For me, I draw the line at injuring other players and actual diving as opposed to embellishment. I think there was one incident where one of their players got tapped on the foot and he was grabbing his shin as though it was broken. That is a no-go for me. As for their targeting of Mané, until it got to the point where it was malicious, I was fine with that even though it really annoyed us to be on the receiving end of that. It’s just the game, and it was really up to the referee to police that.
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Wow. Didn’t manage to see the game live, but after watching the highlights, it seems that our lads gave them the pasting they deserved. Total control, beautiful moves, and no concession to their foul play and cheating. Having a strong ref obviously helped. The red card for Felipe was more than deserved.
On another day, this could have been another four or five nil, but I won’t complain. Qualified from that group after four games, with four wins in four to boost! Who would have thought that when the teams were drawn? 
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@Kopstar I had my doubts and he called it. Well in.
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Why? Were his players constipated last night?? 
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I realized that watching it back, the ref’s line of sight would have given him a very good view of the studs-on-Achilles contact which I had not seen in real time. He might still have had some doubt about which card he was going to display, but he definitely would have been contemplating red all along.
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Did UEFA confirm what he was sent off for? It looked like initially he was going to book him but because he ignored the referee 3 or 4 times when he was trying to call him over he upgraded it because of the added dissent. Could be wrong, it was a pretty nasty challenge to be honest and they deserved what they got considering for 45 minutes they were trying to take Sadio out of the game by any means possible.
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In an ideal world, the players play the game with integrity and the ref applies the rules and manages the situation in the context of the game, and it’s particular circumstances.
Unfortunatley we don’t always get that.
Atletico are an extreme outlier in terms of snide. Excellent team with excellent players, no doubt about it. But they are nasty in the tackle and can foul and injure easily. They are cynical too, and can foul to slow it all down and disrupt rhythm. They do sly fouls all the time as well, pushing, pulling, the lot. Then on top of the various forms of fouling they commit two other egregious crimes (egregious in the context of trying to play a football game in the right spirit).
First, they roll around and play act far too much. It is embarrassing and ridiculous. It wastes time and spoils the game. And second, they get in the face of the ref constantly, complaining, challenging, intimidating, and even ignoring the ref like last night, which cemented the red card decision. Basically they are happy to see where the line is and push on it, and go beyond it, all game long.
In short, they take after their manager in their approach to the game. Can’t stand him. Can’t stand them.
What to do?
Beat them with your superior play, with your head held high, playing fairly. Like we just did, twice.
Oh, and yes, I am all on board with the Case or Souness suggestion. It’s a matter of degree and nuance. No one is saying we should become thugs, so we shouldn’t run to the nth degree with the suggestion. But what I think is being said, is that on occasion, when the opposition is so objectionable, and when the ref hasn’t managed the game sufficiently that it all feels like it is getting to the ridiculous extremes, as Atletico are happy to do, as described above… then yes, someone to stick a bloody good crunching tackle or two in there, yes please.
More recently than Case or Souness, I think about Stevie G. There was one game where Fellaini was elbowing our players all day long and the ref wasn’t doing anything. Cue Stevie intervention. Goes up for a header, Fellaini comes down, dazed, blood pouring from his head, sitting on the ground wondering what just happened. Well Screech, what happened was Stevie just marked your cards and said you don’t play like that, you don’t bully his teammates, not on his watch.
I have to confess, I loved it.
In the most recent Man Utd game there was a little scuffle after the Ronaldo and Jones thing, and Virg and Konate steamed in there, strong, fair, but definitely laying down a marker that we are not to be messed with.
Loved it.
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In a game at Goodison, Jimmy Case ended Geoff Nulty’s career with one of the nastiest tackles I have ever witnessed. I wouldn’t want us to go down that route…
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It’s also not needed, we are a team whose won everything in the past 5 years, why change our style?
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Yes, I definitely wouldn’t want us to go that far.
But a little down that path, to not be bullied… yes, I would. Like Virg and Konate on Ronaldo and Bruno in the recent Man Utd game. And up to the sort of place where Stevie was, when he elbowed Fellaini going up for a header.
I’m comfortable with that, if necessary.
Career ending stuff though? I’m not on board with that, at all.
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We’ve got robbo. Our snide lil cunt
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I don’t think we are bullied. We’ve got plenty who can dish it out if needs be. Milner, Henderson and Fabinho are kings of the tactical foul. Henderson is in the ref’s ear for the entire game and Robbo’s always chipping off at opponents and getting his retaliation in early. We will never go full shithouse under JK. There’s a reason we’ve been top of the fair play league every season since he’s been manager. We can’t afford the suspensions.
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Don’t think thats what we want.
Just when stuff gets tasty that we have someone who can dish it out.
It stops teams from adopting the “they dont like it at them” approach, as they did with Arsenal a few years back.
My reference to Case, Souness and even Keane was that they were all quality players who protected the team as well. Gerrard as well, McMahon let us down vs Wimbledon but other than that he was an enforcer.
Edit:
We suffered injuries vs Everton lady season and Utd this season because of cowardly referees.
If we had someone leave a bit on Ronaldo after the Jones assault then Pogba might think twice about snapping at Keita
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Don’t think those words belong in the same sentence.
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Two problems with that approach. Firstly, that’s not the manager’s style. He’s run the team in his image of fair play and just beating them with superior football. Secondly, and perhaps more importantly for us fans, have you seen Premier League referees? It’s always one rule for the other team and another rule for us. The moment anyone playing for us attempts something like what is being suggested, you can just guarantee a red card is coming.
All the more so if you think Atletico won’t be instantly making the most of it, rolling around like they’ve been shot. There’s genuinely far too much obsession with the “good old days” and the “laying down a marker”. Once we let ourselves get bogged down with that, we’re losing the game. We’re far superior enough that we can destroy teams without resorting to things like that. Look at Salah. Try to take him out, and he’ll just dance around you and let you get the card.
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Not even sure if that’s legal
CL matches starts at 3am for me 
i try my best.
If we go unbeaten for the season and i watch all the matches i want a statue
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I was at that game, Jimmy Case nearly cut him in two.
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Ok
Lets say that you are correct and that we dont need to lay down markers etc.
Then we also have to expect protection from referees. We don’t get that, you acknowledge that.
We continue to beat teams by being superior footballers, ok…but Kompany on Salah cost us the league possibly a few years ago and we had neither enforcer or protection from referees.
The alternative is to allow teams to bully us and talk about nasty Burnley, nasty Utd etc.
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The other thing is, particularly @Rambler…
Why does it have to be absolute either way?
Because we should be tougher doesn’t mean we have to be vicious.
Its a real pity the argument has to be derailed by polarised attempts at destruction of debate
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