Farcical!!!!

Yesterday's Leicester V West Ham match was a classic example of the underlying problems in the PL.

For several seasons now players have wrestled, grappled, hugged, pushed & pulled each other in an attempt to gain an advantage in the penalty area.

People say, they all do it so its okay. Its not okay, it is simply cheating!

We deplore players play acting when tackled, rolling over & over as though it was a tank that hit them. We have the spectacle of players cheating by diving when not touched.

So how do we get football back to good old fashioned honesty???

Well firstly the FA, the PL & the referees set up (PGMO) need to agree on a strategy to stop this endemic cheating in the game.

Yesterday was the first time I can remember that a penalty was actually given for holding in the box, which as an Ex Class 1 referee I find astounding!

There is however a simple solution to all this:

The powers that be need to remove the shackles from referees, who have been told to keep players on the pitch to avoid detracting from the money machine that is the PL.

This would then allow referees to referee matches the way they should be refereed, fairly but with a very strong hand.

If it initially results in a glut of penalties, bookings & dismissals then so be it.

Jostling for position in the box has always been there, but it has truly become farcical by allowing the antics of the players to far exceed normal behaviour.
Wrestling, grappling & holding belong either in the ring or on the rugby pitch, definitely not on a football pitch.

As a fan I despair at the way these players behave, as an Ex referee I am absolutely disgusted at the way the FA, PL & PGMO have allowed this to get out of control.

The main fault lies with the authorities and their ineptitude.

The players do it because they know that in the main, they will get away with it.

Again this is not a dig at either Leicester or West Ham. Spurs players do it, Arsenal players do it. United players do it & the common denominator in all this is the referee, let him exercise full control and then see what happens.

The PL pay the wages & running costs of the PGMO. In fact they are situated in the same building. Thus it figures that the influence exerted by the PL on the PGMO to not send off players where possible has many opportunities in the corridors of power