Football Focus

[gordon s]

Another 5.9 for Ashley Young.......

[S.A.C Martin]

Can't even begin to register my disgust for Ashley Young - but Dwight Yorke took it a step further with his analysis - "contact, therefore it's a penalty".

 

It makes me absolutely sick to hear that. He's effectively condoning cheating in the game. Just disgusting.

 

Three match ban if you're proven to dive - and that particular incident, how could it be in any doubt.

 

Villa have been terrible today, mind, but 2-0 is harsh as a result of that cheating.

Edited April 15, 2012 by S.A.C Martin

[BoD]

The chairman of the Professional Footballers Association called on the FA, the Premier League and referees to show zero tolerance toward diving.

 

Erm .... isn't there one important element he left out of that list?

[Red Devil]

Can't even begin to register my disgust for Ashley Cole - but Dwight Yorke took it a step further with his analysis - "contact, therefore it's a penalty".

 

It makes me absolutely sick to hear that. He's effectively condoning cheating in the game. Just disgusting.

 

Three match ban if you're proven to dive - and that particular incident, how could it be in any doubt.

 

Villa have been terrible today, mind, but 2-0 is harsh as a result of that cheating.

 

If you're going to get on your high horse again, at least try getting the player right.

[S.A.C Martin]

 

 

If you're going to get on your high horse again, at least try getting the player right.

 

Haha, now edited. Apologies.

 

High horse? Nah. Just don't like seeing such blatant cheating going on. Same if it had been any other team, but twice in one week? Terrible.

 

No retrospective punishment mind for Young, but that chap at QPR gets a ban.

 

No moral consistency.

[PhilH]

If you're going to get on your high horse again, at least try getting the player right.

 

I hope you're not going to try and defend him - he's doing it on a regular basis now.

[Red Devil]

I hope you're not going to try and defend him - he's doing it on a regular basis now.

 

No, don't like it, but I think there was contact, therfore within the laws of the game, it's a foul, made the most of it and no, I honestly don't like it, but it irritates me that, that one instance in the match is singled out.

 

There should have been a penalty for the Baker handball in the second half, as there should have been a penalty against Wigan during the week, I just find the one eye'dness repetative.

 

Every single team in the Premier league has serial divers, they're all it, so the constant outrage against United decisions becomes more than a little tiresome, end of the day Ref says it's a whatever and its, cuts both ways but you don't see me having a paddy about the ones that don't go our way.

[Red Devil]

Oh look, Ref gets it wrong again in the semi final, amazing it happens in other teams games too.........

[250BOB]

Chelsea v Spurs......just watchin at the moment.

 

Did it cross the line.....???

 

When will they use video evidence....its only a matter of time.

 

Up the Alex...!!!

Edited April 15, 2012 by 250BOB

[BoD]

Oh dear. What a farce.

 

I feel the whole technology argument raising its head again.

[PhilH]

No, don't like it, but I think there was contact, therfore within the laws of the game, it's a foul

 

 

???

[gordon s]

Jeez, how on earth can they give a goal for that! When oh when are we going to get technology to stop this nonsense....

 

One very dejected Spurs supporter..

[S.A.C Martin]

Martin Atkinson - words fail me.

 

Red Devil - there is a little word called "intent" - it's used in the laws of the game a few times. There was no intent to bring down Ashley Young, if touch him at all. I challenge he went to touch the Villa player.

 

Two extremes of opinion, but one thing is clear.

 

He threw himself to the floor.

 

I've been singling out players who do this for years, mInd. Used to get very irritable when Pires used to do it too. Trying to get fellow professionals sent off or gain an advantage through diving is just wrong.

[Red Devil]

???

 

He was fouled, in the referees opinion, contact made therfore foul. Young made an absolute meal out of it but the ref saw the contact as a foul.

 

Are we going to call the entire Chelsea team cheats for claiming a goal that patently wasn't, same thing?

[Red Devil]

Martin Atkinson - words fail me.

 

Red Devil - there is a little word called "intent" - it's used in the laws of the game a few times. There was no intent to bring down Ashley Young, if touch him at all. I challenge he went to touch the Villa player.

 

Two extremes of opinion, but one thing is clear.

 

He threw himself to the floor.

 

I've been singling out players who do this for years, mInd. Used to get very irritable when Pires used to do it too. Trying to get fellow professionals sent off or gain an advantage through diving is just wrong.

