In the dizzy heights of the Premier League when emotions run high things can get out of hand
Millions of neutrals will have watched the recent Manchester United versus Arsenal match and greatly enjoyed its conclusion – even people who dislike the Premiership for what it represents will have been entertained. They may have been surprised, therefore, to learn that civilisation itself was undermined by what followed a late penalty miss. Sky, of course, were shocked by the hounding of Ruud van Nistelrooy and made sure we saw why, repeatedly, from every angle. Revulsion swept through the media – phone-ins were jammed, the tabloids brought out extra large point sizes for their headlines and the letters pages were full of tearful letters from parents about how their poor children were shocked by what they saw (while they were outside, arguing over who was going to play Martin Keown in their reconstruction).