As we're unlikely to see terraces again at football, this is the virtual equivalent where you can chat to your hearts content about all football matters and, obviously, Arsenal in particular. This forum encourages all Gooners to visit and contribute so please keep it respectful, clean and topical.
Sterling on ITV when asked about the penalty:
“He stuck his leg out and I…….he clipped my leg!” So he was about to say “I went down”.
Cheating is never right and it makes it a hollow victory. If it was the other way round, can you imagine the replays and outrage.
Hahaha hollow victory, yeah right
I don’t like diving either but fuck it, we’re in our first final in 55 years. The in’s and out’s of how we got there over the last 2 years of qualification are now totally irrelevant. All eyes now on Sunday!
Incredibly soft penalty to be honest.....proving again VAR is fucking useless
That said the result provides a much needed boost for the nation
I think if the ref went over to the pitch side monitor and looked at it again he probably wouldn’t have given it but that doesn’t seem to happen anymore for whatever reason.
No way was a video ref in the truck going to overrule the on field decision, that only happens if he’s got something 1 million percent wrong.
I hate the divers in the game. A part of me never forgave Pires for the Pompey dive tbh (and I fucking love Pires) but the slaughtering he got and still gets was way over the top. That one dive was the only dive he took and yet he is known in the PL as a Diver.
It always pissed me off that at the same time Slippy Me and Granny Botherer were diving week in week out and that was being totally ignored by the media.
In one sense I can understand why the likes of Fat Tongue, Scuba and the Girlfriend Basher dive. The Italians, Argentinians and Spanish (amongst others) have gotten away with it for decades. But what for me always separated the English game from the rest was the inherent honesty on the pitch. Diving was frowned upon. Remember Nutty reading the riot act on the pitch to Suker for diving?
As I say in one way I can understand it but I can never condone it. It is killing the game as a spectacle. Its embarrassing to see these strong fit grown ass men go over like children.
Football used to be a man's game ffs. Its now becoming almost unwatchable.
Making it worse is the complete abortion VAR that was brought in to stop this shit and yet week after week game after game fails to make the right decision.
Sterling on ITV when asked about the penalty:
“He stuck his leg out and I…….he clipped my leg!” So he was about to say “I went down”.
Cheating is never right and it makes it a hollow victory. If it was the other way round, can you imagine the replays and outrage.
Hahaha hollow victory, yeah right
I don’t like diving either but fuck it, we’re in our first final in 55 years. The in’s and out’s of how we got there over the last 2 years of qualification are now totally irrelevant. All eyes now on Sunday!
So you say you don’t like diving either, but fuck it if it’s in our favour? It’s either acceptable either way and you take it or plain cheating and totally wrong. You can’t have it both ways. Rooney in the 49th game? Did you say ‘fuck it’ and just accept it back then? I doubt it. And the Italians were rightly crucified for their antics in the last 10 minutes against Belgium but England (Kane, Grealish, Sterling etc) were ‘clever’? Absolute double standards.
Sterling on ITV when asked about the penalty:
“He stuck his leg out and I…….he clipped my leg!” So he was about to say “I went down”.
Cheating is never right and it makes it a hollow victory. If it was the other way round, can you imagine the replays and outrage.
Hahaha hollow victory, yeah right
I don’t like diving either but fuck it, we’re in our first final in 55 years. The in’s and out’s of how we got there over the last 2 years of qualification are now totally irrelevant. All eyes now on Sunday!
So you say you don’t like diving either, but fuck it if it’s in our favour? It’s either acceptable either way and you take it or plain cheating and totally wrong. You can’t have it both ways. Rooney in the 49th game? Did you say ‘fuck it’ and just accept it back then? I doubt it. And the Italians were rightly crucified for their antics in the last 10 minutes against Belgium but England (Kane, Grealish, Sterling etc) were ‘clever’? Absolute double standards.
Thinking about it, what's actually far worse than your standard dive (feeling light contact and going over in the spur of the moment) is the shit Fat Tongue constantly does where he kicks out at an oppo player to initiate contact and then dives. It's premeditated and very obviously practiced in training by the filthy crayon munching spud cùnt.
I think that VAR actually got that decision spot on for a change. To me that is exactly how it should be used. There wasn't enough in that challenge to say there was a "clear and obvious error" from the ref.
Was it a dive? Yes.
Was it a penalty? No.
But you can certainly understand the referee's decision when you watch it without slowing it down and viewing it from multiple angles.
If only it was applied the same way for offsides without drawing those silly lines.
I could accept VAR far easier if implemented in that way.
