Respect, respectable and respectful - three words which I feel have been and are missing in football for a number of years. But why? Why don’t the managers seem to respect the officials? Why aren’t the players respectful of the officials?

I think it’s because the FA are weak and spineless. They demand respect for the officials but then bend over backwards to pander to managers/clubs who think they have been done wrong to by the officials. The FA have the rules and powers to help the officials but unless it involves one of the so-called smaller clubs never use them.

The FA should make examples of top managers - not let them get away with things they say because of who they are. They should be banned from the touchlines for over criticising officials. First offence a three game ban and a game added for every other offence - that would soon stop them.

They should also ban foul and abusive language from the pitch. Then there would be no mistaking the intentions of the player and the “well that’s just so and so it’s just the way he is” argument.

Respect is a two way thing and to get respect you have to earn it. At the moment the FA and whoever is in charge of the officials are not helping - the officials make mistakes, but you hardly ever hear from them about their point of view. The officials should have a meeting with the managers after the game and before the press get their grubby little hands on them so both sides can put their points of view across and try to understand why those decisions were made.

So until the FA get a backbone and start applying the laws of the game properly and not just to those who cannot fight back and give the managers/clubs some feedback into why things have happened on the pitch, then respect will never be a part of English football again.