Ashley Young has earned scorn from fans and fellow professionals alike for his recent diving exploits. The England winger goes down under the slightest of touches at times and looks as though he is ready to collapse under even a slight breeze. Some of his playacting is truly cringe-worthy and the wideman was recently branded "pathetic" by Sky Sports pundit Ray Wilkins. "This is pathetic," Wilkins said. "This is as bad for me as all these over-the-top tackles we're getting at the moment because that is a conning of the referee. I just wish Ashley would cut this out because he's a good player but he's getting a bad name." Young has been notorious for his theatrical dives since 2012 after throwing himself to the ground in a clash with former side Aston Villa, and has kept up the drama over the following years by taking a tumble under the most minimal of contacts recently, and enough is enough. The midfielder is spoiling the spectacle of the beautiful game and if he'd just stop crying to the referee after every tackle he could be a half-decent player. As it is, his career has been blighted by this negative image. Just stay on your feet, Ashley.
Joseph is an accredited football journalist and has interviewed nearly all of the current 20 Barclay's Premier League managers. He is also a correspondent for Bleacher Report and has written for Caught Offside and Give Me Football.
