WITH all the transfer hullabaloo and build-up to the Football League’s 125th anniversary season, it has been hard for other stories to make the headlines.

One interesting tale that did catch my eye this week, however, is the new supporters’ code of conduct at Liverpool.

The Anfield outfit have been involved in their fair share of controversy in recent seasons, no thanks to wantaway striker Luis Suarez, and have been roundly criticised for their stance after the Uruguayan was found guilty by an FA disciplinary panel of racially abusing Manchester United’s Patrice Evra in 2011.

Further incidents of shouts from the terraces towards Evra and Oldham’s Tom Adeyemi have further embarrassed the club and the vast majority of their faithful, well-behaved fans.

They are not alone in that, of course. Many clubs have their embarrassing element and similar abuse was directed at Wanderers’ Marvin Sordell at Millwall last season.

And this past week saw Crawley Town ban a supporter for four matches for hurling insults at Crystal Palace boss Ian Holloway from behind the bench in what was supposed to be a friendly.

We have seen it happen at international level and swept under the floor by UEFA with miserly fines.

So fair play to Liverpool for trying to be proactive, but will it work?

Can club stewards really hear every rant among 40,000-plus at a game? Will fellow fans report it if a supporter on the Kop tells a player to “stop playing like a girl”’?

“Playing like a girl” would not be deemed an insult if you watched the all-conquering German women winning a sixth successive European title recently.

I do wonder, though, if it is taking things a bit too far or maybe I am now at that age where it is a standard view that political correctness has gone mad.

I can understand the approach because the make-up of football support has changed markedly in the last three decades with more women and families at games.

But where do we stop with the big brother approach?

Will it become illegal to mention “Financial Fair Play” at Chelsea? Or “United” at the Reebok? Will Arsenal fans be warned against “spur-ring” their team on? Will the R-word be banned once a club enters the bottom three?

At the end of the day, any action to eradicate moronic behaviour is a good thing but let’s not tar every fan with the same brush and sanitise the game too much.

The passion on the terraces is what makes it so special.