Didn't similar happen last year when crying Kenny went moaning a couple of weeks before the Derby and look what happend.

What is odd is that to a great extent it doesn't happen in the lower leagues, or in reality, it's not tolerated there. So why is it in the Premier? Is it the influence of overseas players?

I thought it was Mourinho who "outed" AJ as a diver. God knows, he was. After that, he couldn't get a pen even when he was hung, drawn and quartered!

Rodgers comments are ludicrous. LFC get the rub of the green more than most teams and Suarez is a serial diver. If he wants assistance to ward off a real wolf then he shouldn't have cried so often and so loudly about a phantom wolf! What goes around comes around, Luis Lad. Unlucky, now pick yourself up and dust yourself down for a few seconds ... before you fall over theatrically again

The victim mentallity again. It didn't take Rodgers long to play it the Liverpool way did it? Fucking bleating on about how hard done by they are and how the whole world is against them.

Respect is earned, Brendan old son, not given because you think you deserve it, or because you are Liverpool. Tell your diving, cheating, whinging twats to stay on their feet and stop harrassing refs.

The worst thing thing for me is the powers that be condone it. We regularly see retrospective punishment handed out for violent behaviour, racism ect but nothing over cheating. Even if the officials see cheating they let it go most of the time.

Its ruining our game and the reason I rarely watch matches that don't involved Everton.

I'm sure some people will say that the players are so good at it that sometimes you can't tell if a player is cheating or not so its hard to do anything about it but I think we should copy what F1 do. Each accident, or unsporting behaviour is referred to a panel of ex drivers to decide if someone is to blame or if its just a racing incident.

All it would take is a few hefty bans to be handed out over all cheating for it to stop, even petty things like getting a physio on every time a player tackled.

Why don’t we have a panel look at games after the event and use the replays to judge whether people were cheating or not? What is wrong with retrospective bans and fines for players?

If the Shite’s main perpetrators (Gerrard and Suarez) knew that they would be banned for six games the first time they were caught cheating, and then eight games the second time, and then for a season the third time … they would soon stop.

Brendan Rodgers, must have been living on the planet Zog, if he never witnessed or heard or even read about the misfortunes placed upon our club by referees officiating between the Blue & red of Merseyside, over the past 5 seasons.

I am sure I don't have to put details in print.

Sounds to me like the initial stages of a twitching in the anal sphincter as he realises the job he has to do and the less than glorious start he has made of it.

As with all RS managers he appeals directly to the hard done by feelings of the kopites in order to keep them on side.

Next thing is that crowd of in-breds will be holiding a quasi religious procession around castle greyskull with his image held aloft. Before they turn on him of course.

At the end of last season, the Sunday Times published some statistics related to bookings for 'diving'.

Liverpool had four different players booked, more than any other club in the Premier League.

Brendan Rodgers doesn't need to issue new instructions to his players.

Christine is right, it doesn't happen in the lower leagues. Reasons could be the foreign influence isn't as strong, and at the same time points and positions mean the difference between people keeping in employment and paying their mortgages so it wouldn't be stood for.

What is also interesting is that you don't see it in the U18 games or even now the U21, so at some point between trying to make the grade and being in the first team, players are indoctrinated, for want of a better word, into this mentality.

Rose tinted specs nothing, Everton do less of this than any team in the Premiership and Jelavic must have been given a word to because he was diving all over the place when he first arrived.

Once the cameras come in for the ball line technology it will open the game up to retrospective punishment. Why restrict to one thing when other issues can be sorted out with video judging.

Maybe then contract hungry BBC can call a spade a spade and say diving. Not going to ground, not having a right to go down, not any Alan Shearer bollocks, just plain old diving. Cheating.

The likes of Shearer and the amazing Townsend have this strange belief that if a striker can make contact look like a foul then it is a foul. Unfortunately for them we live in a universe governed by the principle of cause and effect and nothing causes Suarez or Gerrard etc to go down like they do. And if that principle is remembered then Shearer and Townsend wouldn't have anything to say. And Brendan Rodgers for that matter!

We had more incorrect decisions in the one game against Newcastle than they've had all season. Moyes has some class and doesn't mention it once the postmatch analysis has finished whilst Rodgers rings the chief referee up — therein lies the difference between the two men.

