Sterling

[perry geyton]

I know I'm late to the show but I Just finally watched the replay as I was out Friday night and def not getting up at 4AM to watch it here in LA
Anyways I'd heard it was a stonewall Penalty but IMO Sterling dived 100%

I Know in todays game it's a pen but too me it was weak,  he saw Diops trailing foot then reached for it and threw himself to the ground as he always does....

At first glance it looked like a pen but on the review it was blatantly obvious that he did what he did,
This any kind of contact rule in the box is a total
Joke,,,
I've never liked Sterling for years for this exact reason but what I  can't understand how in this day and age that he's still getting away with it  ?

Anyways oh well.  I thought we played well
And deserved a point.

Also if Sterling can get a penalty for that pathetic dive then how comes Gusto didn't get a red for his studs up on Willian ?

No logic

[Holders]

I totally agree. He deliberately dived over Diop's leg.

[RaySmith]

Definitely a soft pen - Sterling was looking for it, and went down very easily.

Seems crazy that a player lying on his back, and lifting a leg can give away a pen - it was as if it happened in slow motion, with Sterling looking for an excuse to go down.

[bobbo]

For me he's a despicable cheat . It's the likes of him along with so many others that are ruining the game we all love .I thought it was a pen but it was so obvious the dive along with it I'm now gonna take a closer look .
Just had another look and think it def pen but massive exaggerated by Stirling .

[Somerset Fulham]

I would have him at the Cottage like a shot.

[Stoneleigh Loyalist]

I think that too many loyal supporters are clutching at straws. Diop tripped Sterling however lightly and it was a stonewall penalty. At the other end Wilson would have done the same thing and it is just part of the modern game..

[Twig]

Calling someone a despicable cheat when all they've done is stumble over an outstretched leg seems a bit desperate to me. It was soft in the sense that Diop didn't go in hard but it wasn't soft in terms of the rules of the game. If the roles had been reversed we would have been screaming for a pen.

[ffcne]

The worst one i have seen is De Bruyne last season with Robinson,
He literally was just dribbling around in the penalty area waiting for
the challenge and basically dived over Robinson;s foot

[FFC In Oz]

Sterling definitely made the most of it but it was 100% a pen.

Ref made a few shocking other blunders as we've done to death, but the pen was not one of them.

Since Diop has debuted in the PL - he's given away 7 pens.  Only Ndidi with 8 has more.

Being clumsy in the box is not a new thing for Issa unfortunately.

[filham]

I do wonder how much time is spent in training on dives and spectacular falls from only the lightest contact.

Free kicks, penalties and cards seem to be given these days that in the old days would have gone unnoticed.

[Holders]

I would apply a stronger test: could he have stayed on his feet if he'd wanted to and had opportunity to score an honest goal? If yes, then the decision to "go down" (dive) was a conscious and deliberate one and so no penalty.

Certain forwards must train/be coached for this and certain "pundits" observe whether players were "right to go down" in those circumstances, i.e. dive.

It's dishonest.

[Yorkie_FFC]

I do wonder how much time is spent in training on dives and spectacular falls from only the lightest contact.

Free kicks, penalties and cards seem to be given these days that in the old days would have gone unnoticed.

I imagine quite a bit, if you genuinely got cleaned out and not seeing it you would face plant the floor with no grace. The modern day footballer knows how to protect themselves in the sense that they are going to roll and maybe add a few more for conviction. I don't buy the "soft penalty" debate and never understand how a free kick for a push on half way is given but isn't when in the penalty area for a same thing from a corner for example. A penalty kick is ultimately one of Law 12's fouls in the penalty area, should be no difference regardless of where it is. Was it a penalty, yes did he dive yes (but not in the simulation sense) contact was there and he went down.

[Whitestone]

If you look closely you can see Sterling move his leg towards Diop. I'm not arguing that it wasn't a penalty but I'm in no doubt that Sterling made sure with the ever so slight movement of his right leg at the very last second. So in a sense he made sure he 'won'' the penalty and I think that's what people object to. To me it feels a bit dishonest despite the clumsiness of Diop who needs to stop giving opposition players the opportunity to do what Sterling did.

[Finnans Right Peg]

Wilson and pereira do it all the time ,it was a lazy tackle by Diop and if we didn't  get a penalty for this ,we would all be going mad

[Somerset Fulham]

Yep. We are the first to cry about other players (Sterling was nailed on, there is no discussion here) but Pereria is beyond dreadful for flingning himself about as though he has been shot.

[Angus Telford]

Most penalties won in Premier League history:

Raheem Sterling 26 ⏫
Jamie Vardy 23
Wilfried Zaha 19
Alan Shearer 15
Andrew Johnson 14#CheFul pic.twitter.com/h1JVSgHNn6

— Opta Analyst (@OptaAnalyst) January 13, 2024

?s=20

[Twig]

Most penalties won in Premier League history:

Raheem Sterling 26 ⏫
Jamie Vardy 23
Wilfried Zaha 19
Alan Shearer 15
Andrew Johnson 14#CheFul pic.twitter.com/h1JVSgHNn6

— Opta Analyst (@OptaAnalyst) January 13, 2024

?s=20

This "penalties won" phrase has always struck me as a bit wrong. This table could also be headed, "strikers most frequently fouled in the penalty area". I'm not surprised that Sterling is at the top, he's the type of forward who dribbles and takes defenders on. Players like him are bound to draw more fouls.

[LittleErn]

Most penalties won in Premier League history:

Raheem Sterling 26 ⏫
Jamie Vardy 23
Wilfried Zaha 19
Alan Shearer 15
Andrew Johnson 14#CheFul pic.twitter.com/h1JVSgHNn6

— Opta Analyst (@OptaAnalyst) January 13, 2024

?s=20

This "penalties won" phrase has always struck me as a bit wrong. This table could also be headed, "strikers most frequently fouled in the penalty area". I'm not surprised that Sterling is at the top, he's the type of forward who dribbles and takes defenders on. Players like him are bound to draw more fouls.

I agree with this up to a point. Forwards dribbling in the penalty area ARE more likely to be fouled. I am also of the opinion that he is always ready to go down as soon as he feels a contact- especially if he is going away from a shooting position.

[AJW48361]

My Reflection on that Game was the Amount of players on both sides looking to  go down too easily.Footballers really do disappoint me these days.

[Sgt Fulham]

Yep. We are the first to cry about other players (Sterling was nailed on, there is no discussion here) but Pereria is beyond dreadful for flingning himself about as though he has been shot.

Yes, and Pereira is beyond embarrassing at times. I would be the first to support retroactive punishment for embellishment of fouls and play acting, our own players included. In the same vein, dangling your foot out should be seen as initiating contact and should negate your penalty appeal. You're not blind, so you must see the unnatural movement of Sterling's leg towards Diop. Diop of course not blameless, but that ended up being the difference between the two teams on the day.

As for Sterling, I can't wait for him to fade away. Unfortunately, his early emergence has made it seem like he has been around forever.