I think that VAR actually got that decision spot on for a change. To me that is exactly how it should be used. There wasn't enough in that challenge to say there was a "clear and obvious error" from the ref.
Was it a dive? Yes.
Was it a penalty? No.
But you can certainly understand the referee's decision when you watch it without slowing it down and viewing it from multiple angles.
If only it was applied the same way for offsides without drawing those silly lines.
I could accept VAR far easier if implemented in that way.
That is the weirdest post I've ever read - and that's saying something on here!
VAR got it wrong - but really got it right because it didn't contradict the ref getting it wrong? Is that what you are saying?
For me it's a case of fuck the "clear and obvious error" by the ref idea. It should be black and white. Did the player dive? Yes? No penno. Fuck the ref. Otherwise get rid of VAR.
Personally it has always been anyone but England as far as Internationals go given some of the players involved over the years but it looks like the stars are aligning now and am happy for all the English gooners . Should be a cracker of a final.
Looks like the secret is out and Saka's quality has been realised by everyone. He has played himself into the first team and I think will get the nod ahead of Grealish and Foden. Saka is better than Grealish & always has been. Grealish is a mile of the England first team and City are muppets if they want to sell Sterling and replace him with Grealish.
So England are on the verge of winning a major international tournament, basically a 50-50 chance as there is nothing in it between this very good England side and this hot Italian side.
With that, I wonder if Gareth Southgate is a worthwhile consideration if Arteta doesn't do well. When was the last time an English manager took control of a top club? Gary Neville at Valencia, Lampard and Chelsea - but they crashed and burned and there is an argument to be made they should have never been given the job in the first place. There have been Scottish managers mainly Ferguson and Dalglish, and Rodgers managed Liverpool & did pretty good. Its bizarre how English managers are non existent among top clubs considering Italian, German, French and Spanish managers manage top clubs all around the world. Harry Redknapp managing Tottenham is probably the highest worthwhile appointment for an Englishman in at least 20 years in the premier league.
'Arsenal manager Gareth Southgate'..........I could actually live with that.
I think that VAR actually got that decision spot on for a change. To me that is exactly how it should be used. There wasn't enough in that challenge to say there was a "clear and obvious error" from the ref.
Was it a dive? Yes.
Was it a penalty? No.
But you can certainly understand the referee's decision when you watch it without slowing it down and viewing it from multiple angles.
If only it was applied the same way for offsides without drawing those silly lines.
I could accept VAR far easier if implemented in that way.
That is the weirdest post I've ever read - and that's saying something on here!
VAR got it wrong - but really got it right because it didn't contradict the ref getting it wrong? Is that what you are saying?
For me it's a case of fuck the "clear and obvious error" by the ref idea. It should be black and white. Did the player dive? Yes? No penno. Fuck the ref. Otherwise get rid of VAR.
Yes because "clear and obvious error" is the pertinent term. That's how VAR was sold to us when it was introduced but has never really been used that way.
If VAR was around in 2009 to rule out the Gallas goal because of Henry's handball all you Irish boys wouldn't be moaning so much about last night's penalty.
I hate the divers in the game. A part of me never forgave Pires for the Pompey dive tbh (and I fucking love Pires) but the slaughtering he got and still gets was way over the top. That one dive was the only dive he took and yet he is known in the PL as a Diver.
It always pissed me off that at the same time Slippy Me and Granny Botherer were diving week in week out and that was being totally ignored by the media.
In one sense I can understand why the likes of Fat Tongue, Scuba and the Girlfriend Basher dive. The Italians, Argentinians and Spanish (amongst others) have gotten away with it for decades. But what for me always separated the English game from the rest was the inherent honesty on the pitch. Diving was frowned upon. Remember Nutty reading the riot act on the pitch to Suker for diving?
As I say in one way I can understand it but I can never condone it. It is killing the game as a spectacle. Its embarrassing to see these strong fit grown ass men go over like children.
Football used to be a man's game ffs. Its now becoming almost unwatchable.
Making it worse is the complete abortion VAR that was brought in to stop this shit and yet week after week game after game fails to make the right decision.
I wouldnt say footballers are strong fit men. Rugby players tend to weigh between 90-100kg on average. Some can weight 120 kg and a 'small' player tops the scales at around 80kg. Saka is 65kg, Grealish 68kg, Foden 70kg. Some Rugby players can 100m 11 seconds even at 100KG.
If there is one thing footballers are not, its athletes. When you compare their physique to boxers or rugby players, there is a massive difference. I reckon Anthony Joshua's body mass is double Saka.
