Thought I’d put my thoughts on the subject on another thread.
Gareth Bale is one of the most talented and quickest footballers there is- i am fortunate to have the opportunity to watch him live, and believe me real time its amazing how quick he is, and often making not too shabby footballers look like shire horses.
Yes he has dived/simulated on a couple of occasions this season, BUT on the last 3 occasions v Fulham, Liverpool and yesterday the opponents took action to impede him, either by obstructing or knocking him. In those instances why should he take avoiding action or stay on his feet, risking losing posession or injuring himself?
He is one of the most fouled players in the Premiership, again watching all the little pushes and nudges live you actually realise he could go down a hell of a lot more than he does!!!
The simplest solution to the whole simulation/diving debate is to issue retrospective yellow cards based on video evidence-the ridiculousness of the situation is that yellow cards can not be rescinded, if they were Gareth Bale would have 2 not 5 yellows and there wouldnt be such an issue.
Talented players need protecting, and in its purest sense football is a non-contact sport- so therefore if you don’t play the ball by definition its a foul-I am sure defenders will have a different view on it!
Being a spurs fan I must agree with the above comments. Right now he’s probably the most sort after player in the premiership (in every respect). Did he dive? The only people that really know is Gareth Bale himself and maybe the defender who would have earned shed loads of respect if he would have come out and said “Yeah I did clip him” but thats hardly likely to happen! From the video replay (which incidently took about 3 seconds to replay) there appeared to be clear evidence that contact was made. Maybe one day the FA will adopt video technology or maybe they won’t? To prove I’m not biased there was a blatent dive in the game by Defoe who probably should have been booked. :yellow SBL
I used to defend Ronaldo on the basis that if you’re running at that speed, the slightest touch will take you over. If the defender isn’t good enough to get the ball, dont make the tackle.
The video replay from behind also shows bambi bales right foot just fall away, after he is impeded in his erm upper body! Time for all you spurs fans to go back into the woodwork… Spurs are on their way nowhere, rotting ham will do nothing again, everyone can stop them the boys from rotting ham, the boys from crap hart lane! Happy new year!
I thought that Bale was harshly done by yesterday, I was just trying to make the point that there are thousands of footballers that play the game at all levels every week that will try and gain an advantage for their team. That’s football whether we all like it or not and i’m sure such things went on when WHS was a youngster too.
Arguably Bale is the most sought after premiership player at the moment and like Chad says the slightest clip when he is running at that speed is going to put him off balance. The worst diver for me was Drogba, built like Frank Bruno and went down like he’d been shot! :red I do fear that when (not if) someone comes in for Bale with an open cheque book we will lose him, even if he has recently signed a new contract. Hopefully not though he is a joy to watch for the Spurs and long may he stay with us :stop
The way he goes down often has nothing to the way he was fouled/touched, as was the case yesterday. Which is why it will continue to be open to debate. Yes he was fouled, but he also dived.
Not really on topic but I was interested to see referee Mike Dean overrule his Assistant at the Man U v Newcastle game and awarded a goal when Johnny Evans put through his own goal. It reminded me of Witton’s F A Cup game at Kendal when we were 2-0 up and their No.5 scored an own goal and the Assistant flagged to disallow the goal as Ashley Stott was in an offside position the other side of the Kendal player. The goal was not given as at Old Trafford and if it had we would have gone 3-0 up and I doubt that Kendal would have come back from that.
My point is that with Gareth Bale it’s great that football (for it’s good and bad points) does raise opinions and at the end of the day the referees who have cautioned him for alleged diving do that because they have a few seconds to make their minds up. I thought Darren Gibson was correctly sent off for Everton and Anthony Taylor, the referee, was consistent after sending Carlton Cole off for the same offence. The benefit the Premiership players have is that with camera angles all over the place they can contest them. The Fa have rescinded both sendings-off which is disappointing and if it happened in the Evostick League the sendings-off would count. Yet all football is supposedly governed by the same rules.
