Gareth Bale

[Jurgen the German]

Re: Gareth Bale

Jurgen, I'm not blindly defending Bale, as I've said, he has been guilty in the past, imo, if the ref had not given last night's penalty, I'd be ok, but I think a yellow was harsh.

Be careful that you are not doing the same thing re Bale, that no matter how he goes down, you assume it's a dive. What Bale did last night was very typical CR7 from his days at Manure, play for it, Saurez is a ridiculous comparison simply because he is a complete cheat by nature (not to mention a brick of a human being).

I try and judge every game and decision objectively. But I don't see why I'd be biased against Bale, I'm a staunch Spurs fan so if anything, I'm more likely to give him the benefit of the doubt. For example, he should have won a penalty against Stoke. But if any Spurs player dives, I'm not going to deny it happened.

I'm not comparing Suarez and Bale as people, just their tendencies to dive. It just so happens Liverpool are our next opponents, that why I made the comparison.

 

[Robbo]

Re: Gareth Bale

While Bale has been guilty of diving, and earned a reputation for it (which unfortunately has cost him at least two yellows for diving, when replays shows he was clearly fouled), you won't see him biting an opponent, deliberately stamping on opponents on the ground, giving racist remarks to opponents (allegedly), acting like he've been shot every time he gets tackled, deliberately handballing on the line to avoid a goal, giving opposition fans the middle finger, etc.

No comparison in my book. I don't condone diving, but Suarez really is in a league of his own.
Suarez, while a brilliant player, is a cnut of the highest order and a dirty scumbag of a person.

 

[Spur of the moment]

Re: Gareth Bale

Yet some are convinced Sewerage should be Footballer of the Year ... !

 

[Baleforce]

Re: Gareth Bale

i agree with almost all of that but i have no problem with the deliberate handball in the WC, it was the only thing he could do and i'd want our players to do the same in that situation

he's just triggered a performance pay rise as well actually, hopefully be a bit complacent on sunday now

 

[Spur of the moment]

Re: Gareth Bale

i agree with almost all of that but i have no problem with the deliberate handball in the WC, it was the only thing he could do and i'd want our players to do the same in that situation

he's just triggered a performance pay rise as well actually, hopefully be a bit complacent on sunday now

8-[ Please explain, what is the point of it all if the winner is merely the team best at cheating?

 

[Mumorn]

Re: Gareth Bale

it was more his reaction after they had missed the penalty that I hate.

 

[DeanoAustin]

Re: Gareth Bale

Contact does not equal a foul. There is nothing in FIFA's rules that says contact is a foul, it's are you fouled? Yes or no?

And the fact that he was nowhere the ball is irrelevant, Johnny Evans was nowhere near the ball when he gave Torres the slightest of nicks, Torres was rightly sent off for exaggerating the contact. If I push you in the box with my little finger, is that a foul? That is football not flower arranging.

He clearly dragged his leg against the Inter player, he's not the only one who does it, but we shouldn't bury our heads in the sand and refuse to admit our players ever do anything wrong. The same fans are who defending Bale will go mental if Suarez does the same thing and gets a penalty on Sunday.

Top post.

To me, contact in itself isn't a foul. If an opponent stops you in any way, that's a foul. If you feel contact but could continue and decide to go down, like Bale did last night, you deserve a booking.

That's why it annoys me when I hear pundits say "He's entitled to go down". No he fudging isn't. You should only go down when you're forced down not when you decide to fling yourself to the floor. To me, it's cheating if you cause yourself to hit the deck.

If it's a foul, it should be foul whether you stay on your feet or go down. Unfortunately, players make this judgement impossible for refs because, human nature being what it is, they try and gain an advantage any way they can even if that involves cheating.

 

[Jurgen the German]

Re: Gareth Bale

I didn't see the game, so can you post a link that shows the actual dive. On that link, all I see is a player cobbling into Bale. Thanks.

Serious question - shouldn't the defender also get booked for a dive then? I mean, if Bale dived, then there was no contact, then the defender had no reason to fall over either, no?

Too much is made of "contact". It's like that famous one where the Villa(?) keeper came out and for all but the final millisecond looked like he was going to clean Bale up. Same thing here, except here there is contact??

Except there was zero contact in that Villa incident. Dunno about you but I'd be fudging raging if Lloris came rushing out to the edge of the box like he tends to do, pulls out of a challenge but the other player dives and Lloris gets a booking or a red card.

 

[Superted]

Re: Gareth Bale

Except there was zero contact in that Villa incident. Dunno about you but I'd be fudging raging if Lloris came rushing out to the edge of the box like he tends to do, pulls out of a challenge but the other player dives and Lloris gets a booking or a red card.

There was no contact because Bale dived out of the way. If he hadn't dived, he would have been clobbered and maybe injured himself out for weeks/months. Why should a player be punished for self preservation??