Unfortunately Rodgers, Gerrard and Johnson have cranked up the pressure on the referees so much through the media that it would take a very bold referee not to gift them the game against Norwich. Any time Suarez goes down in that game he's probably going to get a penalty.

We should have probably had one against Leeds, and had Naismith scored we may well have won, yet nothing has been mentioned about that. As sensible fans we recognise that the performance was abysmal and have no gripes with the result. That lot over the park, however, will seek to blame just about anything else for their own ineptitude, and harp on and on and on about normal decisions that have gone against them that happen to every team in the premier league every week. As usual they'll garner some reward for their whining entitlement complex whilst we received nothing in return for being wronged at Newcastle.

To be fair to the LFC manager, he will have in the past voiced similar concerns re decisions going against his former team, Swansea...oh, hang about...

I would have responded to his moaning by pointing him to YouTube and recommending he searches for Gerrard/Suarez/Cheat/Diving/Hypocrite

Doesn't take `em long at that club, does it? as a great man said "once Liverpool has touched you, nothing can get rid of the stench"

Nick another MOTD expression that gets on my tits , to do with this is "he won a penalty". If a player "wins" a penalty it is obvious he was intending to get one. Again, just call it cheating.

Could it be that Shearer, Hansen, "Lawro", "Chappers" and the rest of the crew are shit scared of anything that may rock their little boats?

There doesn't seem to be any shame attached to diving and cheating the ref?

When I see Jelavic doing it, I feel embarrassed and feel obliged to apologize to any opposition fans in the vicinity.

I wholeheartedly agree with any initiative to stamp it out and start banning players retrospectively, unfortunately the likes of Platini at UEFA (who was one of the first breed of cheaters) are highly unlikely to support anything the FA try and do.

Moyes would probably fine a player for cheating. Revie, according to Brian Clough, used to pay his Leeds players' fines for the same. The culture at LFC lies somewhere between the two. On a scale of 1 -10, I would say about 9.

The FA rescinds red cards - after the damage has been done as in the derby when Rodwell was sent off for not making contact. Who was it rolling about like he'd been hit by Stevie GBH in a night club? Remind me. And they can dish out retrospective bans for offences not seen by the ref. What he says he's seen is taken as gospel.

They have resisted in-game video evidence for donkeys years. And we have yet to see if we get goal-line tech, how it works, and how it will be applied. The idea that this will open the door to a video ref has history against it. And the reason is a simple one.

They, the FA, will resist, to the death, any challenge to the power of the man in the middle - their man in the middle -

4th official? His job is to hold up a board with 4 minutes etc as ordered by the time-keeper, the ref. Man standing with head-wound from heading an opponent. On comes physio. 'Treat it on the field lads, take your time, don't worry, I'll only add a minute on'. Couldn't happen?

- the UEFA Cup extra officials were put on the goal-line. To add extra eyes to the process? No. On the same side as the 'linesman', obscuring his view 'officially'. No chance of a clash of judgements that way, you see. As Clive Thomas apparently put it, they'll all have their story 'straight'.

The FA, UEFA and the corrupt FIFA have had the remedy for all of this in their hands for decades. The reasons they have done nothing about it will be the same reasons for years to come. Expect nothing.

Lazio striker Miroslav Klose successfully asked for his "goal" to be disallowed for handball with the score at 0-0 in his team's 3-0 defeat at Napoli.

That is class and I hope this story goes to the heart of every cheat in the EPL.

I wonder if Crouch/Suarez and the like ever stoop so low as to be so honest!

Pulis asked for three match bans for diving - I would like the same for any goal given for "knowingly" thumping the ball into the net or attempting to use a hand to claim a goal. Cheating is just not about diving but I am in agreement that it is that aspect of cheating which infuriates football fans more than any other sin.

The reason it's such a relatively new thing to the game is because in the old days the opposition player would have been allowed to make a proper tackle that wasn't considered a foul if he made contact with the ball first.

Now they hesitate in the tackle for that split second, leave the leg hanging and the cheats roll over it.

Anyone remember Suarez getting sent off for Uruguay against Ghana (??) for saving the ball on the line with his hand as if he was the keeper.
Ghana then missed the penalty and he was shown on the side lines celebrating like he scored a goal. It was clear then that the Premier league had a real asshole on his way......what a role model eh!!
Then again I grew up watching Duncan Ferguson punching people in the face.....

