Chopper's spitting rage

By John May BBC Sport Online

Ron Harris would never have resorted to spitting

Ron Harris has condemned players who spit at opponents as "the lowest of the low."

The former Chelsea hardman is convinced that football's taboo offence is the game's most unsavoury import.

Sheffield United manager Neil Warnock's claim that Liverpool defender Stephane Henchoz spat at him re-ignited the wrath surrounding spitting.

Spitting is a coward's way of getting your own back

Ron Harris

Unlike a reckless tackle, spitting is not career-threatening and causes no long injury effects.

But the act of spitting marks it out as the basest of insults.

Rudi Voller may not have been a leading contender for any popularity contests.

But even he won almost universal sympathy when Dutch midfielder Frank Rijkaard decorated the German striker's permed mullet.

Harris is in no doubt where spitting lies among the scale of offences.

Ron's crime list

1: Spitting at an opponent.

2: Feigning injury.

3: Racial abuse.

4: Encouraging ref to produce a card.

5: Using elbows.

6: Diving to con the ref.

7: Over-the-top tackle.

8: Tackle from behind.

9: Sly hair-pulling and pinching.

10: Shirt-tugging.

"It's the lowest of the low," he said, and he has no doubts of it origins.

"Like a lot of other things, the foreign players were involved in the majority of it years ago.

"I think it's come into our game along like those who are falling down and diving all the time."

Harris was the Football Hard Man's Hard Man at a time when men were men, and footballs were scared.

Harris said: "Spitting is a coward's way of getting your own back from people who aren't so strong in the tackle.

"It happened to me once. I played against AC Milan in an Inter Cities Fairs Cup match.

An angry Neil Warnock makes his feelings known

"They had a Brazilian playing for them and from the first minute to the 90th he was spitting and gobbing at us throughout the game.

"Other than that, I can't remember an instance of it - certainly not in domestic football.

"It's the sort of thing which makes you feel like going up and smacking him with a right hand, but you can't do that nowadays - or back then."

In Harris's day, forwards could expect a kick off Jack Charlton, Chopper, Peter Storey and Billy Bremner the like.

In my day somebody might punch you when the ball was down the other end of the pitch

Ron Harris

Spitting, though, was considered beneath the dignity of a hard man.

"Let's be fair, football nowadays is a non-contact sport.

"Years ago, you had players who were tough guys who went out and stamped their authority on the football field.

"But now, you can't even slide tackle.

"People who tackle are punished and it's not helped when people are diving and falling all over the place.

Warnock in 'spitting' claim

"The worst thing that happened in my day was that somebody might punch you when the ball was down the other end of the pitch.

"That doesn't happen now because just about every angle of a football pitch is covered by a camera.

"I used to class something like that as an act of somebody who was an out-and-out coward.

"They wouldn't confront you face to face."