Gary Neville

[Pigeonho]

Some managers actively encourage it, some don't.

Precisely, and if Aguero had gone down because Mancini actively encouraged his players to do so, and we won the league with a last minute penalty, no one would care. It's part of football, always has been and always will be.

I would care. I want to win things without cheating.

But would you have celebrated any less, and would it have said 'cheats' under the engraved 'champions 2011/2012' on the trophy?

 

[wolfie1988]

Precisely, and if Aguero had gone down because Mancini actively encouraged his players to do so, and we won the league with a last minute penalty, no one would care. It's part of football, always has been and always will be.

There isn't a worse example in football that you could have made to illustrate your point than Sergio Aguero.

Read what I said. Aguero has (rightly) been applauded for staying on his feet when many would have, (rightly or wrongly, given what was at stake), gone down. I used the scenario as an example, not the player. Change it to any England player then in the last minute of the world cup final in Brazil. He goes down and we subsequently win it via that penalty. No-one would care.

Fuck that! I would strongly advise any England player to stay on their feet rather than going to ground. Have you seen Englands record at Penalties in big tournaments.......

 

[Pigeonho]

There isn't a worse example in football that you could have made to illustrate your point than Sergio Aguero.

Read what I said. Aguero has (rightly) been applauded for staying on his feet when many would have, (rightly or wrongly, given what was at stake), gone down. I used the scenario as an example, not the player. Change it to any England player then in the last minute of the world cup final in Brazil. He goes down and we subsequently win it via that penalty. No-one would care.

Fuck that! I would strongly advise any England player to stay on their feet rather than going to ground. Have you seen Englands record at Penalties in big tournaments.......

Hahaha good one!

 

[moomba]

Precisely, and if Aguero had gone down because Mancini actively encouraged his players to do so, and we won the league with a last minute penalty, no one would care. It's part of football, always has been and always will be.

I would care. I want to win things without cheating.

But would you have celebrated any less, and would it have said 'cheats' under the engraved 'champions 2011/2012' on the trophy?

At the time no, but I wouldn't have known he cheated until later.

Now the win would mean less to me if we didn't win it by fair means. Don't really care if it's stated on the trophy. I spent years hating the rag win at all costs mentality, and I'm not so shallow that the chances of bit of silverware is going to make me change my mind.

And FWIW the only way cheating will be drummed out of the game is if supporters stop accepting it whenever it benefits there club. For me, football is a sport, not a competition to find the best actors.

 

[Dave Ewing's Back 'eader]

Some players would go down, some wouldn't.

Some managers actively encourage it, some don't.

It's been part of the training ground exercises for many a season. But for once I agree with Pulis. Those players who 'fall' down with no contact should be banned for at least as long as the thugs who go out to injure, deliberately or as 'part of a tackle'!

 

[Pigeonho]

I would care. I want to win things without cheating.

But would you have celebrated any less, and would it have said 'cheats' under the engraved 'champions 2011/2012' on the trophy?

At the time no, but I wouldn't have known he cheated until later.

Now the win would mean less to me if we didn't win it by fair means. Don't really care if it's stated on the trophy. I spent years hating the rag win at all costs mentality, and I'm not so shallow that the chances of bit of silverware is going to make me change my mind.

And FWIW the only way cheating will be drummed out of the game is if supporters stop accepting it whenever it benefits there club. For me, football is a sport, not a competition to find the best actors.

Where do you draw the line then as to what cheating means? How many times during a game will two players contest a throw-in, sometimes when one of those players clearly know it isn't their ball? It's second nature though isn't it? Both players want the ball and both, on occasions, will contest it. Same with corners, free kicks - anything. I would be more inclined to say that at some point during last season we would have had decisions go for us which one of our players contested but they knew wasn't theirs to contest. What if one of those decisions lead to a goal, a match winning goal at that. It might not be as meaningful and obvious as a penalty, but it is still cheating in a sense if that's how you look at it. Others would say it's being competitive, or going all out to win.

 

[route46]

aguero should have gone down this season at home to arsenal he stayed on his feet, was knocked off balance resulting in a weak shot.

 

[avoidconfusion]

Some players would go down, some wouldn't.

Indeed. Aguero could have gone down against QPR but instead stayed on his feet and scored THAT goal.

 

[moomba]

But would you have celebrated any less, and would it have said 'cheats' under the engraved 'champions 2011/2012' on the trophy?

At the time no, but I wouldn't have known he cheated until later.

Now the win would mean less to me if we didn't win it by fair means. Don't really care if it's stated on the trophy. I spent years hating the rag win at all costs mentality, and I'm not so shallow that the chances of bit of silverware is going to make me change my mind.

And FWIW the only way cheating will be drummed out of the game is if supporters stop accepting it whenever it benefits there club. For me, football is a sport, not a competition to find the best actors.

Where do you draw the line then as to what cheating means? How many times during a game will two players contest a throw-in, sometimes when one of those players clearly know it isn't their ball? It's second nature though isn't it? Both players want the ball and both, on occasions, will contest it. Same with corners, free kicks - anything. I would be more inclined to say that at some point during last season we would have had decisions go for us which one of our players contested but they knew wasn't theirs to contest. What if one of those decisions lead to a goal, a match winning goal at that. It might not be as meaningful and obvious as a penalty, but it is still cheating in a sense if that's how you look at it. Others would say it's being competitive, or going all out to win.

There's no line for me. It's all cheating and I won't support any of it.

 

[Skip Donoghue]

I've got a good friend who has a son at their academy. A couple of years ago (when the lad was 9), I asked him in jest if they actually teach them to dive after another Rooney 'trailing leg left in dive' had got them a penalty that weekend. To my surprise he said they are told if they feel any contact in the penalty area then go down but not to bother if outside the area.

What a load of bollocks, I have first hand experience of there academy and the above does not happen....you have either been fed a load of bollocks by your mate or you have just made that up either way trust me it is bullshit