I think everyone, fans, players, commentators and TV pundits could see the inconsistencies in Mike Deans 'performance' yesterday. Unfortunately, I'm sure we are wasting our time thinking that anybody from the referees association will give it a second thought. A match where there really wasn't a tackle that was 'dangerous' still managed to produce a sending off and 7 or 8 yellow cards.
Even allowing for a degree of bias/paranoia it is clear that our players are being targeted by referees and that a first foul now seems to result in a yellow card. Whether we think it's fair or not there is obviously nothing we can do about it other than be aware of it and try and modify our play accordingly. Yesterday it was almost inevitable that someone would receive two yellows and Zaba, God love him, gave Dean the perfect opportunity to send him off without any recourse. He is a seasoned professional, arguably the best right back in the Premiership and hot off playing in a World Cup final and he lost his discipline. Yes his first card was undeserved but he'd got it and he knew he needed to be careful and he wasn't and it could have cost us and msybe did cost us two points.
We need to wise up, stay on our feet, not dive into tackles and definitely try and avoid the little pushes and pulling that has become an integral part of today's game, because we are being punished for every offence unlike our opponents. It's not fair, I know, But nobody in the game, in the media or in officialdom is going to come to our defence. We need to find our own solution because whether it's during a game through sending off's or through losing players to suspensions, it will end up costing us eventually.