 

[Jurgen the German]

Re: Gareth Bale

There was no contact because Bale dived out of the way. If he hadn't dived, he would have been clobbered and maybe injured himself out for weeks/months. Why should a player be punished for self preservation??

And because Guzan pulled out of the challenge. I agree a player should take steps to get out of the way when a player tries to hurt them, but that wasn't the case in this instance or yesterday for that matter.

Let me ask you, how would you react if Lloris did the same thing and pulled out of the challenge and receieved a booking?

 

[Jurgen the German]

Re: Gareth Bale

Top post.

To me, contact in itself isn't a foul. If an opponent stops you in any way, that's a foul. If you feel contact but could continue and decide to go down, like Bale did last night, you deserve a booking.

That's why it annoys me when I hear pundits say "He's entitled to go down". No he fudging isn't. You should only go down when you're forced down not when you decide to fling yourself to the floor. To me, it's cheating if you cause yourself to hit the deck.

If it's a foul, it should be foul whether you stay on your feet or go down. Unfortunately, players make this judgement impossible for refs because, human nature being what it is, they try and gain an advantage any way they can even if that involves cheating.

Exactly.

I find it baffling that even tough guys like Graeme Souness peddle the same brick i.e. "if there's contact, he's entitled to go down." I've even heard Bale and other players say "If there's some contact, I'm going to go down." Totally the wrong attitude to have in my opinion. It's an epidemic in football, Bale is hardly the one who thinks like this.

 

[Superted]

Re: Gareth Bale

And because Guzan pulled out of the challenge. I agree a player should take steps to get out of the way when a player tries to hurt them, but that wasn't the case in this instance or yesterday for that matter.

Let me ask you, how would you react if Lloris did the same thing and pulled out of the challenge and receieved a booking?

Lloris shouldn't be attempting challenges like that where he isn't confident of winning the ball. Just because the Villa keeper pulled out at the very last moment doesn't change anything. How does Bale know that the keeper has pulled out?

 

[Jurgen the German]

Re: Gareth Bale

[video=youtube;RYuMHyzYK6c]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RYuMHyzYK6c[/video]

Defender nowhere near the ball, but no contact. So dive or no dive?

 

[Superted]

Re: Gareth Bale

Not a dive. Actually looks like there is contact to his knee. But the defender is no where near the ball and impedes the run. If nothing else, it's obstruction.

 

[Superted]

Re: Gareth Bale

The commentator is actually spot on in that clip. Ben Haim made a stupid lunge and had zero chance of winning the ball. But he got in Pires's way so mission accomplished.

 

[Jurgen the German]

Re: Gareth Bale

Lloris shouldn't be attempting challenges like that where he isn't confident of winning the ball. Just because the Villa keeper pulled out at the very last moment doesn't change anything. How does Bale know that the keeper has pulled out?

Guzan clearly felt he could get there but saw Bale beat him to the ball so he pulled out of the challenge.

I guess we will have to agree to disagree. I'd rather footballers not go to ground every time there is a potential for them to be on the end of a tackle, that goes for all players not just Spurs.

Interesting you said the Inter player should have been booked, are you saying Bale shouldn't have been?

 

[Jurgen the German]

Re: Gareth Bale

Not a dive. Actually looks like there is contact to his knee. But the defender is no where near the ball and impedes the run. If nothing else, it's obstruction.

That doesn't give a player the right to go down when there is no contact at all. He could have actually kept going and got a shot off.

 

[thfcsteff]

Re: Gareth Bale

It doesn't mean you a bad fan if you admit, even once that Bale dives. I don't know who's more biased about their club, you or Phil Thompson.

Below the belt.
If I wasn't a mod I'd complain.
Why not address the point instead of taking yet another cheap shot? I'm getting tired of them from a few people on this board...if you think it's biased, reply to the point I put forward. Stop taking cheap shots.

 

[thfcsteff]

Re: Gareth Bale

That doesn't give a player the right to go down when there is no contact at all. He could have actually kept going and got a shot off.

IF you'd bothered to address my point instead of another tedious patronising put down, then you'd note that I was saying EXACTLY what Raziel said a post later. I will repeat. The defender was NOWHERE NEAR THE BALL. He has to thus AVOID MAKING CONTACT. He made contact. There was contact. Look again, and again and again and again. Contact. Whether you feel Bale 'hung his leg out to make contact' or not is another story and becomes a matter of opinion. But there is contact. Undeniable.

 

[thfcsteff]

Re: Gareth Bale

Exactly.

I find it baffling that even tough guys like Graeme Souness peddle the same brick i.e. "if there's contact, he's entitled to go down." I've even heard Bale and other players say "If there's some contact, I'm going to go down." Totally the wrong attitude to have in my opinion. It's an epidemic in football, Bale is hardly the one who thinks like this.

Find Gareth Bale saying this, and be sure to offer the whole interview with context.