The Victimization of David N'Gog
Wednesday, November 11, 2009
These have probably been a very uncomfortable couple of days for David N'Gog. The dramatics with which he won the penalty against Birmingham might be lauded as cunning elsewhere but, as many have been eager to point out to him, they aren't as celebrated in England.
The flip side, of course, is that the penalty got a point for Liverpool. It is easy to be sanctimonious but the only ones who really have a reason to be outraged are the Birmingham fans. The reality is that there isn't a team in the Premiership that doesn't try to trick or pressure referees into giving decisions their way. And does anyone complain when it is done in an England shirt? Of course not.
Sadly, however, that won't stop David N'Gog from being labelled a cheat something that is going to be very hard for him to shake off. You can sense that the next time he goes down, the referee will think twice before giving a decision in his favour: that suspicion is part of human nature.
Hopefully all of this won't affect N'Gog's confidence. The penalty quickly erased the memories of what happened just moments before when he sprinted past two Birmingham defenders in a move that was lifted straight out of Fernando Torres' manual (remember his goal against Marseilles?). It is that move which forced Lee Carsley into his lunge which - and this has been overlooked as well - got nowhere near the ball and could have seriously injured the player hadn't he jumped.
Indeed, N'Gog's performance has was one of the few bright sparks from that game and the season so far. His goal against Birmingham involved terrific skill - how else can hitting the ball with such power and precision before it hits the ground be described? - but his overall play has improved beyond recognition. There is an added sense of maturity around the way that he plays and he knows what is doing as well as what he should be doing.
Of course, confidence plays a critical role. That goal against Manchester United has fuelled the belief that he is good enough to play for Liverpool. That is not something which the player himself ever doubted but now even the fans are starting to believe it and that belief is something that he will feed on during games.
Naturally there are still aspects of his game that need improving. His control isn't the best, for instance, and it will be interesting to see how he reacts when things aren't going as well as they are at the moment. Above all, he needs experience to enable him to exploit certain instances during the game. Which probably means learning to drag his feet a little bit better when there is a tackle on him in the penatly box.
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6 comments:
You are right when you say alot of other players cheat, erm, I mean try to deceive the ref. However, I don't want see our team doing it. Even Stevie does his skydiving frog impression now and again and I cringe everytime.
My advice is stay on your feet at all times. You stand more chance of scoring and looking cool than diving and looking a fool!
I agree with the sentiment of your article... He's not the first and he won't be the last to go down dubiously in the box. Its not a new thing its most probably been happening since the game was first played - the way the FA and media are carrying it's as if 'diving' was only invented a few years ago and it must be stamped out immediately - its a very small part of the game it's often not fair but it is indiscriminate - every team will suffer or prosper as a result of 'diving' at some point. If the referee missed it then the ref missed it... lets move on. The ref misses or misconstrues many things in the course of the game; in their own little way it's these nuances that add to the drama of the beautiful game and it certainly generates much conversation and debate...
Now if a player is found to be constantly going down at slightest touch (a la Didier Drogba) then the player earns himself a reputation with the ref and other players\managers... Its not for the media or the FA to start conducting a witch hunt everytime a young and perhaps slightly naive talented young player is found to take a dive. Ngog is young lad, a promising player, he'll learn and move on. I just hope the FA don't try and make an example out of him like they tried to do to Eduardo - becasue quite frankly its not fair while the likes of Drogba can go round falling over unpunished everytime the wind blows...
I agree...as an Arsenal fan we know all about the ngog situation (Eduardo)and i must say that i find it *unfair*to pick out certain players for diving,i am not excusing divers and its a problem we should get rid off...im sure ngog will think twice before doing it again...lets move on...
Best Regards tom
I am pleased with N'Gog past few matches. Much much better than Voronin.. and he should be a starter in the absence of Torres, no questions asked.
while i agree with your article i'm not sure if anybody noticed how he grew right after the incident. it's been flashes of performance for him even with his impressive goal record but after the incident he played a whole lot better for the rest of the game, he was stronger and had more presence in the game, it's like he matured with that and was more determined than ever to prove his worth... which can only be good for us.
the funny thing is darren bent also dived at the weekend to win a penalty against spurs.. but was this caught by the media and blown way out of proportion by the media? no.. as usual the media has created a lot of negativity around liverpool football club and no doubt this will affect ngogs next performance. also at the weekend did anyone notice how the macs all seemed to swarm around the ref at the end of their defeat to chelsea? clearly this is just the media being anti-liverpool because if they wer realy concentrating on the main headlines this story wud hav made the back pages before ngnog's dive!
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