Rules of the game.

Football season is with us again, and for want of anything else to watch on TV, have been following the opening matches. What always strikes me is the extent to which some of the basic rules of the game are ignored, both by the players, and more importantly, by the referee, who is supposed to be there to see that the rules are observed. Consider for instance -
Law 8 - procedure for a kick-off. "All players are in their own half of the field". You scarcely ever see a kick-off these days where one of the players on the kicking-of side is not standing on the wrong side of the half-way line.
Law 15 - the throw in. To be taken from "the point where [the ball] crosses the touch line". You must be joking - more often than not it's several yards further upfield.
Law 12 - a direct free kick is to be awarded if a player "holds an opponent". If this law were observed properly, the game would consist almost entirely of a series of free kicks.
So does the game have rules, or doesn't it?