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Earlier this week former England and Manchester United footballer Gary Neville posted a video to social media, criticising what he called “negative” use of the British flag.

In recent months, people in some communities have hung Union Jack and St George’s cross flags from lampposts, including Salford – where Neville is a part-owner of the local football club.

Neville said he had seen 50 to 60 while driving to the club’s stadium along nearby Littleton Road, and that he had ordered a flag to be removed from a building site he has invested in, because of his belief that the intent of those flying the flags is to sow division at a time when immigration is a major political issue.

“I love my country, I love Manchester, I love England,” Neville said. “But I’ve been building in this city for 15-20 years and nobody has put a Union Jack flag up, so why do you need to put one up now?

“Quite clearly, it’s sending a message to everybody that there’s something you don’t like.”

Neville doubted whether flags are a true representation of patriotism.

“I just kept thinking as I was driving home that we’re all being turned on each other. And the division that’s being created is absolutely disgusting. Mainly created by angry, middle-aged white men, who know exactly what they’re doing.”

Leader of the Opposition Kemi Badenoch called Neville’s comments “disgraceful”, while Reform UK leader Nigel Farage – who earlier this year compared the UK to North Korea when asked about free speech by a US Congressional committee – called Neville “detached from reality” and said he was “amazed” Neville has kept his job as a pundit with Sky Sports.

On Wednesday evening protesters unfurled a banner calling Neville “traitor scum” outside Hotel Football, the business he part owns which is located next to Old Trafford.

On Littleton Road, on the approach to Salford City’s Peninsula Stadium, dozens of Union Jacks have been zip tied to lampposts in recent months.

“It’s representing the United Kingdom isn’t it?”, says Andy, 43, who lives on the road. “Neville has got a bit of a point [about negative uses], but we should be able to put the flag up when we want.”

It takes about 20 minutes to walk the length of Littleton Road, and then another 30 or so to reach Salford Shopping Centre. The whole stretch is full of newly affixed flags on both sides of the road.

“I don’t mind the flags being put up, but I think it’s got to be for a reason which is peaceful,” says 68-year-old former NHS worker Adrian. “It’s got to acknowledge support for the United Kingdom, with no wicked intent against other individuals or groups.”

For some, the fact that flag flying in urban areas has become much more common at a time when anti-immigration sentiment and marches have increased means the intent is inherently suspicious.

“I’m a Man City fan, but I agree with Gary Neville!”, says Mark, 43. “Some people genuinely are trying to show their national pride, but there are also people with more nefarious reasons doing it. I’m proud to be British, but I wouldn’t be flying a flag right now because of the negative connotation. It seems to have been hijacked by bigger things at play.”

There are plenty of flags on display outside private homes in the area too, and some are defiant about their individual demonstration of national identity.

“I’ve got one in my garden, and I’m not taking it down for anybody,” says 75-year-old Ken. “I’ve had people knocking and asking me to take it down, but I won’t.”

The context in which people choose to fly the flag was a key theme residents deemed important.

For some of those who have moved to the area from elsewhere, the flags constitute something of an unwelcoming message.

“The Union Jack itself is a national pride thing – every country has the right to be patriotic,” says 21-year-old Norcady, who was raised in Gibraltar and recently moved to Salford. “But there are certain groups making it about political opinions, which I don’t think they should.

“Some of the people who have flags on their houses don’t seem the most welcoming – I’ve gotten a lot of [unpleasant] looks. I think it’s sad if people who are genuinely patriotic about their country won’t be able to use the flag because others are using it in the wrong way.”

A lot of the discussions around flag flying centres on whether or not it is designed to intimidate those from other countries.

“For me, I see no problem with the flag”, says Youssouf, 39, who was born in Somalia before moving to the UK. “It represents the country and it’s a beautiful colour. It’s up to any geezer putting one up what his intentions are.”

Disagreement about what the British flag stands for and how it should be used is not a recent phenomenon.

“From the first flying of the Union Flag in 1606 its meaning has been an issue,” says Nick Groom, author of The Union Jack: The Story of the British Flag. “There are no laws or regulations about flying the flag on land – you can do what you want with it.

“The flag has many multiple contexts that determine how it is understood. There are attempts to politicise it, but it is a flag of the people. It is important that it isn’t turned into a representation of one political faction.

“Events like the 2012 Olympics show how the flag can bring people together – it is a flag of community.”

What every Salford resident the BBC spoke to had in common was that they felt intention is key – those flying a Union Flag out of pride were encouraged to do so, while anybody whose intentions are more aggressive or divisive were criticised.

