The FA and the Premier League yesterday updated and refined their rules in order to curb 'intolerable behaviour' towards match officials. On announcing the changes, the Premier League informed us that poor conduct has 'reached unacceptable levels'. Richard Scudamore said they had been concerned 'for some time' that players were 'overstepping the mark'.
The wording bizarrely implied that swearing at referees is a troubling new phenomenon, something that needs to be stamped out before it seeps into the culture of the sport.
One is reminded of Ed Chamberlain's dim suggestion to Gary Neville a few years ago that diving was 'creeping into the game'.
Neville replied by pointing out that it was an epidemic, one that been around for over twenty years. But next the culture of unloading on referees, the diving culture is a mere sprog.
The notion that swearing at referees is something that administrators have just began to take notice of looks especially ridiculous in light of this archive footage.
A groundbreaking experiment was undertaken as part of the ITV World in Action programme in 1989. David Elleray, legendary English referee and plummy voiced private school headmaster, was assigned to travel to 'The Den' to referee the First Division match between Milwall and reigning champions Arsenal.
For the programme, he was fitted with a mic.
Both clubs had been informed of the experiment, but Arsenal forgot to pass the information onto their players, with the result that the Milwall players were a model of decorum and restraint, while the Arsenal players continued to eff and blind as normal.
Big Tone, of the Adams clan, who's voice when he's angry sounds like Joe Pasquale's sped up, lashed out at Elleray, labelling him as 'fuckin cheat'.
After the game, George Graham wanted a presumably polite word with Elleray and his team but was spooked by the sight of the camera crew.
