OUR GLORIOUS GAME

Having been a teacher and youth sports' coach for about 40 years, I found the behaviour of the players at Stamford Bridge last night distasteful. What ever the pundits say on radio and TV about it being a great game, the behaviour of the players set a poor example to our young footballers and their parents!
The audible language used by the crowd and the violence on the pitch needed to be put on air after the childen have gone to bed.
Sorry, but if youngsters hear and see this kind of thing being ignored by those who should know better, pundits and referees especially, then they will reproduce it on a Sunday morning when they are playing their own matches.

I saw some bad behaviour on Sunday where a young man (an under 12) blatantly kicked out at two different opposition players when he had been muscled fairly off the ball. The referee said he wanted to let play flow, so didn't do anything. In the goalmouth from corners the goalie was obstructed blatantly when the ball was in the air.

Over celebration is always an issue with kids piling on top of one another in the area of the nearest corner flag and I have a certain amount of suspicion when players come on to the playing surface or after scoring a goal, cross themselves and hold their hands up to the sky. Have they all had recent deaths in the family or is there an upsurge in religious commitment?

Not to mention the crowd. Despite the public and well advertised schemes by the FA to ensure "Respect" around the pitch, bad behaviour is not going to go away. Parents don't know the effect their "encouragement" has on their charges and of course the criticism of the referee is unacceptable. Opposition coaches ranting and raving up and down the touchline don't help much either. Oh well, Chelsea only had three players booked and Spurs 9. There were no red cards and Mark Clattenburg was said to have had a good game, by keeping players on the pitch. True Corinthian spirit.

Apparently the flare up between Rose and Willian fired up the Chelsea players and then Hazard came on-end of game! Fair dos to Chelsea for taking advantage of Tottenham's lack of discipline.

I don't even want to get into what happened in the "tunnel" after the game when a 69 year old, Hiddink, was knocked to the ground midst a skirmish between opposing players.

The other manager later said, "When an opponent (Chelsea) plays like this it makes me feel proud. This is football" Sadly it appears to be.

Congratulations to Leicester City on their remarkable achievement. Is it really the greatest sporting achievement ever?

Here are two photos to cheer me up. left is Jamie Vardy and his "double" Leicester born Lee Chapman who ened up on the team bus and hopes to be included as a body double for the up coming film.

Here is Jamie Vardy (or is it Lee Chapman?) after the party at his house