Warren Armstrong

I love football, but the play acting by some players spoils it for me; generally speaking it is pretty obvious when a player is "simulating", i.e., screaming in agony, rolling around excessively, without being touched, hands covering the face and peeping between fingers to see if his opponent is being booked, only for him to be sprinting around the pitch like a demented greyhound seconds later, and is even more obvious when the incident is replayed. Some players are worse than others, much worse, and you would think the referees would know who those individuals are and not fall for the play acting, but they do, time and time again. So why doesn't Match of the Day introduce a short segment in the show to highlight the most obvious examples of play acting or "simulating" by players, (an unofficial name and shame), and ask the viewers for their comments, (presenters can remain neutral), or just play them for amusement, because some of the play acting is so over the top it is very amusing indeed, but it is also very sad that the guilty players who are so talented and so highly paid and idolised by the fans go to these lengths to win free kicks or attempt to get their fellow players booked or even sent off. We already have the Oscars, the Baftas, so why not launch an award for these aspiring thespians and call it "the Shafters!" What do you think fellow bloggers??