Something positive amidst all the negativity about this World Cup

Discussion in 'World Cup 2010: General' started by joegrav, Jun 13, 2010.

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  1. joegrav

    joegrav Member+

    Jun 9, 2006
    Boston, MA
    Club:
    New England Revolution
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    Has anyone else noticed that diving and playacting is way, way down this year? We haven't even seen the stretcher and magic spray yet, I don't think (I missed most of Slovenia-Algeria, so I'm not counting that game).
     
  2. 12th Warrior

    12th Warrior Member+

    May 27, 2006
    Yes but Italy haven't played yet.

    I keed, I keed. :D
     
  3. Bariaga

    Bariaga Member

    Jul 9, 2008
    The strikers in the offensive thirds are the biggest culprits in diving and play acting. This new ball took care of that problem by taking the strikers out of much of these games, at least in the offensive third. Maybe if all the games were postponed it would cut down on the diving completely...
     
  4. thejuggernaut

    thejuggernaut Member

    Mar 25, 2007
    PA
    Club:
    Manchester City FC
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    It would take somebody to actually start dribbling in this godforsaken cup, just to get the opportunity to do something as entertaining as diving.

    I would GLADLY take the diving that comes along with a side that actually attacks after the jury duty hours I've put in watching these snoozefests.

    Obviously there are more reasons then just not attacking (rubber ball, no communication, altitude) but honestly, at least a dive would wake me up!
     
  5. Excape Goat

    Excape Goat Member+

    Mar 18, 1999
    Club:
    Real Madrid
    well-said.
     
  6. ImaPuppy

    ImaPuppy Member+

    Aug 10, 2009
    Using too many parentheses
    Club:
    Houston Dynamo
    Nat'l Team:
    American Samoa
    I think the other big positive is the refereeing being top class. I haven't seen many wrong decisions at all and the card-happy refs seem to have missed this WC which is excellent. All of the sending offs have been justified.

    But yes, this WC has been awful.
     
  7. thejuggernaut

    thejuggernaut Member

    Mar 25, 2007
    PA
    Club:
    Manchester City FC
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    YEP Another great job in the Serbia match!
     
  8. starcade

    starcade New Member

    Apr 24, 2009
    You can add that one as well to that bit of positivity. Yes, the "simulation" has been non-existent in this Cup. Let's hope it stays that way.
     
  9. starcade

    starcade New Member

    Apr 24, 2009
    And agreed on the officiating as well.

    But the play on the field has been absolute shite. ABSOLUTE -- SHITE.
     
  10. Gold is the Colour

    Dec 17, 2005
    Perth Australia
    Club:
    Perth Glory
    Nat'l Team:
    Australia
    The ref for the Germany - Australia game was the worst so far IMO (wouldn't have made a difference to the result though) There is no way that Cahill deserved a straight Red, and Valeri's Yellow was very soft as well - as well as missing a blatant hand ball in the box.

    Pretty much every offside call was correct though, despite the Socceroo defenders standing still with their arms in the air:eek:. He did also pick up on 2 dives which was good to see. Overall whilst I'd put him as worst so far, he would probably be one of the better ones last time around.
     
  11. guignol

    guignol Moderator
    Staff Member

    Apr 28, 2005
    mermoz-les-boss
    Club:
    Olympique Lyonnais
    Nat'l Team:
    France
    a bit early to judge, but i share the impression. it first struck me during england-USA. i think the americans are always more sporting and respectful of the referee, but there was also a case during algeria-slovenia where bougherra tackles novakovic in the area and not a peep out of the slovenian*.

    but the exception that proves the rule (sorry gold) was australia last night. mertesacker's handball, you're right. cahill's red i didn't see. but long before that the oz players had started swearing a blue streak at the ref, contesting every call in a way that would make even italians look like good sports, as if he was the cause of all their problems.

    *besides being a fine show of fair play, it was a classic case of why video would be a bad thing. because at full speed, what you see is a great tackle by bougherra, hard-nosed but clean, right on the ball. the first replays confirm. but a third angle shows the algerian clips novakovic's ankle just before the ball. penalty? hard to say. but with video, we're off on a hair-splitting argument no one will ever resolve, while in real time what we got was a defender making a great play, a ref making the right decision, and the striker agreeing that he hadn't been unfairly treated.
     
  12. -Sx2-

    -Sx2- Member

    Aug 21, 2006
    Los Angeles
    Club:
    Tottenham Hotspur FC
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    Cameroon and Italy both had many diving instances.
     
  13. ImaPuppy

    ImaPuppy Member+

    Aug 10, 2009
    Using too many parentheses
    Club:
    Houston Dynamo
    Nat'l Team:
    American Samoa
    Standard from the Italians. :D kidding.
     
  14. joegrav

    joegrav Member+

    Jun 9, 2006
    Boston, MA
    Club:
    New England Revolution
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    No need to kid, it's true
     
  15. broseph

    broseph New Member

    Apr 30, 2005
    Saint Louis, MO
    I didn't see the Italy game but Ronaldo today may have singlehandedly matched Italy and Cameroon combined... :)
     
  16. DogmaticFtbolFanatic

    Apr 25, 2005
    Huntington Beach, CA
    It really is a bummer that one of the best players in the world resorts to diving the way Ronaldo does....it's infuriating and not necessary.
     
