Robert Pires brought diving into the English game

[duffer]

According to Danny Mills.

‘I spent many years playing against him as a right-back, for Leeds United and Manchester City, and we had what might be called a fractious relationship.

‘I will always remember him as the player who, in my view, really brought diving into the English game; his habit of throwing himself to the ground without any provocation always infuriated me.’

http://metro.co.uk/2016/02/16/arsen...gues-dive-culture-claims-danny-mills-5686484/

Well, did he?

 

[Rado_N]

I thought it was Ronaldo?

 

[lynchie]

Was he here pre-Klinnsmann?

 

[rpitchfo]

no, people were clipping their own heels shortly after the first football was kicked.

 

[adexkola]

I thought it was Reyes (where is he now?)

 

[bubbles_]

You usually get this spiel from old pros who claim their generation all played by the rules but diving was around in England long before the Premier League started

 

[DomesticTadpole]

Didn't Francis Lee have a talent for diving?

 

[RustyS]

What a load of crap.

 

[Moonred]

He used to dive. Hardly pioneered diving like its some never seen before phenomenon.

 

[.Rossi]

Actually, the man of the moment, Nicky Butt, dived a few times before Pires was heard of

 

[rcoobc]

Robert Pires - Arsenal 2000 to 2006

Michael Owen - 1998


I'm not being thick right? Pires joined Arsenal in 2000 and Owen dived in 98?

 

[kouroux]

English players do not dive The floor has a big attraction on them.

 

[FC Ronaldo]

Bloody foreigns. Can't trust them. They killed the passion and hard men era too, don't you know?

 

[Big Ben Foster]

Ah, those pesky foreigners. Too bad they can't play football the right way, like the great Danny Mills.

 

[BAMSOLA]

Danny Mills probably needs to be introduced to his BBC Colleague Gary Lineker.

 

[The United Irishman]

Ginola..No?

 

[Varun]

Let's start a petition to recognise him as the first diver in English football and find out what's what.

 

[montpelier]

Lee & Dalglish

 

[RyRoc]

Absolutely ridiculous comment

 

[RamblingRebel]

Klinsmann was the one who made it popular, but I remember seeing footage of a little blonde fella in a sky blue shirt from the 70s doing some outrageous dives in the penalty box.

 

[Charlie Foley]

Let's start a petition to recognise him as the first diver in English football and find out what's what.

 

[Gio]

That's the same diving-related hubris that Gerrard comes out with. Total bollocks of course.

 

[SirAF]

I thought it was Ronaldo?

With Cristiano it is always polemic.

 

[Moriarty]

Didn't Francis Lee have a talent for diving?

Talent? The man was a cnut. Used to be known as Lee Won Pen by the press and a bigger cheat never played the game in those days.

 

[Gio]

Bloody foreigners

 

[kouroux]

Talent? The man was a cnut. Used to be known as Lee Won Pen by the press and a bigger cheat never played the game in those days.

 

[Moston_Lad]

Robert Pires ruined the English game. It's undeniable. I hate him to this day for it.

 

[Attila]

Bloody foreigners

Who is that?

 

[moses]

Who is that?

That's Danny Mills being shot

 

[Gio]

Who is that?

Dani Milio, throwing himself to the ground without any provocation. Infuriating.

 

[Attila]

That's Danny Mills being shot

Dani Milio, throwing himself to the ground without any provocation. Infuriating.

ffs

and he blames foreign players

 

[Donaldo]

Danny boy has never really recovered from the regular roasting he used to get from Thierry, Bobby and co.

 

[The Purist]

 

[Cutch]

Was he here pre-Klinnsmann?

Klinsmann was the one who made it popular, but I remember seeing footage of a little blonde fella in a sky blue shirt from the 70s doing some outrageous dives in the penalty box.

Klinsmann wasn't a serial diver in England. He had a bad reputation for it when he arrived which is why he broke the ice in his first press conference by asking where the nearest diving school was and did the famous diving celebration after his first goal in England.

 

[unchanged_lineup]

Robert Pires - Arsenal 2000 to 2006

Michael Owen - 1998


I'm not being thick right? Pires joined Arsenal in 2000 and Owen dived in 98?

The maddest thing I take from that video is the lack of players haranguing the ref.

 

[izec]

Danny boy has never really recovered from the regular roasting he used to get from Thierry, Bobby and co.

That reaction

 

[TwoSheds]

David Ginola was a master of clipping his own heels. Always the fecking French.

 

[Eddy_JukeZ]

Danny boy has never really recovered from the regular roasting he used to get from Thierry, Bobby and co.

Hilarious

 

[RORY65]

Danny Mills in being a crude, Little Englander shock. I seem to remember hearing a story that the Germans were really unhappy with Denis Law's repeated diving in a friendly in the 60s. Add to that the likes of Lee and Dalglish who are famous for it. It still seems mad that Ronaldinho got sent off for a bad tackle on Danny Mills in a World Cup quarter final.

 

[jojojo]

Talent? The man was a cnut. Used to be known as Lee Won Pen by the press and a bigger cheat never played the game in those days.

That he did.

Mind you, I remember Best diving a time or two as well, usually as a message to the ref after half a dozen uncalled fouls.

A few years later Rodney Marsh used to dive and laugh about it after the match. I don't even think he bothered to pretend that he got caught by the trailling foot, or was pushed off-balance or whatever. He seemed to think it was all part of the game. I don't even remember him being called on it.