Old Trafford legend Gary Neville has publicly admitted that he believes Liverpool defender Daniel Agger should've cheated during the Reds' 2-1 defeat against Manchester United at Anfield yesterday.
Manchester United's controversial penalty against Liverpool at Anfield on Sunday was the latest in a long line of poor decisions against the Reds in this particular fixture, but according to Nevilly, the penalty could've been avoided if Agger had deliberately fouled Antonio Valencia on the half-way line. He told Sky Sports:
"United's one is a penalty for me.
"The mistake Liverpool made is that Agger and Johnson should have taken Valencia out on the half way line.
"That might sound a little bit cynical, but that's just football unfortunately.
"Then Glen Johnson tackled from the wrong side. He's clipped his heel, there's a push in the back and Mark Halsey had no option other than to give a penalty"
Whatever pathetic euphemism you use to muddy the waters, cynically and deliberately fouling another player is cheating:
Cheating [Verb]
"Act dishonestly or unfairly in order to gain an advantage, especially in a game or examination"
I am just glad that Liverpool's players do not employ the kind of dubious tactics that have become Man United's trademark during the Premier League era (and yes, Luis Suarez does dive, and I've berated him for it many times).
It will come as no surprise to Liverpool fans to hear a former Man United player publicly endorsing 'cynical' cheating. After all, United have bred many cheats over the years (Wayne Rooney, anyone?), and Neville spent his entire career at Man United, so what does that say about the football 'education' he received there?
Neville clearly acquired a cheat's mindset during his many years at Old Trafford, and these comments prove that beyond a shadow of a doubt.
In any event, if Agger or Johnson had 'taken Valencia out' on the halfway line, then it's possible Liverpool would've had another player sent off.
I think Neville is a very good pundit, but his comments here are a disgrace, especially given the fact that this repellent view was aired on Sky Sports, which is watched by millions of people, including impressionable kids.
Jaimie Kanwar
Manchester United's controversial penalty against Liverpool at Anfield on Sunday was the latest in a long line of poor decisions against the Reds in this particular fixture, but according to Nevilly, the penalty could've been avoided if Agger had deliberately fouled Antonio Valencia on the half-way line. He told Sky Sports:
"United's one is a penalty for me.
"The mistake Liverpool made is that Agger and Johnson should have taken Valencia out on the half way line.
"That might sound a little bit cynical, but that's just football unfortunately.
"Then Glen Johnson tackled from the wrong side. He's clipped his heel, there's a push in the back and Mark Halsey had no option other than to give a penalty"
Whatever pathetic euphemism you use to muddy the waters, cynically and deliberately fouling another player is cheating:
Cheating [Verb]
"Act dishonestly or unfairly in order to gain an advantage, especially in a game or examination"
I am just glad that Liverpool's players do not employ the kind of dubious tactics that have become Man United's trademark during the Premier League era (and yes, Luis Suarez does dive, and I've berated him for it many times).
It will come as no surprise to Liverpool fans to hear a former Man United player publicly endorsing 'cynical' cheating. After all, United have bred many cheats over the years (Wayne Rooney, anyone?), and Neville spent his entire career at Man United, so what does that say about the football 'education' he received there?
Neville clearly acquired a cheat's mindset during his many years at Old Trafford, and these comments prove that beyond a shadow of a doubt.
In any event, if Agger or Johnson had 'taken Valencia out' on the halfway line, then it's possible Liverpool would've had another player sent off.
I think Neville is a very good pundit, but his comments here are a disgrace, especially given the fact that this repellent view was aired on Sky Sports, which is watched by millions of people, including impressionable kids.
Jaimie Kanwar
Next time we win by skill not by cheating. Liverpool has big potential under Rodgers and I believe that one or two season we will be dominating the premier league again and MU will be falling. SAF can't be manager forever. When he retire it will be the end for MU.
ReplyDeleteJohnson possibly tried to take out Valencia but missed him and got Agger instead, and now Agger is out for quite a long time, they are not able to tell yet due to swelling, the same for Borini but Kelly is really bad and out for the season.
