We've all done it. Tried to decipher the means, motives and mayhem behind a certain situation all within the whirling storm of our minds, failing to do the one oh so simple thing which could solve all our problems. On occasion causing a much larger problem through the tangents of an imagination enough to make [. Click to continue reading...

There is no longer a debate on this. Not one which has any credibility. The reason i say this is that a debate is where two or more factions can equally assert their opinions on a given subject. Well....the debate is now dead. Its time for action. Football is riddled by this disease that halts the match [. Click to continue reading...

There is nothing like diving. An art hated by many, appreciated by some, it's a part of football whether we like it or not. So until it's eradicated from the game, I am providing fans a new wave of classifying a dive. A fool proof system to help you identify the severity of the transgression committed when our favorite footballers decide to cheat. Click to continue reading...

[101 Great Goals] When Dr. Paul Morris laid out the ways and means of diving, giving referees the necessary tools to catch the culprit (failure thus far), he forgot two very, very important indicators: i. The delay between perceived foul and the criminal going to ground. ii. The "look back". We'll call this The Morten Gamst Pedersen (below). Click to continue reading...

Learn to cheat like a pro Thanks to @DilenoFootball for bringing this to our attention. Contains a bit of visual and audio swearing after the 2mins 50secs mark, if you're at work. You have been warned!

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They Think It's All Over... isn't exactly thrilled at FIFA Vice President Jack Warner's proposal for sin-binning at next years World Cup. Click to continue reading...

An idea so bad even Sepp Blatter finds it ridiculous!

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"[Often] a guy fakes an injury, and he acts as if it's the end of the world, and then after you give him the foul he then flies up and kicks the ball.

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FIFA president gets his kicks from a bit of simulation Sepp Blatter has confessed that he is a diver. Normally, a headline like this on OTP would be a twisted quote or a piece of cutting edge satire. Not this time. This is 100 per cent the truth. Blatter has admitted that he used to go [...]

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In the midst of one of football's largest debates about diving, Robin van Persie has cleared the air about strikers' feelings about going down too easily. In a telling interview with The Times, the Arsenal striker revealed that he sometimes exaggerates contact and goes down but only to get what is rightfully his.

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Ronaldo's head is proportionate but why the hell the big mitts? At least one good thing to come out of the Eduardo fiasco is diving remains at the foremost of many people's footballing thoughts - some of them even important ones (people, not thoughts). So expect some sort of public outcry the next time an egregious [. Click to continue reading...

Stuff to read while you wonder why Rafa is showing off his balls so arrogantly.... Taking your time during penalties making scoring more likely. (British Psychological Society) Smuggling heroin in women's clothing for a football career is a bad idea. (Unprofessional Foul) The big game between the two big egos. Click to continue reading...

In what appears to be a fillip to divers everywhere, UEFA last night rescinded Eduardo's two match ban. The ban, retrospectilvey meted out for his theatrics against Celtic, was seen as an attempt to crack down on the cheats - this turn of events will only serve to encourage them... Or will it?

The strangest thing about this whole shambles is that UEFA say Arsenal have proved there was contact - how on earth have they done that?

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They Think It's All Over... is disgusted that UEFA have revoked Eduardo's diving ban, because it's taking the game backwards. Click to continue reading...

Arsenal forward Eduardo Da Silva was this evening celebrating after having his 2 match European ban lifted by the regions football governing body UEFA. The Croatian international had previously had the ban imposed upon him after seeming to tumble to the ground all too easily to win a penalty in his side's Champions League qualifying victory over Scottish rivals Celtic at the Emirates Stadium on the 26th of August. Click to continue reading...

Eduardo's two match ban has been overturned by Uefa! This has just been reported on the BBC Sport website, more news is to follow....

The Croatian was suspended after being found guilty of simulation in the Champions League qualifier against Celtic on 26 August.

But on Monday, Uefa accepted Arsenal's appeal and he will now be eligible to play in their Group H games against Standard Liege and Olympiakos.

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England players diving.
Wayne Rooney
Steven Gerrard (go to the 50 second mark for best results)
Ashley Cole
I have always maintained with friends that the difference between the English view of diving and that of some other nations is that English football watching culture is markedly against diving and views it as cheating, while some other football cultures may see diving as simply part of the game. Click to continue reading...

They Think It's All Over... thinks Wayne Rooney's claims of honesty just mark him down as a dishonest cheat. Click to continue reading...

He would never intentionally dive, OK? "I have never intentionally tried to dive, there have been times when I have tried to stay on my feet and tried to get the shot off rather than going down. I have never intentionally dived. I think everyone who watches me play knows I am an honest player who [. Click to continue reading...

