Diving and play acting

[cricketfieldclarets]

Have we ever been as guilty as tonight. Embarrassing at times. Particularly in some of the clashes with much smaller men.

Disappointing to see.

[Jamesy]

Gotta agree with you. Even my wife commented on the play acting tonight.
I was fed up first half with Barnes continually hitting the deck then Jay took over from him second half. I can’t remember which one of our players when their player connected with his chest went down holding his face. Truly embarrassing and blatant cheating. There does seem to have been a lot more of this from all teams since crowds were banned and stadiums are quiet.

[Vegas Claret]

if you can't beat them then join them, it's ruined the game but isn't going to change so **** it

[burnmark]

I commented to mates that Barnes seemed to be in his ‘falling over’ mood tonight, particularly first half. I didn’t spot him do it once on Saturday and he looked a far better player.

Whether he targets certain referees who will fall for it, I’m not sure but it can certainly be frustrating and a tad cringeworthy.

[DomBFC1882]

It was a bit cringeworthy it must be said although you've gotta play the game these days. How many times do we get penalised for soft fouls which the opposition make the most of?

Ideally I wouldn't like to see it at all but if you can't beat them join them

[ksrclaret]

Did Dyche mention this in his post-match interviews?

He really hates this sort of thing and he's the only one who's bothered about the cheating in the game.

[Zlatan]

Barnes, Lowton and Tarkowski all bought free kicks tonight - I don’t like to see us doing it, we’re better than that.

[boatshed bill]

Barnes, Lowton and Tarkowski all bought free kicks tonight - I don’t like to see us doing it, we’re better than that.

Actually, we're not.

[jrgbfc]

The Tarks one to win the free kick near the end was terrible, can't believe the linesman bought it.

[burnmark]

The Tarks one to win the free kick near the end was terrible, can't believe the linesman bought it.

It was a foul but the pirouette wasn’t needed.

[Swizzlestick]

Hopefully he won't get on that tiresome bandwagon again - Barnes has been guilty of it since day one here. I'm not saying we shouldn't, everyone does it, but you'll come a cropper if you put those comments out there.

[northeastclaret]

Jay and Barnes were given a right buffeting tonight , their centre halves were coming through the back of them in every high ball challenge and was a clear plan to be more physical than the cup match.
I can count at least five times Jay was awarded a clear free kick as he lifted his face from the grass.

[Jamesy]

Jay and Barnes were given a right buffeting tonight , their centre halves were coming through the back of them in every high ball challenge and was a clear plan to be more physical than the cup match.
I can count at least five times Jay was awarded a clear free kick as he lifted his face from the grass.

That centre half did clatter Jay twice. But are you disagreeing with those who said we were diving and play acting?

[Bordeauxclaret]

I was surprised by how physical Fulham were but some of our antics were poor.

[tarkys_ears]

The Tarks one to win the free kick near the end was terrible, can't believe the linesman bought it.

He even spun the wrong way... lol

Anyway, we won a FK so FK it!

[cricketfieldclarets]

Gotta agree with you. Even my wife commented on the play acting tonight.
I was fed up first half with Barnes continually hitting the deck then Jay took over from him second half. I can’t remember which one of our players when their player connected with his chest went down holding his face. Truly embarrassing and blatant cheating. There does seem to have been a lot more of this from all teams since crowds were banned and stadiums are quiet.

Lowton. Closely followed by Tarks on the incident you mentioned. Both did it.

Had it been an opponent we’d have been livid.

[elwaclaret]

Don not like it one bit. Do not like us doing it. It needs stopping, it is only increasingly the shambles of VAR. For me there should be a panel and if a dive they’re booked... they could fill there spare time from playing on when everyone knows it’s offside nonsense. They should be there when asked by the ref not running the game.

[Stalbansclaret]

Lowton. Closely followed by Tarks on the incident you mentioned. Both did it.

Had it been an opponent we’d have been livid.

The Tarks one was indeed embarrassing. Lowton was fouled though.

[Ashingtonclaret46]

Why do you find it embarrassing? It has been going on for several years in the Premier League and has now also drifted into the lower leagues and don't even get me started about Junior football which was getting worse and worse. Why? There is no doubt why, they follow their role models!

Sadly, we are having to go down the same path in order to keep up with the modern game which is being ruined, not by the officials, but by players, management, media coverage who seem to think that any sot of contact entitles a player to go down.
Certainly not the game which I played and was involved with for over 50 years at senior level.

People talk about entertainment, well, the entertainment world consists of acrobats, people who dive around, tricksters, dramatists so it is no surprise to see that this is now part of the entertainment put forward as modern football. JUst enjoy it because the game as many of us older fans is concerned is dead!

