tiger666
Large Member
- Jan 4, 2005
- 27,978
- 82,216
It's entirely self-inflicted. The longer he goes without diving, the more it will die down.
Dele Alli - Player watch
- Thread starter Hoops
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It's entirely self-inflicted. The longer he goes without diving, the more it will die down.
Spurslove
Well-Known Member
- Jul 6, 2012
- 6,627
- 9,281
Is he the only player who 'goes down too easily' inside the area these days? No, not by a very long way, nearly every single player does the same thing yet how many other players get the same revolting treatment as he does, and even have chants levelled at them? I'm telling you, I find it disgusting and highly hypocritical.
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tiger666
Large Member
- Jan 4, 2005
- 27,978
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No he isn't the only one, but he'll have to suck it up. It's still self-inflicted.
Spurslove
Well-Known Member
- Jul 6, 2012
- 6,627
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No wonder he dives with so many of his own fans on his back...!
E17yid
Well-Known Member
- Jan 21, 2013
- 17,084
- 30,838
Nah. He could never dive again and he’ll still always been known as diving Dele.
Diving isn’t black and white so people don’t need much of an excuse to see what they want to see.
If he played for any other team, I would imagine most spurs fans would hate him.
neogenisis
*Gensy*
- Jun 27, 2006
- 5,927
- 13,450
I am sure he goes home and wipes the tears away with more notes then most of the booers make in a year.
Spurslove
Well-Known Member
- Jul 6, 2012
- 6,627
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I really hope you're right.
I still think the diving chant which has now been started (by the Palace fans I think) has now become a common thing, even when he gets the ball anywhere on the pitch, and I find it seriously annoying, but I must admit, I loved his goal celebration, that was ace.
Like I said in a recent post somewhere, these are the same morons who'll be cheering him on when he scores goals for England in Russia in a few months time.
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muppetman
Well-Known Member
- Jul 29, 2011
- 9,018
- 25,193
Good article this, nothing we didn't already know but I thought it worth a share:
https://www.tifofootball.com/features/dele-alli-lose-the-crowd-win-the-game/
Dele Alli: Lose the crowd, win the game
WORDS BY SEB STAFFORD-BLOOR ILLUSTRATION BY PHILIPPE FENNER
March 13, 2018
SHARE THIS
It took only fifteen minutes for the Vitality Stadium to fall into line. Dele Alli had carried the ball up through the middle of the pitch and had been shouldered to the floor by Dan Gosling. It was hardly a serious foul, rather the sort which are given ten times a game. The whistle blows, the ball is put down, play restarts in an instant.
But this was Alli and, with confirmation bias loitering with intent, things were never going to be that simple. From that point on, he was goaded by the crowd, his every touch booed and his occasional miskicks jeered.
The pressbox at Dean Court is surrounded on all sides by supporters. Get the wrong seat, in fact, and fans will often comment on your prose as it’s being written. There’s a joy. But the value of that is in the unofficial commentary – from the fan a few rows in front who, at every game he attends, spends the whole 90 minutes in coversation with the linesman on the near touchline. And from the cluster of season-ticket holders to the left, who see every decision as an act of conspiracy and see the first errantly awarded throw as confirmation that a fix is in.
On Sunday, it was Alli – and that disgruntled chuntering was everywhere. Not just by the pressbox, but on all sides of the ground. The routine was always the same: he would do something, anything, and the catcalls would begin. Tottenham would answer with their own chant, the rising and falling “we’ve got Alli…” and then the game would carry on.
Old scouting wisdom implies that to get to know a player – to really understand who he is and what he does – it’s necessary to watch only him. Block out the rest of the game, forget the ball, and watch him at all times. It’s fine advice with Alli, too, because he’s fascinating. His literal effect on games has made him watchable for some time, of course, but there are very few players who share his on-field personality and who so obviously enjoy drawing a reaction from the crowd.
Without doubt, he loves that animosity. He would drink it in liquid form and take it by needle if he could.
Bournemouth started that game extremely well, bustling with life and pace. By contrast, Spurs began in a post-Juventus daze. When Junior Stanislas opened the scoring it was little surprise and, half-an-hour later, when Harry Kane limped from the field, anybody with memory of the club’s past knew what kind of afternoon this was going to be.