This topic is obviously passionate more so to the Spurs fans and good for you for fighting the corner!
Law12. It is a foul if a player kicks or attempts to kick an opponent, trips or attempts to trip an opponent, jumps at an opponent, makes contact with an opponent without first touching the ball. holds an opponent. Nowhere in the laws does it say it is okay to make “Slight contact”. Any contact before the ball is played is a foul and it also seems to say that even attempting to foul should result in a Direct Free Kick or Penalty. It seems to me that in all the Bale scenarios it was a penalty and it certainly was against Sunderland.
May I just say this to Robbo. I think you are a GREAT Wittoner whose opinion is ALWAYS worth listening to. You have almost persuaded me to give Mr. Forster (or" Foster") the benefit of the doubt and hope he really is a changed character. Almost, but not quite!!
WHS.
Never dived against villa either did he. You can be booked for diving even if contact is made. Tom Daley is his best mate I have heard as well, maybe Bale should have been our Olympic entry in hindsight.
I think it is clear bale is a good player who also simulates his action when touched hence he gets booked often ! quite rightly, the only people defending him are spuds fans, saurez is also guilty of it and I do not like it at all in football period it is cheating at any level and lowers the whole aspect of football. Sermon over.
Wow the forum really is struggling for topics! But have to say that any player who dives and wins a penalty and your team wins the game is a good player in my eyes! We would all love Bale, Suarez, Ronaldo etc in any of our teams starting 11, yes its wrong but that’s football and that’s why we love it
And that is why we disagree jonnyamery, I don’t like cheats or cheating, you seem to totally accept ANY action that wins games and I don’t. As for the penalty issue I simply refer you all back to Law 12, even attempting to trip a forward is against the law so invariably none of the “so called” divers is committing an offence. If the law was implemented fully then we would see more goals, more clever play and not have to watch crude defenders continually breaking up play illegally. I go to see clever footballers like Bale and Suarez not the likes of Walker and Cole, who good as they are are not in the same class when it comes to entertaining the public. God forbid football is ever dominated by the likes of Roy Keane and Robbie Savage but it will be if class players are allowed to be fouled at every opportunity. I reiterate, ANY contact before the ball is played is a foul, and that includes wrapping your arms around an attacker at corner kicks and free kicks which useless referees allow all the time. I remember an argument over walls not going back, I argued they should all be booked and was ridiculed. Then one referee had the nerve to do just that and others followed, result? No more trouble with walls. Ruby League had a problem with offside, the referees started penalising EVERY offence, clubs and supporters complained that it ruined the game all the stops and starts, but the referees persevered, result? Very few offsides in Rugby League, a much more open game and plenty of exciting action. Book and send off the defenders who continually break Law 12 and football will be all the better for it.
One final word for jonnyamery. Danny Blanchflower was right, football is about “Glory”, there is no glory if you cheat your way to success. You will hear no more from me until next year, Oh! that is tomorrow!! HAPPY NEW YEAR everyone.
WHS.
Well Robbo, just to prove that not all Spurs fansare totally biased I thought that Suarez was exceptional yesterday. What a talent. Steven Gerrard’s comments after the game were apt when he said that teams only had to play against him twice a year, but they have to play againgst him every day in training! Wish the spurs or the albs would sign him but he ain’t as good as Bale!!! SBL
WHS the problem with football is that it is being made sterile. It has been sanitised beyond all recognition. The beauty of the game is its simplicity and for every artist there was an enforcer and there was a skill to both. In your language for every hoddle there was a Roberts, for every Trevor Steven there was a Peter Reid, for every giggs there was a keane. The two go hand in hand and compliment each other. As for rules being enforced in football we still see rules being introduced at the start of the season then let go, why else do fans count out how long the keeper keeps hold of the ball? The rules evolve over time I am just not sure that the current rules are for the benefit of the sport for fans or players