ReplyDeleteThe politically correct term is to take one for the team which maybe Agger should of done and got a yellow.
I do not think a professional foul or taking one for the team is cheating and is part of the game and has been for a very long time
that's not cheating
ReplyDeleteYou sir, are an idiot, or haven't been watching football for too long - it called "taking one for the team," where you deliberately take a yellow or red to prevent what might perceptibly be a worse outcome to come. And teams employ it all the time, and have done so for ages, and when I say "teams" I mean everyone including Liverpool. Like billydean09 said, that probably what Agger and Johnson tried to do, but they got each other instead. Don't you have something more useful to say?
ReplyDeleteWe've been saying this for the past 15 years. Don't get your hopes up pal.
ReplyDeleteYes it is. Just because the FA call it a 'professional foul' doesn't mean it's not cheating in reality. It's funny how fans are always scrambling for euphemism when it's their team that's doing the cheating, but when their club is on the receiving end then then the offence they were justifying suddenly becomes cheating.
ReplyDeleteRead the definition: it is cheating.
What a load of crap. Liverpool are a mid table club end of story and by the way they both tried to take Valencia out but couldn't veen do that right
ReplyDeleteIt is cheating, but frankly taking one for the team is worth it sometimes. Just as Suarez...
ReplyDeleteStevie G is one of the worst offenders around
ReplyDeleteBut Evans managed to take out Shelvey at same time as Shelvey takes out Evans, RVP takes out Suso but cos' Suso doesn;t roll around like a whingeing girl like Evans the ref is able to take easy option of a yellow. Finally Evra takes out Suarez. Don't even get me started on the penalty decisions....oh alright then you're right Johnson didn't manage to take out Valencia......Valencia was going to ground before Johnson was near him, i.e. no penalty! More Man Utd cheating. Man Utd with their financial issues, debt laden situ will be in decline soon especially when Fergie leaves you, then we'll see who's mid table. Everything in this World is cyclical, football included. We're on the up, Ma Utd are already on the decline. Lost Prem last season, no trophy, Ch League early exit last season in your usual weak group you get handed. Bigger picture, times are changing!!
ReplyDeleteWhat a pethetic article! No substance, no sense at all. Just a show of bitterness. How ironic a team that has Suarez in it slating other people for cheating? Unbelievable! And don't even get me started on ur DJ beating captain who should be in jail. Who in the premier league dives more than Gerrard?
ReplyDeletethis is big buisiness agree with gn take him out and keep your point witch we at least deserved
ReplyDeleteYour joking arent you Jamie? You are trying to justify a controversial hedline with a non story.There cant be many Liverpool fans in the world who with the benifit of hindsight would not have had Valencia brought down on the halfway line . I have called Neville a digrace in the past for certain actions. But as he said thats football. All fouls by the way, are deliberate by definition. A referee is only supposed to blow up for what he sees as deliberate transgessions Therefore every player who has ever committed a foul is a cheat. Its not that slow a day jamie is it ? I can think of a least half a dozen stories with more credibility than this. 2/10 am afraid.
ReplyDeleteOh good lord! How much moaning are you scousers going to do?? It WAS a penalty. Suarez dived. Shelvey a bit unlucky to be sent off, but he acted like a thug afterwards. You go on and on and on and on.....and on about how the FA apparently favours United, but you turn a blind eye to the times when your own do wrong. Like Dogleash swearing on camera at wenger....or Gerrard diving (check youtube, plenty of proof), or your own fans behaving just as disgustingly bad as the minority of United fans who chant about hillsborough. (again search pool fans munich chant on youtube). This pathetic attack on Neville just shows your obsession with United. You'd swear a Liverpool player has never committed a professional foul....or got away with a disgusting challenge (like carragher on Nani).
ReplyDeleteIf I was a pool fan (which thank f*ck Im not) I'd be more worried about the fact that my team only raised its game when playing United (and still lost) but will be back to being sh*t against the smaller teams next week. But of course, that will probably be because theres a big conspiracy in the FA to hold Liverpool down.
