Ferguson attacks Ronaldo critics
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Manchester United boss Sir Alex Ferguson has hit out at critics of Cristiano Ronaldo, saying he is the "most fouled player in the country".
Middlesbrough boss Gareth Southgate labelled Ronaldo a serial diver after the winger won a penalty on Saturday. But Ferguson said: "What's more serious in our game, preventing the best players playing or going on for three days about a dive that wasn't a dive?
"I have seen it a million times and Cristiano lost his balance completely." The Scot went on: "As I have said time and time again, we do not condone diving and Cristiano knows that. "But it is difficult for players who run as quickly as he does. For instance, if you were driving at 70mph in a car and another car comes out in front of you, do you brake or carry on?
"The interpretation is down to the referee but, to me, it was a clear penalty." Southgate said he felt cheated after Ronaldo went down in the 19th minute at The Riverside, with television replays showing keeper Mark Schwarzer had made no contact.
However, Ronaldo argued that he was merely taking evasive action. "Southgate stopped playing football last year. He needs to understand football much better," said the 21-year-old Portuguese international.
"I was trying to get past the goalkeeper. I lost my balance. "I realise people criticise me for anything I do. They love to do that ever since the World Cup. But it doesn't bother me." Ferguson agreed with Ronaldo's account and branded Southgate's remarks "naive".
The United boss went on to accuse the English media of using the incident to attack Ronaldo for his role in Wayne Rooney's sending-off at the World Cup. "It is revenge for the English press," he said. "They have been waiting months to do this since the World Cup."
Ferguson also believes Ronaldo is not winning as many free-kicks as he should because of a reputation he gained in his first season for going to ground too easily. "It is possible referees are still judging Cristiano on the way he played in his first season," said Ferguson.
"The first thing that happened to him at Middlesbrough on Saturday was that he was hacked from behind. The referee did not book the player, which only encourages players to keep kicking him and kicking him.
"All I know is that Cristiano is the most fouled player in the Premiership and the stats are there to back it up." -
Though a Man U fan.. a dive is a dive.. good for Man U.. bad for the game..
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so much bull and crap.
i think he needs to show some respect to southgate. -
I am a Man U fan...Die hard one.. i have to agreed is bad for the game..Originally posted by Gackt247:Though a Man U fan.. a dive is a dive.. good for Man U.. bad for the game..
But i think is not totally dive but imbalance due to the challenge by the GK..resulting in a foul.....
So lets give Ronaldo some encouragement..... -
To me a dive is still a dive.. I'll not support Ronaldo in tt matter..
I'll juz support Man U still top of the table.. -
look at the number of fouls on ronaldo juz because defender can't keep up the pace of his.....
dive or lost control? no one knows....
maybe chelsea's fans will know the answer -
ferguson will be screaming if a player from another team dived and man u lost a match.
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Originally posted by givemeluck:look at the number of fouls on ronaldo juz because defender can't keep up the pace of his.....
dive or lost control? no one knows....
maybe chelsea's fans will know the answer
Given the lad's recent performance and improved attitude, let's juz give him the benefit of the doubt.
I must say I'm quite bowled over by the explanation he gave...avoiding the GK and stumbling. Afterall, he did admit he was only trying to avoid the GK, he din insist the GK made contact...which wld be the case if he was attempting a dive. -
a dive is a dive.Originally posted by givemeluck:look at the number of fouls on ronaldo juz because defender can't keep up the pace of his.....
dive or lost control? no one knows....
maybe chelsea's fans will know the answer
what has it got to do with chelsea fans? -
no surprise.....fergie always defends his players who fight for the team on the pitch
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But Gareth Southgate is really a naive manager as Fergie said... you said it after the match then you move on cos you have a next match coming up against Spurs 3 days later and you would need to prepare your team... Instead he totally hang on to it for the second day, third day and forgotten about preparing the team for the Spurs match which his team lost 2-1 last night...
