Serial diving

[lapsedhibee]

Villas Boas, arguing that the ref was persecuting his diver Bale yesterday, has been quoted as claiming that Defoe also dived, yet he wasn't booked. I thought the FAs were trying to stamp out diving? Yet apparently without irony AVB openly argues that other players in his team also dive, therefore Bale shouldn't get booked so much. It's a topsy turvy world.

And as for Bale with his "I was touched so I had to go down, I had no option" routine, pathetic!

[matty_f]

Bale definitely dived whether there was contact or not. Can you imagine a rugby player or even a netball player going down as a result of a slight touch like that?

[bingo70]

If Defoe or bale were johnny foreigners they'd be getting hounded out the country right now.

Reminds me of when a commentator justified Frank lampard diving by saying 'he never dived, he just anticipated a tackle that never came'

[NORTHERNHIBBY]

Defoe's dive was really funny actually. We kind of like to think that on this island we don't dive or cheat, but the EPL now has so many players and coaches that come from a background where this is fair game, it is not surprising that so many of them are at it.

[McKenzie]

Bale definitely dived whether there was contact or not. Can you imagine a rugby player or even a netball player going down as a result of a slight touch like that?

Surely if there's contact, it's impossible for it to be a dive?

[bingo70]

Surely if there's contact, it's impossible for it to be a dive?

Why? There can be contact but not enough to make you fall over?

[The_Todd]

I've got to say this is the only place I've seen anyone say Bale dived yesterday. Papers, MOTD all think Bale got a raw deal.

Personally for me it was a penalty. And rugby isn't a fair comparison.

[hibby rae]

If you watch Sparky's goal yesterday you can see that he adjusts himself to either avoid contact or stay on his feet, which he manages to do and score. A lot of players would have went down there and Bale is one of them.

[MWHIBBIES]

Bale is a horrible cheat

[Winston Ingram]

Why? There can be contact but not enough to make you fall over?

Do you know it was not enough. Bale had run 60 yards at top speed. It's basic physics that any collision at increased speed is going to have a greater impact.

All the pundits on MotD agreed it was pen.

Bookings for diving were brought in for no contact. If you start booking players when there clearly is and asking refs to judge if there is 'enough' contact to make them go over then the refs are on a hiding to nothing. :agree:

[Leithenhibby]

Surely if there's contact, it's impossible for it to be a dive?

I am right in saying that football is a contact sport?...

Had a big debate with my boys last night watching MOTD and how us old school would never dream of doing some of the antics you get now a days .......... :wink:

It was a dive for me :agree:

You have to laugh when some of them make such a meal of it ......... Sad really :wink:

[bingo70]

Do you know it was not enough. Bale had run 60 yards at top speed. It's basic physics that any collision at increased speed is going to have a greater impact.

All the pundits on MotD agreed it was pen.

Bookings for diving were brought in for no contact. If you start booking players when there clearly is and asking refs to judge if there is 'enough' contact to make them go over then the refs are on a hiding to nothing. :agree:

What if they start to go down before contact is made?

[Winston Ingram]

What if they start to go down before contact is made?

Is that not the same as diving with no contact?

[bingo70]

Is that not the same as diving with no contact?

There'd still be contact in the box though.

The point I'm making is that its not as black and whiteaa saying if there's contact it can't be a dive, I don't believe that's the case.

[Sweet Left Peg]

Bale brings this to his own door. Remember the Villa game earlier in the season? Shocking dive. As long as the powers that be sit back and do nothing, players like Bale will get pens that were dives and booked when there was contact. And sometimes correct decisions will be given too. Until this mentality of putting doubt in the ref's mind through simulating a foul is eradicated then we will be discussing this topic until the end of time. (not Hearts, as their time will be a lot sooner). It will only get worse, so tough action is needed from the top. Retro bans using TV evidence. Minimum 5 game ban. Just posted similar on Match of the Day thread. It's a joke. If a player is wrongly booked for diving, then it can be rescinded too.

[The_Todd]

If arch-Gooner and defender Keown thinks its a pen then that's good enough for me.

[bingo70]

Imo there should be a ridiculously over the top ban for anyone found guilty of an obvious dive, I'm not talking about the bale one as I can see thats debatable but the likes of the Defoe one should come with a 10 game ban, that'd soon stop it although I think the associations would be too scared to upset the big boys to enforce this rule.

[Winston Ingram]

There'd still be contact in the box though.

The point I'm making is that its not as black and whiteaa saying if there's contact it can't be a dive, I don't believe that's the case.

Fair point, but asking refs to book people for instances like that means your on a hiding to nothing

[Hibee Ryan]

The rule isn't against diving, it's simulation and his fall was definitely over the top therefore simulation. Obviously reputation comes into as refs don't want to be the one who was caught out by the diver but its bales fault that he got the reputation. So bale is wrong even if there is contact it can still get you booked. Players, coaches and MOTD pundits really need to check up on the rules because its embarrassing how many times they spout rubbish that just isn't even close to right

[Liam89]

Travelling at Bales speed, if you get a hard knee right into your knee then you're going to go down whether outside the box or in it. Not arguing he's not against diving in general though, just in this instance he was in the right.

[blackpoolhibs]

Watching it live on the telly, right away i thought dive. Having seen it since and from several different angles, i now think he was caught by the defenders knee and did not dive.

I think there is one thing that should come out of this, and that's teams/players should be able to appeal bookings.

Given the chance to see the incident again, i'm sure the ref would not have booked Cairney last week?

[Hibercelona]

Football is a "contact" sport.

Yet.... you're not allowed to make any contact in the box....

[Hibercelona]

Imo there should be a ridiculously over the top ban for anyone found guilty of an obvious dive, I'm not talking about the bale one as I can see thats debatable but the likes of the Defoe one should come with a 10 game ban, that'd soon stop it although I think the associations would be too scared to upset the big boys to enforce this rule.

But then there would be the argument of "I didn't dive, I just slipped".

[iwasthere1972]

Bale definitely dived. If I was the Spurs kitman I would lay a snorkle out with his strip and boots. That dive by Defoe I gave a :top marks

[trev the hat]

Bale now been booked 3 times this season & twice last season for it, if u continually go down @ slightest contact or none in some cases u can be sure some decisions won't be correct from ref.

[Winston Ingram]

Bale now been booked 3 times this season & twice last season for it, if u continually go down @ slightest contact or none in some cases u can be sure some decisions won't be correct from ref.

The 3 this season were wrong:agree: