Ipswich boss Roy Keane has hit out at players for diving and feigning injuries in the Premier League and feels managers should have more respect for officials. The subject of simulation has been a hot topic this season and Keane believes it is a growing problem in England's top-flight.

The former Manchester United midfielder, who also claims some performers are told to dive by their managers, told Sky Sports News HD: "You see players going down and then two minutes later they are straight back up.

"You have got to have your own bit of pride and you were always told as a kid not to show that you are hurt but it's gone the other way now.

"Players are going down far too easily and staying down hoping the player who's tackled them will get a yellow card or a red card.

"Unfortunately it's crept into the Premier League over the last few years and hopefully it will change.

"But I don't think it will. I think it will probably get worse because of the pressures of the game and sometimes players are instructed to try and sway the referee in his decision."

Keane also thinks that officials have the hardest job in football and the club bosses should not make the man in the middle's role more difficult by blaming them so often.

"I think the officials have the hardest job out there," said the Irishman, who believes there are a select bunch of managers who regularly castigate officials.

"The game is played at such a speed and there's so many camera angles and there's programmes (with pundits) who analyse referees.

"And as you saw over the weekend they've got a tough job and I think we need to be a bit fairer to the referees and players need to be fairer to each other to give the referees the opportunity to try and make the right decision.

"They will make mistakes, like players do as we've seen this weekend, but I think any media coverage of a mistake by an official is way over the top."

Keane added: "I think some of the managers need to treat the referees with more respect.

"The respect campaign from players came in last year but I think the managers need to set an example.

"After every game all you get is the managers talking about the officials when really it's their team not performing so they can't keep blaming the officials.

"Most weekends it's the same managers complaining about them. I think the managers need to look at themselves instead of constantly blaming the referees."