In their post-match conferences, English coaches are attacking referees in a more contemptuous manner than ever, writes Paul Gardner of the New York Sun. He blames the television programs that carry English soccer for encouraging their childish actions by always focusing on the managers’ reactions, rather than the players. The reason they do this is because the coaches are more at liberty to say what they feel than the players, and the controversy boosts ratings. Even during play, Gardner says broadcasters constantly try to steal a few seconds here or there to capture the expressions being worn by each manager. As we know, they tend to run the gambit of emotions: from screaming, gesticulating, and running up and down the sidelines, to plain old glum-faced silence. But seldom are we presented moments when the manager appears calm, satisfied or even happy-because if one manager feels this way, odds are the other doesn’t. The exception, of course, is when one team scores a crucial goal. Inevitably, the cameras turn to the wild celebrations from the bench. Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho comes to mind after Didier Drogba’s late equalizer against Barcelona last week, as does Alan Pardew after his hapless West Ham team managed to steal a win in the last minute against Arsenal on Sunday. Arsene Wenger, of course, was so disgusted with Pardew’s celebrations he refused to shake hands after the match. In the end, “the behavior of the coaches overshadowed the performance of the players,” Gardner laments, adding that that behavior “now seems acceptable.” It was the same thing as Chelsea lost to Tottenham: all the focus was on Mourinho’s post-match accusations, not the poor performance of his players, who deserved to lose.