The Insider reflects on a weekend which saw Premier League referees go red card crazy.
After a record-breaking weekend of red cards in the Premier League, Chris Burton ponders whether referees are too quick to reach for their pocket
Referees are easy targets - there is no getting away from that. They can be virtually anonymous for 89 minutes then, one questionable decision later, they suddenly become the topic of discussion for the entire game.
Managers - not mentioning any names - feel the need to question their fitness and eyesight, while supporters query their parenthood and off-field habits.
It can be a lonely existence being a Premier League official, with the man in the black/yellow/green/pink often filling the role of pantomime villain or playground outcast.
Quite why anyone would want to put themselves in such a position week after week is beyond me, but then they do say that referees are a breed unto themselves.
Personally, I have a begrudging respect for the job they do, as without someone to oversee the action there would be no game. And then where would we be? Saturday's without football would be like cheese without pickle or Ant without Dec. Not worth thinking about!
There are, however, times when the actions of the men in the middle leave you perplexed and you start to see where irate coaches are coming from.
Yes, the majority of the time referees do get things right, but there are occasions when they appear hell bent on causing a stir and bring the resulting vitriol entirely on themselves.
Some - I'm sure we can all come up with a few examples - seem to positively bask in the limelight. If they are not the centre of attention, they are not happy. If they can't actually take part in the game, then they are going to do all they can to make sure that they play a starring role regardless.
The garish outfits they now don, and the increasingly exuberant - and camp for that matter - manner in which they go about their business is increasingly bringing them to the forefront of a game which should be dominated by the 22 men around them.
I'm not saying the players are blameless in all of this. They continue to make bemusing decisions as well, often giving the officials no choice but to get involved.
Take Barry Ferguson's sending off for Birmingham on Sunday, which rounded off a red card frenzy in the Premier League this weekend.
Quite what was going through his mind when he decided to block a late throw-in with his arm is anyone's guess. But he did it, and he was duly shown a second yellow and sent for an early bath.
He could have few complaints, with a moment of madness forcing the referee's hand.
Commission
There were, however, a number of instances during the latest round of top flight action which left you wondering whether the officials were on some sort of commission for the number of cards they brandished.
There were no less than nine dismissals over the course of the 10 games, with a record-breaking eight of those coming on Saturday afternoon.
The previous high for a single day was a mere six, back on 7th May 2005.
The history books were rewritten in spectacular style, though, as Philipp Degen, Jamie Carragher, Kenwyne Jones, Radoslav Kovac, Carlos Cuellar, Diniyar Bilyaletdinov, Geovanni and Jlloyd Samuel were all given their marching orders over the course of 90 frenetic minutes.
Was there something in the water this weekend? Were players forced to watch 'Raging Bull' before they took to the field? Did they all have somewhere else they needed to be? Had they promised the missus they would get the tea on before she got back from the shops?
It is all very puzzling, as from what I can tell there is no logical reason to explain the sudden surge in cards - even if it is nearly Christmas.
I have studied images from the games in question and I confirm that it was not an advertising ploy - the cards in question appear to be block coloured and not awash with slogans from companies desperate to get their 15 minutes in the sun.
Perhaps there were a few rash challenges, stray elbows, high boots or foul mouths knocking around?
Bolton full-back Samuel, it must be said, did himself no favours with his tackle on Chelsea's Didier Drogba, while Sunderland striker Jones was foolish to raise his hands to West Ham's Herita Ilunga - even if the reaction from the Hammers man was comically over the top.
Both, though, may have gotten away with yellow on another day.
Everton winger Bilyaletdinov could have few complaints with his dismissal against Villa, but Aston Villa defender Cuellar will be disappointed with his red in the same game.
There certainly appeared to be a sense that the officials were trying to even things up when it came to the Spaniard, while the same could be said about the decision to send Kovac trotting down the tunnel against Sunderland.
Bizarre
Degen's red can be justified, as he was rash, but the sending off of Carragher moments later, in Liverpool's shocking 3-1 defeat at Fulham, remains a bizarre call given that the Reds defender clearly got the ball before bundling Bobby Zamora to the turf.
It is, however, Hull City's Geovanni who has the strongest case to put to the Football Association in an effort to get his forthcoming suspension overturned.
What referee Mike Jones was watching during the Tigers' 2-0 defeat at Burnley is open to debate, but it does not appear to have been the game.
The pick of his dodgy decisions was his dismissal of Geovanni. Firstly he cautioned the Brazilian for protesting against a perfectly legitimate goal being ruled out, before showing him a second yellow for stumbling into Steven Fletcher.
Few in attendance could believe their eyes, especially Hull boss Phil Brown who could well have done without seeing his troops depleted as the pressure mounts on his shoulders.
Should he be relieved of his duties at the KC Stadium over the coming weeks, he could well point to this weekend as the moment his luck finally ran out.
Referees need to be aware that their decisions carry that much weight - they can be the difference between one point or none, survival or relegation, stay of execution or the sack.
All too often they are too quick on the draw, overly-keen to go to their pocket when a quick word in the ear would suffice.
Few want to see technology introduced into the game in a manner which will affect the overall running of matches, but it is difficult to argue against such an initiative when officials get things wrong - badly.
Hopefully next weekend will see spectacular goals, moments of outlandish skill, world-class saves and spectacular last-ditch tackles dominate the headlines, but do not go holding your breath.
While we must accept that referees are an integral part of the spectacle which is professional football, it would be nice if every once in a while they were happy to play a supporting role rather than lead from the front.