The reason why the referee and FA help SAF because he has a knighthood and is the current top EPL manager with 2 UCL champion. That why you can see SAF has the every advantage in EPL but not in UEFA. I know there are lack of evidence to support this but you can see the logic in it.
ReplyDeletePaul Scholes is the dirtiest player ever
ReplyDeletehaha Bitter? have a look back at all the decisions, you lost because you are a poor side and have the lowest chance to conversion rate in the league.
ReplyDeleteYou'd be stupid not to foul your opponent near the half-way line. Chelsea and Manchester United have been doing this for a decade.
ReplyDeleteI should start by I'm a lifelong Liverpool fan. What a pointless article! It's just an excuse to have a go at Gary Neville. OK, personally I've never been able to stand him (although he's a much better pundit than I expected) but why waste your time writing on something so pointless when the game had so many talking points?!
ReplyDeleteI would be very surprised if any manager or coach would say any differently to Neville although maybe most wouldn't admit it on TV. Quite frankly he was right, they should have brought Valencia down. Call it cheating if you like but it's no different to any other intentional foul. In fact it's no different to kicking the ball away when possession is given to the other team by the ref or standing in the way of a free kick to allow your teammates to get back in possession. Everyone does it, including Liverpool, sometimes refs call players up on it, sometimes they don't, it's part of the game. If you don't like it, watch golf or a non-contact sport. If Johnson had pulled him down and got a yellow, it would have been 1-1 and we'd have a point (ignoring for the moment whether it was a penalty, whether we should have had a pen and the issue of exactly who should have been sent off) and I would be feeling a lot less p*ssed of today!
dont get your hopes up, because Mourinho or guardiola will come.
ReplyDeleteThis "jouno" is as one eyed as he is stupid. youtube Steven Gerrard diver, watch one of the cheating videos. Also you fail to remember Jamie redknapp, one of your own, agreed with Neville! Conveniently didn't mention that eh?
ReplyDeleteYou sound like a bitter scouser, hence always the victims never your fault! Grow up. I really are a prat
lol u were beat. end of. get over it ffs
ReplyDeletePoor article. Every player that commits a foul is a cheat now? I could easily find an example of each and every player in the liverpool team that has "cheated" to gain an advantage.
ReplyDeleteU meant I really r a prat? But totally agree, what a moron. This paranoia, we are victimised crap from Liverpool fans and players(shelvey blaming Fergie!) will always hold u back
ReplyDeleteSuch a laff, you lot!! How many times has Caragher taken people out??? What a joke!!!!!!!!!!!
ReplyDeleteyour thoughts are spot on! Pointless analysis indeed
ReplyDeletepoor indeed
ReplyDeleteWhoever comes I don't really care that much cause they will take time to change the system and by that time it won't be a threat for 1 or 2 season. Unless both of them continue to use the old system that might take quicker time but there are a lot of factors to be accounted for. You can look what happen when Kenny Dalglish left the Liverpool team. You can that the team has become weaken. It is a different case in Barcelona because the player in team has a better communication and it them who organize the team play not Guardiola
ReplyDeleteSome people just never learn. Anyone else want to be banned? :-) If you can't debate or get your point across without hurling insults then scuttle off to some other site. If you disagree with the article, make a counter argument like an adult, not some a 5 year old kid. Bitching about the nature of the article is not a counter argument. You have been warned: anyone else who contravenes the comment policy will be permanently banned.
ReplyDeletervk your right you are a prat
ReplyDeleteI didn't deny that Liverpool never cheat before. I just saying that we will win it by skill next time. Read carefully my friend.
ReplyDeleteI was watching the game on Sky Italia and the commentator was very surprised when he saw Van Persie waiting to take a penalty. He though that Valencia had over-done his run and simply grounded to a halt along with Glen Johnson. That was nearly what happened.
ReplyDeleteThe other thing which happened was that Valencia did the typical 'give-away' of a dive by opening his legs wide so to increase the change he clips the opponent and con the referee into giving a penalty. The predisposed Mark Halsey duly obliged to Manchester United's demands and gave a penalty.
