THE new football season is set to kick off in a couple of weeks — some will think it has never been away.

There is the usual buzz of anticipation from the fans, as clubs recruit new players and let others go. Who will be the winners and losers?

This will be a different season, starting earlier, then breaking for a month in November, while the World Cup is being played.

Whenever the World Cup comes round, the old newsreels comes out from when England last won it in 1966.

The iconic moment when Geoff Hurst blasted home the fourth goal from 25 yards in injury time.

It was a long time ago, with the game changing much over the ensuing years.

If the game were played today, Hurst would not have been in that position to fire home but down by the corner flag, holding the ball up, while running down the clock.

There were no substitutes in 1966, teams will be able to use five (up from three) in the coming season.

Dare I say it, more opportunities for managers to run down the clock with needless substitutions in the final minutes.

Deliberate time-wasting is becoming a real problem in the professional game.

Watching West Ham last year, it was incredible to see some teams starting to time waste after just 10 minutes. The goalkeepers regularly taking as long as they could with goal kicks.

The only time things changed was when the away side went a goal behind, then there was a rapid reversal of tactics.

Arsenal and Brentford were two of the prime time-wasting offenders last year.

Another discouraging development in the game is faking injuries, or maybe call it what it is — cheating.

Players going down all over the place to try to gain an advantage by getting the game stopped. Some of the play acting would have embarrassed the footballers of yesteryear. 

These methods of cheating have to stop. Fans pay in excess of £60 to watch a Premiership football match. They pay to be entertained, not witness some sort of of attritional battle between teams using underhand tactics.

The cheating can be stopped. Referees need to be less easily take in by the fake injuries. They need to book more players for such behaviour and the time-wasting. The time wasted also has to be clearly and accurately added on.

These are not hugely detrimental issues, but they need addressing. The Premier League is probably the best competition in the world, where many of the finest players take part, and the skill level is incredible compared to past eras — but the game has also become commodified, in everything from the players to the franchises.

The lifeblood of football is the fans and the bond they have with their clubs. Football administrators need to remember that football first and foremost is a form of entertainment.

There are some growing tendencies in the game at the moment that threaten that entertainment value.

The time has come to address these issues — no more blatant time-wasting or fake injuries to stop the game. The fans deserve better.