An act that's just not manly! offside.

Byline: with luke wilkins

ILOVE my football, but there has always been one part of the game that I simply don't understand, and that is the players who feel it necessary to show off their acting skills every time they get brushed by a particularly nasty looking blade of grass.

I mean, in every other sport that I can think of, it is a measure of your commitment and manliness to show not pain in front of your opposition.

For example in cricket, often you will go to great lengths to prove that that last 90mph ball that happened to rearrange your wedding tackle was actually exactly what you needed to get your mind on the game!

An act that's just not manly!

Yet here we have some of the most highly paid sportsmen in the world writhing around on the floor as if they have been shot each time I brush past my telly, so what's up? Take Eduardo, for instance. On Tuesday night against Celtic for Arsenal, when he went down after Artur Borac's non-existent challenge to win the penalty which led to the first goal.

It was blooming obvious to everyone involved, except the ref, there here was a blatant dive.

Disgusted I am an Arsenal fan, but I was actually quite disgusted when I saw the replays, I mean it is just down right cheating!

Yes they are under a tremendous amount of pressure to win at all costs, but at what price? It seems our footballers have lost their integrity.

Then again, as disgusted as I am by it, if Wayne Rooney dives in the box in the last minute during the World Cup final in 2010 to give us a penalty and win the game, I will probably turn a blind eye!

Seriously though - it has got so serious now that players have such elaborate tricks that you know they must have been practising at home in front of a mirror, perhaps they have classes? Anyway, at least this kind of thing doesn't happen in rugby - what's that you say? Harlequins and blood what...? DIVING DISGRACE: Arsenal's Eduardo

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DIVING DISGRACE: Arsenal's Eduardo