The thing which is worrying me though is that it is becoming acceptable to take controversial decisions in favour of Man.UTD because since many other refs do the same, it is a safe option.
On the other hand, it is very risky for a ref to give a penalty in favour of LFC because only few do. When a ref gave a dubious penalty in favour of Liverpool, Graham Poll, head of the referees association, wrote an article on the Daily Mail lambasting that ref and Suarez. I would like him to do the same with every player and more importantly, with every team.
The situation is terrible right now. What Fergie wants from a ref, he usually gets because he has manipulated the referees psyche that it is perfectly safe to give the controversial decisions in favour of UTD while very dangerous for one's career to do otherwise. It's Fergie's power of the media and Man.UTD's political power which give them these unfair advantages.
Whats the point of this blog when you delete posts that go against your point of view. Leave those posts on and then we can have a debate like adults.
ReplyDeleteI guess we should be appreciative to Gary Neville for his professional advice to Daniel Agger. Some defenders in the game do not hesitate to commit what is affectionately known as a professional foul when their man is in the process of blowing right past them. Neville was notorious for his many professional and not so professional fouls. I must admit he played with a lot of passion for United during his career that is for sure. Fouling Valencia at the halfway line would have stopped the forward progress of the ball for sure and would have allowed our guys to get behind the ball thus making more difficult for United to find space.
ReplyDeleteThe move though considered cheating in foot-ball and is an accepted tactic being used by many defenses in the game today. I believe that had if it been Martin Skertl in that position he would have committed a professional foul to stop the play. He Skertl is a more aggressive defender IMO than Daniel Agger is. I feel that Skertl is more willing to play dirty if he had to stop a play.
Overall i agree with Gary Neville on something for the first time in a million years. If a player can foul to save their team from suddenly going a goal down in a game then then they should go ahead and foul.
I am still amazed how nobody is talking about him clattering Sterling in the penalty area just after Evans fouled Suarez. Scholes's foul was worse and more obvious.
ReplyDeleteScholes himself admitted in his autobiography that he is amazed with how many red cards he has managed to escape. It's because refs think it's safe to be lenient with UTD and harsh with the opposing teams because that's what many refs do. That clearly needs to change and the referees association should look at it.
I see your point Jaimie, but it would be a tactical foul/booking. In this instance it would have saved a penalty. As for the penalty incident itself, OI'm baffled as to how the challenge on Suarez was any less contact than that on Valencia. I think Halsey, whilst a good referee who has been through a lot, got many decisions wrong yesterday which ultimately decided who came out on top.
ReplyDeleteAlong with hot-headed Shelvey!
ReplyDeleteWow Jaimie its almost as if this was the first football match you've seen. Go back under your rock! Professional fouls are nothing new, at all.
ReplyDeletePep G! Pep G! Pep G! Pep G! Pep G!
ReplyDeleteThe red card on Shelvey was crap, both players came in with their spikes up, either they both should have gotten tossed or both yellow carded. Horrible call.
And the penalty kick was a joke, barely any contact made, and a dive by Man U.
It always gets said, but it's always true. Refs always call games in favor of Man U! Utter crap.
It's funny, the episode of "Being: Relegated" That aired the other night before the match had Rodgers cautioning Shelvy in practice to stay on his feet and not get angry. Then the red card. I'm wondering if like Suarez this behaviour is going to turn into a problem over the season.
ReplyDeleteArguably it's not. There's a clear punishment for this act, as long as players accept that I don't see the act as unfair or dishonest. It's a clear statement "I will take a yellow card to stop this attack".
ReplyDeleteDiving is another thing entirely, since you act like you are the victim of a challenge that has not happened and are thus being dishonest and unfair to get an advantage. While diving is punished with a card as well the very act is intended to happen without anybody noticing. I think the same of handballs. If you make no effort to hide it, I can get behind it as well. If you go the Henry route, you're cheating.
Are you saying people should be allowed to cheat and that it's just part of the game? Because I'm pretty sure that cheating isn't part of football... Unless you've spent long enough at Man U :P
ReplyDeleteDoes anyone know what happened with Agger's injury in the end? Had my head in my hands especially after that new contract!
