A
ABBEY
Guest
pedros was a definite dive but the others not so much.
There is something in that to be honest.I'm not as eager to jump on divers as many. Diving in part occurs because staying on your feet gets you absolutely nowhere. You could be kicked, have your shirt grabbed and practically give someone a piggy back in the penalty area as a striker and if you stay on your feet and focus on the ball, the ref will bottle it and do nothing 999 times out of 1000.
You are right it shouldn't. It also shouldn't be that hard to stop all the holding and shirt grabbing in the penalty area but it goes unpunished all the time. I remember a couple of games ago it got so bad that one of the Rovers' players, I think it was Nuttall, had to get a new shirt it was torn so badly, but no foul was given.Two points.
1. No one ever considers the Referees do they? Every week in virtually every match some Ref gives the wrong decision after he's been fooled by a player and is humiliated on TV afterwards. Many times these can change the result and the Ref carries the can and his reputation can suffer. If I were a ref and found out later that I had been duped I'd get my revenge next time out against him and his team. Call it retaliation if you like but it would be so easy to award a penalty given all the pulling and tugging that goes on in the box at corners etc. I'd quietly explain to the player afterwards too what his pervious action hade cost the team.... in private of course.
2. Compare football with the referees employed in Rugby.... Both codes. No backchat (not worth it as the punishment exceeds the crime in this sport) just a plain straightforward acceptance of every decision. Shouldn't be hard to emulate that should it?