Tottenham would ultimately benefit from the forced tactical change, with a repurposed Son Heung Min scattering their defensive plans, but it was a sharpening Alli which lay at the root of their comeback. He would score the first goal, of course, and provide the assist for the second, but in between his stature within the game seemed to grow with each minute. Perhaps that was demanded by his team’s worsening situation and the obvious need to leapfrog Liverpool and stay out of Chelsea’s reach? Perhaps. But it was more personal than that. He was puffing out his chest, internalising the taunts leaking out of the stands and getting ready to respond.
Two-and-a-half minutes before he scored Tottenham first, Alli had scuffed a good chance. Asmir Begovic’s tame punch dropped to him in the box, but he snatched at the volley and the ball was cleared. The home fans loved it. Immediately afterwards, the television cameras lingered on him and his seething indignation. It was telling, then, that when he did eventually equalise, he was quicker to cup his ear to the home stand than he was to embrace his teammates. His instinctive reaction in that moment wasn’t joy. Neither was it to retrieve the ball from net and run it back to the centre-circle, maximising the first-half exposure of a wilting Bournemouth. Instead, he was energised by his own little moment of victory.
“And f—— what?”
Look at his expression in those few seconds. That’s not a player reacting angrily, it’s one revelling in the opportunity to taunt.
You see, it’s never just about the actual football with him. There’s a match to be won, but there’s also a duel to be fought and words to be rammed down thousands of throats. He’s that annoying friend who always has the perfect one-liner and who follows his put-downs with a smug smirk. Say what you like in whatever tone you wish, but he will always, always has the last laugh.
Adel Taarabt is back and determined to realise his genius
3 weeks ago
Above any other term used to describe him, Alli is mischief. The tumbling, diving side of his game draws the most attention and also the most belligerent remarks, but most of the time he’s just a pest. He’s always gently kicking the ankles of an opposing player, demonstrably complaing to a referee, or – as on Sunday – trying to steal a glance at tactical notes being passed onto the field. In fact, find that footage and watch Alli follow Gosling around the field; it was light-hearted slapstick but, naturally, the natives were furious.
The more you watch him, the more you realise just how comfortable he is as English football’s übervillain. It’s trite to say that he thrives on the hostility, because that’s hardly a novel concept, but you could be forgiven for thinking that everything he does on the field is with the intention of stoking the crowd. He wants them on his back, he wants their eyes to narrow every time he touches the ball. Where, after a few choruses of disapproval, other players would seek to disappear within a game’s natural froth, he evidently needs to feel the heat from every side of the ground. And, to be at his best away from home, he seems to need it all the time.
Football doesn’t do character studies. If it did – if it could get past all the spitting, tribal rage – Alli would pique everyone’s interest. Most commonly, he’s the boy who cried wolf and the impending great whose career is threatened by a short fuse and a tenuous respect for sporting morality. To be more refined, though, he’s the boy who needs to feel the fire. He’s the one who knows that the greater the abuse is, the sweeter his revenge will ultimately be.
That’s a fascinating personality type and one which hasn’t been seen in English football for a very long time.
https://www.tifofootball.com/features/dele-alli-lose-the-crowd-win-the-game/
Dele Alli: Lose the crowd, win the game
WORDS BY SEB STAFFORD-BLOOR ILLUSTRATION BY PHILIPPE FENNER
March 13, 2018
SHARE THIS
It took only fifteen minutes for the Vitality Stadium to fall into line. Dele Alli had carried the ball up through the middle of the pitch and had been shouldered to the floor by Dan Gosling. It was hardly a serious foul, rather the sort which are given ten times a game. The whistle blows, the ball is put down, play restarts in an instant.
But this was Alli and, with confirmation bias loitering with intent, things were never going to be that simple. From that point on, he was goaded by the crowd, his every touch booed and his occasional miskicks jeered.
The pressbox at Dean Court is surrounded on all sides by supporters. Get the wrong seat, in fact, and fans will often comment on your prose as it’s being written. There’s a joy. But the value of that is in the unofficial commentary – from the fan a few rows in front who, at every game he attends, spends the whole 90 minutes in coversation with the linesman on the near touchline. And from the cluster of season-ticket holders to the left, who see every decision as an act of conspiracy and see the first errantly awarded throw as confirmation that a fix is in.
On Sunday, it was Alli – and that disgruntled chuntering was everywhere. Not just by the pressbox, but on all sides of the ground. The routine was always the same: he would do something, anything, and the catcalls would begin. Tottenham would answer with their own chant, the rising and falling “we’ve got Alli…” and then the game would carry on.
