20 Jan 2019 13:16:07
Just watched goals on Sunday and they rightly picked out Salah’s dive and were comparing to the likes of Kane and Vardy and saying it should be eradicated from the game. I absolutely agree with.
However, in the same breath they picked out Ayew holding on to VVD’s waist preventing him challenging for a ball. This they called good play.
What does everyone think? In my book cheating is cheating and if you want to eradicate cheating then it has to be all it’s forms.
You could say Ayew’s is worse as it obviously premeditated and something they’ve worked on in an attempt to con the referee and gain an advantage.

{Ed002's Note - I am with you about the holding and wrestling - it is wrong. There needs to be an effort to resolve it and they need to get it in to the annual briefing that referees gives each club. Salah needs to get this diving out of the game otherwise we will continue to get the bleating from his agent about him being called a cheat by other players who are, apparently, failing to show him the respect he deserves.}

1.) 20 Jan 2019
20 Jan 2019 14:13:22
Didn't see it so often before (maybe I wasn't looking for it) but this falling over at the slightest touch is now becoming regular in Salah's game. Somebody needs to have a talk with him and tell him to cut it out. Not needed and he has the talent to do without.

2.) 20 Jan 2019
20 Jan 2019 14:44:35
I mite be wrong but I thought eds1 had said that klopp had had a talk with salah about diving. Apologies if I’ve got this wrong!

{Ed001's Note - I think it was Ed002 that said about it, though he is correct about it, I don't remember discussing it. Klopp has had words with him and I am sure there will be more had if he continues.}

3.) 20 Jan 2019
20 Jan 2019 16:31:49
The annoying thing is, if he stayed on his feet, he’d have a decent chance of actually getting on the ball fairly and working the keeper! Last thing he needs is to get a reputation or he won’t be awarded decisions when they are genuine. Remember suarez should have been given multiple penalties in his second full season, but unfortunately had already tarnished himself with all the refs with his self destruct antics prior.

{Ed002's Note - After the second Chelsea game last season where Salah had been booked for diving Klopp had made it clear in his post match press conference and to the player it is unacceptable - and issues had been raised previously about a "star jump" in a prior game against Chelsea and more than one dive in a game about Crystal Palace. It has been asked that Liverpool request referees to give Salah protection from being accused of diving - obviously they cannot do that. The worry must be that his reputation can end up costing Liverpool if valid fouls are not given.}

4.) 20 Jan 2019
20 Jan 2019 17:08:37
Interesting thanks eds.

5.) 20 Jan 2019
20 Jan 2019 17:25:16
Agreed ed2. It’s annoying that some of the best players in the world feel they need to do it, when in reality if they didn’t, most defenders can’t get anywhere near them! Not deflecting anything from salah as he’s a culprit, but the biggest example is neymar, every game without fail. The sooner VAR comes in the better. It might slow the game down, but will eventually eradicate the cheating chappie.

6.) 20 Jan 2019
20 Jan 2019 19:11:10
Valid fouls not given, like the one where salho kicked him in the back of the leg?

For me a dive is when there is no contact. Was watching newcastle highlights and seen perez get pulled from behind in the box but he carries on to then miss his chance on goal. This has happened to salah too. We all know had they gone to ground the ref would have called a pen.

For me the rule makers and implemeneters have to take an approach where they are promoting the behavious they want to see from players. So in those situations a player keeps his feet but get his effort saved, pull it back and call a pen too. Give the defender a yellow card etc etc. Give VAR instant access to replays of incidents in the box. this might be a bit radical, but perhaps for sakho and sah you give the pen for sakho's challenge cos he clearly kicks him in the bag of the leg, and why does a player need to fall over for it be a foul? And then maybe you giv a warning or even a yellow to salah for "milking it".

