Stan Collymore Closer to Truth Than Roy Hodgson over Wayne Rooney FA Cup 'Dive'

Manchester United produced a 3-1 win over Preston North End in the FA Cup fifth round on Monday night, setting up a quarter-final tie against Arsenal as they seek to win silverware this term.

After coming from behind to take the lead and produce a strong second-half performance, United were in control and deserving of the win as the game entered the final stages—but a contentious penalty awarded for a foul on Wayne Rooney led to a goal which ended any lingering hopes of a late Preston comeback.

Rooney scored the penalty himself to seal the win, but the manner of him winning the spot-kick has provoked much reaction and comment from those around the game, with some accusing the United and England captain of diving.

The Case

In commentary, Martin Keown watched the replay immediately after the incident and suggested:

Michael Regan/Getty Images

"I'm not sure he actually catches Rooney...but once he goes down there, Phil Dowd has no choice but to give it." In real time, that's probably an accurate assessment of things; Rooney was running away from the referee, the goalkeeper came flying out and got nowhere near the ball, before Rooney goes over. It's not hard to imagine it looks a spot-kick from all angles for the assistant.

But the debate, as with many in football, goes beyond the pitch and beyond the 90 minutes. Official decision panels for suspensions and own goals, off-the-ball incidents not noted during play, play-by-play analysis: all of it deals with looking back after the incident and determining how to best improve, punish or otherwise take note of situations which have happened during the match.

And so it was with the Rooney incident.

"

Diving, the foreign disease #Rooney https://t.co/9PHUxgFO4M

— Andy Heaton (@Andrew_Heaton) February 16, 2015"

The following is a run-down of BBC Sport's coverage (viewable on iPlayer) of the game after full-time, featuring presenter Gary Lineker and his studio guests, Roy Hodgson, Phil Neville and Kevin Kilbane. 

BBC iPlayer

Neville: "There's no contact. It's a rash challenge but there's no contact. He tries to leave his leg in, looking for it, but when the keeper comes out like that he has to get out the way or it's a leg-breaker."

Kilbane: "It's still a dive."

Hodgson: "No. He's just taking evasive action."

Lineker: "But he hasn't touched him, Roy?"

Hodgson: "Well, there we are."

Neville: "He had to get out the way, though."

Kilbane: "It's a dive. He can hurdle the challenge."

Neville: "It's a penalty. It's a reckless challenge."

The two with vested interests in Rooney, the ex-team-mate and the current national team manager, both defend Rooney's actions and claim it was a penalty. Kilbane, a former Preston player and Irish international but not an individual with any affiliation to Rooney, is adamant it's obvious and blatant simulation.

Contrasting Comments

Outside the studio it was a similar scenario.

Preston boss Simon Grayson, per BBC Sport, covered all the bases. "I am not saying it wasn't a penalty. I'm saying there was no contact. It wasn't a dive. He's gone to get out of the way and taken evasive action."

"

Rooney 'dive' at Preston is a tricky one. When opposing manager says it wasn't a dive, hard to make a case to suggest it was.

— Mark Ogden (@MOgdenTelegraph) February 17, 2015"

"

That no-call on Rooney being offside (for me, he interfered) and a blatant dive later to win the PK will be the story today. 1-3

— FOX Soccer Trax (@FOXSoccerTrax) February 16, 2015"

Stan Collymore was unequivocal in his own views on the incident, calling Rooney a "cheat" on talkSport and claiming he was "bitterly disappointed" with his actions. He went further, claiming Hodgson's reaction was merely "yielding to his most important player" and "an absolute disgrace."

Stu Forster/Getty Images

Further, he claimed the "duplicity of modern managers" saw the same thing occur too often.

"

Mourinho, Wenger, they all do it. When it works for them, they turn a blind eye, but when there is a decision against them, suddenly the opposition players are divers and cheaters, and it’s not good enough. If that's an Italian or French player in the European Championships, Roy's not saying it's evasive action, he's apoplectic with rage, he's got a full red [face] on and he's saying it's a dive.

"

Foreign Examples

Diving might still be idly talked about as a "foreign" concept among Premier League followers, but anybody who has watched the game over the past decade or so with more than one eye open knows perfectly well that it's not simply Luis Suarez or Adnan Januzaj who have gone to ground without enough contact.

Michael Owen, Rooney, Gareth Bale and Steven Gerrard—all have been accused, and rightly so, of doing it over past seasons. Even Phil "evasive action" Neville himself.

Ashley Young's theatrics spawned a whole range of internet memes based on his propensity to unforced collapsing in and around the penalty area.

It might be uncomfortable, it might be something which, by and large, the English-watching population of the game want to rid from their collective viewing, but unless there are those willing to stand up and admit that such incidents are wrong, and punish them in one form or another, forget about eradicating it.

United scored and progressed through the FA Cup in comfortable fashion after Rooney won the penalty. So where is the incentive to not do so if there is no retribution afterward? Collymore's calls are right. Rooney dived, and Hodgson's grandfatherly look-the-other-way response was faintly ridiculous, given the quite blatant nature of the incident.

Rooney doesn't get touched. He can easily avoid the keeper, indeed is already past him by the time he starts going to ground. The forward opts to go down—not all evasive actions mean "fall to the floor," by the way—wins the penalty and scores.

No problem, no punishment, no need to do anything else.

Until the voices to the contrary are heard, expect this to continue.

Follow @karlmatchett