Do I Really Have To Write About Spurs Again?
Cristiano Ronaldo is a splendid talent, but also a serial diver who should face some kind of punishment for what he pulled Saturday night; of course, had he stayed on his feet, he would have scored anyway, so if I'm slightly less than sympathetic to the cause of Middlesbrough, please don't vilify me. In fact, if there is a theme to be found in this weekend's games, it would be that of not blaming the official for a loss, as exemplified by Tottenham boss Martin Jol following Spurs' defeat in the North London Derby.In a match in which three "dubious" calls (a non-offside and two penalties) led to three goals for the home side, how could Tottenham blame the officiating when they weren't even aware that a match was being played that day? Those Ambien-ed zombies in white who took the field against Arsenal on Saturday showed none of the passion usually reserved for one of English football's most revered and contentious rivalries (perhaps not beating a side in seven years numbs the emotions of a derby). If all you need is "a team of Robbie Keanes," perhaps an investment in eleven alarm clocks should be in order as well.
Alright, I hear you, I'm being a bit harsh on Tottenham Hotspur; there were fleeting moments of passion, such as Benoit Assou-Ekotto's personal vendetta against Freddy Ljungberg, as well as a 15-20 minute stretch early in the second half in which Lee Young-Pyo (on for the dreadful Assou-Ekotto) and Jermaine Jenas helped establish some semblance of attack. Tottenham, who couldn't find the net if you spotted them a compass, two atlases and a freaking net, might even have been remedied by the insertion of Jermaine Defoe for the comatose Keane, but by the time he got on in the 80th minute, there wasn't much to do except get ready for Tuesday's Middlesbrough clash. How could Jol blame the officiating when he was just as asleep at the wheel as his players?
posted by Zach | 9:40 AM
10 Comments:
okay first things first, why do ppl still boo ronaldo, i mean do we really know what he said to the ref and what if the ref was already goin to give him a red card. second yes ronaldo is known for diving, but what if he stumbled. for going that fast, one little move can make him fall. and yes the official called a penalty shot because on a first look, it looked like the goalie got a touch on him but he got just a little knick, and that was still enough to call the shot.
I don't blame the ref for the call, but are you seriously asking why people boo Ronaldo?
If you're a fan, you're a fan I guess...
We boo Ronaldo for the simple reason that he is a diving cheat. He has proven that he can be a cynical player who dives in hopes to win a penalty or a booking for the opposition. I am not disputing his talent as that is irrefutable, I would go as far as saying he is easily one of the Top 3players in the Prem but his antics make it impossible for us to fully respect him. To answer your question more specifically, he gets booed in England b/c he crowded the ref and seemed to succesfully get Wayne Rooney sent off during WC match btwn Portugal and England. Any away ground he will hear a chorus of boos.
As for you Z, Spurs did not show up, no doubt but Arsenal were hardly the class side. Robbo was not tested often. If 2 dodgy penalties were not called and you were enetering the 70th or 80th minute even you would have been nervous w/that wanker Lehman in your goal. Spurs will come good and you will be out of Champs League and your players will have to whore themselves to help pay the mortgage at that big new stadium!!!
Oh and be careful as your little underwear model is a diving cu** as well. Freddie should learn to stay on his damn feet, no offense but he definately lost some pace and is looking more Leicester City than Le Scum
Ladies and gentlemen, may I present Michael Packard, Deadspin superstar and guest commenter on 116street Soccer (nice disguise there yiddo, glad to see you shook off the aftereffects in time to talk a little $#!+)...
No, he's still a horrible official, it's just that Tottenham was worse...
for your information, he did stumble & he admited he did. heck, he even admited that the goalkeeper didnt touch him. but it was the goalkeepers fault that he fell, so it was a clear penalty. & it was the goalkeeper who dived, not ronaldo so he isnt a cheaitng scum bag. what about other players who foul ronaldo & never get anything more than a yellow card? i mean, have you actually open your eyes to see that he isnt the one diving? tell me, when was the last time he dived? dont tell me it was the world cup because that was months ago.
you have to get over the world cup. he did not ask the ref to give rooney a red card, it was the ref's choice. rooney got over it, why are you still obsessed about it? is it because ronaldo isnt english? well, gerrard dives too so he isnt a diving cheat? do you realize that when something goes wrong, its always the international players who get booed or criticized? its never the english players who get the blame. southgate is an idiotic sorry excuse for a manager & a sore loser. he cant & wont admit defeat so he puts the blame on ronaldo. think about it.
If you want to be a fanboy, take it somewhere else. This blog gets a high number of readers, most of whom are sophisticated observers of the game, and if you want to say some stupidly biased shit like "it was a clear penalty even though nobody touched him" (paraphrased) you can go ahead and start your own blog. I will be deleting anymore comments in this thread, regardless of poster.
We keep a high level of discourse here, so if you want to keep commenting, step your game up. If you troll, you will be deleted, simple as that...
Z
I agree with anonymous. I watched the game and I think it was not Ronaldo's fault. Yes, the goalkeeper did not touch Ronaldo but he was the cause of Ronaldo losing his balance. Anonymous replied a pretty good come back and all you had to say was " if you wanna be a fanboy, take it somewhere else"? No offence but that made you sound like a jerk. Atleast explain yourself, tell us why. I'd like to know. Even if the referee did not give a penalty, Ronaldo would have shot the goal, I reckon. I agree, maybe it should not have been a penalty but its ridiculous to blame Ronaldo for everything. Mostly because he wasn't the one who dived. You have to agree with me. One last thing, saying this blog gets a high number of sophisticated readers is showing off and an act of stupidity. What about the unsophisticated one's? They have no right to post comment's or read your blog, is that it? Actually, I'd like to see you answer all of anonymous's questions since you're so sophisticated.
As to the "lot of readers" part, I probably should not have said that, upon second look. However, I do have a lot of respect for the people who comment here, and do consider them sophisticated observers of the game.
I shut this thread down after Anonymous said it was a clear penalty, right after he stated that the keeper did not touch Ronaldo. In my opinion, that statement crossed from rational argument into absurd bias.
I'm no Ronaldo hater, I think he's one of the best talents in the game and he's one of my favorites to watch. I also don't think he's to blame for everything, notably the Rooney incident. But he is a serial diver and will have to work that much harder to restore his reputation.
Some people who comment here have biases, but that does not cause them to begin making irrational statements (which is why I refer to them as "sophisticated"). The last thing I want is for the comments section to turn in a BigSoccer-type flaming session, and I anticipated this thread turning into such a thing. There are other places you can do that.
Again, I don't mean to come off as egotistical, there are many blogs doing better work than I am, and their (much stronger) following is highly deserved.
I am still closing this discussion down, I didn't like the direction it was headed and I have the right to do so. Anyone who wants to ask me further questions/call me names/agree with me, contact me at zjac7@yahoo.com, I will be sure to answer.
Post a Comment
Subscribe to Post Comments [Atom]
<< Home