ReplyDeleteMan you must have a lot of time on your hands to be looking on lfc sites. Sign of a true bitter manc. You wouldn't find me trawling the man Utd sites. Sorry you're prob not from Manc otherwise you'd support city. Poor side after 5 games. Judge us a the end of the season we'll becloser to you than you think. you're a ageing over-rated team of has been. The true Reds are rising under Rodgers!
ReplyDeleteOMG get back to your own sites and stop writing crap. You clearly don't watch much football do you. If you came in here stating we can't finish for toffee this season and couldn'tlast you'd have credibility. We've deserved more every game this season perhaps Arsenal aside. Even then look at the key decisions that went against us. Same v West Brom. Patience under Rodgers will be rewarded by this time we'll hav bypassed your aeing team and you can get back to focusing on your own team!
ReplyDeleteYes we were beat.. but it would be much easier to take if the referee had taken a more balanced approach. He clearly didn't. Ffs!
ReplyDeleteEvery team does it, including Liverpool, this cynical fouling. We, Liverpool, do it as commonly as almost every other team in the world, no matter how little it is, it is still cynical fouling. As long as the player in question gets punished when deserved, I don't mind. I am not against cynical fouling for when we do it as long as it is worth taking (i.e. stopping the opposition from lethal counter attacking in this case) the potential punishment for and in the Valencia case, it certainly was worth Johnson trying to take out Valencia on the half way line. I don't agree with the nature of this article nor do I agree with us somehow being on the higher horse when it comes to cynical fouling, as we are no different to almost every other team, in my view. We certainly are not angelic, we have had the likes of Souness, Mascherano, Gerrard, etc, doing it over the years, this kind of cynical fouling, without ever having a go at them for it as a collective group of fans. So nope, I disagree with JK on this one.
ReplyDeleteAggers injury is not as bad as first feared.
ReplyDeleteIt is cheating. If your only option is to take the illegal route, it's cheating. For example, Suarez' handball in the world cup. The only way he could stop that goal was deliberately hand ball it, and he did, but it was cheating. The only way Agger could have stopped Valencia streak down the field was illegally tackle him in a deliberate manner- which is cheating.
ReplyDeleteHow about Agger's penalty appeal? That was definitely a penalty! How does being a 'thug' after you get sent off support the argument that it was a red card? And how do you accuse Suarez of diving when Valencia took an even more dubious tumble to the ground to win a penalty? Johnson hardly touched him and fell over. 'Dogleash' (wow, what an offensive name!) never swore on the camera, he just told Wenger to 'piss off'- hardly the most vulgar of things to complain about. You cannot compare that to Rooney's 'F*** OFF!' right in front of the camera's lens. And about the fans. Quite a number of Utd fans were baiting the home crowd to sing about Munich yesterday (Where's your famous munich chant). They also indirectly chanted about Hillsborough (If it weren't for the scousers we could stand up). So then when a couple of silly Liverpool fans do plane gestures after being baited into it by you lot the whole game, all of you take the moral high ground and start chanting 'murderers' and etc. You do it against city fans too. In fact there's a video on youtube showing a large section of away UTD supporters doing plane gestures at city fans to bait them in and then hypocritically take the moral high ground. Yesterday was mean't to see a massive attempt to change those things, but the vile utd fans couldn't care less.
ReplyDeleteWe actually do it far less than every other good team. That is one of the reasons why we concede a load of soft goals.
ReplyDeleteA bit strong to call it cheating. It depends on your outlook. Being offside is technically cheating since you are violating a rule. So is a foul throw.
ReplyDeleteI don't like to see these cynical challenges but they are usually accepted. In basketball fouling is a tactical part of the game. You get criticised there for not doing it. Realistically in football there is the same culture. I don't think that will change. In that sense, this kind of foul acceptable. I wish it wasn't but it is.