[Burnleyareback2]

I’d love to see the montage of Fulham elbows and hands in Burnley faces tonight- it was nonstop.

[superdimitri]

Hate to see it but it's not up to us to get on top of it. If we play nice like we used too we get beat.
Fullham were also not innocent. Was surprised how dirty they were but then remembered the type of player Parker was.

As mentioned, we have to do it to be competitive. It's up to refs and football as a whole to end it. Not us.

[Hipper]

Refs can't stop it (they can help by penalising challenges that don't lead to someone falling over. In a lower league game this week for example, a forward missed an open goal as he was pushed. The player didn't go down and the ref did nothing).

VAR can't stop it it seems.

The Laws can't stop it.

And players can't seem to stop it.

Pundits and TV generally mostly don't want to know. They could have a big impact by embarrassing players but presumably in the managing of their product they deem it not in their interest to do this.

Managers and coaches can. But they don't. They're hypocrites, pure and simple, and I include our manager in that. He may make noises. He may not be as bad as some but there's been diving before this season by our players. Not as much but it's been there.

Dyche is probably right if he's had a change of attitude to cheating (which is what it is). It's here to stay and there's nothing he, or it seems anyone else, can do about it.

[Woodleyclaret]

Fulham decided to rough us up simple.
Barnes gets clattered in lots of games and gets nothing.At least Super Jonny awarded free kicks tonight.

I

[MACCA]

Saturday's going to be a classic one feels
Last night, the average passing accuracy was the lowest of any premier league game so far this season.

It might get beaten again very soon, get your neck braces ready its

Allerdyce v Allerdyche

[jojomk1]

If Ash spent more time trying to control the ball and moving it on rather than falling on his backside, we might get more flow into our game

[Bosscat]

When Lowts scored his goal on Saturday... he made a run from the halfway-line with the ball and got clattered into by the Palace player who finished up on his @rse whilst Lowts just kept going... If that had been a City/Arsenil/Chelski/Yoontid player they would gave gone down under the challenge from the Palace player and be looking for the free kick.

Diving and play acting is rife across the divisions ... and you just have to listen to the pundits commenting on a player "winning" a free kick/penalty ... seeing how a player trails a leg to instigate contact then going down.... it must be practised on the training grounds...

Yes there are times we are guilty of it and I would prefer we weren't but ... its a part of the game now and the only way to stop it is for the officials to punish it at all levels

[Gordaleman]

Did Dyche mention this in his post-match interviews?

He really hates this sort of thing and he's the only one who's bothered about the cheating in the game.

Yes, he mentioned it many times, and he also said that if nothing was done about it, then "Reluctantly, Burnley might have to do the same."

Nothing was done about it. Now you see the result.

[ksrclaret]

Yes, he mentioned it many times, and he also said that if nothing was done about it, then "Reluctantly, Burnley might have to do the same."

Nothing was done about it. Now you see the result.

Thanks but I was referring to his post-match interviews after last night's game. He raises the issue quite a lot when other teams do it, so I was just wondering if still wanted to talk about it when it's the Burnley players at it.

I don't remember him saying Burnley might have to start rolling around and diving as well. I'm very surprised at that given how strong his reactions are to it.

[Gordaleman]

Thanks but I was referring to his post-match interviews after last night's game. He raises the issue quite a lot when other teams do it, so I was just wondering if still wanted to talk about it when it's the Burnley players at it.

I don't remember him saying Burnley might have to start rolling around and diving as well. I'm very surprised at that given how strong his reactions is to it.

I don't think he was so much referring to diving and rolling around as just "Feeling a touch" and taking advantage like most other teams do.

I don't like any form of cheating, but with so much money at stake, it's inevitable that it will happen. The problem remains that it always favours the big clubs, in that if a player gets a ban for diving for example, then they just play another top class player during the ban. Teams like Burnley, just can't afford to lose players, as they don't have the same back up.

[Billy Balfour]

VAR can't stop it it seems.

The Laws can't stop it.

And players can't seem to stop it.

Pundits and TV generally mostly don't want to know. They could have a big impact by embarrassing players but

If enough people who hate the cheating and diving stuff start turning off from professional football, either by not renewing TV subs or jacking their season tickets, then maybe something will happen, but I wouldn't hold my breath. And yes, it's always been there, but now it's become embarrassingly blatant and very repetitive. We should start calling it 'fall-over-ball', not football.

I know one thing, before the current lockdown, I found watching my lad's U13s team more enjoyable than what's become of the so-called professional game. At least you see them give 100% and there's bags of honesty on display.

[houseboy]

Hate this kind of stuff because basically at any level in any sport or game I hate cheats. Personally I’d sooner lose than cheat, it’s just the way I am. If you cheat how can you say you won? Yes you get the result and the points and, of course, the money, but you don’t actually win, you cheat yourself.

