That's because Gerrard knows that as an English player, he's going to miss the resulting penalty.

I thought you said you had to go down easily on light fouls to be worth your salt. Going down to obey the laws of physics isn't really the player's choice.

And your point is?

Perhaps if your example had been Gerrard not going down after being lightly fouled, you would have a point. And yes, such an example would imply him not being worth his salt.

Lets put it very simply:

You are playing football, and are being paid millions to get results for your team. You are in the box, and get fouled. Your options are:

1. Go down easy, maybe get a penalty.
2. Try to stay on your feet, get nothing.

Which of these is most likely to get your team the results you are being paid to get?

Half the nation still has sore throats from screaming our way to the quarterfinals

I thought the Belgian play was extremely impressive. Their build-up is beautiful, though they do seem to lack a striker that can finish the job. They had so many chances, but they just kept failing to put them in. Of course, Howard's performance was very impressive, but I can't help but think that forwards like Ronaldo, Messi, Suarez or Robben would have scored some of those chances.

The US put up a great fight, and I'm sure Wondo will cry himself to sleep for several years to come over that miss just before full-time, but overall I thought Belgium was the better team. I'm very much looking forward to their match against Argentina.

Well, then they are not lacking a striker, but a very high quality striker. These 4 are quite likely the current 4 best.

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Geek of all trades, master of none: the motto for my blog mostlymaths.net

a football song: sweet mexican girl hates Olanda ( sorry niña )

dutch humor ( unbeaten )

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I think I am so I think I am.

That was a truly epic game. It's a shame that US couldn't have pulled out at least this win.
Howard's performance would have been cemented in World Cup history if so.

Well, with the USA out and Wales/Bale not being a legitimate world team. Belgium/Hazard are my now my horse in this race.

Please don't say there isn't a difference between those plays. Messi wen't down legitimately with no flair and actually had a chance to get a clear shot off. Sure, Robben may(he wasn't changing direction the same was as Messi) have had cause to go down. But leaping off the ground and contorting in mid-air? Plus he had no chance at getting another touch on the ball. C'mon man...

I love the game tremendously but I prefer listening to it nowadays. I get helpless laughs at plays such as those.

The only difference is that Robben embellished. Messi also moved into the box, also changed direction by cutting to his left, also lost control of the ball already, was also only lightly fouled by a player who lunged in too late, and also went down when he probably could've stayed up with the hope of getting a penalty.

Robben already went down in the first half without embellishing (this one), and in that instance he was hit so hard that the defender who tackled him broke his own shin bone (boom). So I can imagine that at some point you're going to try and attract some extra attention when you've been taken down yet again. I don't like theatrics at all, but I like fouls (and diving) even less.

So how about everybody stops diving, and everybody stops fouling players, eh? Then the theatrics will disappear naturally.

From football rules : A direct free kick is awarded when a player commits a deliberate foul outside of the penalty box (for offsides, etc., an indirect free kick is awarded).[1] However, if the offence was committed by the defending team within their own penalty area, the kick becomes a penalty kick.

Why not complain about the Mexican defender who committed the offence. He polluted football in the first place. He hindered the attacker intentionally and illegally in order to reduce his scoring chance. Such defenders make football less attractive to watch.

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I think I am so I think I am.

Anybody else notice there was no diving, flopping, or cheating of note in that well-regarded Belgium-USA match? Funny how people appreciate clean football.

I'm not anti-Dutch, just anti-Robben. He's is a famous diver, a dirty cheat, and a crybaby who tries to get his opponents carded. He has been like this for years, which is a real pity because he's got amazing talent as has been demonstrated with some spectacular goals in this tourney.

My complaint in his last match wasn't just the last flop, it was the two prior dives, both of which deserved a booking. If the ref had the balls to card him, Robben would have stopped diving. Instead he was rewarded for being a cad.

Comparing his antics to Messi's stellar sportsmanship is disingenuous at best, especially over the course of their careers.

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- Brady
Want to see videos of low-dan mistakes and what to learn from them? Brady's Blunders

Here's a good article decrying the diving in football today. See, those of us who dislike it aren't alone.

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- Brady
Want to see videos of low-dan mistakes and what to learn from them? Brady's Blunders

Anybody else notice there was no fouling attackers of note in that well-regarded Belgium-USA match? Funny how people appreciate clean football.

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I think I am so I think I am.

I was looking up the TV ratings for various matches, and noticed that by the time you add in all the TV plus public viewings plus internet viewing, you probably had something like 10% of all Americans watching the Belgium-USA match, which is a pretty big deal by US standards.

In Belgium, that number was around 40%.

And here in the US it's going to be anothe rfour years before we have a chance to really increase the popularity of the sport again.

Belgium committed 27 fouls, USA 11. Netherlands 8, Mexico 12. Clean?

Whoah, Germany. That was totally impressive

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Geek of all trades, master of none: the motto for my blog mostlymaths.net

I thought the 4th goal was a replay of the 3rd.

At least the 90th minute won me a beer.

Oh my, how did this happen.

It happened because

- Germany was tactically stronger,
- Brazil was psychologically not prepared for being behind at all,
- Brazil was too burdened by national demand for the title,
- Brazil's defense was too wide and tactically passive, allowing Germany nice looking combinations,
- Klose was motivated to reach the 16 WC goal record.