"I've been told by other prominent managers to stop going on about it because it will affect my career.

"I said, 'Sorry, not my bag'. You have to be true to yourself and able to look at yourself in the mirror."

Chelsea boss Frank Lampard and a number of media pundits defended Hudson-Odoi, citing a touch in his back by Matt Lowton.

Dyche feels he is a lone voice speaking out against diving and is perplexed by being made to feel like the villain.

The Clarets manager is particularly concerned by behaviour he witnesses at junior level.

He said: "Bear in mind I've been in football all my life, I've watched it all my life, at every age group, from seven, which my lad Max played in, through every age group, to the under-18s on Wednesday night, and people are going down with nothing wrong with them, and all that.

"And somehow I end up coming out of it the bad guy. I can't fathom it at all.

"I keep meeting people – unless I only happen to meet the only people who don't like diving – fans who've caned us, but then saying, 'By the way, you were right though about diving'.

"I don't know how it happens, people factually diving, feigning injury – which is even worse than diving – and I mention it, and people say I'm making excuses.

"Eh? I've been making excuses for five years? How's that then, we're still in the Premier League, what excuses am I making?

"They all see it with their own eyes, yet it's 'No, I don't think so, he touched his earlobe with his breath'. That makes it all right then.

"Even Gary (Lineker) makes a flippancy and has to retract it because he realised there is a serious side to it, and I have no problem with that either.

"But the flippancy is like 'Ha ha ha, but I'd better quickly retract that', because people will be, hang on a minute, you can't have that, are you now promoting cheating in football?

"But it's the same argument for me. If your kid cheats at a maths test, do you tell them, 'Well done'?"