Tackles, balls and Seaman - The footie thread

[Judge Dredd]

The world would be a better place if Wright Phillips had gone to Arsenal.

Or any other Premiership club other than bloody Chelsea.

I actually think he would have been a very good player for Liverpool this season, as they haven't had a proper right winger for a few years.

[Danny Top Hat]

Wright Phillips is a Wright, and Wright's belong at Arsenal.  I think he'd be superb on the right for us, but it'll probably never happen.

As for Shearer, I think the guy's a legend and it's a shame he never won anything with Newcastle.  I don't think it's been good for the club to have him there for so long though - I think he got too big for his boots a long time ago.  They wasted Kluivert because of him, for starters.

[Izzy]

Chelsea v Middlesborough FA cup final it would seem

[Jim]

Chelsea v West Ham FA cup final it would seem

[Danny Top Hat]

Liverpool V West Ham?

[Judge Dredd]

Phil Neville has scored in the Merseyside derby.

For Liverpool.

[badapple81]

Phil Neville has scored in the Merseyside derby.

For Liverpool.

And Gerrard sent off after 18 mins too!

[Judge Dredd]

Didier 'Maradona' Drogba.

He has admitted diving and handling the ball for his second goal today.

Hopefully the FA will see sense and take action against this heinous excuse of a 'footballer'.

[2NaFish]

haven't seen the incident. havent heard drogba's comments.

However, many, many, many players and manager's have admitted to having cheated during games before.

Either do it for all of them or none of them. Whilst chelsea may exhibit a distinct lack of morals at times it doesnt mean they deserve to have the rules applied more harshly to them.

[Judge Dredd]

I think the FA need to sit down in the summer and draw up a new 'cheat's charter'.

Some of these players are ruining the game for those who love it.

We have a panel to look at red and yellow cards retrospectively, why can't we get them to look at controversial incidents and hand out punishments retrospectively, as they do in Italy I believe.

[Jim]

Excessive Simulation should be a straight red (simulation alone is a yellow). Referee's just need to stop being so scared of retrospective.

[Jamie]

haven't seen the incident. havent heard drogba's comments.

It was blatant handball and his exact comment was "Yes it was a handball, but that's football", it might sound like I'm biased being a United fan and all that shit; but Chelsea's increasing disregard for the rules of football is becoming very tiring. Extrememly harsh actions should be taken on that club until they realise that being in a position of dominance does not give them permission to play by their own little set of rules.

[Judge Dredd]

haven't seen the incident. havent heard drogba's comments.

It was blatant handball and his exact comment was "Yes it was a handball, but that's football", it might sound like I'm biased being a United fan and all that shit; but Chelsea's increasing disregard for the rules of football is becoming very tiring. Extrememly harsh actions should be taken on that club until they realise that being in a position of dominance does not give them permission to play by their own little set of rules.

If handling the ball, with the exception of goalkeepers and throw-ins, I would like Didier Drogba to show me the page in FIFA's Rules of Football where it says this.

It's probably on the same page that says when a player pulls an opponent back, then runs past him and realises he isn't going to get the ball, he should dive 3 feet in the air, flip over 4 times and then roll about like he has been shot.

[Shoco]

well for the handball, most players would have done the same thing

infact one of my favourite goals of all time was maradonas handball against england 

[2NaFish]

I was taught as a child to play to the whistle. Maybe all of you were taught differently, but the retired proffessionals that taught me always told me to play on untill the referee calls you back.

Every player would've done the exact same thing. If i was a chelsea fan and drogba had stopped the moment the ball hit his hand i'd be pissed off; and the opinion of chelsea fans and employees is all that should and does matter to chelsea's players.

No team at the top is ever viewed in the same light as the rest of the league, especially by those feeding off their scraps.

[Jim]

Oh, always. Although, you are twisting it a bit. 'Play to the whistle' usually covers the player on the opposing team. In other words, 'don't assume that the decision is going to go your way'. Offsides, when you think that you've been fouled or when you see a hand ball... It does work both ways, but managers up and down the league insisting that you play to the whistle isn't as sinister as saying that cheating is fine if you don't get caught.  It's intended to keep players safe against dodgy refereeing decisions more than anything else.

But don't get me wrong. I do agree with you. Robbie Keane did it a couple of weeks back. As a player, there is nothing that you can do about it (providing that it isn't intentional, which I'm assume that Drogba's wasn't?). Keane admitted afterwards that he was suprised that the goal wasn't disallowed. But it wasn't an intentional hand ball, the mistake was the official's, not Robbie Keane's. Do you remember a few years back when Robbie Fowler tried to insist to the referee that he hadn't been fouled by (Seaman? I can't remember who Liverpool were playing, but I think that it was Arsenal... It probably wasn't) after he went down from a one on one in the area? He had jumped over Seaman. The referee had awarded the penalty, he wasn't going to go back on his decision. Fowler went straight up to the referee, insisting that it shouldn't be a penalty. So even if Drogba had have stopped  The officials can't change their decisions based on the opinion of a player, regardless of what team he's on. So, for the first time since comming to the Premiership, Drogba is in the right. Providing it wasn't intentional, of course...

As a side note, I think that the FA wrote Robbie Fowler a letter saying well on ya son, nice and sportsman like. Of course, no Chelsea scum is ever going to be getting one of those any time soon.

[2NaFish]

you're right, it was arsenal.

And i was told even if you blatantly foul then you should play to the whistle (which is the main reason i would book any player who, when fouls, grabs the ball whilst lieing on the ground forcing the ref to give the free-kick. fuck that. Book the player and then give the free kick.)

two weeks ago danielle di rossi scored a goal from a cross with his hand. after ten minutes he went to the ref and owned up and the goal was chalked off. Honesty followed by common sense? Wow, thank god that happened hundreds of miles away. Would want to have british football infected....

[Danny Top Hat]

Drogba's handball doesn't bother me so much, but it's the diving that infuriates me.  I know no team is entirely innocent of it, my team especially, but it's frustrating because it'd be such an easy thing to stamp out if the FA just started suspending players for it afterwards.  I understand that refs have a really tough job and it's hard to book a player for something so 50-50 (you could easily book a player for being fouled, which would be really harsh) but why aren't we using video replays to punish players after the game??

Against Man City Drogba dived blatently when they were already winning comfortably.  I just can't understand how players can still be getting away with this shit.  The worst thing is when a player goes down in the area and it has to be either a foul or a dive and the ref just waves play on, like the incident never happened.  So annoying.


And, holy shit, it's Juventus tomorrow.

[Jim]

Aye, and...

Wait, the first leg is tommorow?! Jesus, that came around quickly.

Anyway, aye and aye. Referees can reverse decisions after the game, and likewise the FA punish players if a nasty foul goes unnoticed... So where is the difference with simulation? As I said before, the FA and it's referees need to grow some serious bollocks and start handing out reds and yellows where an obvious dive (no contact at all) has taken place.

[Jamie]

I was taught as a child to play to the whistle. Maybe all of you were taught differently, but the retired proffessionals that taught me always told me to play on untill the referee calls you back.

Well, I personally was taught to be an honest footballer as a child. I know it may sound ridiculous in the context of the game in recent years, but if I was in Drogba's position I'd have owned up. As was displayed here:

two weeks ago danielle di rossi scored a goal from a cross with his hand. after ten minutes he went to the ref and owned up and the goal was chalked off. Honesty followed by common sense? Wow, thank god that happened hundreds of miles away. Would want to have british football infected....

Now if I'm to be completely honest I don't actually have a clue who this chap is, but footballers in England and other parts of Europe should learn from this.