Even Wenger and Pardew going at each other in full view to the world was totally over within a day or two and that was an even more bigger case. Its how they handle it that shows are they able to control... I won't be too surprise if boro is relegated this season. -
it'll be dumb to still insist on contact after video evidence clearly showed none.Originally posted by Spica:
Given the lad's recent performance and improved attitude, let's juz give him the benefit of the doubt.
I must say I'm quite bowled over by the explanation he gave...avoiding the GK and stumbling. Afterall, he did admit he was only trying to avoid the GK, he din insist the GK made contact...which wld be the case if he was attempting a dive.
its just like denying you stole something when video surveillance showed you did. -
I don't know I don't condone divers too but I'm not really fully convinced that the 2 incidents during the match was really a dive.. Replays are replays right.. But its different when it is in normal play.. Ronaldo has admitted that there is no contact indirectly but no contact does not automatically means dive.. I thought it seems like a stumble cos it really looks like one.. It is typical of people to criticize these kind of incidents so straightforwardly.. Want to criticize can, but not as if Ronaldo is one of a kind. So many well known players also were given fouls just because they stumble. Why the particular arrowing on Ronaldo? *shrugs* But its ok it would only strengthen him and he will be mentally tough..
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it is ok to criticise as long as one does so from football point of view.
i am sure a lot of people werent happy when drogba or robben dived too.
in fact these three players are very guilty of diving.
many other players are guilty of play-acting, exaggerating when being fouled. -
I agree, the problem for these guys are... they are high profile players... They make one action and people remember them for a long time. Ronaldo did dived in his first season, But then again, he came from a league where diving was a common thing, Just ask Mourinho.Originally posted by dragg:it is ok to criticise as long as one does so from football point of view.
i am sure a lot of people werent happy when drogba or robben dived too.
in fact these three players are very guilty of diving.
many other players are guilty of play-acting, exaggerating when being fouled.
He was educated in such a way... But since his 2nd year, he has improve and cut out all those nonsense. When we watch it in slow-mo, it really looks like a dive but if we were to think again, at real time, the speed he was going at could cause him to stumble, which is a possiblity...
Many players have done it, we have all seen Henry did it against Spain too at the WC. Ronaldo too did do it at the WC. But then again, it was acceptable to the Portuguese nation and coach, sadly... It is those players who continue and repeatedly dive that should be condemn.
Robben and Drogba did it rather often at a time, Drogba even went on national tv during an after match interview and said that he dived and will continue to do so if it give his team an advantage... His own chelsea fans got angry and turn against him until he got depress and wanted to leave the club last season.
Robben on the other hand... apart from diving, he and Carvalho were usually play acting too till he got someone sent-off like the Liverpool keeper.
Anyway, The EPL has seen an increase in players diving or play acting over the last 3 yrs... Lesser known players probably would have been forgotten or not even mentioned. But hopefully, with the constant coverage of such news, it will discourage more people from doing it.
I believe that Mourinho has also learn something from it... His Chelsea team were going down too easy in his first year, something that he brought over from his Porto days... But they have improve now in the EPL as he knows the fans don't like it but i did see that team again when they played against Barce recently tho... -
ok im sorry its a dive. yah trueOriginally posted by dragg:a dive is a dive.
what has it got to do with chelsea fans? -
the FA must and should stamp down on play-acting and diving.
it is ruining the game. -
They can only do as much le.. Sometimes football is like that.. Just like life.. We always say clamp down on terrorism, but can you imagine a day that will come whereby every single soul is an angel with no ill intentions? My point is, the authorities are doing as much as possible already. Referees are already booking divers if they see any.. If miss any lan lan suck thumb lah.. Referees humans mah.. Take out referee put robot? Then lose the essence of the game leh.. In games and sports, there's winners, losers, and of course the occasional cheaters..Originally posted by dragg:the FA must and should stamp down on play-acting and diving.
it is ruining the game.