The Diving Pool

       Last night Tottenham showed a spirited performance against Arsenal only to be defeated by a couple of easy penalties, one of which Tottenham boss Harry Redknapp accused Samir Nasri of diving.  But Redknapp fumed: "I thought the first penalty was harsh. He fell over. Really, I think he dived for it."  Nasri is a very good player and on this occasion he could stayed on his feet and made an attempt on goal but he chose to go over easily.  Now if it was my team and we where drawing or losing I would shouting at them to get into the penalty box and fall over, but the only reason I would do so is soft penalties are being given more often now.  Is British football getting soft?



      A few years back English teams when playing in European competitions were getting bookings all over the place.  It was due to the European referees refereeing to the standards of their home leagues.  In Spain and Italy the referees are a more strict than our English counterparts, so when the top English sides had to play in Europe they changed the way they played slightly to stop the number of bookings they were getting.

     The influx of non-British players into the league is going to have an affect as well, these foreign players in general don't go in to tackles as heavily.  They also go to ground more easily and do dive more often.  This sort of play has passed done to the younger players in the squads and the kids watching the match at home on the telly.  I have seen Sunday league games with some bad diving when Sunday league football was the bastion of hard man game.

      The penalty last night would have still been one if Nasri didn't dive, the defender made contact with him but it wasn't enough to bring him down.  It would have impeded him but he could of played on, he didn't due to gamesmanship.  It is this sort of play in football which drove me off the game a few years back but over the passed few years the style of play had got better divers had got the grief they deserved but if the big players still do it then it is going to pass on.

      Matches need to be looked at after it has finished let a panel watch the game highlights spot the fouls and give they actions they would have done in the situation.  With this you can have a genuine system for reviewing referees, this is what is needed so things that the refs miss or things that refs get wrong can be sorted out probably.