 

Intent doesn't come in to it, if you foul someone and say I didn't mean to do that does it make it null and void?

 

I don't think many fouls do involve intent, if you intentionally go to foul someone that's a red card isn't it?

[oggy1953]

Jeez, how on earth can they give a goal for that! When oh when are we going to get technology to stop this nonsense....

 

One very dejected Spurs supporter..

And another here. Absolute farce. How could he possibly have seen it amongst all those bodies ? No where near it....Cheated again

[S.A.C Martin]

Are we going to call the entire Chelsea team cheats for claiming a goal that patently wasn't, same thing?

 

YES.

[PhilH]

contact made therfore foul

 

This is what I've got an issue with - so football is a non contact sport now?

 

To be honest, I've just about given up with so called top flight football - it's not sport.

[Red Devil]

This is what I've got an issue with - so football is a non contact sport now?

 

To be honest, I've just about given up with so called top flight football - it's not sport.

 

Probably, but that's the way it's gone, doesn't mean I particularly like it, but that's the way it is now.

[BoD]

In some ways it goes back to my earlier post. It's the FA's fault It's the refs fault but it's never the players' responsibility.

I'm afraid sportsmanship and integrity went out of the door a long time ago.

[Del]

Intent doesn't come in to it, if you foul someone and say I didn't mean to do that does it make it null and void?

 

I don't think many fouls do involve intent, if you intentionally go to foul someone that's a red card isn't it?

 

From the FIFA website:

 

Direct free kick

 

A direct free kick is awarded to the opposing team if a player commits any of the following seven offences in a manner considered by the referee to be careless, reckless or using excessive force:

• kicks or attempts to kick an opponent
  
• trips or attempts to trip an opponent
  
• jumps at an opponent
  
• charges an opponent
  
• strikes or attempts to strike an opponent
  
• pushes an opponent
  
• tackles an opponent
  

A direct free kick is also awarded to the opposing team if a player commits any of the following three offences:

• holds an opponent
  
• spits at an opponent
  
• handles the ball deliberately (except for the goalkeeper within his own penalty area)
  

A direct free kick is taken from the place where the offence occurred (see Law 13 - Position of free kick).

 

I certainly don't think the Villa player was careless, reckless or used excessive force. Young put his right foot into the Villa player, then made sure his left leg clipped the Villa player's outstretched leg.

[oggy1953]

Well they say things even out over a season. Well having a few goals ruled out for off-side that weren;t and now that 'goal' at Wembley Spurs will have to get a heck of a lot of luck in their remaining few league games.

[Red Devil]

From the FIFA website:

 

 

I certainly don't think the Villa player was careless, reckless or used excessive force. Young put his right foot into the Villa player, then made sure his left leg clipped the Villa player's outstretched leg.

 

Trips or attempts to trip...........?

 

Like I've already said, very soft, but if the ref gives it. Already said don't like it, but that's they way every team goes at it nowadays

[S.A.C Martin]

Soft?

 

It's not even a foul.

 

Having said that, I think we've seen a lot worse in that Chelsea-Tottenham semi-final today. Scott Parker rightfully mad as hell after Mikkel kicked out at him. Wasn't Beckham sent off for that all those years ago...?

 

But because Atkinson (who is utterly awful and always has been) gave a yellow card to Mikkel, no retrospective punishment for violent conduct can be given.

 

Just incredible.

 

Best referee I ever knew was a woman on the same course as me, and she was hounded out of the game at every turn. The reason we still get these idiots is because between the FA and RA there's no teeth or desire to deal with the gamesmanship which goes on. At what point will they be forced to take action, I wonder?

[gordon s]

Goals, no goals, dives and any misconduct, technology would sort all that out in one go. They use it in Rugby and that doesn't detract from the game at all. Virtually all of the problems in todays game stem from referee decisions and to make that call over something that is fractions of a second or totally unseen is impossible. That leads to unrest amongst the fans and the problems escalate from there.

 

I've no way of knowing what would have happened had that goal not been given, but losing the game would have been acceptable if we were beaten by the better team on the day and knew all the decisions were the right ones. I wouldn't care if there was 10 minutes extra time, if it meant the game was played fairly.

 

..and who knows, Young may have been off for cheating and Man Utd may have got the penalty they deserved against Wigan, but at least they would have been the right outcome, that no one could argue against.

 

Saying it evens out over a season is an excuse, not an answer.