Old scouting wisdom implies that to get to know a player – to really understand who he is and what he does – it’s necessary to watch only him. Block out the rest of the game, forget the ball, and watch him at all times. It’s fine advice with Alli, too, because he’s fascinating. His literal effect on games has made him watchable for some time, of course, but there are very few players who share his on-field personality and who so obviously enjoy drawing a reaction from the crowd.
Without doubt, he loves that animosity. He would drink it in liquid form and take it by needle if he could.
Bournemouth started that game extremely well, bustling with life and pace. By contrast, Spurs began in a post-Juventus daze. When Junior Stanislas opened the scoring it was little surprise and, half-an-hour later, when Harry Kane limped from the field, anybody with memory of the club’s past knew what kind of afternoon this was going to be.
Tottenham would ultimately benefit from the forced tactical change, with a repurposed Son Heung Min scattering their defensive plans, but it was a sharpening Alli which lay at the root of their comeback. He would score the first goal, of course, and provide the assist for the second, but in between his stature within the game seemed to grow with each minute. Perhaps that was demanded by his team’s worsening situation and the obvious need to leapfrog Liverpool and stay out of Chelsea’s reach? Perhaps. But it was more personal than that. He was puffing out his chest, internalising the taunts leaking out of the stands and getting ready to respond.
Two-and-a-half minutes before he scored Tottenham first, Alli had scuffed a good chance. Asmir Begovic’s tame punch dropped to him in the box, but he snatched at the volley and the ball was cleared. The home fans loved it. Immediately afterwards, the television cameras lingered on him and his seething indignation. It was telling, then, that when he did eventually equalise, he was quicker to cup his ear to the home stand than he was to embrace his teammates. His instinctive reaction in that moment wasn’t joy. Neither was it to retrieve the ball from net and run it back to the centre-circle, maximising the first-half exposure of a wilting Bournemouth. Instead, he was energised by his own little moment of victory.
“And f—— what?”
Look at his expression in those few seconds. That’s not a player reacting angrily, it’s one revelling in the opportunity to taunt.
You see, it’s never just about the actual football with him. There’s a match to be won, but there’s also a duel to be fought and words to be rammed down thousands of throats. He’s that annoying friend who always has the perfect one-liner and who follows his put-downs with a smug smirk. Say what you like in whatever tone you wish, but he will always, always has the last laugh.
Adel Taarabt is back and determined to realise his genius
3 weeks ago
Above any other term used to describe him, Alli is mischief. The tumbling, diving side of his game draws the most attention and also the most belligerent remarks, but most of the time he’s just a pest. He’s always gently kicking the ankles of an opposing player, demonstrably complaing to a referee, or – as on Sunday – trying to steal a glance at tactical notes being passed onto the field. In fact, find that footage and watch Alli follow Gosling around the field; it was light-hearted slapstick but, naturally, the natives were furious.
The more you watch him, the more you realise just how comfortable he is as English football’s übervillain. It’s trite to say that he thrives on the hostility, because that’s hardly a novel concept, but you could be forgiven for thinking that everything he does on the field is with the intention of stoking the crowd. He wants them on his back, he wants their eyes to narrow every time he touches the ball. Where, after a few choruses of disapproval, other players would seek to disappear within a game’s natural froth, he evidently needs to feel the heat from every side of the ground. And, to be at his best away from home, he seems to need it all the time.
Football doesn’t do character studies. If it did – if it could get past all the spitting, tribal rage – Alli would pique everyone’s interest. Most commonly, he’s the boy who cried wolf and the impending great whose career is threatened by a short fuse and a tenuous respect for sporting morality. To be more refined, though, he’s the boy who needs to feel the fire. He’s the one who knows that the greater the abuse is, the sweeter his revenge will ultimately be.
That’s a fascinating personality type and one which hasn’t been seen in English football for a very long time.
- Oct 17, 2006
- 10,701
- 25,259
My first and probably only contribution to this thread is that I love him for the club as he is a very good footballer and hope he stays for what he brings especially his ability to wind up both the opposing players and fans. Saying that if he was to go I would not lose any sleep as I have gone on record before to say I think he is both over rated and over hyped.
IfiHadTheWings
Well-Known Member
- Aug 5, 2013
- 3,665
- 11,605
I hope he stays especially for his ability to score goals and get assists for us to be honest.
jimbo
Cabbages
- Dec 22, 2003
- 8,065
- 7,532
I'm not sure where I get the idea from, but I kind of think it's our job to support him. The fans at the Bournemouth game did that, and I salute them for it. You might feel that you can't condone his cheating when that happens but will support him the rest of the time, which I guess I can understand.