At least Duncan was old school Steve, and nobody ever gained an unfair advantage from doing it Dunc style.

yeah there was a certain honesty about how blatantly violent he was! Don't get me wrong I idolized the guy!!
I'd much rather an honest thug than a manipulative, snide, cheating thug like they attract across the park (1 guess who I'm picturing when I write that?!!).
God knows Duncan got punished for his honest thuggery!

For my 1 guess can I say all of them?

As has already been pointed out on here football is awash with cheats, and not all of them foreign. But there are, to my mind, more subtle ways of cheating, and some of them are not classified as cheating in the acceptable meaning of the word. They are also blight on the game of football. What are they?
A ball goes out for a goal kick. Your side are 1-0 up and under the cosh with 5 minutes left. So your goalie walks as slow as possible to the opposite side of the goal from where the ball went out and slowly and laboriously places the ball and takes the kick. Why not make him take it from the side it went out, like they used to? Why did FIFA make the change?

Why allow players with a head wound to be treated on the pitch?

Why allow substitutions in injury time?

Why allow players to "shield" the ball out for a goal kick from 15 yards out? The defender hasn't touched the ball so he doesn't have it under control, so he is obstructing the forward. Surely?

Why allow a substituted player the time to move with the speed of a glacier to the touchline? Book him for time wasting.

I pay good money to watch my team. I don't pay it to watch over paid nancy boys ruining it by any of the above.

And breathe...now, lie down in a dark room...

"Simulation" and all the other warm words just disguise the cheating in it's modern form.

Games from the 60s and 70s particularly european matches and internationals were a mixture of sublime skill and all out war.

loosely termed, "hard tackles" were all out assaults with intent to maim, regularly games involved players literally toe to toe swapping punches.

Fucking marvellous it was, but like ice hockey being half the game without a scrap this powder puff stuff just leaves "simulation" as a talking point.

I remember Roger Kenyon in the penalty area at the Gwladys st end waiting for a corner against Fulham. Rodney Marsh clearly upset him because Roger tried to take his head off with a savage right hook in full view of everyone.

Marsh ducked and left the area - so the game continued.

The RS are full off diving cheating whinging twats — how can they moan about decisions against them? Unbelievable! They want to look closer to home first, starting with that carrot-munching racist. I hate talking about them... wish they would do a Rangers or get relegated.

They have short memories — what about the carrot-muncher getting Rodwell sent off? Clattenburg?? Clive Thomas??? I could go on but it would be a waste off time. I bet they get a penalty in there next game at Anfield — fuck them.

Retroactive bans would put an end to this very very quickly. Although most fans to tend to me a bit hypocritical and turn a blind eye when its one of their players doing it. The main divers are pretty much known to most people. To Suarez, you can add Ivanovic, who regularly brings his own sniper to the stadium. Drogba also used to trip over blades of grass and a certain M.Owen in England colours springs to mind.

Players will try and cheat to get their team ahead, you can choose to blame them or not, however only punishment will put a stop to it. If a panel reviewed decisions afterwards with resulting 3 games bans issued, this kind of thing would disappear in a flash.

It would also probably lead to more honest penalties being given as the refs would be more certain that a player is not not diving if he knew he would be punished retrospectively.

I just want to throw up a point if I may - and I say this as somebody who loathes any form of cheating; any form of racism and any form of whingeing!

It is 0-0 with seconds to go and say Jelavic dives for a penalty.

Is he a cheat or a hero as we walk of the pitch 1-0?

Ian.
If it was against the RS in front of the Kop - HERO !!
Would never erase the Clattenberg derby fiasco but would help ease the pain.

Easy Ian @ 719, he would be a cheat and an embarassment and I would be hoping Moyes then fined him and publicly rollocked him. But as someone else has said, we don't seem to do that stuff amd I think that's a Moyes' thing too I'm pleased to say.

Ian - I think the point that most are trying to make here is that the management of this club discourages it, while many other clubs certainly turn a blind eye, some perhaps seem to work on it on the training ground.

