Ian - actually it's James's Dad (Christian) doing the typing as I hope my son is at school doing his final year before Uni. I've not managed to change the profile or can't be bothered more like it so that's my excuse for "hiding" behind my son's alias!
The somewhat irony of the Henry incident is that the team I went to see in 1969 and have followed ever since is, yes! Despite the fact I've not been to the Emirates (applied for a season ticket in 1997 and each year got rejected until they built the new ground and then we had choice of seats EXCEPT by which time James was into karting and you follow the rest...)I've watched Monsieur Henry many times and always admired him for his ability with the ball!
I'm not a dye-in-the-wool supporter or suffer from the same myopia that his former manager does which is a prelude to me saying what he did was cheating - i.e. to gain an advantage through foul (ILLEGAL as defined by the laws of whichever sport they are laying) AND DELIBERATE means (a player could handle the ball unintentionally which leads to a winning goal)but does that make him a cheat as in a cheat imperpetuity, a serial cheat etc?
Are there circumstances where someone cheats but isn't a cheat per se?
Personally I don't view Henry as a "cheat" and that has NOTHING to do with my allegiances one iota. With a surname like "Doherty" then you might think I'd side with Ireland and I do feel very sorry for them because we will never know what might have been.
But that doesn't mean I don't respect or understand the opposing view and I hope you accept it doesn't mean I'm thick or unpleasant unless someone wants to define thick and unpleasant as someone who doesn't think Henry is a cheat!
Your examples are interesting. Rivaldo cheated in fact I'm laughing so much as I write this because it was so funny watching him in the corner writhing in agony! Maradonna cheated period and has always denied it which doesn't let Henry off the hook because of what he said when the game had finished.
Diouff - well take your pick but basically he IS an example of someone who is not pleasant for all sorts of on and off the field reasons and ZZ - well if you're referring to the head-butt or chest-butt at the World Cup then NO in my view that wasn't cheating. He got a red and whether France lost because of that is irrelevant - he isn't guilty of cheating. Stupid, Rash, Hot-headed, Selfish - YES I'd say guilty of all those but not a cheat for doing that particular act.
I said immediately following the game the only way the game would be replayed was if the French FA went to FIFA and asked for it. That way FIFA don't lose face which we all know is something Blatter would not tolerate and they say "it's the decision of the French."
The argument about whether the Irish would offer the French a replay if the shoe was on the other foot is totally irrelevant because it hypothetical and that's just one area where Mr Keane's (Roy not Robbie) argument falls down.
We all know the most honourable thing to do in a fairly dishonourable world we live in would be to say "let's reply the game" but it won't happen and was never an option. The next time someone gets deliberately taken out in karting let's see if the pack slows down and lets the driver back in.
There have been times in sport (Borg is one example) where a blatantly wrong call - i.e. serve or pass called out was "evened up" by a deliberate poor shot.
And at the risk of showing bias - when we beat Sheffield Utd in the FA Cup courtesy of a goal scored from a thrown-in that should have gone back to them, we offered Utd a replay, the FA accepted and the game was played again. Ok - the result was the same but you're not to know that beforehand.
So in summary, Henry cheated but I wouldn't go so far as to call him a cheat period. Yes there are lots of people who pass themselves off as football supporters who are thick and unpleasant, vice versa and a combination of the 2.
All I know is I'm happy where I sit!
Regards
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just a perfect example (continued...) by 'JamesD' (23 Nov 2009 @ 13:28)
