Premiership: Ferguson encourages diving, says Stam

Manchester United defender Jaap Stam has revealed that manager Alex Ferguson encourages his players to dive when they are in the penalty box.

In his autobiography Head to Head, the Dutchman says Ferguson adopts the tactic in European competition.

“It’s got to the stage where he has even told us: ‘Don’t try and stay on your feet if you’re in the box and get a slight kick’. He wants us to copy other sides we face in European competitions and go down to win a penalty,” Stam said.