madrid barca

[mad_mac]

all goals by messi show his huge potential. The one thing I had to laugh at was the commentator saying "RVN doesn't miss those" when talking about his first goal. It is roughly the second goal he has ever scored from outside the area in his career!

 

[Joel]

This game was everything it was cracked up to be. Any opinions on the Ronaldinho penalty claim in injury time?

On a related note, I am looking for a good hitman if anyone has contacts. I am placing a contract on the head of Ray Hudson from GOL TV. God-awful and indescribably annoying.

 

[Nibs]

Is it just me or does Messi seem a bit slower since he came back from injury. Sure, he scored three goals against Madrid, but I still think he doesn't have the same edge as before. A few more injuries and he'll be just another player. It's time for some praying

What praying that he gets his pace back and we sign him?

WHAT?! Sign Messi?!

I feel sick...

You honestly wouldn't want Messi? Are you mad?

Give me Messi over Robben any day.

In fact, whilst we're at it, my starting line up next season...................

- Cech

-Diarra - JT -Carvalho - Bridge

-Essien

-Lamps -Mikel

-Messi - Joey

- Drogba

That would do it for me!!!

 

[loz]

I don't want him either Nibs. For exactly the same reason I am tiring of Robben.

I'm sick and tired of players diving all over the pitch and I never, repeat NEVER want us to sign a player with an established reputation for it irrespective of how talented they are.

I would rather have a less talented team with a bit more integrity than a team of world beaters who take to the ground at every possible opportunity.

So on these grounds I don't want Messi, I don't want Deco, I don't want Quaresma and I don't want anyone else who falls into the category of perpetual offender. If that means we were to occasionally miss out on a very top drawer talent so be it.

 

[Nibs]

Loz, I know what you're saying re the diving - I detest it too. That's why it took me ages to warm to Drogba (who has thankfully improved 100% in this respect, although still from time to time behaves like a big tart) and why I still get very pissed off with Robben. I even admit that Joe goes down too easily at times, but thankfully nowhere near to the same extent - Robben is the worst, as he seems to look for the dive 9 times out of 10.

But with Messi - I've seen a fair bit of him and I wonder what you are basing your opinion on? He is a wide man and a very skilful one at that and he's there to be got at. Sometimes he may go down but I have seen very few occasions where he has blatantly dived a la Robben.

 

[loz]

I have seen Messi dive blatantly on a number of occasions and it is the kind of dive (like Robben's) where it is entirely pre-meditated (i.e running at a defender with no intention of beating him and every intention of taking to the ground) rather than a spur of the moment 'felt contact so exaggerate it'

I am not saying the latter is acceptable, just that the former actually takes training to get good at and it bothers me that players as young as Messi and Robben have already mastered it (or not in Robben's case - he is far from convincing).

 

[Joel]

In fairness to Messi he went over in the area during the 2nd half on a stellar tackle from someone (Helguera? can't remember) and despite the baying of the crowd for a penalty got up and dusted himself off without making any sort of claim. It was the perfect spot on the field for a persistent diver to try it too.

So I think he has it in him and in general seems to keep his feet more often than not.

 

[yorkleyblue]

OK, it's the third minute of added time in the last game of the season, against the Mancs. The score is 1-1 and we need to win to "steal" the EPL. Robben dashes through into the American penalty area (or end-zone as they call it) in front of the MHL. Donkey Ferdinand sticks out a leg, Artful Robbie spots this and goes over in a full dying swan 9.9 level dive. Honest Graham Poll (for it is he), as ethical as the day is long points to the spot while looking for the nearest camera. Up steps Frankie to bamboozle Van der Graaf and "break the old onion bag" (Copyright some Irish Tosser)

My question is this: How many in the MHL would stand up and shout "Oh play fair Mr Poll, that was such a blatant dive, I don't think we could, in all conscience, accept that penalty kick"

Discuss

Kev

 

[loz]

Well for a start saying it wouldn't matter as we would still get it!!

I hear what you are saying yorkley and it is a fair question - when push comes to shove there are very few who would say 'I don't want that penalty, take it back' however in the situation you give there is a pretty solid argument that some would put that Utd losing out because of a dive would be a degree of justice for the number of times ROnaldo has conned refs.

My overall point is that I don't want our players doing it, I don't want any players doing it. If we were to win the league in the dying minutes in the manner you described I would obviously be happy to have won the league although I would still be a little embarassed (not as much as if we won the cup in that way, after all a league is won over the duration, it isn't down to a one second event).

However what if it were was roles reversed and it was us who lost the league in the dying second because of a penalty won by Ronaldo going over an imaginary foot. Would you be baying for blood or would you be saying 'Aargh well fair enough, Robben has done it plenty of times'

 

[yorkleyblue]

I was really only playing devil's advocate Loz. I agree totally with you, I hate it whenever it's done, by CFC players or opponents.

I would be happy but embarrassed if my scenario occurred, incensed if it was El Tumblo at the other end, but ultimatley sanguine about the whole thing.

I saw on another place (I think) a suggestion of some sort of sin-bin for diving and the like. That might work.

Kev

 

[loz]

For me diving for a penalty should be a straight red card offence. If a professional foul by a defender merits a straight red on the grounds that it denies a clear goal scoring opportunity, then I think a foul to create a clear goal scoring opportunity should be treated similarly.

However this obviously doesn't deal with the issue of dives that the ref doesn't spot (and lets be honest I can't really blame refs for not spotting a lot of them) - for this I would be more than happy to see retrospective punishment taken against players.

OK you can't go back and reverse a result on the grounds it shouldn't have been a penalty in the first place (and obviously the natural progression for this discussion is the argument about instant video replays) however I would like to see hefty suspensions handed out to players who are found tobe guilty of diving, and I would like to see the suspensions increase each time they did it.

For example first offence, 3 match ban, then 5, 7 etc, maybe topping out at a 7 match ban. Once you hit the 7 match ban then you would get 7 every time you were found guilty of diving after that (slate wiped clean at the start of every season) Seems a lot I know however I think we are at a stage where the punishments need to be that severe to make players consider if it is worth it.

Just now you can take a dive and the best that can happen is a match winning penalty and the worst is a booking - that is never going to stop players from doing it. I also don't think the threat of a one match ban will stop players either.

The other thing I would consider is to suspend one of the matches so that the player has to serve it against the team he offended against. i.e. if Ronaldo did it against us then one of his games would be the next time we played Man Utd. There are some problems with that idea in that the ban may actually overlap seasons or it may be against a team that got relegated and therefore the two clubs may not meet again for a very long time but I'm sure there are ways around that.

As you can see my ideas are not that well thought out!! I guess I am just saying I want far harsher penalties (and I certainly don't want them to be financial ones, they must be suspensions)

 

[yorkleyblue]

SO get the A5 pad out and fire one off to the FA/UEFA/FIFA whatever Loz

I think you have a very good (if a still to be clarified) line of thought on this mate. You sorted RA the other day, get writing!

kev

PS - I KNOW that the letters on A5 are written in green ink