We concede goals and are on 2 points because we are a mediocre team, which encompasses many things, not just the alleged holier-than-thou-'we don't do cynical fouling much', such as overrated full backs that can't defend properly. Just last season people were banging on and boasting about how low are 'goals conceded' column is last season (joint 3rd best in the league last season at it). So we can't have been conceding that many goals, let alone soft goals. Apparently Chelsea are better at not conceding soft goals as they can do the dirty stuff according to some, yet they conceded more goals than us last season and their defending has been dud for the last 2 seasons anyway such as that diabolical stamford bridge game against Manure last season, where was their cynical fouling than eh. 'actually' you say, is that a subjective 'actually' like my opinion or a factual 'actually', if so, please back it up as I may learn that I am factually wrong.
ReplyDeleteLiverpool are still suffering from the ill-fated fake 1989 verdict.Mark Halsey and many other referees are still punishing Liverpool because of this and some will take time to accept last week final verdict.I think The FA have to sit down with these referees and talk to them to be fair with Liverpool for our fans were not responsible for that strategy.
ReplyDeleteCheating or not, they should've clatterd the boy!!!
ReplyDeleteDidnt Jamie Redknapp (who was sitting next to gary at the time) agree with him ?
ReplyDeleteAlmost every team you see even down to just on the local park there are cynical challenges, just clip someone so they dont break away and score it isnt a big thing, im a sheffield united fan but came across this link from another site, decisions in or out of favor are all part of the game take out season in the prem, 3 pens in 2 games v liverpool 2 definitely not one was still debatable, all through the season we had decisions against us stonewall pen and red card against man u not given, 5 or 6 highly questioned offside decisions, we went down by one on Gd to wigan and in our first game v them we had a pen given then after consulting the lino, it was not given, then on the last day we hit the inside of the post, underside of the bar and had 4 or 5 penalty's turned down, don't moan about refereeing decisions or luck it could be worse ya could be a blade
ReplyDeleteBringing last season into it doesn't really justify your point- there is a new regime in place.
ReplyDeleteI think you're taking my comment a bit personally, it was just a wee observation.
Also, just because you don't concede many goals (not true this season) doesn't mean you don't concede soft ones. If you want to think about last season, look at the QPR game for example.
all thay needs to be said is that liverpool were the best team on the day by far and this will show with results in the next few months. They out played man utd
ReplyDeleteI genuinely wanted to know if there was something factual behind it, as I got no problem in correcting myself. So yes, personal, personal in the sense that I would change my opinion, if there was something 'actual' and 'factual', ergo, genuinely wanted to know.
ReplyDelete'....doesn't mean you don't concede soft ones....' - Yep, it can be spun either way, which I got no issues with as I don't profess to my interpretation of it being factual, rather just a mere subjective view of it. Just like you subjectively view our so-called lack of cynical fouling as one of the reasons for our so-called soft goals.
I think it is apt to bring in last season's attempts as well as previous season's as some people are making it out that we are and have been for years, a holier-than-thou-team compared to the rest in the league, when it comes to cynical fouling. Just like you brought up the QPR goal from last season, just because its a new regime, doesn't mean silly individual and collective errors go away in a flash. The likes of Skrtel, Enrique and Johnson have silly goals in them, as they have showed under KK and Rodgers. Just because a new regime is in place, doesn't necessarily means its a total clean slate as to how players make defensive mistakes.
WORST BLINKERED 'STORY' I HAVE EVER READ!!
ReplyDeleteNeville admits cheating, so rooney and the whole team must be cheats??!! WTF!!!
Jaysus, LFC are whiter than white and none of there players have ever cheated? Neville talks about takin the man at the half way line.
No one at LFC would ever do anything dishonest.....oh wait Suarez cheated Ghana out of the 2010 World Cup semi final, the ball was crossing the line on the last minute, and Ghana would of been in the semi final of the world cup. And Suarez cleared it with his hand.
Does that make everyone who he plays with a LFC a cheat??
Jamie Kanwar.....u tool!
Just had to come back to this one 7 months later, and use a few numbers that show I was right. 31, the gap between our "ageing team" and yours. 0, the number of trophies your crap team has won this season, 2, the number of players bitten by Suarez. 0, the level of credibility your club and its fans have after defending the actions of Suarez, and most importantly 20!
ReplyDelete