[houseboy]

If enough people who hate the cheating and diving stuff start turning off from professional football, either by not renewing TV subs or jacking their season tickets, then maybe something will happen, but I wouldn't hold my breath. And yes, it's always been there, but now it's become embarrassingly blatant and very repetitive. We should start calling it 'fall-over-ball', not football.

I know one thing, before the current lockdown, I found watching my lad's U13s team more enjoyable than what's become of the so-called professional game. At least you see them give 100% and there's bags of honesty on display.

Trouble is fans of the big six won’t turn off because they love all the cheating and diving because they are brought up on it. It’s endemic in the big clubs because the prima donnas that they employ are so good at it.

PS. Barnes is a Claret but he is also a cheat. Dyche gives him so much game time and yet criticises cheats. Methinks there is a blind spot there somewhere..

[superdimitri]

Refs can't stop it (they can help by penalising challenges that don't lead to someone falling over. In a lower league game this week for example, a forward missed an open goal as he was pushed. The player didn't go down and the ref did nothing).

VAR can't stop it it seems.

The Laws can't stop it.

I don't really buy this. I think refs could easily stop it. For some reason they don't.

I don't think it's anything to do with the media, I think it's something the FA and even FIFA as a whole care to do nothing about.

It's a shame because the product will lose value if it carries on. To potential new fans of football it's a complete joke. It should be embarrassing for a player to fall over so easily the same as other sports. They shouldn't be rewarded for it.

It's a simple fix if they wanted to do it. They could add sin bins or just book players for simulation. The latter is already a rule but refs rarely enforce it.

[Billy Balfour]

Walking into a busy pub and someone slightly bumps into your shoulder as you make your way to the bar and you end up rolling around on the floor while clutching your face in agony.

[Stalbansclaret]

Walking into a busy pub and someone slightly bumps into your shoulder as you make your way to the bar and you end up rolling around on the floor while clutching your face in agony.

What is this "busy pub" thing you speak of ?

[cricketfieldclarets]

Why do you find it embarrassing? It has been going on for several years in the Premier League and has now also drifted into the lower leagues and don't even get me started about Junior football which was getting worse and worse. Why? There is no doubt why, they follow their role models!

Sadly, we are having to go down the same path in order to keep up with the modern game which is being ruined, not by the officials, but by players, management, media coverage who seem to think that any sot of contact entitles a player to go down.
Certainly not the game which I played and was involved with for over 50 years at senior level.

People talk about entertainment, well, the entertainment world consists of acrobats, people who dive around, tricksters, dramatists so it is no surprise to see that this is now part of the entertainment put forward as modern football. JUst enjoy it because the game as many of us older fans is concerned is dead!

I find it embarrassing because that’s exactly what it is. As well as being unnatural. It’s actually harder to dive then not.

[cricketfieldclarets]

When Lowts scored his goal on Saturday... he made a run from the halfway-line with the ball and got clattered into by the Palace player who finished up on his @rse whilst Lowts just kept going... If that had been a City/Arsenil/Chelski/Yoontid player they would gave gone down under the challenge from the Palace player and be looking for the free kick.

Diving and play acting is rife across the divisions ... and you just have to listen to the pundits commenting on a player "winning" a free kick/penalty ... seeing how a player trails a leg to instigate contact then going down.... it must be practised on the training grounds...

Yes there are times we are guilty of it and I would prefer we weren't but ... its a part of the game now and the only way to stop it is for the officials to punish it at all levels

This is the most frustrating thing. I loved that goal because how strong and determined lowton was.

Barnes is also far better when he plays that way.

[cricketfieldclarets]

Trouble is fans of the big six won’t turn off because they love all the cheating and diving because they are brought up on it. It’s endemic in the big clubs because the prima donnas that they employ are so good at it.

PS. Barnes is a Claret but he is also a cheat. Dyche gives him so much game time and yet criticises cheats. Methinks there is a blind spot there somewhere..

Bob on

[Bin Ont Turf]

Barnes and Wood get manhandled all game in most games, except Wood doesn't get as many free kicks as Barnes. Work it out.

The Tarky one was embarrassing and wasn't even a foul.

[Ashingtonclaret46]

I find it embarrassing because that’s exactly what it is. As well as being unnatural. It’s actually harder to dive then not.

It isn't you that is doing it though so there is no need to feel embarrassed by it. This is now very much a part of the modern game and it has been for many years.
You have to remember that the game now is far superior to the one that I have watched for almost 70 years, therefore, no need to feel embarrassed because it obviously has improved the game in so many fans' eyes.

