Dive or No Dive? Rob Styles is a Banker.
Will Ronaldo ever get a hat-trick for United? Another two goals for the best player in the Premiership and a great chance to get a third denied by Niemi coming out and attempting to bring Ronaldo down only for Rob Styles to book Ronaldo for diving. Watch the video below [via Man Utd Clips where you can find links to all the goals and a fantastic save by Niemi] and pay special attention to Niemi’s left arm as Ronaldo goes over. In the end it is totally outstretched and up in the air. How could he be going for the ball? And if Ronaldo was evading Niemi, how does this earn him a booking? He was in fact doing exactly what the Chelsea fans and Mourhino said Stephen Hunt should have done when he collided with Petr Cech.
The Republik of Mancunia makes a very valid point that this is a case of The Boy Who Cried Wolf. In the early days, Ronaldo was a diver, there is no denying it. He has now (starting from the beginning of last season) learnt how not to. Now, he is paying for his earlier mistakes because he has cleaned up his act. As I cautioned after the Arsenal game, Anderson needs to change quickly before he is tarred with the same brush.But it is not just this. There is a real problem with the influence of the media and manager’s outspoken comments through the media. This influence seems to affect referees decisions.
Examine these media facts.
Media Fact 1 United always get penalties at Old Trafford. A myth. Made fact through fans and Jose Mourhino’s comments in the media. This media fact now translates to United being denied stone wall penalties (such as against Wigan and Chelsea)
Media Fact 2 Ronaldo still dives. Made fact by Middlesbrough wailing last season. This media fact translates to Ronaldo being booked for diving.
Media Fact 3 Only Arsenal play beautiful football. This is just snobbery in the media. Not even Arsenal fans (well most) believe this. It is true that Arsenal play good football, but so do many other teams.
It is unlikely that we’ll be getting any new signing in January as the BBC reports :-
United have been linked with strikers Nicolas Anelka and Dimitar Berbatov but Ferguson told Inside United magazine: “I think the squad is good enough.”
He added: “We do not always get great joy in January. It takes time for players to settle in.
He has a point there which is why the transfer window is really annoying. With Solskjaer having retired, we could have bought a new striker in October or November. By February or March the new player could have become settled and been ready for the 2nd half of the season. Our new players from the summer are only now just beginning to settle in.
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December 5th, 2007 at 12:44 am
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December 7th, 2007 at 1:10 pm
I wouldn’t say that only Arsenal play beautiful football. I would say that they currently play the “most” beautiful football. United could make a claim to beautiful football as well. In fact, earlier in the year Carlos Queiroz backed Sir Alex Ferguson as a protector of the beautiful game. But I don’t buy that…yet. Fergie is still for me too caught up in gamesmanship and winning at all costs to be considered a protector of the beautiful game. He just cannot resist doing whatever it takes to win–take his embarassing touch-line rantings during the Arsenal match when calls justifiably went against his team. I think that he has the most talent at his disposal than he’s ever had and should show faith in his team’s pure footballing skills. They could be beautiful and still win. I’d like to see him at some point sit back and say: “I believe in my boys; may the most beautiful team win…”
December 7th, 2007 at 11:27 pm
Wenger has his moments too. I think both managers are sore losers. Their off field antics, actions and articulated comments shouldn’t take away anything from the teams that have been created.
But I’d also say that beautiful doesn’t always win you the game; particularly if you come up against a team like Bolton