England legend Wayne Rooney does not think recent squads have a better attitude than his so-called golden generation – and says his team just “didn’t quite manage to get over the line”.

Ex-Three Lions captain Steven Gerrard made headlines this week when he said their lack of success was down to key players being “egotistical losers”.

Gerrard, who played for England 114 times between 2000 and 2014, added “we weren’t a team”.

But Rooney, speaking on his BBC podcast The Wayne Rooney Show, did not quite see it like that.

Rooney played 120 times for England, scoring a then record 53 goals, between 2003 and 2018.

Neither Gerrard nor Rooney ever got to a semi-final with England – but the Three Lions have reached two European Championship finals and a World Cup semi-final since.

“Obviously, we didn’t win anything,” said ex-Manchester United forward Rooney.

“I wouldn’t quite put it that way but I know what he’s saying. There was a lot of big characters in the dressing room.

“I wouldn’t say [England squads now have a] better attitude. That’s disrespectful to us as players because we worked hard, we tried. We didn’t quite manage to do it.

He continued: “What you have now is [rival teams’] players training [together] before they go back to pre-season together – Phil Foden and Marcus Rashford for instance.

“It’s a different generation. The big thing is the media coverage of it is much better. The players get on better with the media. From the outside that gives a better feeling.”

Gerrard, speaking as a guest on the Rio Ferdinand Presents podcast, said several former Manchester United and Liverpool players get on better now as pundits than they ever did as England team-mates.

“I didn’t feel part of a team. I didn’t feel connected with my team-mates, with England,” he said.

In response, Rooney said: “It [was] difficult to have that relationship with Liverpool and Man Utd players. It’s easier now.

“I speak to Steven all the time [now]. You can have better relationships now because you can have a beer together and relax more.

“I was fine with everyone, I got on with everyone. I was aware Becks [David Beckham] and Gary Neville and Scholesy [Paul Scholes], you could see they weren’t going to be close to the Liverpool players.

“But one thing for sure is everyone worked hard for each other. I don’t think that was an issue. We just didn’t manage to get over the line. I didn’t see that at all.”

Rooney, like Gerrard, played in six major tournaments for England but only reached quarter-finals.

But he said the players always “100%” “believed we could win for sure”.

Premier League referee Anthony Taylor has criticised the “expectation of perfection” culture that officials are subject to, and says his family no longer go to his matches because of the abuse he receives.

In an interview with BBC Sport, Taylor speaks publicly for the first time about being targeted by Roma fans as he walked through an airport with his family after the 2023 Europa League final.

The 46-year-old says he is so concerned by attitudes towards referees, there are times he thinks, ‘Is it all worth it?’.

However, he also says being a top-flight official is one of the best jobs in the world.

Taylor has been a Premier League referee for almost 15 years, officiated at the Qatar World Cup in 2022, the last two European Championships and has overseen the finals of both the European Super Cup final and Nations League.

Taylor was confronted by Roma boss Jose Mourinho after his side had lost the 2023 Europa League final on penalties to Sevilla.

The English official showed yellow cards to 13 players during the match, and 25 minutes of added time were played across the full match, including extra time.

Mourinho called Taylor a “disgrace” twice in a post-match news conference before confronting him in a car park – an incident the Portuguese was given a four-match ban for.

Taylor was then shouted at by angry fans as he walked though Budapest Airport with his family.

“That’s the worst situation I’ve dealt with in terms of abuse,” he says.

“Not only because I was travelling with family members at the time, but it also highlights the impact of people’s behaviour on others. Even in a match like that, where there was actually no major mistakes in the game.”

Taylor felt after the match there was an attempt to “shift focus on to somebody to blame”.

He adds: “For me, that’s a great source of disappointment, frustration, anger.

“Why that’s acceptable, I don’t know – because I’m sure those individuals wouldn’t like somebody to turn around and say that to them or their own children.

“It makes you reflect back on whether you made a mistake travelling with your family in the first place. They haven’t been to one [match] since.”

Taylor is not on social media because he does not want to “waste time” reading negative comments or opinions.

Last year the Premier League launched an investigation following online abuse directed at the official.

“If you’re continually told you’re not very good, whether that be by people in the media, by pundits, or even ex-officials, then people’s mental health could potentially suffer,” he says.

“The footballing culture in general is, ‘we need to win this game at all costs’.

“The lengths that people go to post-game with a lot of things now to spread false narratives, to spread malicious conspiracy theories… it creates a hugely negative environment for people to operate in.”

Taylor is also concerned by the treatment of officials in grassroots football.

“Every single weekend you can go to any local park across the UK and you can see a parent on the sideline verbally abusing a young referee,” he says.

