Lot of news on this area generated by our game against Hull. We are leading the pack with Spurs and ManU in the all-time ranking of getting cards from simulation, 16 yellow cards per team.

Now, I'm not here to bash Chelsea, I just want us to take a strong stance on the area. We are so talented we don't need to dive to gain advantage. I basically hate it. Diving, simulating or going down easy after a soft touch are all the same to me.

What are your views on diving? I think the league should hand out suspensions to players retrospectively. It would basically end it. We have the hawk-eye created for a minor problem, now please create a system for the ones loving the game to get rid of cheating.

In my opinion, retrospective bans would be difficult to enforce, it begins to undermine the officials.

 

I read little into us being the most booked side for simulation because frankly some players have got away with serial offenses such as Luis Suarez, Steven Gerrard, Ashley Young. 

 

I think we have a couple of players who go down a bit cheaply at times but the counter argument can be that if players don't embellish contact the free kicks aren't given and the attacking player is at a disadvantage because defenders have used illegal contact but aren't correctly penalised. 

I want to see it put to a stop completely, get some integrity back into the game.

Everyone knows refs cant see everything, football is such a fast game that the refs need help, with all the technology available now its stupid not to use it. It doesnt slow the game down either, it would probably speed some elements up.

Whats the difference in time wasted between a ref walking from the middle of the pitch to the sidelines to speak to a linesman, compared with 2 or 3 heads in the control room giving an instant verdict on a replay.

Replays should be kept for big calls only, like penalties, offside goals etc.

Edited December 19, 201411 yr by Zola

Costa got booked for diving when it appeared he didn't dive against Hull...Also I remember the Clattenburg game against Man utd when Torres got a second yellow for diving and walked, when replays showed, that Evans clipped him, I was at the game so couldn't see what happened properly.

 

I was furious afterwards, as people are always saying, quite correctly, that diving is cheating, but if a player like Evans (who I hate since the Drogba drop kick) knows that he caught a player but stands by and watches him get a second incorrect yellow, isn't he also a cheat ?

 

My point is ? I don't know.... I've had a liquid lunch and am babbling, but divers are cheats as are grapplers, snidey foulers and Jonny Evans.

Edited December 19, 201411 yr by SHELLY

Well what about players who hold their hand up for corners and throw ins they know aren't? I'd say they're also cheats.

Same with players calling for a handball all the time (LIVERPOOL) etc also cheating.

I personally think the rules are fine as they are and as far as technology goes goal line is enough for me. Start using video for everything and the game gets more boring as far as I'm concerned.

Ooh don't get me started, remember that time wasting goalie for Hapeol Tel Aviv...He took it to another level..

Its a grey area for me. I believe it is part of the game now. What I really dont like though is how unfair it is. Costa booked for diving when he didnt but Stevie G does it and not thing happens.

As I said, its part of the game and I accept it but it has to be equal.

Thats not to say I dont get pissed off when someone dives and gets away with it against us.

I hate diving. But I think there is no chance at all that it will now ever go from football, its too ingrained into players and the refs cant stop it.

I thought Costa's booking was harsh. I think it's often instructive to look at the reaction of teammates and the player himself. In the game against Hull, Costa doesn't appeal for anything (in fact he gets right on up looking to carry on playing) and nor does anyone else.

 

Cahill's dive on the other hand was just tragic, if not comical.

 

It frustrates me that players, especially Chelsea players, think this is a legitimate tactic. We don't need to do it and even if we did we shouldn't. As you say, it is cheating.

 

Interesting point re: if a player knows he caught another is it cheating to say nothing when that player is booked? Strictly, yes. It is. In practice...

True enough, in Evans defence (even though it sickens me to defend him) Fergie was in charge at the time, and I'm not sure he would have appreciated drop kick Jonny taking such a Corinthian stance....

I agree. I mean, in practice it seems to me that if the ref makes a mistake that benefits your team is that player going to say anything risking the opprobrium of his teammates/manager and the ire of supporters?

 

I do wonder what would happen in that situation, though. Would the ref listen and convert the free kick he was going to give into a ... I don't know, drop-ball I guess? By the time he's blown the whistle he's likely made his mind up.

 

As I say I think it's an interesting point.

 

I seem to recall an incident where something similar happened with that erstwhile role model (tongue firmly in cheek) Robbie Fowler. He got a penalty for basically tripping over his own feet and told the ref it wasn't a penalty but one was given anyway. It wasn't against us, I can't remember who it was though.

 

[Edit: Think it may have been Arsenal in 97?]

Edited December 19, 201411 yr by worstkid

Clearly we just need to get better at diving...

Now that's just cynical. As Mourinho says, Chelsea players don't dive. Also, there are no American troops in Baghdad.

I want commentators to start condemning it. I hate it when there's a slight touch and the commentator or pundit says "they have the right to go down". Absolute bullsh*t. A touch doesn't make it a foul and not going down doesn't make it not a foul.

