Football Focus

[maxxi]

A "come and get me" for January.

http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/premier-league/jermain-defoe-says-transfer-from-west-ham-to-tottenham-was-a-massive-mistake-8922251.html

Vaz Te and Downing out - Defoe and Ba in? Sounds like a plan.

[Mick Mac]

red devil Wrote:

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> Don't go including me with Meds, PD. He's a

> peasant...

I thought you were being nice to PD this year ?

[Jah Lush]

Jeez! Just seen that twat Ashley Young do what he is best at. Diving. What an embarrassment he must be to Man Utd fans. The fact the referee bought it as well. Shocking.

[Jah Lush]

maxxi Wrote:

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> A "come and get me" for January.

>

> http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/premie

> r-league/jermain-defoe-says-transfer-from-west-ham

> -to-tottenham-was-a-massive-mistake-8922251.html

>

> Vaz Te and Downing out - Defoe and Ba in? Sounds

> like a plan.

Dream on.

[red devil]

Jah Lush Wrote:

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> Jeez! Just seen that twat Ashley Young do what he

> is best at. Diving. What an embarrassment he must

> be to Man Utd fans. The fact the referee bought it

> as well. Shocking.

He won't be at Utd for much longer, pity we won't get ?80m for him...

[Jah Lush]

I wouldn't pay 80p for him. Cheating useless tosspot.

[maxxi]

I dunno Jah - AVB is after another striker or two in Jan isn't he? And Defoe wants regular games to make the England team...

Young is looking more & more ridiculous every time he does this - at least it wasn't in an England shirt this time (and long may that continue)

[Otta]

At least the penalty was missed so the cheating came to nothing. But yeah, he's one of the worst divers I've seen for a long while. Except for Bale.

[Mick Mac]

It's time for a complete review of the penalty rules (which of course will never happen as football seems to take pride in retaining original rules fundamental to the game)

Whether its a foul on Ashley Young or not, a penalty normally results in a goal. Most times the person fouled never looked remotely likely to score a goal. Hence the punishment is not appropriate and becasue of this people will always dive to get a goal from nothing.

Its outdated and causes so many problems in the modern game.

The penalty try in rugby is given where a try would almost certainly have been scored but for the foul. Football should adopt something similar. Too many boheheads in charge.

[red devil]

Not so sure Mick. What if Hernandez had been fouled last night before he fluffed it from 1 yard out? Nothing is 100% certain. You'll also get farcical situations where a team is awarded a free kick instead of a penalty a couple of yards from the goal line. The only way to limit diving is to retrospectivly punish players clearly found guilty by TV replays. The FA have just started doing this re. violent play missed by the ref, i.e. Riether's stamp on Januzaj. It won't stop it as these tend to be 'heat of the moment' incidents, but at least something is being done...

[Mick Mac]

I'm sticking to my guns - penalty does not fit the crime - incentivises people to dive. Correct the source of the problem.

No need for free kicks too close to the goal - bit of construtive thought.

Punishing divers is virtually impossible post Eduardo gate.

[Otta]

This sounds like a recipe for disaster

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/24819018

[Alan Medic]

Sounds like it will be more entertaining than the football has been by Ireland. What could possibly go wrong?

[red devil]

Mick Mac Wrote:

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> The penalty try in rugby is given where a try

> would almost certainly have been scored but for

> the foul. Football should adopt something similar.

> Too many boheheads in charge.

Would you have awarded a penalty goal if Hernandez had been tripped just as he was about to take a kick at the ball?

[Jah Lush]

If it ain't broke don't fix it.

[Mick Mac]

red devil Wrote:

> Would you have awarded a penalty goal if Hernandez

> had been tripped just as he was about to take a

> kick at the ball?

If he has a clear shot on goal when fouled within the box, yes.

At the moment you get a penalty/goal if the player fouled is not even in possession eg Ashley Young. Ridiculous.

[red devil]

Mick Mac Wrote:

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> If he has a clear shot on goal when fouled within

> the box, yes.

He did have a clear shot on goal....and missed. That's the beauty of football.

> At the moment you get a penalty/goal if the player

> fouled is not even in possession eg Ashley Young.

> Ridiculous.

It's simple. Don't commit a foul inside the box. Same for both teams...

[Otta]

You don't need to commit a foul for some players to go down and say that you did.

[red devil]

Otta Wrote:

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> You don't need to commit a foul for some players

> to go down and say that you did.

That's what the ref is for...

[Otta]

So are penalties won by diving fair game then? If the ref didn't see it it's okay to cheat, it's only cheating if you get caught.

A ref SHOULD be able to ref a match in the knowledge that players will play it fair.

[maxxi]

If the game is stopped for a penalty maybe the opposing side should have the opportunity to appeal (like cricket and US football - 2 per team per game?) and ask the third official to judge via the slow-mo replay (the game has stopped anyway) with the penalty for diving (if that's the case) being a card.

[red devil]

Otta Wrote:

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> So are penalties won by diving fair game then? If

> the ref didn't see it it's okay to cheat, it's

> only cheating if you get caught.

No, no, and no.

> A ref SHOULD be able to ref a match in the

> knowledge that players will play it fair.

Yes...

[red devil]

maxxi Wrote:

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> If the game is stopped for a penalty maybe the

> opposing side should have the opportunity to

> appeal (like cricket and US football - 2 per team

> per game?) and ask the third official to judge via

> the slow-mo replay (the game has stopped anyway)

> with the penalty for diving (if that's the case)

> being a card.

Maybe, but the problem with that is that Young did have his shirt tugged, so then you are getting into what level of tugging constitutes a foul, as well as other factors such as the speed the player was travelling at, ground conditions, was it slippy. Nothing is failsafe, and ultimately it comes down to one man's interpretation, the ref or a.n.other.

What gets me in all this, is that it's always the attacking player that is branded the cheat, never the defender. Tugging on a shirt is not exactly playing the game in a fair spirit, but it seems to be accepted. Last night Vidic was elbowed off the ball as he went up for a corner, a foul and penalty, but the defender got away with it. Is he not a cheat too in the spirit of the game?...

[red devil]

Guess who...

 

[Alan Medic]

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