Your completely right and i think he would be open to advice or mentoring. It might point to a lack of discipline within the squad, a lack of senior pros within the squad, especially in his position could nip it in the bud. He should be taken aside and coached back to his earlier form. He has show that he loves being at the club and its a shame because i feel if he had abit of a bollocking we could see improvements. It doesnt work for some players but would for him. The way he exposes Riley is criminal, I would hate to be isolated on the right with him sat forward.
I know its fanciful and probably unwise but I think we should have signed Lalkovic if only as an energetic and dynamic alternative to Knowlesā¦ I also think we miss Oteh!
Unfortunately mate itās part and parcel of the modern game, every club up and down the country have players that feign injuries or pressurise refs, something I really hate is the concussion ruling, I know itās paramount that players are treated and given every precaution to ensure their safety but a lot feign head injuries knowing full well the ref will halt the game, this injury is so abused by players especially the premier prima donnas. I think they should be booked at the very least when its obvious they are acting but until rules change this will continue and I hate all the grappling and pulling by players at corners etc, if refs started giving penalties more often it might control it better, itās like watching tag wrestling, barmy !!! Perhaps Dame Biggins Omlette has been mentoring Knowles and all the other prima donnas in the fine art of pantomime, oh yes he has, oh no he hasnāt, heās behind you.
The best way to stop this is by all head injuries to be assessed off the pitch for 10 minutes before being allowed to return to the pitch. This safeguards the health of concussed players and stops this play acting due to the time they will be off the pitch.
Sadly for the beautiful game it is true, I despise the feigning of injuries and this is where an official on sidelines should make the call to call on the physio immediately but allow play to continue especially if the play is in the other half, the ref could always blow up if it does come back towards where player is having treatment. How many times have you seen the defending team break away quickly from defending a corner and an opposing player has gone down holding his head ? He knows it will stop the attack up other end, this is a situation where the physio should be able to run onto field and play allowed to continue, if player is faking it then heāll think twice knowing play is going to be allowed to continue.
I find Knowles irritating because of his constant falling over and hobbling around, then when he realises nobody is taking any notice he starts running around without any sign of an injury.
His finishing also leaves a lot to be desired too as does his habit of lunging in usually resulting in a foul.
In fairness heās passionate about playing and seems very happy at Walsall.
I fail to see how MS hasnāt noticed his antics and put a stop to it yet because we see the same thing every match.
Iāve often thought about it and wondered whether it would work. Iām not sure, the problem with football is that the play can be down one end but a punt up the field could put player and physio into the zone, so to speak. It works in Rugby League as far as I know, but they move the ball upfield differently.
Itās an interesting thought, but I donāt see it working. The easiest way would be if managers and players stopped cheating. How is that for naivety on my part?
I think what @tinned says about having to go off for a ten minute assessment is worth trying.
Too often the end product is lacking. His delivery from free kicks also leaves a lot to be desired. He is currently no better than lower League 2 levelā¦which is very apt!!