 

If someone is slightly touched and goes down with their arms flailing looking like they've died that's a dive. There can be such a thing as a dive and a foul.

 

I hope Chelsea condemn it within the club as I don't just love Chelsea, I love football, and diving is bad for football. I hate people who say "diving is part of the game" just as much as people who dive. Because it doesn't need to be part of the game as 90+% of football fans hate it. Fully grown men going down like they've been shot is embarrassing. 

Edited December 19, 201411 yr by RichardCFC

unbelievable. we all of a sudden are in the press for diving, but last season liverpool did almost everything they could to win and nothing was mentioned, apart from the fecking love fest by the media. It pisses me off that we're the scapegoats for things like this, but the darlings of england (and we know who they are) get a free pass. I am pretty positive sanchez has done it this season, as well as di maria (one being against invanovic in the game at OT) amongst others. However, i agree it's not good and i don't condone it, but it's about time the media focused on other team's players who dive, and not magnify it when it comes to us. 

Edited December 19, 201411 yr by enigma

unbelievable. we all of a sudden are in the press for diving, but last season liverpool did almost everything they could to win and nothing was mentioned, apart from the fecking love fest by the media. It pisses me off that we're the scapegoats for things like this, but the darlings of england (and we know who they are) get a free pass. I am pretty positive sanchez has done it this season, as well as di maria (one being against invanovic in the game at OT) amongst others. However, i agree it's not good and i don't condone it, but it's about time the media focused on other team's players who dive, and not magnify it when it comes to us. 

 

Spot on, i remember Di Maria diving all game against us that day. I don't see why we are being made the scapegoat when the worst divers of the game aren't even playing for Chelsea.

I'm another one who hates diving and wherever I talk to fans of other sports (especially Americans) they often cite diving as one of the reasons for not liking football.

I don't believe that we are worse for diving than any teams though. The yellow cards for "simulation" stat just indicates that we are more likely to get punished (fairly and sometimes unfairly) for it than other teams.

The difference between cleverly winning a penalty and shameful diving, is a fine margin, according to certain pundits...

Costa got booked for diving when it appeared he didn't dive against Hull...Also I remember the Clattenburg game against Man utd when Torres got a second yellow for diving and walked, when replays showed, that Evans clipped him, I was at the game so couldn't see what happened properly.

I was furious afterwards, as people are always saying, quite correctly, that diving is cheating, but if a player like Evans (who I hate since the Drogba drop kick) knows that he caught a player but stands by and watches him get a second incorrect yellow, isn't he also a cheat ?

My point is ? I don't know.... I've had a liquid lunch and am babbling, but divers are cheats as are grapplers, snidey foulers and Jonny Evans.

Not forgetting the above named Jonny Evans trying to decapitate Drogba and him getting booked for it.

The difference between cleverly winning a penalty and shameful diving, is a fine margin, according to certain pundits...

 

To be honest, though, it is. If Eden Hazard Hazard is running full pelt at a player and gets clipped he might go over with arms flaling. It might look "funny" on TV but it it's no put on. He's running at full pace and the slightest touch can knock him off-balance. I would hope refs account for this.

 

To accept your point more literally, though, sneakily winning a penalty is just cheating.

 

I don't think we are being unfairly pilloried in the press over this. I don't even think we're being singled out as the poster child. Sure, we're more visible and that diving display against Hull was pretty reprehensible and Steve Bruce wasn't far wrong, although massively hyperbolic, in calling it Swan Lake.

 

That aside, consider this: the papers only have X amount of column inches to fill with Chelsea on Sunday. If they're talking about Steve Bruce's hyperbolic comments they have less space to devote to Chelsea's mistakes. (No I am not saying Mourinho told players to dive...) My point is this was prevelant last year when Mourinho complained vociferously about ref's decisions. More space has to be given over to the, frankly, manufactured controvesies than to the game itself. If Mourinho can get the press talkin about that then he's erected a massive smokescreen while he fixes the problems for the next game. (Essentially I feel like the press is playing chequers and he's playing chess)

 

And that, to me, is just one of the many geniuses of Mourinho.

Edited December 19, 201411 yr by worstkid

^ Yeah I agree with that. The same applies to Steve Bruce as well - if all the headlines are about diving then the media won't be focusing on the fact that Hull were complete sh*te and have been for weeks.

Exactly. Classic misdirection.

Edited December 19, 201411 yr by worstkid

It's the footballing equivalent of farting and then blaming the dog.

The difference between cleverly winning a penalty and shameful diving, is a fine margin, according to certain pundits...

there sort of is. I've always been of the opinion if a defender Der makes a daft tackle or leaves a leg out for an attacker to take advantage of then he has no complaints, as long as there's contact of course.

The difference between cleverly winning a penalty and shameful diving, is a fine margin, according to certain pundits...

Cleverly doesn't have the ball long enough to win a penalty?!