Angry Walsall FC boss Dean Smith blasts referee

Dean Smith today risked an FA rap by blasting referee Nigel Miller following Walsall's 5-1 collapse at Coventry.

The boss was furious with official Miller, who sent Andy Butler off late on, and felt the third and fourth goals should have been ruled out.

He insisted the Saddlers' defending was not good enough but questioned Miller's performance at the Ricoh Arena on Saturday.

He said: "There was no consistency and (referee boss) David Allison will be getting a phone call from me. I'm really disappointed with our display after the goals went in, certainly defensively, but I end up talking about a referee's performance as well.

"I haven't had him for five years, since I was at Leyton Orient and we played Leeds away. Martin Ling was the manager at the time and gave him 0/100. I won't be giving him too many more.

"I thought the fourth goal was offside and we were down to 10 men for the fifth. I've got to come out and explain why we lost 5-1 but the officials don't have to do that."

But Smith refused to defend his players' performance after they shipped five for the first time under him.

Blair Adams' own goal put them ahead but doubles from David McGoldrick and Carl Baker and Cyrus Christie's strike condemned them to a 15th game without a win.

The Saddlers are 19th in League One – three points above the bottom four – and Smith slammed their defending.

He said: "I don't want it (Miller's display) to detract from our defensive performance which wasn't good enough. I had a rant at the players at half-time.

"I felt Coventry got through too often. We were more organised in the second half but it's another loss. Defensively we weren't good enough and we'll have another chat.

"We have come across a team who were in the Championship last season.

"What they are earning is a million miles away from what my players are earning. But you can't defend how we defended.

"We're on a terrible run where we can't get a win. I've gone back over the games during the run and there are five or six games where we should have won. Saturday was not one."