Oh no! Michael Cheika swears – pass the happy police juice

And quite right too.

Broadcasters picked up Cheika saying, “f...ing cheats” after Australia captain Michael Hooper was sin-binned toward the end of the first half of the game. Cheika was also pictured sarcastically applauding the match officials and responding to some verbal abuse from England fans as he headed toward the dressing room at half-time.

How awfully shocking! Not.

I must confess all this ‘holier than thou’ attitude is a bit rich and quite frankly very tedious.

While I don’t for one moment condone swearing – in the heat of the moment, especially in sport – it happens.

If you have played sport you will know.

Cheika was of course caught out by TV cameras.

At his hearing this week he was urged by the Disciplinary body, “to be aware of the risks during matches when he knows he will be being filmed and potentially broadcast, and where possible to moderate his conduct and language accordingly.’’

Well, perhaps someone will explain what the cameras are doing facing coaches and dug-outs during a match. I thought they were there to capture the action on the pitch.

Seems to me some cameras are there just to catch coaches out. We already have TV viewers catching out golfers, what next?

So, I’m glad Cheika has been ticked off, no more.

The PC brigade should take a long holiday.

As my little nan, God bless her soul, used to quote me from the bible... ‘Let him who is without sin, cast the first stone’.

I like Crewe Alexandra boss David Artell.

He does come out with comments that make you sit up and take notice.

Last weekend, following his side’s defeat at Forest Green Rovers, where Crewe twice lead, but were beaten 3-2, Artell delivered a passionate plea to his players.

“If you don’t want to embrace the challenge to do it for me, or for your team-mates or even yourself, then do it for the 12-year-old kid that’s sat in our academy waiting to be where you are.

“That’s what’s riding on it. The whole football club. There’s 160 boys in our Academy, still dreaming.”

It brings a tear to your eye, don’t you think?

Yet while I get the fact he fears for the club’s future should they get relegated, bringing 12-year-olds into the pending doom that may face the Gresty Road club is a bit desperate.

I love his passion, but come on.

The reality is – of the 160 boys in the Crewe Academy – very few are likely to ever play for Crewe’s first team, even fewer have a long professional career in the game ahead of them.

Admittedly, the Railwaymen do have a slightly better record of bringing players through the ranks than most clubs, but facts are facts, most Academy scholars always remain just that... former Academy scholars.

In saying all that, he must have tugged at a few heart strings among his players... Crewe won 1-0 at local rivals Morecambe on Tuesday night, their first win in five... And moved out of the relegation zone – much to the delight of his 160 Academy boys, I suspect!

I enjoyed a trip to Bloomfields, Needham Market Football Club, on Tuesday night.

The club are celebrating a near £500k grant for a new 3G pitch and facilities, and Richard Wilkins’ team were in superb form as the celebrations continued on the pitch, as they thrashed Harlow 5-1 in the Bostik Premier.

It’s not cheap running non-league clubs at any level these days, and many can suffer from losing balls over fences, into fields, car parks and houses. It can be costly business, with balls costing £50+ a time.

Needham Market are no different.

So, one particular PA announcement halfway through the first half of the game at Needham on Tuesday made me – and many others – smile (non-league clubs will resonate with this).

“Could the owner of car registration no XXX III (I can’t remember it correctly), please return to their car and retrieve one of our balls that is currently residing on their back seat and return it to us. Thank you.”

Follow me on Twitter @Mike_Bacon