Refs make me see red

The weekend just gone was a bad one for referees, littered with controversial incidents at all different levels of the game.

We all know the men in the middle are under pressure to do a good job, but some of the things that happened a few days ago were just plain crazy.

Firstly, we should look at our own game at Underhill, where three players were sent off - Martin Carruthers and Mark Tinkler of Blues and Barnet skipper Greg Heald.

Following post-match video analysis of the proceedings at Barnet, I am convinced the decisions made by the official turned the game into a farce.

Martin was a touch out of order for goading Heald after he had put the ball into his own net to level the scores, but there was no way it was a sending-off offence.

As has been well documented by now, a bundle broke out on the pitch between the two teams, although neither Carruthers nor Heald threw a punch. Which is more than I can say for some of the other players.

Before getting his cards out, the referee should have taken into account the hostility from the terraces at Barnet, as well as the recent niggly history between the two sides.

Players are always going to react during a frenzied derby-match atmosphere and, if he watched the game again, I'm sure the ref would accept that neither man warranted more than a yellow card for ungentlemanly conduct.

As for Tinkler's sending-off for two bookable offences, I didn't feel either challenge was that bad. The yellow card which saw Tinks walk was for a block-tackle on Barnet winger Darren Currie.

The challenge made a loud noise in front of the Barnet dug-out, whose staff were jumping up and down as Currie made a right meal of the incident, with both parties failing to do Tinks any favours.

However, it wasn't just our game which was affected by the men in black. There were also problems in FA Cup games at First Division Tranmere Rovers and Premier League Arsenal.

Tranmere beat Sunderland 1-0 at Prenton Park, but had 11 players on the pitch at one stage, despite having a man sent-off. Rovers should have been reduced to nine outfield players, but when Tranmere made a substitution they never took another man off the field, which went un-noticed for three minutes.

Sunderland were obviously unhappy and launched frenzied protests, including calls for a replay, but it was the officials' fault for getting in a mix-up, not Tranmere's, and I'm glad the result has been allowed to stand.

At Highbury, Mike Riley had a field day handing out yellow cards left, right and centre for the most innocuous of challenges as Arsenal took on Leicester City in the Cup. Yet there was only one awful tackle during the whole 90 minutes, when Robbie Savage went through the Gunners' Nigerian ace Kanu.

I would like to see more professional players become referees after they hang up their boots. I'd like to see players put through a fast-track course which quickly elevates them to the League list.

I know referees will think this is unfair, because they've taken 15-years or whatever to progress from parks football, but I believe this could be a solution to the problems we saw at the weekend.

I feel a former player is always going to get more respect from his peers on the field and will be able to use common sense more in certain situations as he has been there as a player himself.

There is only one ex-pro currently officiating - former Chesterfield player Steve Baines - and we need more.

Time for an early bath - Blues' Mark Tinkler gets his marching orders at Barnet

Picture: DAVE MONTIER

Converted for the new archive on 19 November 2001. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.