Off Topic: Soccer and NASCAR

[Marko69]

Last night at HT in the England game, I went and made coffee and missed the pundits on the couch speaking. Text message from a buddy today........ "Did you hear Shearer at HT? England should've been 3, 4 or 5 nil up?!" I thought it'd remained BS free last night........, missed that one though.

[TheLondonLion]

All I'm saying is take your psychopathic peacock routine to another thread, this is for very serious soccer discussion. I get you all right, I get that you lack the intellectual horsepower to discuss the beautiful game. Nobody with any kind of sense would pick one of truly terrible matchups in history like Saudi versus Putin as any kind of barometer on the state of soccer.

He does have a point about the absurd histrionics in the sport, again evidenced by Pepe and the Iran keeper today.

Very much a first world sport by design, global by appeal.

[Marko69]

Don't think it's getting any worse though.

Rivaldo in 2002.

https://youtu.be/OiW0IPrv1Ro

[CGVT]

I used to get bothered by it, but then I realized, it is just how it is. My son and I were watching the other day and he said, "you know how they could make it more exciting..." and I said, they (whoever they are) like it as it is. He nodded and said, "yeah I get that". I guess I do too.

[Marko69]

I think the main issue lies with fans / viewers of a certain age and above. I'm almost 50 and have been going to Easter Road since I was 8 years old. Back in the 70s and most of the 80s, crunching tackles were part of the game and the players just got up after it.

And then........ The UK scrapped the three foreigner rule.......... And then the Latinos introduced cheating bastardness to our shores.

And then TV bought everything..........

And then as the younger generation grew..........., it became a "part" of the game.

But seriously........, I do remember when players used to get chopped in two and just get up and get on with it.

[Fraquar]

I think the main issue lies with fans / viewers of a certain age and above. I'm almost 50 and have been going to Easter Road since I was 8 years old. Back in the 70s and most of the 80s, crunching tackles were part of the game and the players just got up after it.

And then........ The UK scrapped the three foreigner rule.......... And then the Latinos introduced cheating bastardness to our shores.

And then TV bought everything..........

And then as the younger generation grew..........., it became a "part" of the game.

But seriously........, I do remember when players used to get chopped in two and just get up and get on with it.

What bothers me more than the flopping is when the player looks at the ref with the "card him" sign. One of these days I'd love for the ref to pull it and book the guy for being a tool.

[froot loops]

The flopping is ridiculous because it is so over the top, but it happens in a lot of sports. In some sports like basketball you have to embellish to get a call on a real foul. But yeah Pepe needs a heavy fine or something.

[Marko69]

Apologies in advance for AFL stuff in the soccer thread, but relevant to a solution.......... Embarrassingly this is Alex Rance for the Richmond Tigers taking a dive two weeks ago. Even though he got the freekick, it was reviewed and deemed as "staging" and he was fined two thousand bucks and banned for one game. Money not really an issue to these guys, but the ban hurts.

It shouid be incorporated into soccer.

[Marko69]

What bothers me more than the flopping is when the player looks at the ref with the "card him" sign. One of these days I'd love for the ref to pull it and book the guy for being a tool.

There was talk amongst UEFA a few years back regarding this issue, and the "card him" sign WAS to be an instant booking. But nothing came of it. Don't see it here in Scotland really, and sadly, (not being racist, honest) when you do see it, it's usually a foreign player. Think Jurgen Klinsmann started that Shyte when he was a player.

[Fraquar]

What's your take on this VAR in the World Cup? My only issue is I think it should only be used to review a goal or potential goal (i.e. did the ball cross the line). Using it to award Penalty Kicks (i.e. judgement calls) I think is going too far - that's the job of the Referee and his Linesman in real time.

I'm not really looking forward to the inevitable with this technology, a 0-0 game in an elimination round where the game gets turned on it's head because of a "virtual penalty".

[FVD]

I have no problem with it marking the spot a foul occurred, but I believe that calling a foul should rely solely on the referee decision

[Malto Marko]

I think goal verification and flopping disqualification would be noble ways to incorporate it into the game.

[Marko69]

[Marko69]

Xhaka for Swiss , what a goal! And then Shakiri almost with goal of the tournament. This is an incredible 2nd half by La Swisse

[Marko69]