[houseboy]

It isn't you that is doing it though so there is no need to feel embarrassed by it. This is now very much a part of the modern game and it has been for many years.
You have to remember that the game now is far superior to the one that I have watched for almost 70 years, therefore, no need to feel embarrassed because it obviously has improved the game in so many fans' eyes.

I what way has it improved the game...exactly? Is it the players falling over in a mild breeze? Is it a player feeling the slightest touch on his shoulder and falling down clutching his face? Maybe it’s the attempts to get another player sent off? Or maybe it’s the sight of a player doing a remarkable impression of a dying swan or rolling over a dozen times before coming to a halt under the ref’s nose? Or maybe it’s the dive in the penalty area because he’s felt the breeze off a defender on the back of his leg?
I appreciate you were being tongue in cheek (or at least I hope you were) but this must be stopped before the game becomes a laughing stock, and it should start by pundits starting to call it what it is, cheating, and to stop referring to it as simulation and saying ‘he had a right to go down’. The really ironic thing is that some players are so used to doing it that sometimes they miss a scoring opportunity by doing the dive. Crazy.

[Ashingtonclaret46]

I what way has it improved the game...exactly? Is it the players falling over in a mild breeze? Is it a player feeling the slightest touch on his shoulder and falling down clutching his face? Maybe it’s the attempts to get another player sent off? Or maybe it’s the sight of a player doing a remarkable impression of a dying swan or rolling over a dozen times before coming to a halt under the ref’s nose? Or maybe it’s the dive in the penalty area because he’s felt the breeze off a defender on the back of his leg?
I appreciate you were being tongue in cheek (or at least I hope you were) but this must be stopped before the game becomes a laughing stock, and it should start by pundits starting to call it what it is, cheating, and to stop referring to it as simulation and saying ‘he had a right to go down’. The really ironic thing is that some players are so used to doing it that sometimes they miss a scoring opportunity by doing the dive. Crazy.

I'm always being told that the game is far superior these days to what us old geezers watched in the past, therefore, that must be the case because us old buggers know nowt about football and the more I watch the modern game and listen to pundits pontificating, the more convinced I become that I know nothing except that I know how football should be played and the modern game is getting worse week by week.

[superdimitri]

On show again today, Westwood our biggest culprit. What other teams would instruct our players to play for free kicks when a player up?

[dougcollins]

On show again today, Westwood our biggest culprit. What other teams would instruct our players to play for free kicks when a player up?

And ironically, the man who gave away the most free kicks in the second half. Not alone in this but he really did have a 'mare.

[houseboy]

I'm always being told that the game is far superior these days to what us old geezers watched in the past, therefore, that must be the case because us old buggers know nowt about football and the more I watch the modern game and listen to pundits pontificating, the more convinced I become that I know nothing except that I know how football should be played and the modern game is getting worse week by week.

It’s sad ain’t it? There was a time when it was a mans game, now it’s more like a production from an amateur dramatics society. I’m not certain how much longer I can take it.

[Zlatan]

We’re 10 years away from this on current projections

https://youtu.be/cYkUME8YtD4

[Ashingtonclaret46]

It’s sad ain’t it? There was a time when it was a mans game, now it’s more like a production from an amateur dramatics society. I’m not certain how much longer I can take it.

Can't argue with that at all and my frame of mind is the same, it is becoming unwatchable for so many reasons.

Zlatan ---I wouldn't be watching that either!

[Goodclaret]

I'm absolutely sick of the cheating. I hate it when our players do it (and we have definitely been far more guilty all over the park recently) but the way in which the media gloss over it now is embarrassing. Yesterday, Tierney saw Cancelo coming towards him as he won a ball in the air. He knew Cancelo wouldn't make a fair challenge and got brushed by him on his thigh. He clutched his feckin face as he rolled around on the floor. Gary Neville was co-commentating and didn't say a bloody word. If they would just start to come out and say "well, that's blatant cheating" it may start to change things but it just won't happen.

As for Dyche - he has (rightly) banged on and on about it for a few years now but I feel he has run out of energy as, if anything, it's getting worse by the week. There must be a point where he must think I'm not winning my battle against cheating and I am also losing advantage for my team on the pitch so bugga it, may as well do it ourselves. It's not good to see and, if we ever become as bad as City, Arsenal and, the chief culprit, Mo Salah, I think I'll struggle to carry on watching.

My non- league team is Barnoldswick Town and the honesty and hard work that gets put in by these players is far more rewarding to watch than a set of cheating, diving PL players. That's where I'll end up most weeks if it continues.

[Goodclaret]

We’re 10 years away from this on current projections

https://youtu.be/cYkUME8YtD4

Thanks for sharing that Zlatan, it's made my day

Does this also explain why Bolton are so poor these days?