Bosses insist referee decisions are wrong

The region's bosses today had their say on the red card rows and insisted something has to change.

They are all adamant the sport's lawmakers are in danger of ruining the game with rules enforced by inconsistent officials.

Frank Lampard's late tackle on Adam Hammill of Wolves was, according to referee Peter Walton, worthy of just a yellow card but Nenad Milijas was sent off at Arsenal by Stuart Attwell despite winning the ball.

Vincent Kompany joined the controversy after being dismissed for a two-footed tackle against Manchester United in Manchester City's 3-2 FA Cup defeat on Sunday.

Mick McCarthy even held a debate with journalists about Milijas' red – which Wolves unsuccessfully appealed – last month.

And the Wolves boss said referees are failing to make the right calls. "It's always been the same if you leave the ground," he said.

"But I think it's up to the officials to pick and choose which are the right ones and wrong ones, which are the ones worth red cards and which are worth yellow cards.

"That's their job, not my job.

"When I played, if you jumped in with two feet, that was seen as a bad tackle.

"You'd have been reprimanded then but you wouldn't have got anything else."

"They've got to make a decision and I accept they're not going to get them all right.

"I forgive the referees for getting them wrong, but what I can't forgive is the people who look at it afterwards and say 'that's OK – that was a bad decision but we agree with it'."

Burntwood's retired Premier League referee Alan Wiley insists the officials got it right on Lampard, Milijas and Kompany but McCarthy disagreed.

"Thank goodness he's finished," he joked. "He'd be wrong with Nenad's. If Alan Wiley wants to come here, I'd argue all night and day with him because that was never a sending off.

"Alan has given his opinion, which he's entitled to, but it's wrong. He's the first referee apart from Stuart Attwell that's agreed with the decision."

And Albion coach Keith Downing, a midfield hardman in his Molineux peak in the 1980s, admitted he'd be forced to change his game if he was playing now.

"My game was about destroying the opposition, not literally, but by winning the ball back and giving it to players who could create," he said.

"I would have had to adapt. But I think we as footballers have to understand and take on board that once you're tackling without a foot on the ground you are treading a dangerous line."

Villa boss Alex McLeish insists there are still doubts over the red card system and clubs are paying the price.

"The rule for the last two or three years has been that once you have your standing foot off the ground you are deemed as not being in control," he said.

"Having said that, there are a couple of instances – like Milijas' – where he clearly gets the ball and intends to get the ball, so there is a grey area over it."