“That’s not an environment conducive to people getting better. I don’t understand how people think that’s acceptable.”

Asked whether it is fair for top referees to expect a high level of scrutiny given what can be at stake on the pitch, Taylor says: “I wouldn’t argue against scrutiny being there.”

But he adds: “I’m not saying scrutiny isn’t to be expected, but everybody who watches football always sees a game through the eyes of their team. And the result of a football match and the culmination of a football season is multi-faceted.

“It’s not dependent on one match official’s decision. It’s not dependent on one player missing one penalty in a game. It’s not dependent on one coach making one tactical error during a game.

“The argument one decision has cost somebody the whole season, it’s just factually not true because there’ll be plenty of other incidents in a game or over that season where the results of games have been affected.

“What I’m saying is that you can have scrutiny and you can have critique. But it’s very rarely balanced. Nobody really talks about the positive side of things these days, either.”

The video assistant referee (VAR) system was introduced in the Premier League in 2019.

Taylor believes it has created unrealistic expectations and that those who expected it to create a decision-making “utopia” were “way off the mark”.

“The amount of scrutiny and the amount of analysis and chat around Premier League football means everybody has a quest for perfection,” he says.

“In reality, perfection doesn’t exist. We’re expecting referees to get every decision right. It is really important that we actually start to talk about people being fearful of failure or mistakes.

“We have to accept that if we don’t create the right environment for people to thrive, then people will be fearful, and that will have a negative impact on individuals and performance in the long term. Everybody’s an expert.”

Taylor says VAR has “completely shifted” the level of scrutiny.

“It brought this expectation of perfection that it would solve absolutely everybody’s problems and it would be a utopia,” he adds.

“In reality, those people were way off the mark. One week, people will say: ‘We don’t want VAR to be too forensic.’ The next week they’ll be going: ‘How has VAR not intervened in this?’

“People really need to decide what they want. You can’t one week say, ‘we don’t want to get involved because it ruins the flow of the game’ and the next week turn round and say, ‘this is a disgrace that VAR’s not intervened here’.

Taylor was one of the referees at the Club World Cup in the United States in the summer, when several matches were played in extreme heat.

He says the conditions were on a “completely different level to what you’re normally used to”.

Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca said it was “impossible” to have a normal training session during the tournament while midfielder Enzo Fernandez said he felt “dizzy” while playing in “very dangerous” heat.

“It was absolutely brutal,” Taylor says. “We were really fortunate that we had the opportunity to do some significant preparations before we left the UK using some environmental chamber work.

“The conditions were really challenging.”

Next summer’s World Cup will be held across North America.

Taylor is in his 17th season as a Premier League referee.

“When it comes down to it, it’s one of the best jobs in the world,” he says. “You’re right in the centre of the action in the most exciting league in the world.”

Asked how much longer he may officiate for, Taylor says: “I don’t know, if I’m honest with you.

“I’m 47 next week, so that’s quite old for somebody to be operating at this level, running around after people a lot younger than you.

Premier League referee Anthony Taylor has criticised the “expectation of perfection” culture that officials are subject to, and says his family no longer go to his matches because of the abuse he receives.

In an interview with BBC Sport, Taylor speaks publicly for the first time about being targeted by Roma fans as he walked through an airport with his family after the 2023 Europa League final.

The 46-year-old says he is so concerned by attitudes towards referees, there are times he thinks, ‘Is it all worth it?’.

However, he also says being a top-flight official is one of the best jobs in the world.

Taylor has been a Premier League referee for almost 15 years, officiated at the Qatar World Cup in 2022, the last two European Championships and has overseen the finals of both the European Super Cup final and Nations League.

Taylor was confronted by Roma boss Jose Mourinho after his side had lost the 2023 Europa League final on penalties to Sevilla.

The English official showed yellow cards to 13 players during the match, and 25 minutes of added time were played across the full match, including extra time.

Mourinho called Taylor a “disgrace” twice in a post-match news conference before confronting him in a car park – an incident the Portuguese was given a four-match ban for.

Taylor was then shouted at by angry fans as he walked though Budapest Airport with his family.

“That’s the worst situation I’ve dealt with in terms of abuse,” he says.

“Not only because I was travelling with family members at the time, but it also highlights the impact of people’s behaviour on others. Even in a match like that, where there was actually no major mistakes in the game.”

Taylor felt after the match there was an attempt to “shift focus on to somebody to blame”.

He adds: “For me, that’s a great source of disappointment, frustration, anger.

“Why that’s acceptable, I don’t know – because I’m sure those individuals wouldn’t like somebody to turn around and say that to them or their own children.

