NFR. Theo Walcott admits to diving. Your thoughts.

[Whiteroom]

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/teams/a/arsenal/9351043.stm

Does anybody else find this a little big shocking? I know it happens a lot, but he really doesn't seem to have any remorse or embarrassment. Its a pretty shameful thing to do, but if you do shouldn't you keep it on the down low? Maybe we have reached a stage in football where it is almost a part of the game. I think that he should be seriously told off for it.

[Mr Fulham]

Unsportsmanlike. Embarrassing. It's concerning.

But I always viewed Walcott as a dumbass, so no need to change my opinion.  :down_under:

[finnster01]

Has no place in football.

[CorkedHat]

If I did it - and if I am honest I might have done at some time in my playing days - I sure as hell wouldn't be admitting to it. What's the point of doing that? :red:

[YankeeJim]

At least diving in the Prem is not the art form it is in Italy. You take a trow in down there and three guys fall done from the wind wash caused by the ball. I can't watch a match from Italy. I'm surprised pretty boy Renaldo didn't go there instead of Spain. He'd be a natural down there.

[HatterDon]

I guarantee you that a player who's fouled in the penalty area and stays on his feet and then DOESN'T score will get a severe ass-chewing from his manager.

EVERYTHING in football is about fooling the referee. The ball goes into touch and EVERY player near it claims possession -- same on a corner/goal kick decision -- and nobody ever says a word about that. Nobody is EVER off sides, and nobody EVER purposely handles the ball. In professional football, everything is about fooling the referee so that your team can benefit.

So, do, I don't have any problem about Walcott -- a little amazed he's telling the truth. What I DO have problems with, however, is players trying to get other players carded or sent off.

[Lighthouse]

Bringing the game into disrepute - fined and banned for two games should be his punishment.

[HatterDon]

Bringing the game into disrepute - fined and banned for two games should be his punishment.

By all means, let's punish the ONE guy who tells the truth.

[BalDrick]

Typical Arsenal - cheating tossers.

Hmm, wonder why people are going off football in their droves...

[Tom]

Bringing the game into disrepute - fined and banned for two games should be his punishment.

By all means, let's punish the ONE guy who tells the truth.

Does that take away from him being a cheating tosser?

[BalDrick]

Bringing the game into disrepute - fined and banned for two games should be his punishment.

By all means, let's punish the ONE guy who tells the truth.

Does that take away from him being a cheating tosser?

Or from having the arrogance that players at that club have of being above the law?

Hard though it might be to believe, imagine if Diouf from Blackburn had admitted the same thing - they'd be throwing the book at him because they (quite rightly IMO) detest him and his methods. Walcott should get the same treatment.

[Tom]

Bringing the game into disrepute - fined and banned for two games should be his punishment.

By all means, let's punish the ONE guy who tells the truth.

Does that take away from him being a cheating tosser?

Or from having the arrogance that players at that club have of being above the law?

Hard though it might be to believe, imagine if Diouf from Blackburn had admitted the same thing - they'd be throwing the book at him because they (quite rightly IMO) detest him and his methods. Walcott should get the same treatment.

100% agree with you BD!

[FatFreddysCat]

Boa was one of my all time Fulham favorites, but it used to drive me mad when he done his dives, agree with Lighthouse two match ban. In my football days if on one of the rare occaisions i got near the other teams penalty box (apart from corners) and i was getting kicked and tripped i done everything to stay on my feet, especially as i knew i wouldn't get to take the pen. Really wish they would really clamp down on this and start banning people.

[MJG]

I meet walcott on my flight back from Vegas last year during the WC and seemed quite down earth and gutted not to at the WC. Believe me I have spoken to fulham players giving it all the big time Charlie stuff and they had 1% of his skill.
As for the dive,nice to hear someone admit it but also its not as if we did not know they train to dive.

[ImperialWhite]

Don't know if they're still selling it, but I bought the 1960 European Cup final (Real Madrid v Eintract Frankfurt) for a fiver at Sports World (Sports Direct).

What's amazing is how good the tackling was. Not only that, people stayed on their feet. They didn't claim possession if they didn't think the ball was theirs and at no point did they approach the ref and whinge. In fact, you hardly noticed the ref was there.

Aah, the good old days (what? being overly nostalgic about football?)

[Burt]

I watched the match from my sickbed yesteday and ironically the run in the area that did lead to the penalty presented more opportunity to fall over but he tried to keep to his feet.

He's a bit of a mug for admitting to it, I am surprised that the club allowed it to go out (it was on the Arsenal web site), but fair play to him for admitting to it and for also saying that it was something he wasn't proud of.

I actually think Walcott is an amazing talent and there are far worse offenders than him, and if this helps publicise the diving problem and make it more unacceptable then that's all to the good.

[alfie]

I am amazed at some of the comments on here, goodness me it happens week in week out we see it all the time so it's hardly a shock announcement, after all look at our own lovely Clint, seems to fall over quiet easily at times, just the same as shirt pulling it amazes me how the refs tend to ignore this in the penalty area.

It's not a big deal

When i played (long time ago) i had this defender who was fouling me all the time and getting away with it, so i decided ok mate if thats the way you want it i went down in the area, got a pen, and he knew what i had done, did not foul me much after that.

[Lighthouse]

When The Police came around the other day and asked if I knew anything about a missing person from the area I said no I didn't. But I have decided to tell the truth and say I have them buried in the garden. Will they thank me for beong honest and let me off?

We know people cheat, we know defenders and forwards cheat. But admitting to it doesn't make it a good thing. Saying you tried to con the fans and the ref should not be applauded.

[pettyfog]

...
We know people cheat, we know defenders and forwards cheat. But admitting to it doesn't make it a good thing. Saying you tried to con the fans and the ref should not be applauded.

I think that's poor logic.  If you ever want things to change and a chance at it becoming the beautiful game again, better that ALL admit to it.  Then the Ref Associations will have to make some changes.

Otherwise, in a decade or so... not much better than Pro Rasslin.

[Lighthouse]

Like wrestling in this country back in the 70s, we knew an awful of what we saw televised was 'put on ' but that there usually was a 'goody or baddy'. Now it is all but dead over here as people prefer to watch the tottaly fake American version.

We know players will try and cheat to gain an advantage. Ref know this. By having people admit to it afterwards does nothing but make the Refs look even more out of touch than they already are. Poor logic is expecting Refs to suddenly know the difference between a dive and a foul if more people admit to cheating. Only when player are punished for simulation will players stop doing it. So best start with a player who admitted trying to cheat even though he didn't fool the Ref.