7.) 20 Jan 2019
20 Jan 2019 20:04:31
What gets me is they seem to pick on certain players to accuse of diving yet over look others, same game yesterday zaha goes down not touched and no mention of it anywhere. In the fa cup Fulham player jumps up falls over no contact yet even with VAR still get a pen, no mention of the dive, arsenal midfielder in the game before they played Liverpool dives gets told to get up by the ref not booked, no mention of the dive, hazard yesterday goes down screaming in the box when aubameyang cleanly wins the ball no mention of him going down to easy. If they want cheating stopped highlight it all and not selective players only. And salah was clearly kicked by sakho goes down embarrassingly like he did against newcastle where he was also pulled both incidents wouldn't cause him to fall as he did though, but how often do you hear commentators say when they do stay up if he was to go down there it would be a pen, refs not giving fouls to players who stay on there feet helps encourage players to go down also. Rose getting booked for a dive today clear foul on him the other week same ref player dives tells him to get up no punishment what so ever. Start giving players retrospective yellow cards for diving, you could ban them but when a player gets yellow card on the pitch for diving it seems a bit much to ban another because the ref never took action or didn't see it. and the same for all the holding and it may be a start to cleaning up the game. Pogba pen yesterday to me was a dive but them incidents like kane's superman dives where he leaves his foot in on the keeper may be a bit trickier to solve as it's down to a person's intepretation of the incident but a lot are so easy to see and deal with.

8.) 21 Jan 2019
21 Jan 2019 00:53:23
Simulation has gone on for decades at every club. I don't see how it can be truely regulated as some legitimate fouls look like the player is being dramatic and some serial divers are very well-practiced at making them look realistic. I don't see how VAR will be the solution when, even on slo-mo replay, its so hard to distinguish between a true foul and a simulation.
Of Salahs last 4 penalties/ claims, i would suggest 3 were legitimate fouls and one was a dive but im sure others would have completely differing opinions (particularly those at rival clubs or those who’s teams he won a penalty against) .

9.) 21 Jan 2019
21 Jan 2019 09:51:24
Spot on, Pt84 and Faithworks. A dive is a lunge forward WITHOUT contact and people need to stop redefining it to suit their agendas. For the record, Salah is going down way too easily (or flopping) after contact and he needs to stop that and not leave himself and the team, penalized in the future for fouls or penalties not given. The penalties vs Newcastle was a penalty IMO, cos it was reveiwed after the game and confirmed even tho he went down easily. The Arsenal and BHA penalties where stone wall as well so again, correct decisions. Vs Palace, he flopped at the first contact which was not enuff to make him go down so that has to stop.

Now like Faithinworks and Pt, I think the media want to pick on who they want to pick on and protect others. Before Salah came to LFC, players like Vardy, Hazard and Zaha have been diving and winning fouls for nothing. I don't remember this type of outrage from the media and the authorities. Also, Diver Alli, Lamela and Harry Klaim were serial divers all last season BUT their hypocrite manager blatantly defended them in the media these same pundits were not outraged about that. Same thing in that Palace game. Zaha blatantly dived with NO contact from Milner BUT there was complete radio silence from the same people who are outraged by Salah going down easily AFTER CONTACT. If you're going to eradicate diving then call it out at every turn and not pick and choose who you want to protect or bring down.

I also agree with Faithinworks, that refs should incentivize those players who stay on their feet by awarding the foul after the advantage is gone. Say if a player gets challenged in the box BUT stays on his feet and misses the chance, the play should be brought back and the penalty MUST be awarded. Such a rule already exists in football BUT it is NEVER enforced as much as it should. That will help clean this up a fair bit, IMO.

10.) 21 Jan 2019
21 Jan 2019 15:26:33
My original post wasn’t supposed to turn this in to a Salah bashing although it is frustrating to see a player go to ground so easily.
He is by no means the only culprit here though just watch Harry Kane and Vardy to see it’s wormed it’s way in to all clubs, players and nationalities. Kane for me is the worst culprit in the Premier League.

My post was more to point out that diving isn’t the only way players cheat but seems to have the worst response. As I said you get a team training their players to grab, block, trip at set pieces and it’s deemed clever play.

There was another instance today when Otamendi stepped across a Huddersfield player to clearly block him from tracking Fernandinho’s run giving Fernandinho an unmarked header. Again the commentator says it’s clever from Otamendi. He made no attempt to go for the ball and clearly just stepped across the defender to impede him tracking Fernandinho. That’s just as much cheating as diving as far as I’m concerned but is viewed completely differently. Why?