“It makes you reflect back on whether you made a mistake travelling with your family in the first place. They haven’t been to one [match] since.”

Taylor is not on social media because he does not want to “waste time” reading negative comments or opinions.

Last year the Premier League launched an investigation following online abuse directed at the official.

“If you’re continually told you’re not very good, whether that be by people in the media, by pundits, or even ex-officials, then people’s mental health could potentially suffer,” he says.

“The footballing culture in general is, ‘we need to win this game at all costs’.

“The lengths that people go to post-game with a lot of things now to spread false narratives, to spread malicious conspiracy theories… it creates a hugely negative environment for people to operate in.”

Taylor is also concerned by the treatment of officials in grassroots football.

“Every single weekend you can go to any local park across the UK and you can see a parent on the sideline verbally abusing a young referee,” he says.

“That’s not an environment conducive to people getting better. I don’t understand how people think that’s acceptable.”

Asked whether it is fair for top referees to expect a high level of scrutiny given what can be at stake on the pitch, Taylor says: “I wouldn’t argue against scrutiny being there.”

But he adds: “I’m not saying scrutiny isn’t to be expected, but everybody who watches football always sees a game through the eyes of their team. And the result of a football match and the culmination of a football season is multi-faceted.

“It’s not dependent on one match official’s decision. It’s not dependent on one player missing one penalty in a game. It’s not dependent on one coach making one tactical error during a game.

“The argument one decision has cost somebody the whole season, it’s just factually not true because there’ll be plenty of other incidents in a game or over that season where the results of games have been affected.

“What I’m saying is that you can have scrutiny and you can have critique. But it’s very rarely balanced. Nobody really talks about the positive side of things these days, either.”

The video assistant referee (VAR) system was introduced in the Premier League in 2019.

Taylor believes it has created unrealistic expectations and that those who expected it to create a decision-making “utopia” were “way off the mark”.

“The amount of scrutiny and the amount of analysis and chat around Premier League football means everybody has a quest for perfection,” he says.

“In reality, perfection doesn’t exist. We’re expecting referees to get every decision right. It is really important that we actually start to talk about people being fearful of failure or mistakes.

“We have to accept that if we don’t create the right environment for people to thrive, then people will be fearful, and that will have a negative impact on individuals and performance in the long term. Everybody’s an expert.”

Taylor says VAR has “completely shifted” the level of scrutiny.

“It brought this expectation of perfection that it would solve absolutely everybody’s problems and it would be a utopia,” he adds.

“In reality, those people were way off the mark. One week, people will say: ‘We don’t want VAR to be too forensic.’ The next week they’ll be going: ‘How has VAR not intervened in this?’

“People really need to decide what they want. You can’t one week say, ‘we don’t want to get involved because it ruins the flow of the game’ and the next week turn round and say, ‘this is a disgrace that VAR’s not intervened here’.

Taylor was one of the referees at the Club World Cup in the United States in the summer, when several matches were played in extreme heat.

He says the conditions were on a “completely different level to what you’re normally used to”.

Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca said it was “impossible” to have a normal training session during the tournament while midfielder Enzo Fernandez said he felt “dizzy” while playing in “very dangerous” heat.

“It was absolutely brutal,” Taylor says. “We were really fortunate that we had the opportunity to do some significant preparations before we left the UK using some environmental chamber work.

“The conditions were really challenging.”

Next summer’s World Cup will be held across North America.

Taylor is in his 17th season as a Premier League referee.

“When it comes down to it, it’s one of the best jobs in the world,” he says. “You’re right in the centre of the action in the most exciting league in the world.”

Asked how much longer he may officiate for, Taylor says: “I don’t know, if I’m honest with you.

“I’m 47 next week, so that’s quite old for somebody to be operating at this level, running around after people a lot younger than you.

Premier League referee Anthony Taylor has criticised the “expectation of perfection” culture that officials are subject to, and says his family no longer go to his matches because of the abuse he receives.

In an interview with BBC Sport, Taylor speaks publicly for the first time about being targeted by Roma fans as he walked through an airport with his family after the 2023 Europa League final.

The 46-year-old says he is so concerned by attitudes towards referees, there are times he thinks, ‘Is it all worth it?’.

However, he also says being a top-flight official is one of the best jobs in the world.

Taylor has been Premier League referee for almost 15 years, officiated at the Qatar World Cup in 2022 and 2020 European Championship and has overseen the finals of both the European Super Cup final and Nations League.

Taylor was confronted by Roma boss Jose Mourinho after his side had lost the 2023 Europa League final on penalties to Sevilla.

