RESPECT. It’s a word that kept cropping up last week, especially in the context of football.

Sunderland manager David Moyes was accused of a lack of respect to BBC reporter Vicki Sparks when he responded to an awkward question she’d asked. “You were just getting a wee bit naughty at the end there, so just watch yourself,” he said. “You still might get a slap, even though you’re a woman.”

The debate raged all week. At one end of the scale, a friend of mine described it as “political correctness gone mad”. At the other end were those calling for Moyes to be sacked.

I found myself somewhere in the middle. In my book, it was an idiotic thing to say. What made it worse for me was the pause for thought before Moyes added: “Careful the next time you come in.”

As well as being sexist, it was another example of football managers allowing power to go to their heads. I’m more powerful than you, you need me to do your job, so watch it – or I ‘ll make it difficult for you. It’s a familiar message. We’ve seen Jose Mourinho and Pep Guardiola treat TV journalists with the same kind of disdain recently.

That said, Moyes profusely apologised and that kept me out of the “sack him” camp.

Enough has been written about the Moyes row, so I’ll turn my attention to another debate about respect in football last week.

While Moyes was still trying to dig himself out a hole, Everton’s Romelu Lukaku was being accused by TV pundits Martin Keown and Ian Wright of showing team-mate Ashley Williams a lack of respect by putting his finger to his lips and telling him to “shush”.

Apparently, the gesture was in response to Williams urging Lukaku to work harder, but Keown and Wright weren’t at all happy.

Here’s an extract of Wright’s assessment on TV: “You saw Lukaku shushing him...for him to shush him like that, it’s disrespectful...you feel like saying ‘don’t shush me’...Ashley Williams is saying something and he’s shushing him...it doesn’t look good.”

Seriously, you couldn’t make it up. I might have more respect if they all just grew up.

IT’S amazing how far news can fly these days...

A week or so ago, I wrote a piece for the “Country Life” section of The Northern Echo website about my wife’s excitement at successfully luring a goldfinch into our garden.

Having previously failed to attract any goldfinches, a friend told her to move the colourful birds’ favourite niger seeds away from the other feeders. It did the trick with a goldfinch overcoming its shyness and appearing within the hour.

“My wife could hardly have been more excited if George Clooney had turned up in the garden, winked, and beckoned her into the foliage,” I wrote.

Well, I was almost as excited to receive a lovely email in response all the way from Hamilton in the Australian state of Victoria.

It came from Judith Bowman, originally from West Cornforth, County Durham, who still has family and friends in the Spennymoor area. Indeed, her mum is an avid reader of The Northern Echo.

“I’ve just come across your article about the goldfinch in your garden,” Judith explained. “It really made me laugh as you could have been describing our household.

“The excitement was just the same when a pair of goldfinches visited our birdbath in December at the beginning of summer. Up to that point I didn’t realise we had goldfinches in Australia so I too couldn’t have been much more excited if George Clooney had been there in the garden.”

Judith then went on to describe the other visitors to her garden Down Under. “We regularly get tiny thornbills, superb fairywrens, New Holland honeyeaters, beautiful parrots, and kookaburras,” she wrote.

I can only begin to imagine what state my wife would be in if a kookaburra paid us a visit in County Durham.

IT was an honour last Thursday to host the prestigious High Sheriff Awards in the magnificent setting of Bowes Museum at Barnard Castle.

The awards are a partnership between Durham’s High Sheriff, County Durham Community Foundation (CDCF), and the Sir James Knott Trust.

Awards were handed out by this year’s High Sheriff, Gerard Salvin, to several admirable community organisations supporting young people.

The biggest winner of the night was the Durham-based Cheesy Waffles Project, which helps youngsters with special educational needs by delivering a range of positive activities, including sports, art and crafts, cookery, competitions, trips out, photography and performing arts.

The joyful looks on the faces of the young members when they came up to collect their cash prize and certificates said it all.

Respect to all those who dedicate their time to supporting young people.

EXTRA-SPECIAL respect to Hannah Godwin, 10, who was one of the winners of a High Sheriff Award.

Hannah is a member of the Spectrum Roller Skating Club, based at Willington.

During an interview in front of the audience, I asked Hannah for any roller skating tips because I’d be scared of crashing.

Without a moment’s hesiktation, she brought the house down with her reply: “I’d suggest lots of bubble-wrap.”