Don't ask me whether Jela would be a hero - ask David Moyes, and I can guarantee what he would say, and mean down to his boots.

He is less open, more guarded, with the media than he used to be - which does us no harm as a club (I will explain if you need ) - but I know what would happen in the dressing room and at Finch Farm thereafter.

On a slightly different tack, I played the Sheffield Wednesday (1966) Final video for my son-in-law a few days ago (he's not old enough to remember it), it's the oldest, complete match I've got.
If you can get hold of it, or some contemporary match, have a look. The son-in-law was amazed at the sheer ferocity of it; and I have to admit that, not having watched it for years, I was taken aback at some of the tackles.

Having played a bit in the 50s/60s, I have to admit I don't want to go back there.

Heal thyself physician.

We have many as any other team... typical lack of objectivity.

Surely Rodgers should be brought up on charges for bring the game into disrepute..No?
He has publicly come and said that his players should cheat (I assume, as I have not read what that red prick has said)

Ian — I would be embarrassed. In the same way I was when Bilic cheated Blanc out of a World Cup Final.

I read Brenda's comments on the BBC today and thought two things:

1. He's obviously no idea those cheating RS are diving bastards already and have done it for years, gems like - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1GKXAKQY-0Y&feature=related show many of that creaseheaded cunt of a captain at his worst, and Swearez had form for it even before he joined them. Over the years they had bastards like butterfly Aldridge falling over fresh air... and it was rumoured when Heskey was playing for them the groundsmen had to sprinkle Viagra on their pitch to keep the cock upright./

2. If that statement isn't the most blatant red flag to the FA and immediate directive to them to fine him for bringing the game into disrepute, and instruct every ref to give them fuck all but yellow and red cards even if they should have been awarded a free kick or pen, as the insinuation will be they have cheated for it.

Gavin, to be fair he'll be complaining about the new kit next. 2 points out of 15 is poor, so he needs as much help as possible. He needs some wins, and October has some winnable games he can't afford to blow. That said, Norwich, us, Uudinese, the rich Russian club... it could be Rodger and Out!!!

Ciaran - do we have as many as any other club?I accept that a lot of professional footballers will cheat to gain an advantage and I think that Fellani did it last week against Swansea with his pass for Anichebe's goal, but we do not currently have people who cheat to the same extent as others. if we do I can't remember a game when on two occasions Everton players have dived to try and win a pen. But I can name 2 Chelsea players from last Weekend. I can't recall a game when an Everton player has followed a ref to get him to send a player off. But I can name you Stevie G la at Goodison on more than one occasion. I can't point you in the direction of an Everton player rolling over 3 or 4 times to get another player booked recently. I can name Suarez doing it numerous times.

Chris.

Do I need to repeat myself?

As for not recalling an Evertonian player trying to influence the ref to get opposing players sent off... you must've missed Cahill's entire career.

I have only recently joined this website and I can see EFC runs through the blood of every contributor and I'm delighted to see nobody saw the dive to win 1-0 as acceptable to EFC.

I've supported this great club for many years and to the chap who showed his son-in-law the 1966 cup final I am proud to say I was there - that gives my age away big time!

I long to see the Fair Play Rules take bite - maybe - just maybe - it will level the playing field out just a little and maybe a realistic top 4 place could be on the horizon but it is essential we find an RB; a central defender to partner Jags and an extra midfield player -all from the youth system if possible! Barkley would be a start!!

I decided to waste The FA's time after the olympics and emailed asking them to make a statement asking footballers to live up to the great sportsmanship show by the athletes etc etc and not the gamesmanship which is turning people off the sport.

I had a reply saying the The FA chairman had done numerous interviews (didn't see any) commending the attitudes of olympians and The Fa had produced a film which was sent to all Premiership clubs and if I wanted a copy I should give my address.

I asked for one and soon enough it arrived. Sat down to take in this production. All it was were some clips of players shouting at the ref and the odd bit of argy bargy, with kids on a five a side pitch 'copying' these same actions... all to the tune of a rocked up I Want To Be Like You from The Jungle Book..

It was about 90 seconds long and I can imagine what players would of made of this nonsense were they to watch it... but I doubt management would have wasted their time.

Nothing about cheating, diving, getting players booked etc. So much for an FA campaign.

