It has become a game where hoodwinking the referee is rewarded. Honesty and sportsmanship is all but absent from the game.
I refer the honourable gentleman to the answer I gave some moments ago.
Cheating and bad sportsmanship has been a part of the game since I started watching it in the 70’s and I’m sure it was the same before that.
The more successful the side, the worse the conduct – Revie’s Leeds, Paisley/Dalglish’s Liverpool, Graham’s Arsenal, Fergie’s Utd. All dominant teams, all bad eggs. I’ll leave it up to everyone to decide if there’s a link between success and ill behaviour.
Of course Ron Saunders’ Villa side were faultless in their conduct on their way to League and European championships but there always has to be an exception to the rule.