John Giles believes Sky Sports were "cowardly" for not standing up to Jose Mourinho last weekend.
The Chelsea manager and BT Sports ambassador appeared on Goals On Sunday to lambast the performance of referee Martin Atkinson over decisions made in the 1-1 draw against Burnley.
"I think Sky were cowardly not to challenge him on what he was doing," said John, who believes he has taken over Alex Ferguson's mantle.
"I think he's taken Fergie's aggression to intimidate referees to another level. I think he's a great coach but if you look at his record over the years, his behaviour generally has been dreadful."
Meanwhile John thinks the Premier League is Europe's most exciting league, but believes the evidence of the latest Champions League action suggests that it is not the best league in terms of quality.
After two nights of European action which saw Manchester City and Arsenal outclassed by Barcelona and Monaco respectively, John said he was not convinced by the level of the Premier League.
"I'd say it's probably the most exciting league in the world for most of the matches. I don't think it's the best quality," he said.
"The big exam every year is obviously the Champions League. I must say this season particularly, and even last season, they haven't fared very well. Barcelona totally outclassed Manchester City and Arsenal were totally outclassed last night."
John also had strong words for Man City's attacking midfielder Samir Nasri, saying the Frenchman is a "go-to man when you need a quote" rather than a consistent performer.
He also believes Arsenal inconsistency is down to Arsene Wenger, who does not have "any warriors" in his team in comparison to the squad he had a decade ago.
John also critiqued the Director of Football model used by some Premier League clubs.
His thoughts also turned to Romelu Lukaku and his much-scrutinised first touch, before discussing Louis van Gaal's continued issues at Manchester United.
John also spoke about his pride at getting the freedom of the city of Dublin this weekend.
