I'm just going to stick to watching the rugby world cup until I see footballers consistently punished with yellow/red cards for diving.

Kids were playing for fouls and rolling around clutching their shins (the most well-protected part of any footballer, ironically) when I was playing in the under-12s 20 years ago and now it's everywhere. There's no point (or even truth) in picking one team or nationality as the worst offenders (and this is coming from a Socceroos fan who saw us knocked out by a questionable Italian free-kick in the last World Cup). Diving happens in every team in every competition and it shits me right off. That last World Cup reminded me exactly why I got sick of watching football - the goddamn drama queens who leap into the air at the slightest contact with another player, writhe in agony on the ground and then jump up unscathed to take their free kick. It's easy to pick a dive from a real foul/injury and it's about time refs were given the power to punish players who take the piss (video ref anyone? Other sports use it all the time, why not football?). Diving annoyed the crap out of me when I was 11 and it still does. The worst offenders are ... footballers. Not Italian, Scots, Uzbeks, Aussies - just footballers in general. No other team sport has such a problem with divers. Toughen up or get off the bloody pitch!!

Quote from Mackie The Staggie :

But diving goes unpunished, while hard yet fair tackles get punished, by that I mean he goes in hard and gets the ball, yet a free kick awarderd agaisnt and sometimes the player is yellow carded (And I'm not talking about yesterdays game, but all games invovling British side agisnt european sides) How is that just or fair?

Diving doesn't go unpunished, at least here. This is another myth. Players get booked if they're discovered diving here. Italian rules about the use of TV footage don't allow punishment for non-violent fouls yet, but there's an ongoing discussion to extend it also to cheating players. And, contrary to popular belief outside of Italy, diving is not considered part of the game, except by divers. The general public doesn't condone diving.

As far as I understand that you're at loss for a referee's decision, I still can't understand why you can't accept that. I really can't see your point since I'm not so involved in it emotionally, and I believe your point of view is purely emotional. I take matches as a whole, I don't pick what I like and what I dislike. Football works that way. If I have to discuss a match I can focus on single episodes, but I measure them all, not only the single one that split my heart in two. In this, Scotland still lost and you admit it too. Why discuss further about it, I don't know.


Hankstar, thanks for your words. I'd like to see divers and cheaters severly punished every time, just like you, no matter what shirt they wear.

Edit: And for hard tackling, it depends on the definition. What I saw from Scottish players on Zambrotta and Gattuso can't be considered hard tackling: in hard tackling you must get the ball before the legs (that should be avoided whenever possible, not whenever convenient), not just the legs...

Ok I'll try again.

How can you not see that two wrongs do not make a right. Just because there was two dodgy calls by the linesman, does not make what the ref do ok, nor should it be accepted as just one of thoose things that happen in football.

His descion ultimately cost Scotland any chance whatsoever, this is what I fail to accept, if you can't understand it I can accept that, you won what do you care you're going and we are once again staying home.

Quite interesting that a few hours after the game the ref was getting treated like a god in rino gattuso's family restuarant, then got stopped at the airport and his bag was full of signed italian scarfs and tops

Btw, for the benefit of albieg, who would see no humour in this and start ranting again, im not actually saying theres some kinda conspiracy theory, its tongue in cheek. Kinda weird though.

Following Scotland you'd think I'd be used to yet another 'Brave defeat' but na I'm realy peeved off....yet again.

Quote from Mackie The Staggie :

Ok I'll try again.

I don't know what you want me to say or understand... do you want me to say that Scotland deserved to win or tie with the benefit of two wrong offside decisions? Would you really be happy about winning that way? I wouldn't. Just as much as you can't say that the damage suffered by Scotland is worse than two wrong offside decisions. You simply can't say so. In this case I can understand your pain, but not your reasons.

Edit: to Deko: sometimes I can't understand humour, because I really can't see it, or just because it's bad. Maybe I just don't get the Scottish humour, although I get the English one. The second is famous worldwide, while the first...

Ok guys sorry about my typing. I am typing really fast and just wanting to get my point over. Pretty much what im trying to say is in some posts up there but, im not using the vocabulary they are using so my posts probably look more aggresive and arigant which im not trying to be... Ok before people start hating me over this...(well i think some people have...!) (1) in any extent i am not racist nor baist, but i do believe the reeree did have many sides showing baist...(2) as someone pointed out earlier on, yes you are Italians you have won and yes you dont care becuase you are all rady going through, and well to be honest most of the other posts that are against me are coming from the English which have a history of well disliking the scottish ...! (3) i know fare well that there are more people wanting to say the exact same as me on this forum but i am the only one to be stupid enough to post it and cause an argument.

I am going to admit yes we did lose the game, Italy did have a goal refussed which was not offsied, Scotlands goal was offside, BUT this does not make any of the other decissions OK. Far from it. You would have thought us Scottish should be used to losing to big teams, well yes we are but when it comes up to this standard we have moved to 13th in the world rankings and playing the world champions, it is not impossible for us to win. Also someone else pointed out that this kind of decissions get made with any UK teams playing a European teams. Yes pelase dont bring up well how did Liverpool win...? Truely well maybe because they are such a class team and out played the referees decission. Really i am sick fed up of this happening in football it is ruinning the game, i know people from top teams such as France and Italy are not going to notice this as much as they are "The Best!" and well, will be helped out as much as possible.

I hope this is much easier to read and that im not showing a racist side or baist side (infact were did i bring in racism in the first place..?) I would like this to settle and not let it carrying on to cause everyone on LFS to hate me because of a small argumant over football which is happening all over UK just now, and well it allways happens im sure the English would be exactly the same or Italians be exactly the same if this happend to you..!


_John_

HATE because of 2 or 3 forum posts about football? Come on. Everybody who would do that must be a complete idiot.

What post the posts i have been posting or hate me :P??

_John_

WHAT?