That is just an opinion. Rooney took the ball away from him and out of the field of play and fell over before any contact was made. How is it a penalty? Almunia didn't actually contribute to him falling over or losing the goal scoring opportunity. That was all Shrek's doing. Not a great bit of decision making from Manuel but what you're arguing is effectively the same as giving a batsmen out for not offering a shot even though the ball was missing the stumps.
I think you're hugely overrating Chelsea.
I've never condoned diving outside of playing against Argentina. My gripe is the suggestion that, just because Rooney was better at the art, it somehow wasn't a dive.EDIT: Also, don't really get why Arsenal fans are making such a big deal about this given that their club has won many trophies by doing exactly what Rooney did on many an occasion. In fact, some of their players would (possibly still do) roll around on the floor Anderson/Ronaldo-like after doing such a thing. Have I ever mentioned how much I hated Reyes?
Haha, you only heard that from me.
It's not like that at all. A foul is, by definition, a foul, regardless of the actions of the player you foul. What Rooney did is irrelevant, he's not the player that did or didn't commit the offence in question. Look at what Almunia did, and tell me it isn't a foul.
). One week a fan will say "It's okay because... [reason x]" and then say "it's not the case that [reason x] is okay" later on when another team does it.
Rooney initiated the contact, Almunia made a mistake but didn't contribute to bringing him down as he was already on the way there before he got near him. You have to actually foul the guy for a penalty to be given and just because he made a mistake by coming out isn't actually enough to warant a penalty unless he brought Rooney down himself. Which he didn't.
Where that is true, there is no real proof that Rooney was trying to do the same, the way he dived into Adebayor later in the game suggested that he doesn't exactly hold the wellbeing of opposition players in particularly high regard, so arguably he wasn't acting with this in mind with Almunia, obviously this can never be proven one way or the other, but the possibility remains.
Tbf to Eboue, I don't think he actually dives so to speak all that often, it's just that whenever he is given a slight brush by another player he will go down like he's been carved up with a machete.I didn't think it was a pen in real time, did after the first replay, been undecided since. I don't think Eboue's was a dive though
You could, yeah. I haven't said anything about Eduardo's fall because I hadn't seen it recently, but there is some BOD that could be given to him. It's just less convincing because Boruc didn't actually throw himself in front of him, and he wasn't running at anywhere near the speed Rooney was. You do, contrary to popular belief, sometimes lose your balance when you expect a hack on the leg while running and nothing comes. I'm not being naive, I know it's unlikely, but I know from experience that it does sometimes happen and it's a possibility.
Yeah, that's true. It just brings it back to my original point that it doesn't really matter what Rooney did, what Almunia did is what made it a foul.
You've given me a hilariously remote possibility of why Rooney fell over, but still haven't explained how not bringing someone down or denying him a chance to play the ball can constitute a foul and see a penalty awarded against you.
I think you've missed "or attempting to trip" out of there.
The reality of the situation is that incidents like Rooney/Almunia will be given as fouls 9/10. Rooney was on the way down before contact and that was shown pretty conclusively by replays. The only way diving will be eradicated is by introducing video refs, but Platini doesn't want to do that for some unearthly reason.I didn't think it was a pen in real time, did after the first replay, been undecided since. I don't think Eboue's was a dive though