  17. Big Soccer Member

    Jan 16, 2008
    Surrey, England
    Club:
    Newcastle United FC
    Nat'l Team:
    England
    I think people are very harsh on Ronaldo. He only dived once in my opinion, down by the corner flag when he was touched on the shoulder. The rest of the time he was hacked down, only for the Ivorians and the commentators to have a massive go at him.
     
  18. DogmaticFtbolFanatic

    Apr 25, 2005
    Huntington Beach, CA
    There was one instance so blatant where he wasn't even touched. Maybe my memory is poor or because I was dozing :rolleyes: I don't recall the exact location on the pitch...but I seem to remember it being closer to free kick in front of the goal area. Atleast 3 instances I can remember where he went to ground very easily. Regardless, the guy has a track record (even in the last world cup getting Rooney sent off). Yea, he gets hammered a fair bit as well but I don't see Messi playing that way.
     
  19. guignol

    guignol Moderator
    Staff Member

    Apr 28, 2005
    mermoz-les-boss
    Club:
    Olympique Lyonnais
    Nat'l Team:
    France
    i'm no CR fan by any means but the "diving" is far from the top of reasons he gets up my nostrils.

    there was indeed that one time by the corner flag he went down... the first angle i thought they clipped boots but actually they were'nt even close. all the other times he went down he really had been hacked, and it happens a lot to players like him because their footwork is faster than the opponents. messi goes down plenty too. the difference is he doesn't make a soap opera of it.

    often fouls that look niggling can both really smart and also bring you down no matter how hard you want to stay up. but why even try to muscle through (at reduced speed and/or off balance) if the foul is real and the FK is attractive? you're just inviting the defender to keep it up, you're making his job easy.

    that said, CR has a not at all undeserved reputation for flopping that means he sometimes doesn't get the foul he deserves... so he puts on his act... which gets on the wicks of both defenders and refs... and the vicious spiral continues.
     
  20. Hoopbhoy

    Hoopbhoy Member

    Jan 13, 2006
    Glasgow
    I don't think there's been quite as much diving though it's still there. I do think there's been a decrease in the amount of exaggerated rolloing around in the hope of getting players sent off. That makes the refs job a lot easier. Although, in general, the standard of refereeing has been as high as the standard of play has been low. Says a lot about a World Cup that the best that can be said about it is good refs.
     
  21. MissPepper

    MissPepper New Member

    Jun 14, 2010
    Melbourne
    Club:
    Melbourne Victory
    Nat'l Team:
    Australia
    The two dives in the Germany/Australia game were pretty depressing, considering they already had the lead...
     
  22. Brady

    Brady New Member

    Jun 2, 2010
    Club:
    Liverpool FC
    Can't remember who.....think it may have been during the France vs Uruguay game where a player got booked for diving. All the players must have been told prior to the world cup that diving will not be tolerated. Diving has seriously decreased this world cup.
     
  23. Ze Pereira

    Ze Pereira Member

    Aug 10, 2007
    Adelaide, SA
    Club:
    FC Porto
    Nat'l Team:
    Portugal
    His petulant and arrogant among other things, I'm a fan but I'm aware he is by no measure a saint. There are enough legit reasons to dislike him and even his most avid fan gets why some react to him the way they do but some of the criticism is pure nonsense.

    Rooney got sent off because he stomped on a downed opponents testicles in plain view of the referee, he was rightfully sent off, Ronaldo was rightfully offended and appealed to the ref, it didn't change the outcome, Rooney got Rooney sent off. That nonsense needs to die a quick death.

    As to the game, he was cynically hacked on a number of occasions, it was clear they decided to handle Ronaldo the way they did and the ref didn't stop it, he may have felt entitled to even the score which isn't right but there are two wrongs there and if people are offended by one, surely in the interest of honesty and consistency, they should be equally offended by the other.

    You'll always see player x dived in a thread like this but never team x decided instead of legitimately defending a quality opponent they choose to kick him down whenever he got the ball. I've never understood why the latter is not recognized as equally detrimental to the game. More a general annoyance then a direct response to the quoted post btw.
     
  24. johlee991

    johlee991 Member

    Aug 4, 2007
    The Woodlands, TX
    Club:
    Swansea City AFC
    Nat'l Team:
    Korea Republic
    And done. De Rossi lead the ways in dives in the game. In the early stages, he did a perfect swan dive, grab/yell, roll technique that the Italians are famed for to try to con the ref into giving a free kick outside the box.
     
  25. Bees Knees

    Bees Knees Member

    Nov 10, 2005
    Aruba
    Club:
    DC United
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    And today, in Italy's draw with New Zealand, the only reason the Italians took home one point is that De Rossi dove to get a PK. Totally shameful, dirty play.

    Another note about this thread: a couple of posts ago people were commenting on the high level of officiating in this cup. Seems quaint, given the events of the past couple days.
     

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