The Soccer Thread (IV)

I really wish I could see that, but the BBC has banned viewing of all video clips on its website from outside the UK.

 

Yeah, that used to really annoy me. But as it's now my TV licence fee paying for it, I say sod off.

 

Watching the penalty stuff again, I think that Arshavin has an ok case, but that is rarely called. The keeper took Rooney (who is usually not a diver out). I'm not sure what he is supposed to do there. I can see no PK called because Rooney played the ball too far in front of himself and couldn't catch up, but otherwise he was simply taken out.

 

Watch Rooney's left foot...it's a blatant dive. He was going down well before the contact.

http://godisagooner.wordpress.com/2009/08/30/the-truth-about-the-old-traffordish-penalty-the-dive-of-wayne-rooney/

 

Agreeing with Circus on this one. Arshavin should've earned a penalty, as well, but it quickly became a moot point. The own goal after the Rooney penalty didn't help matters, either.

Speaking of...what's with all the own goals? Between the two Villa games (Liverpool and Fulham) and this one, I've seen three of them this week.

 

I don't care if Rooney was trying to get the call or not. That's part of the job.
He still had his feet taken out.
Clear as day.

 

Here’s the rub… you can’t spend the better part of a week complaining and crying about another team diving and then watch as one of your players does it. There was no contact on the play and the guy went down.

Meanwhile…
RBNY won again! Yup, it’s true. The boys with wings were able to overcome a Crew team that seemed to rest all of their good players (likely because of the turf and RBNY’s suckiness). Sure enough, RBNY came through with a win off of a goal scored on the counter. Amazing stuff.

 

In interesting news that just ran across my desk… The Cosmos will return. Though this will be in an odd way.

 

If this makes any sense at all, my beef isn't so much with the penalty itself as with the selective vilification. (Having said that, watching the video, you can make a case that Almunia got a touch on the ball before he ran into Rooney, although I don't blame the official for not seeing it.)

But how is what Rooney did any different than what Eduardo did? He was halfway to the ground before Almunia touched him. Where's his two-match ban? It's selective enforcement, and while I do know Eduardo's penalty came from UEFA and Rooney's would have to come from the FA, it's not right. A dive is a dive is a dive.

And, while it was rendered moot by the ensuing goal, the Arshavin non-penalty looks even worse when you view it in the context of Rooney's dive. Arshavin was very clearly taken out in the box (and to make matters worse, Fletcher's only touch on the ball came with his hands). I'm not trying to claim pro-English or anti-Arsenal bias here - I think it's nothing more than a little home cooking, which happens in every sport in every country. But if Mike Dean is swallowing his whistle on that play, the rest of the game needs to be a penalty-free affair.

 

I'll add that while it's a disheartening loss for Arsenal, they thoroughly outclassed the English champs on their own pitch. (ManU really, really misses Ronaldo right now.) If Wenger can get their heads back in the game, this can be something they can build on. A chip on some Gunner shoulders wouldn't be a bad thing.

 

Wow, the way you described and what actually happened aren't even close. He reaches is leg back out of instinct because of a poor first touch. He fucked up, I don't see anything intentional at all.

 

The mighty Hawks leave it late, but remain 100 percent on the road. (Hated, nearly bankrupt rivals) Weymouth 0-1 Havant & Waterlooville, with a goal in the 90th minute.