Even though I think that is ignoring the fact that other players, England players, that are just as guilty of diving and cheating don't receive the same treatment. Largely never have if you think about it, remember Michael Owen's dive against Argentina? Ah, but that was okay because they'd cheated against us in the past. That was fair cheating. I suppose Dele Alli might be a victim of the fact that he's a more combative personality, more unusual, and less willing to toe the media line as the likes of Owen, Gerrard, Shearer etc. It could be that he seeks the spotlight and is therefore more likely to be burned by it. Or it could be something more sinister and disgusting, even if it is unconscious on the part of the press.
Of course, you might feel that because he cheated once you can't defend him now and that all the abuse he is receiving is "self-inflicted". But if you're going to take that road then you should also apply it to the rest of the squad. Those attacking players of ours that may have exaggerated contact in the past. And let us not forget the defenders and midfielders who have made tactical, professional or otherwise deliberate fouls. That is cheating too. Cheating to gain an advantage, just like diving. In that scenario you're going to quickly run out of players that you can get behind, and will be forced to sit there on a match day chanting "Hugo, Hugo, Hugo" over and over again.
Even though I think that is ignoring the fact that other players, England players, that are just as guilty of diving and cheating don't receive the same treatment. Largely never have if you think about it, remember Michael Owen's dive against Argentina? Ah, but that was okay because they'd cheated against us in the past. That was fair cheating. I suppose Dele Alli might be a victim of the fact that he's a more combative personality, more unusual, and less willing to toe the media line as the likes of Owen, Gerrard, Shearer etc. It could be that he seeks the spotlight and is therefore more likely to be burned by it. Or it could be something more sinister and disgusting, even if it is unconscious on the part of the press.
Of course, you might feel that because he cheated once you can't defend him now and that all the abuse he is receiving is "self-inflicted". But if you're going to take that road then you should also apply it to the rest of the squad. Those attacking players of ours that may have exaggerated contact in the past. And let us not forget the defenders and midfielders who have made tactical, professional or otherwise deliberate fouls. That is cheating too. Cheating to gain an advantage, just like diving. In that scenario you're going to quickly run out of players that you can get behind, and will be forced to sit there on a match day chanting "Hugo, Hugo, Hugo" over and over again.
Spurslove
Well-Known Member
- Jul 6, 2012
- 6,627
- 9,281
Exactly the point I've been trying to make. Once we get it into our heads that (usually excluding goalkeepers...) ALL players cheat because it has now become an integral part of the game, some of us might find it within ourselves to forgive Dele and support him.
It does my head in that there are actually 'Spurs fans' out there who refuse to support him, calling him a cheat. He get's enough stick from the other fans without his own getting on his case too. Get a grip.
Now, what should we all do about Raheem Stirling...?
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SpursSince1980
Well-Known Member
- Jan 23, 2011
- 4,754
- 14,485
Looking at England tonight, I don't think it's a sure thing that Dele makes the world cup squad. At least based on form this year. I think the likes of Lingard and Sterling, even Lallana might have more of a shout. If England plan to play 3 at the back, I think that might put his place in jeopardy, unless Southgate considers him more as a midfielder. I just get the feeling watching the England team over their last two friendlies, that it might not be totally locked down for him at this stage.
I do wonder, if in the long term, Dele might be a better fit in midfield, as opposed to playing further upfield. The fact is, his touch isn't up to par, compared to some of his peers. But I do think his strengths are in stamina, great runs into the box, a good eye for a pass, etc. Given that I think midfield is probably England's weakest area going into the World Cup, it might not be the worst of ideas.
I do wonder, if in the long term, Dele might be a better fit in midfield, as opposed to playing further upfield. The fact is, his touch isn't up to par, compared to some of his peers. But I do think his strengths are in stamina, great runs into the box, a good eye for a pass, etc. Given that I think midfield is probably England's weakest area going into the World Cup, it might not be the worst of ideas.
Shadydan
Well-Known Member
- Jul 7, 2012
- 38,247
- 104,143
Dele is 100% making the world cup squad, it's whether he starts or not is the question. Personally I think he should start because him and Kane have an understanding which will only benefit England.
How can Lallana be a head of Ali, his barely played he has more GBH claims than goals this year!
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