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Manager Mauricio Pochettino

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As usual the level of hypocrisy in football is staggering. Searching for morality and honour in a game that has had very little for a number of years now. Fans in the stands screaming for legs to be broken, kicking the shit out of each other outside the ground, singing songs that clearly skirt the line of what is decent and acceptable, but yet a dive is seen as the most cardinal sin of all.

The pundits said it on Sunday, simulation is seen in worse light than a two footed, off the floor, horror tackle. Alli will be ostracised for days, whilst a tackle like that will be forgotten by the end of the game unless it causes serious injury.

I see myself divided. Yes i want to see my team doing things the the right way, but what does winning the morality argument get you ultimately?

People crying for maximum expenditure in the transfer window to literally "win at all costs". Well this is winning at all costs. Doing whatever we can to beat the teams put in front of us and win silverware. Is that not what you want?

I don't like it, but to not embrace it as part of the game now is pure naivety. No matter what narrative papers like the scum are trying to peddle.

As if they can take the moral high ground on a single thing anyway. Lowest of the low.
 
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personally don't disagree with what he said, if we cut every thread of controversy out of the game it will become sterile... a matter of fact rather than a debate. Places like this and fan rivalry as we know and love (to some extent) will be gone forever. Like it or love it, it's the 'Mendes' situations that unit and give us the grit and determination in the next game – something for us to chew over on those long drunken nights.

Being a football fan isn't about just what happens in 90mins on the field, it's the build-up and the post match analysis from armchair supporters like myself.
 
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The outrage over diving is pathetic imo. Faux bravado bollocks.

Shirt pulling, tactical fouls and subtle obstructions etc hinder the game just as much if not more.

And as said, start giving fouls even when players stay on their feet. The foul should be illegally impeding progress with or without contact.
 
The argument becomes moot the moment a player from the team raging about diving/gamesmanship does the very same thing. Of course, Liverpool players would never do anything like that.
 
MindBlown said:
The likes of Jose and Pep tell their players to cheat and dive but they would never admit it in public. That's the point.

Also, he should have been aware of the fact that UK journalists spin shit for a living.
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They will spin it regardless of what is said or not, always have, always will. Poch hasn't said to his players to cheat, he has said Dele's yellow was the correct decision, which it was. He's merely saying it's part of the game, don't over analysis the ref and the was it/wasn't it, he's saying that that is killing the game. Players are sent out to win the game, the manager implements tactics to achieve this, to go down after contact or to look for contact is a tactic, a tactic designed to seek an advantage over your opponent. It's part of the game, accept it as such. Poch has accepted it, because he NEVER complains about the ref decision, he never complains about a player diving/looking for contact against us.

I've just posted this in the Ref's thread, IMO it's spot on and it follows on from what Poch says, by that it looks at the over analysis of Ref's decision, the hate that it creates, all at the expense of the game and completely manufactured by the media. This bit I particularly liked:
"Humans make mistakes’ does not merit a headline. On Sunday, Mohamed Salah was named Man of the Match against Tottenham. Only 50% of his shots were on target. Almost 30% of his passes failed to find a teammate. He lost almost 60% of his duels. He lost possession 16 times".
Think about that for a second, MoTM FAILED with half of his shots, FAILED with 30% of his passes and FAILED/LOST 60% of his personal duels, seeing as the Ref's decisions were correct why the outrage towards the ref's and not Salah for FAILING to do his job better, instead of rewarding this failure with MoTM award!
 
Its a part of the game now whether we like it or not. Personally would rather it wasn't but that argument has been and gone unless there are drastic rule changes.

It is a very fine line between 'cheating/diving' and 'winning' a penalty which is generally seen as acceptable now.
 
What I like is that he's not a hypocrite about it.

He didn't call out Moses for cheating in the FA Cup semi final against us last year, did he?
 
Don’t get me wrong: I hope Poch is in it for the long run, but who do you guys reckon would be a good (and realistic) alternative in the case he does go to PSG/Real?
 
KickHerInTheSponge said:
The outrage over diving is pathetic imo. Faux bravado bollocks.

Shirt pulling, tactical fouls and subtle obstructions etc hinder the game just as much if not more.

And as said, start giving fouls even when players stay on their feet. The foul should be illegally impeding progress with or without contact.
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This. A quick shirt pull at a set piece while the ref isn’t looking is every bit as much “cheating” as a player who goes over under the breeze of a challenge. As is blocking off a player who is otherwise clear. That happens & a card shown, it’s “taking one for the team”.
Err...no. It’s cheating. But somehow it’s ok.

I don’t like simulation & wish it wasn’t part of the game, but it is, & that’s how it will continue to be.
 
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