or "If you're going to give away a free kick, then give it there..." or "He got away with that..." and we've all seen several times over what he can do running up the pitch if he's not brought down at some point.

Perhaps there should be a totting up of points for the most fouled players in a season (Ramires is not alone) and their team is awarded bonus points at the end..!

Maybe it's just a bit of 'pay-back' for many previous injustices (even God all bleeding mighty Alex Ferguson reckoned these things even themselves out). Tough on Steve Clarke though...

I have some sympathy with the refs who have to make an instant decision in the face of some players who are trying to con them, supplemented by vociferous appealing by the other players and home crowd.  It must take a ref of strong character to resist the impulse to comply when there is some doubt.  

I think I'm with Steve J here. If the authorities can act retrospectively against players who are guilty of violent conduct which the ref has missed it ought to be possible to do something similar with divers. After all, the principle of the former is that the ref has missed something major which shouldn't be allowed to pass.  If TV replays can show to the satisfaction of an independent panel that it was a dive (I'd go for the civil burden of evidence i.e. 'on the balance of probabilities') which the ref has clearly missed I'd punish the player with a ban and the club with a points deduction. I think the latter is particularly important because I sense a lot of clubs and managers of the guilty players are displaying no more than crocodile tears in such cases.

So after Spurs, Man C and the Gunner's slips ups this afternoon the top of the PL is looking very interesting.  And FFC now in bottom three. Is that the cue for Jol's execution, Mista H? 

Jol is looking the mostly vulnerable in the sack race at the moment. 

How can a forward player fall into a defender and win a penalty like that? The referee's position was good enough to see that's what had happened but he's caved into the home pressure from a big club again. 

I do hope Jol goes for 2 reasons.

1/ He keeps playing Senderos,who is not Premiership quality and has cost us several points last & this season. Or as Fulham supporters refer to him...Arsenal you have sent us dros.

2/ The man marking by our defence this season has been p155 poor. This is something that can and should be sorted out on the training pitch. It needs to be much,much tighter. Either the players are thick(may well be) or the Manager has to drill it into them that their man marking has to be a lot better. Bottom line is its not happening. Jol should be sorting this out,but he is not.

Mista h

An open question..................if Saturdays late pen @ chelsea had been at Old Trafford,with a Man U player bringing down an oposition striker in the 90th minute,would that same ref Marriner in front of 75,000 have given a penalty.   NO CHANCE

Mista H

Come on Jamie - it doesn't matter how many times he's been "sinned against", this was cheating pure and simple. In fact, given how many time Ramires has been fouled, it's even worse. He was looking for a penalty Chelsea simply didn't deserve.

The Baggie were robbed.

Real Sociedad were throwing themselves into Manchester United players, Fellaini cottoned on and did the same to Vela; each time the ref gave a freekick in favour of the cheat. What did he and Marriner see? Part of the problem is referees not giving penalties when players are fouled but don't swan dive.

Mista H; http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-17562451

Cheers,

OW

It is just part of the game.

It is no different really from deliberate handball or even a foul. Or even just being in an offside position - if you can get away with it.  Suarez, Bale, Michael Owen (when he was at Liverpool), Pires, Gerrard - etc etc

Franny Lee back in the day was a serial diver 

Personally I am against any retrospective action but the quality of refereeing needs to improve. Oh, oh, and letting Villa supporters referee WBA games seems a bit silly to me too. 

........ as is letting Mike Dean referee ever. 

Can't agree with this, Chris.  If a deliberate hand-ball or foul denies a goal scoring opportunity it's a straight red (e.g. Suarez's handball on the goal-line in the World Cup which enabled Uruguay to win the tie). A dive in the penalty area is seeking to unfairly gain a goal but the punishment if spotted is lesser at a yellow card and zero if the ref doesn't.  Offside isn't trying to 'con' anyone; diving most certainly is.  

You're right about Franny Lee, though.

MDS

Agree MDS, except for the comments about Frannie Lee. You guys, and especially Chris, are too young to have seen him play. 

You're a generous chap, Steve, but I must confess to being old enough to remember Franny Lee's exploits being shown on the 'Big Match" and critiqued by Brian Moore & co.  In those days we only had the benefit of one or maybe two camera angles but for Franny one was enough!   

Well remember Lee and Summerbee(did i spell that right)

Never forget on one trip we parked in a place called Fallowfield,and before we had even got out the car this orrible bunch of kids had turned up...........mind ya car for ya Mista.

Mista h

That's because you were visiting the proper Manchester club. No prawn sandwiches at Citeh, just good honest tripe and onions and proper folk who show a little enterprise. 

"we parked in a place called Fallowfield"  

The 1893 FA CUP Final was played at Fallowfield Stadium, in which Wolverhampton Wanderers beat Everton 1-0, with Harry Allen scoring the only goal of the game.

Me too. 

Great derby match between Blue and Red this morning!

All in all, a fair result.  Neither team deserved to lose.  Great pace, great energy, and great entertainment.  Looking forward to the rematch at Anfield!

I like both teams, but I did think that Mirallas clearly deserved a red card!  Can you imagine the outcry had the roles been reversed?  Suarez would have been banned for the season, and maybe for life!

ATB.

Hook