Allow diving and stop the cheats, Jewell argues

The Wigan manager, Paul Jewell, believes encouraging players to dive would actually help to eradicate the problem from the game.

Last weekend there were two high-profile incidents involving the Manchester United winger Cristiano Ronaldo at Middlesbrough, and the Arsenal midfielder Tomas Rosicky in the match against Tottenham. At the least, both players made the most of defensive challenges.

Although most managers would say they do not encourage their players to go down when challenged, Jewell said they should be given the freedom to do so if they wish. "I might be the only fellow in the world that thinks 'Why don't we just allow it?'," said Jewell, who side face West Ham at Upton Park in the Premiership tonight.

"The pubs are now open 24 hours a day and everyone was worried people were going to be drunk on the streets but there are less drunks on the streets now than when they closed at 11 o'clock.

"So just allow it. Stop everyone talking about it. One week you would get away with it, the next you wouldn't. It would stop it in my opinion.

"No one likes cheating but I think the best way to get rid of it is to say 'OK, if you get away with it you get away with it' because one week you will be unlucky.

"What will happen is that one week a player will dive, it will be all over television. The next Saturday the same player will go down and the referee will think 'Hold on, he has dived'. To me it will even itself out."

Jewell argued that the super-competitive environment of the Premier League means that teams are looking for anything to get a slight advantage. And he claimed that managers, players and supporters were happy when decisions went for them and only complained when opponents were successful.

"People say it is cheating but if you ask any supporter if one of our players goes down in the box in the last minute and you need a penalty to stay in the League or win a cup you know what they are going to say," he added. "I might get lambasted but it is the way it is. We are all trying to get an edge."

Ahead of the trip to London, Jewell has had to use all his motivational skills to lift his 13th-placed team after Liverpool scored all their goals in the first half of the 4-0 defeat.

"The first half was one of those things that can happen in football. Liverpool were clinical and gave us a lesson in finishing ," the Latics manager said. "We were disappointed to lose the game in the manner we did but we have to look forward.

"I wouldn't say it was the worst football we have played - believe it or not we have had worse than that. It was a bad day at the office. I don't normally like to brush things under the carpet but we were playing Liverpool and they were going to give someone a hiding - unfortunately it was us."