Personally I don't think The FA want to acknowledge this aspect of the game as they don't want star players being called cheats. Sponsors won't like it.

I'm sick of hearing about how fuckin marvellous Olympians are. Frankly it's bollocks.

[New Everton supporter here — just getting acquainted with the site — so be gentle!]

While I love the idea of fines or other penalties for diving, I don't think that a six- or eight-game ban is really necessary to get fairly immediate improvement. Although it would need to be adjusted somewhat to account for salary differences in the PL, the MLS in the US got near-instant improvement through the imposition of a $1,000 fine for diving, as determined either in-game or after the fact through review.

Limpar Vs Wimbledon

Steve King... urgh.

Ciaron

You are correct, Timmy really was a dirty little focker.

My pet cheating beef is 'obstruction' . All teams do it and referees and seemingly the FA too condone it. This is especially noticeable by defenders in their own area, but it happens all over the field too. How can it possibly be fair play to put yourself between the attacker and the ball not to be in control of the ball yourself and making no attempt to play the ball at all but simply doing everything to obstruct the attackers attempts to do so.

It's the Orwellian newspeak of it all that winds me up. Not content with ruining football, Sky and their minions at the BBC are now perverting the english language.

When did "go to ground" replace "falling over" and "simulation" replace "cheating" ?

Mike #709

Agree with you about "simulation"; but whilst "go to ground" CAN mean "falling over" it can also refer to the over-eager defender who slides when he should stay on his feet.

Ian #746

So was I!

Sorry "Mike #709" s/b "Michael #790".

Ciarán - "typical lack of objectivity". We're football supporters, tribal and committed. And we pay for the privilege.

The ones who are supposed to be detached, objective and as accurate as humanly possible are the officials, and that is where we are constantly short-changed. I should have a short-cut to the list of usual suspects, but I'm sure you can fill in the detail for yourself.

I expect nothing or less from the media, except for the BBC as I am required by law to pay in if I have a radio, TV or computer with net access when I am in the UK. And - in a neat kind of way - their success and failure can be illustrated with reference to two RS fans from Ireland. Colin Murray, to me, seems to have the intelligence to allow himself to be at least fair, but then again he's 'come out' and handles his orientation successfully. Alan Green, on the other hand, is in denial and, to paraphrase another BBC employee, should be taken out and shot.

Mike 790
Probably when, "at the end of the day" replaced Ultimately; and, "at this moment in time" replaced Now

I didn't like the way Andrew Johnson was treated when he too had a reputation for going down too easily. The reality is refs give 50/50 decisions in favour of the bigger team.

Peter, that's all well and good, when all's said and done.

Is that all there is? (Lieber & Stoller, I think - one of the best songs ever written IM humble O)

I'm sorry to piss on the chips, chaps, but I'm afraid we've got one of the worst in the game... and that is one Nikica Jelavic. Some of his antics at the Southampton game were quite frankly cringy. Honestly, I was squirming in my seat.

When I wasn't screaming at him to stay on his feet, which would probably have resulted in goal-scoring opportunities, I heard at least 10 people say. "Oh ffs, he's getting worse than that buck-toothed cunt from over THERE!" And let's face it that takes some doing.

I was arguing with a red mate of mine last season about that thing diving, when he said to me, "Have a word with yourself, they all do it" — although he did admit he was probably the worst and he's probably right. It's just the histrionics out of him when he gets challenged. I think that's the difference — the contorted buck-toothed Cilla Black's face like he's just been shot. He's an out and out cheat, dirty South American twat.

But sadly he's not alone. I just hope Moyes has a word with Jelavic because he ll get a reputation like Cilla. And we wouldn't want that... I mean, we hardly get pens anyway.

Regarding Chris Leyland (742), it looked to me like several of the lads apeared to be telling the referee in the Swansea game that Ashley Williams should get a red card. I may be wrong but that's what it looked like to me.

All clubs cheat and waste time to some extent and will continue to do so while we supporters condone it. Obviously Mr Red Shite Suarez deserves all he gets but we shouldn't lose sight of the fact that some or our players have not been or are not whiter than white.

For all the terrific footballer he was, Arteta would collapse in a heap at the slightest of contact and Jelly does himself no favours in how easy he goes down and whinges and complains about it.