I'll laugh if Cahill breaks a leg today

Easier to get Moura than Gotze

Lindegaard said he didn't come to Utd to sit on the bench and pick his nose.

Also you have to make contact to foul somebody in a professional foul. You have to make contact with a ball to have a handball. You only need to fall down to dive. Its really pathetic.

De Gea will come good eventually IMO. Some time. In the future. Far

I won't be bothered if Cahill gets injured in all honesty

Subotic/Hummels

Sorry Gazza, I was riding home.

Handballs and professional fouls do indeed garner you an advantage for your team, but at the same time they are penalized within the constructs of the game. Thus, there is a trade-off to gain that benefit.

Diving, when accepted by the referree, is blatant cheating that reaps only rewards, no punishments and is entirely one-sided in this regard. A player, whether by luck, skill, or referee incompetence can continue to dive all throughout a match. The same cannot be done for the other acts of handballing or a professional foul due to the check put in place by the rules. Not the same.

Forget about the price-tag.

BK,Lindegaard would have grabbed the spot by then.

Have fun Andy. Take your time.

I think the magnitude of how bad an act of cheating is depends on the effect that the action has on the game.

For example a dive in the centre circle isn't as nearly as bad as a professional foul preventing a clear goal scoring opportunity.

Likewise, a handball in the centre circle isn't as nearly as bad as a dive in the penalty box.

Junior, preventing a goal scoring opportunity is penalized with a straight red. Punishment

Lindegaard is 7 years older than Gaya

Rtm - so?

Doesn't mean you can always say diving is worse than a professional foul and vice versa

A. Didier Drogba v Valencia
B. Raul Meireles v Manchester City
C. Daniel Sturridge v Wigan Athletic
D. Nathaniel Chalobah v Arsenal reserves
E. Lucas Piazon v Arsenal reserves
F. Juan Mata v Fulham


The nominees for December goal of the month

All you need to do to enter is pick your favourite from the video above and vote via the Chelsea Facebook page poll or by tweeting us @chelseafc using the #cfcgotm hashtag.
This month's prize is two tickets to the Barclays Premier League game against Manchester United at Stamford Bridge on Sunday, February 5.

Mine would probably go to Piazons goal actually although Sturridges and Drogbas were excellent finishes and Chalobah's technique for the free kick was perfect

Junior yes I can. Diving goes unpunished way too often. Professional fouls do not. Therefore diving is worse. How many times to we see attempts to dive in a the box only to find it waved away and NOT punished?? Same can't be done in a professional foul. It is always punished because it is blatant for all to see and is not trying to con anybody

To reiterate, Gazza said they were the same and I firmly believe that they are not, based on the fact of gains/benefits that I demonstrated earlier.

To explore whether one is worse or not makes it a rather complicated discussion, since you then have to clarify what makes an act in football wrong or worse.

One standard that you suggested is potential impact on the game with regards to outcome. While this seems to make sense, our judgment is clouded by perception, with the more direct and immediate being easier to see. Yes, a dive in the box that wins a penalty seems bad since its impact is immediate and noticeable. But what about a dive in the center circle which wins possession, leading to goal? Same result, but not as direct so less tangible. Yes, you might say the latter is less likely to lead to a goal, but if you are more forgiving of it so doesn't that not mean that it can also occur with greater frequency? Does this higher frequency balance out its lowered chance of having that same impact? We don't know.

Since that basis is a bit muddy, I propose we look at the situation based on the spirit behind the action. What goes into a dive? The thought that, if you are fortunate, you can get a positive decision for your team with no repercussion, based solely on your own theatrics and devoid of any tie to actual proceedings. A professional foul or handball, while deliberate, does not embrace as devious of an approach. It involves deciding to take action while in full knowledge of impending punishment and is more of a calculated decision rather than a roll of the dice.

Meh I am tired of writing..

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Diving is fun

I'm with the Americans on this one