Jose Mourinho might rail at the notion - but official figures appear to back up the theory that Chelsea are the worst behaved team in the Premier League when it comes to respecting officials.
The London club have been widely criticised for surrounding match officials this season, although Mourinho has repeatedly insisted his team are the victims of a 'campaign' by the authorities and media.
But data compiled by Football Association Fair Play delegates, who attend every top flight match and mark teams for their behaviour, prove that Mourinho's side show the least respect towards match officals and are second worst when it comes to the behaviour of club staff on the touchline.
When assessing behaviour towards the referee and his assistants, teams are marked out of seven. Guidelines published on the Premier League website state: "A positive attitude, including the acceptance of doubtful decisions without protest, will be rewarded with high marks. Normal behaviour without any particular positive attitudes or gestures towards match officials is likely to receive a score of 6 rather than 7."
The official table ranks Chelsea as the worst for respecting officials, with Liverpool the best.
Which teams least respect match officials?
| Team | Respect mark |
|---|---|
| Chelsea | 159 |
| Sunderland | 161 |
| Arsenal | 167 |
| Stoke | 167 |
| Aston Villa | 168 |
| Hull | 168 |
| Tottenham | 170 |
| Swansea | 171 |
| Leicester | 172 |
| Southampton | 172 |
| Everton | 172 |
| Manchester United | 173 |
| QPR | 175 |
| Newcastle | 175 |
| Manchester City | 176 |
| Crystal Palace | 176 |
| West Ham | 176 |
| West Brom | 179 |
| Burnley | 179 |
| Liverpool | 181 |
The picture is not much prettier when it comes to the behaviour of club staff - including the manager - on the touchline.
The official guidelines state: "Positive and negative aspects of the team officials’ conduct will be assessed – such as whether they calm down or provoke angry players or fans and how they accept the decisions of the referee. Co-operation with the media will also be taken into account."
In this measure, Chelsea come out second worst to Sunderland:
Who has the worst behaved team officials?
| Team | Respect mark |
|---|---|
| Sunderland | 137 |
| Chelsea | 145 |
| Leicester | 147 |
| Stoke | 150 |
| Arsenal | 155 |
| Burnley | 155 |
| Swansea | 156 |
| Tottenham | 157 |
| Crystal Palace | 158 |
| Southampton | 159 |
| Everton | 159 |
| Newcastle | 159 |
| Liverpool | 160 |
| Manchester City | 160 |
| Hull | 161 |
| QPR | 162 |
| West Ham | 163 |
| Manchester United | 164 |
| Aston Villa | 164 |
| West Brom | 165 |
In terms of overall fair play this season, West Ham emerge as the Premier League's cleanest side - something which might come as a surprise to Sam Allardyce's band of critics at Upton Park and beyond.
In addition to respecting referees and the behaviour of team officials, clubs are marked on the positivity of their football (defined as "attacking tactics, acceleration of the game, efforts to gain time, and continued pursuit of goals"), the number of red and yellow cards they accumulate, respect shown towards opponents and the behaviour of fans. These are then aggregated out to produce an overall 'fair play rating'.
How fair is your team?
| Team | Fair play score |
|---|---|
| West Ham | 8.3 |
| Burnley | 8.3 |
| Liverpool | 8.3 |
| Manchester City | 8.2 |
| Southampton | 8.1 |
| Everton | 8.1 |
| Manchester United | 8.1 |
| West Brom | 8.1 |
| Leicester | 8.0 |
| Crystal Palace | 8.0 |
| Tottenham | 8.0 |
| Arsenal | 8.0 |
| Swansea | 8.0 |
| Chelsea | 8.0 |
| QPR | 8.0 |
| Newcastle | 7.9 |
| Stoke | 7.8 |
| Aston Villa | 7.7 |
| Hull | 7.7 |
| Sunderland | 7.4 |
If West Ham finish top of the table, they could earn a place in next season's Europa League. England's overall fair play rating must be in Europe's top three for the Premier League to be awarded a place, and it currently sits third behind Ireland and Holland.
Did you know Telegraph Sport has a Chelsea Facebook page?
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