[Dirtycheat]

GRAHAM POLL'S OFFICIAL LINE: Why divers deserve to be hit with the 'cheat' tag

Remember the furore over diving last year? We have seen a lot less of it this season and we should all be grateful for that.

Cristiano Ronaldo and Didier Drogba, seen as serial offenders, have cleaned up their acts and look better players for it. In Ronaldo's case, his goalscoring record and overall standard of play is now so good that there is no need for any act of simulation.

However, as we come to the sharp end of the season, the temptation to win at all costs is greater than ever, which is why referees must sharpen their resolve to beat the cheats.

That is exactly what divers — defined in the laws of the game as those who 'intend to deceive the referee' — are: cheats.

I'd like to see the wording of that law changed to reflect that. To be branded guilty of cheating, as opposed to simulation, would highlight the practice for what it is.

It gives me no satisfaction to name and shame him, but I was disappointed by Steven Gerrard last weekend. I have seen Gerrard go to ground too easily before and always thought how silly he looks, because he is not very good at it.

When he went down in the penalty area as Brad Friedel slid towards him last Sunday it was obvious he was trying to deceive Alan Wiley into awarding Liverpool an early penalty.

Is there a set number of offences a player has to commit before he is cautioned for persistent infringement of the laws of the game?

Wiley, one of the best and most experienced referees around, would not have been fooled by such an obvious act of simulation, but his performance disappointed me too because instead of awarding Blackburn Rovers a free kick and cautioning Gerrard, he awarded a goal kick and ran away.

As a result, Gerrard was then given licence to carry on with his antics again and again.

I did not think that all were simulation — in fact, the next time he went down there was a clear push in the back from Chris Samba.

However, once a player has been cautioned for unsporting behaviour he will do all he can to stay on his feet in case the referee thinks he is repeating his misdemeanour.

So players need to show respect to the laws of the game as well as law enforcers, while the referees need to ensure that relief at not being conned by a dive does not negate the need to caution the guilty ones.

GRAHAM POLL'S OFFICIAL LINE: Why divers deserve to be hit with the 'cheat' tag | the Daily Mail


He has a point. I saw highlights of that liverpool game vs Blackburn and gerrard must have dived about 6-7 times during that.

How he manages to escape from the cheat tag is just a miracle. He really is a role model for all cheats. He can cheat all he likes but the media, public and the fans will always think he is very respectable and an honest player.