“Every football season begins with a ‘clampdown’. Traditionally this involves referees acting on new directives to punish foul play. The result is a spate of bookings and dismissals in the early months of the season, accompanied by an outcry from managers. Referees then loosen their interpretation of the rules a little – often after a meeting with managers at which ‘robust views’ are exchanged – and we end up roughly back to how things were before, except that at least one match official will have been maligned in highly personal terms.” (WSC)