Footballsup Cribs

I was going to write another bit about Rooney’s dive this weekend, but I bore myself with the diving dogma so no doubt any regular readers we do have are bored also. And then I saw Patrick Barclay had written a piece, and I like him, so I’ve reprinted that instead. And then I saw he’s also commented on the penalty issue (goalkeepers advancing off their lines) which was going to be my other piece – so I’ve just reprinted that too. This site is rapidly turning into reprint central – but at least the quality of writing is going up…

Patrick Barclay on the cheating Englishmen:

Of all the contributions made by Scouse players to our game, the least attractive is cheating. We saw it nine days ago when Steven Gerrard was booed by Blackburn Rovers supporters for apparently trying to earn Liverpool a penalty with a simulation technique well known to web-surfers and we saw it again on Saturday, when Wayne Rooney was shown the yellow card for diving over a nonexistent tackle during Manchester United’s match against Aston Villa.

Now don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying that the tendency to go over without good reason outweighs all the good things Scouse players have brought to our football. Players such as Gerrard and Rooney have thrilled us with their technique and etched memories of heroic deeds, while Joey Barton is another whose legacy is assured. The Scouse factor adds much to the footballing landscape.

But we have enough problems in the game without the diving accusations that seem to dog Gerrard and Rooney in particular. A stand needs to be taken against such behaviour and it may be that Fifa will have to ban Scousers from the World Cup to preserve the integrity of the fair-play campaign.

By now you will have smelt a rat. Substitute “foreign” for “Scouse” and you have the kind of rubbish we hear every time a non-English player falls. Substitute the names of Eduardo da Silva or, until a few months ago, Cristiano Ronaldo, for those of Gerrard and Rooney and you have the careless xenophobia always liable to embarrass those seeking to do something for England, such as bring it the World Cup in 2018.

To the credit of Jon Champion, commentating for ESPN on the Old Trafford match, he immediately linked Rooney’s attempt to cheat Villa with the furore over the penalty recently awarded at Anfield to David Ngog when the French striker fell after hurdling a tackle by Lee Carsley, of Birmingham City. But Match of the Day did not even discuss the Rooney incident — although it did mention a rumour that a French player, Benoît Assou-Ekotto, had become involved in an altercation with a Tottenham Hotspur fan.

Without meaning to be hypocritical, the British do have a complex attitude towards cheating. The eye of the beholder is extraordinarily selective. Only attackers cheat — never defenders. Every excuse is made for defenders; they “stand their ground”, or “just do enough to put the striker off”, or “ease him off the ball”, or “make minimal contact” with his shirt or trailing ankle.

And when the attacker dives, he is shown no mercy. He must be banned. His sin is so great that when he goes home — this was the most eloquently damning verdict on Ngog, delivered with passion by Carsley — he will be ashamed of facing his family. Such is the hue and cry against anyone suspected of diving that referees, endeavouring to answer it, make ludicrously unjust errors such as Mark Clattenburg’s in giving Craig Bellamy a yellow card — a second one, condemning the Manchester City forward to a suspension — for being the victim of a slightly late tackle by Paul Robinson, of Bolton Wanderers.

Should the Watford-born Robinson, whose career has featured many slightly late tackles, have taken the advice of those who wished Thierry Henry had gone to the referee of the France-Ireland World Cup play-off and confessed to handling?

There was no suggestion of it. Just as the war criminals are always on the losing side, the cheats are always foreigners.

Patrick Barclay on penalties (last bit):

As Thomas Sorensen said: “All goalkeepers do it — it’s up to referees to sort it out.”

There are no prizes for guessing that he meant moving off the line just before a penalty is taken.

The Stoke City and Denmark goalkeeper had done that in denying Hugo Rodallega a winner for Wigan Athletic. In this case, justice was done because (a) Jordi Gómez had been offside before being brought down by Robert Huth and (b) Rodallega had stopped at least once during his run-up, which is not allowed. But the habit is generally irksome.

It turns penalty deciders into cheating contests and, in the match proper, reduces the deterrent. When there is a one-in-three chance of an offence in the penalty area going unpunished by a goal, and when that chance is dependent on the degree of cheating permitted, football is an ass.

Not, though, in South Africa. To be at a match between Kaizer Chiefs and Orlando Pirates that went to penalties in July was to experience refereeing as it should be.

Every movement off the line by the goalkeeper meant a re-take if the kick was unsuccessful — and encroachments by outfield players were just as strictly policed.

If anyone has a video of that shoot-out, it should be sent to Fifa, Uefa and anyone else bearing responsibility for the weakly tolerant handling of the game — not just penalties but shirt-pulling and so many other aspects — in Europe and other parts of the world.

Sometimes, though, referees are right to interpret the law and an excellent example was provided by Mike Dean at Stoke on Saturday. After awarding a free kick against Huth, Dean did not insist that the ball be taken to the precise spot of the foul — and the advantage to the offended team was used by Maynor Figueroa, the Wigan left back, in scoring a strong candidate for goal of the season.

It was good, positive refereeing — almost worthy of being classified as an assist.

Cheers Patrick.