Players' lack of respect for refs and rising ticket prices bug fans the most

At a time when on-pitch behaviour has never been so scrutinised, the 2008 London Football Report reveals that 67 per cent of the capital's fans witnessed a player from their club confronting an official in an "unacceptable manner" last season.

The figures appear to justify the Football Association's "Respect" campaign, which was launched earlier this year to target the shameful abuse of referees.

Football issues: the results of the poll carried out by the London Evening Standard

Standard Sport's fourth annual survey also highlights fans' concerns about players cheating and the rising cost of going to matches.

More than 2,800 fans took part in last month's poll - undertaken by research company Football Fans Census - with a minimum representation of 100 from each of the capital's 14 professional clubs.

The results will be published in two parts, starting today with the fans' verdict on four major talking points - player behaviour, pricing, racism and hooliganism.

Tomorrow, part two features approval ratings for London's managers and chairmen, plus an in-depth look at the clubs the fans love to hate.

Player behaviour

Ashley Cole's petulant refusal to be booked by Mike Riley during Chelsea's clash with Tottenham in March was one of the enduring images of last season.

The incident spoke volumes about the arrogant attitudes of the modern-day players, according to many commentators who warned of such behaviour being replicated on park pitches around the country.

The FA launched their "Respect" campaign shortly before the Cole-Riley encounter but that did not stop Liverpool's Javier Mascherano sparking more controversy by embarking on a running battle with Steve Bennett to earn a red card against Manchester United.

Disrespect: Chelsea's Ashley Cole turns his back on referee Mike Riley as he is booked at Tottenham

London fans are clearly fed up with such antics. Deliberately asked about their own team to get a more accurate result, 67% recalled "a player from their club protesting to a match official in a manner they believed was unacceptable".

A staggering 18% confessed to seeing such clashes more than 10 times last season. When broken down by club, 91% of Chelsea fans admitted their players were guilty at least once.

That was the highest score in London ahead of Arsenal (74%) and Leyton Orient (69%). Some 76% of fans recalled an incident "where a player from their club deliberately dived to win a free-kick or penalty".

This is a one per cent increase on last year and the highest since the survey began.

Diving was most apparent at Spurs (88%), Arsenal (87%) and Chelsea (85%) while the best-behaved players were at Dagenham & Redbridge and Barnet (both 50%).

Pricing

Given the millions generated from TV contracts, pressure has been mounting on clubs to cut the cost of watching football but to little effect, according to the report.

Taking into account ticket prices and other key expenses such as transport, merchandise and refreshments, the average cost for adults went up at every London club last season. It equated to an overall rise of 5.5%.

On the face of it, this figure doesn't sound too outlandish but, when last year's astonishing 22% hike is taken into account, it is clear fans are still being hit hard in the pocket.

Chelsea is the most expensive day out, with a trip to Stamford Bridge breaking through the £100 barrier. It now costs adult Blues an average of £102 per match.

Despite freezing ticket prices for a second successive season at Emirates Stadium, the cost of going to Arsenal has risen from £89 to £92 a match.

Upward spiral: the cost of match tickets have gone through the roof since this fan watched a top FA Cup tie in 1998 for "only" £22

Spurs and West Ham were also more expensive for fans after both raised admission prices for the start of 2007-08 campaign, but the biggest Premier League hike in London was at Fulham where fans reported a 9.8% increase.

Queens Park Rangers fans were hit with a 15.6% rise which is set to be higher next season after the club's new owners, Flavio Briatore and Bernie Ecclestone, announced season tickets are going up by as much as 36%.

As Standard Sport reported last week, Rangers are one of seven London clubs raising prices for their most loyal followers.

The report also asked fans if the cost of tickets would put them off going to games or renewing their season tickets. Six per cent revealed they would not be renewing and 15% claimed they would be attending fewer games.

In total, 73% said ticket prices were too high. Broken down by club, West Ham (10%) and Fulham (9%) are threatened with the largest exodus of season-ticket holders due to prohibitive costs.

A further 24% of Hammers fans said cost meant they planned to attend fewer games next season, the largest figure in that category ahead of Chelsea (20%), Spurs (18%) and Arsenal (16%).

Racism and hooliganism

Twelve per cent of fans said they had witnessed football-related racism last season.

The clubs whose fans experienced the highest number of incidents were Spurs (19%), Millwall and Barnet (both 16%).

The problem of hooliganism in London has also not gone away. Reports of trouble in and around grounds rose from 17% to 23% this year.

For the third year in a row, QPR were the worst club for hooligan incidents (48% from 30% last year), followed by Orient (46%) and Palace (42%).