D3D4 Carlisle correpondent Nathan Ridley (@Nathan_Ridley_ on twitter) thinks it is about time that managers face the consequences for poor behaviour on the touchline…

At the annual EFL meeting at Meadow Lane yesterday, it was confirmed that managers and staff in the Championship, League One, League Two and National League  – as well as in cup competitions – may be subject to yellow and red cards just like their players for any bad behaviour during the 2018/19 season.

EFL chief executive Shaun Harvey has said it is not to create “drama” and interestingly, the entire non-playing staff will be subject to each booking meaning “the manager is responsible for the non-playing members of the squad that are sat on the bench”, and “the tag-team approach that has been made famous up and down the country by some management teams will not go any further forward this time.”

Examples that could possibly lead to bookings:

– Dissent

– Foul or abusive language to match officials or an opponent

– Sarcastic clapping

– Kicking water bottles/other equipment

– Entering opponents technical area

– Conflict with supporters

New rules often baffle supporters, however this one has both been a long time coming (from my point of view) and will be a refreshing element on touchlines around the League One and League Two grounds this campaign.

Antics from bosses and their staff to rile up opposition players and referees is nothing new but most would agree that that it is getting worse and has been borderline embarrassing for the lower divisions over the last couple of seasons. Something needed to be done; especially with fourth officials in particular constantly being abused for almost every decision a manager disagrees with.

Whether it be pantomime villain Steve Evans furiously encroaching onto the pitch to confront the referee or old-school John Sheridan’s infamous rant last year against Eddie Ilderton (something I hope never happens again as a Carlisle fan), the precedent set by allowing these managers to often get away without a caution has led to a lack of transparency and consistency in the game. That has clearly been noticed by the EFL as Harvey explained that the new rule is about “creating clarity, so everybody inside the stadium knows what is happening”.

With the FA encouraging a more reserved managerial style in youth football these days, the near-impeccable behaviour shown by Gareth Southgate at the World Cup this summer was a shining example of a composed leader can still galvanise a team. The new generation of managers can follow his lead by portraying themselves in a far more decent manner than many bosses in work today. In late 2017, the Manchester Junior football league introduced a ‘respect marks’ rule which meant coaches would be given a score by the referee based on how respectful they were on the sidelines; signifying how much the FA are aiming to instil respect in football again.

Like diving and simulation has increased in recent times due to the stakes being higher and more emphasis being placed on entertainment value in football, the media pressure on managers has lead them to lash out in an undignified manner far too often – meaning this new rule is exactly what our beloved leagues need.

Rants and complaints are sometimes justified and there is no doubt officials make mistakes, just like all of us do. Nevertheless, a change in conduct is needed and hopefully we observe significantly more respect in League One and League Two this forthcoming year.

Do you agree or disagree with the new rule? Have your say!