From John Terry's remarks yesterday:

"I can speak about the England lads and I think it is something we don't do," said Terry. "I think we're too honest, sometimes even in the Premier League you see the English lads get a bit of contact and stay on their feet and try and score from the chance they have been given.

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Wrong Wrong Wrong!

Arsenal striker Eduardo has been banned for two games by Uefa for diving to win a penalty against Celtic last week.
The Croatia international was found guilty of deceiving referee Manuel Gonzalez as he fell under the challenge of goalkeeper Artur Boruc.

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What's good for the Goose isn't always the same for the gander in Arsenals case.

Ever since the Paul Davis incident back in 1988, which I believe was the first instance of cameras being used retrospectively in a football match, we have been treated unfairly by the footballs powers that be.

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In the end, it was a damp squib of a transfer deadline day, hyped to the nines but delivering nothing of interest, and nothing at all for Arsenal.

The whole absurd day, which has become a newspaper-selling website-hitting phenomenon all of its own, with Sky Sports News the very worst culprit, is summed up for me by this one entry from the Guardian's live transfer deadline day page:

5.

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Obviously in the wake of UEFA's ridiculous decision to suddenly clamp down on diving, ironically the season after the greatest prima donna of them all has upped and moved to Spain, it would be an easy option to write an article on it. However, I have a slightly different complaint, and it doesn't regard Eduardo's penalty against Celtic, but rather Rooney's in the United-Arsenal tie.

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The topic du jour for the last few days or so has been that despicable act known as diving, after Eduardo's antics brought it to the surface against Celtic last week. Arsene Wenger has labeled it a witch hunt, and he might have a point. But then I tend to think a chase might ensue [...] Click to continue reading...

As an American soccer fan, it's incumbent (or so it seems) that I defend the sport constantly against ad hominem attacks by those that hate the game. It's an extra part of the "job" that comes with...

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Match Fit USA is back with a brand new show, chock full of interesting soccer topics. Jason and Zach tackle the place of diving in the game, bring in Andrew Bucholtz of The 24th Minute to get an...

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First off, hello. I'm Rob and I'll be here to enjoy the weekend with you. You might know me from the Champions League Offside, or The Premier League Offside, either way, a big hello. By now you will all have seen Eduardo's little tumble against Celtic in the Champions League midweek. The controversy from that [. Click to continue reading...

Bayern Munich fans spell it out You're saying it wrong! Common footballing mistakes Of which "EPL" is not one Eduardo joins the football diving hall of fame Meet Nathan Rutjes. And his hair What do Nigerian U-17 footballers and Joan Collins have in common? Predictable poll: Pelé vs El Diego Rob of Prem Offside and Champions League Offside fame will be here [. Click to continue reading...

As an Arsenal fan, I was very pleased with the teams 3-1 victory over Celtic and the Emirates on Wednesday night. I was not however pleased with Eduardo's blatant dive which resulted in a penalty and the first goal of the game.

FIFA have now repsonded to this by declaring that they will punish Mr da Silva with either a fine or a match ban.

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Did anyone see the Arse stick one over the jocks the other night playing wonderful footy as they have been doing all season. Anyway, I was down the battle-cruiser with my mate Soffo The Greek last night and he couldn't believe the reaction to Eduardo's iffy penalty decision in the media. He was so mad he said he'll even vent his spleen in The Den.

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Champions League draw Olympiakos, Standard Liege, AZ Alkmaar

I was going to header this morning's post with a suitably daft play on words such as Eduardo the Confessor or Much Edu About Nothing, but seeing as we've yet to hear a peep from our number nine and the issue of diving is not really trivial, I didn't.

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Here's a tip: if you ever become president of UEFA and everyone is up in arms about one of the most blatant dives in recent memory that just happened to occur in your top competition, don't say that you would have done the same thing. That's just a no. For reasons that I really shouldn't have to explain.

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Stuff to read while you tremble in fear at the thought of facing Palmeiras in their third kit...... "Even men with steel hearts love to see a dog on the pitch" (Sport is a TV Show) Seven (non-canine) things that stop football riots (Dirty Tackle) What could the English Prem learn from the NBA? (Unrofessional Foul) A history of [. Click to continue reading...

Blanco.
It seems that Seattle Sounders FC supporters feel a little hard done by the refs, and to be fair there have been more than a few questionable calls against the Rave Green at Qwest and elsewhere but such is MLS refereeing. Now some Sounders fans take a video look at it all courtesy of MLS Quickkicks. Click to continue reading...

The coach of this young girls team either has an excellent sense of humour, or he's indoctrinating a generation of future players with some very bad habits. If it's the latter, then WPS will be the diving capital of the world in a little over a decade. Great find from Brooks over at Dirty Tackle. Click to continue reading...