The English official showed yellow cards to 13 players during the match, and 25 minutes of added time were played across the full match, including extra time.

Mourinho called Taylor a “disgrace” twice in a post-match news conference before confronting him in a car park – an incident the Portuguese was given a four-match ban for.

Taylor was then shouted at by angry fans as he walked though Budapest Airport with his family.

“That’s the worst situation I’ve dealt with in terms of abuse,” he says.

“Not only because I was travelling with family members at the time, but it also highlights the impact of people’s behaviour on others. Even in a match like that, where there was actually no major mistakes in the game.”

Taylor felt after the match there was an attempt to “shift focus on to somebody to blame.”

He adds: “For me, that’s a great source of disappointment, frustration, anger.

“Why that’s acceptable, I don’t know – because I’m sure those individuals wouldn’t like somebody to turn around and say that to them or their own children.

“It makes you reflect back on whether you made a mistake travelling with your family in the first place. They haven’t been to one [match] since.”

Taylor is not on social media as he does not want to “waste time” reading negative comments or opinions.

Last year the Premier League launched an investigation following online abuse directed at the official.

“If you’re continually told you’re not very good, whether that be by people in the media, by pundits, or even ex-officials, then people’s mental health could potentially suffer,” he says.

“The footballing culture in general is, ‘we need to win this game at all costs’.

“The lengths that people go to post-game with a lot of things now to spread false narratives, to spread malicious conspiracy theories… it creates a hugely negative environment for people to operate in.”

Taylor is also concerned by the treatment of officials in grassroots football, adding “every single weekend you can go to any local park across the UK and you can see a parent on the sideline verbally abusing a young referee. That’s not an environment conducive to people getting better. I don’t understand how people think that’s acceptable.”

Asked whether it is fair for top referees to expect a high level of scrutiny given what can be at stake on the pitch, Taylor says: “I wouldn’t argue against scrutiny being there.”

But he adds: “I’m not saying scrutiny isn’t there to be expected, but everybody who watches football always sees a game through the eyes of their team. And the result of a football match and the culmination of a football season is multi-faceted.

“It’s not dependent on one match official decision. It’s not dependent on one player missing one penalty in a game. It’s not dependent on one coach making one tactical error during a game. Playing over 38 games…

“So you say the argument one decision has cost somebody the whole season… it’s just factually not true because there’ll be plenty of other incidents in a game or over that season where the results of games have been affected.

“What I’m saying is that you can have scrutiny and you can have critique. But it’s very rarely balanced. Nobody really talks about the positive side of things a lot of time these days, either.”

The video assistant referee (VAR) system was introduced in the Premier League in 2019.

Taylor believes it has created unrealistic expectations and that those who expected it to create a decision-making “utopia” were “way off the mark”.

“The amount of scrutiny and the amount of analysis and chat around Premier League football means everybody has a quest for perfection,” he says.

“In reality, perfection doesn’t exist. We’re expecting referees to get every decision right. It is really important that we actually start to talk about people being fearful of failure or mistakes.

“We have to accept that if we don’t create the right environment for people to thrive, then people will be fearful, and that will have a negative impact on individuals and performance in the long term. Everybody’s an expert.”

Taylor says VAR has “completely shifted” the level of scrutiny.

“It brought this expectation of perfection that it would solve absolutely everybody’s problems and it would be a utopia,” he adds.

“In reality, those people were way off the mark. One week, people will say: ‘We don’t want VAR to be too forensic.’ The next week they’ll be going: ‘How has VAR not intervened in this?’

“People really need to decide what they want. You can’t one week say, ‘we don’t want to get involved because it ruins the flow of the game’ and the next week turn round and say, ‘this is a disgrace that VAR’s not intervened here’.

Taylor was one of the referees at the Club World Cup in the United States in the summer, when several matches were played in extreme heat.

He says the conditions were on a “completely different level to what you’re normally used to”.

Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca said it was “impossible” to have a normal training session during the tournament while midfielder Enzo Fernandez said he felt “dizzy” while playing in “very dangerous” heat.

“It was absolutely brutal,” Taylor says. “We were really fortunate that we had the opportunity to do some significant preparations before we left the UK using some environmental chamber work.

“The conditions were really challenging.”

Next summer’s World Cup will be held across North America.

Taylor is in his 17th season as a Premier League referee.

“When it comes down to it, it’s one of the best jobs in the world,” he says. “You’re right in the centre of the action in the most exciting league in the world.”

Asked how much longer he may officiate for, Taylor says: “I don’t know, if I’m honest with you.

“I’m 47 next week, so that’s quite old for somebody to be operating at this level, running around after people a lot younger than you.