It's not like Patrick Barclay to make news where there is none, so Monday's column in the Times begins slightly oddly. An attack on Scouseland? Surely not.

''Of all the contributions made by Scouse players to our game, the least attractive is cheating. We saw it nine days ago when Steven Gerrard was booed by Blackburn Rovers supporters for apparently trying to earn Liverpool a penalty with a simulation technique well known to web-surfers and we saw it again on Saturday, when Wayne Rooney was shown the yellow card for diving over a nonexistent tackle during Manchester United’s match against Aston Villa.''

Incredible right? But wait, it all becomes clear when he explains himself and gives credit to our own Jon Champion for his reading of the situation.

''By now you will have smelt a rat. Substitute “foreign” for “Scouse” and you have the kind of rubbish we hear every time a non-English player falls. Substitute the names of Eduardo da Silva or, until a few months ago, Cristiano Ronaldo, for those of Gerrard and Rooney and you have the careless xenophobia always liable to embarrass those seeking to do something for England, such as bring it the World Cup in 2018.

''To the credit of Jon Champion, commentating for ESPN on the Old Trafford match, he immediately linked Rooney’s attempt to cheat Villa with the furore over the penalty recently awarded at Anfield to David Ngog when the French striker fell after hurdling a tackle by Lee Carsley, of Birmingham City. But Match of the Day did not even discuss the Rooney incident — although it did mention a rumour that a French player, Benoît Assou-Ekotto, had become involved in an altercation with a Tottenham Hotspur fan.

''Without meaning to be hypocritical, the British do have a complex attitude towards cheating.''

At the risk of raising this debate higher than it probably should go, the Daily Mail have former referee Graham Poll's take on the situation as well.

''Craig Bellamy will not be getting much sympathy from match officials after his incorrect red card on Saturday — he’s hurled too much abuse at them over the years for that. However, his dismissal for a second caution was clearly wrong as he was fouled by Bolton’s Paul Robinson and referee Mark Clattenburg will cringe when he looks at replays of the incident. However, if you are to win a war then there will be innocent casualties — as the Welshman was on Saturday.

''It is high time referees focused on a real blight of the modern game but should use all information both on the field and in preparing for games if they are to get the big decisions right. Whilst you should never prejudge, I would be surprised if Bellamy has ever been cautioned for diving before — yes, he is a serial abuser but a diver?''

Poll also points the finger at Mr Rooney for his antics at the weekend:

''Of course, prejudice can be dangerous: it’s a myth that foreigners are the divers. Of the 10 cautions for simulation in the Premier League this season, seven have gone to British players, five of them English. Among the English miscreants is our main striker, Wayne Rooney, whose artistic dive at Old Trafford on Saturday was as clear an attempt to deceive a referee as you could see.''