Tony Pulis has blamed referees for Stoke’s current league position. Should he be banned for striking out against officials?
Managers are not allowed to comment on referees before or after matches in the Premier League. If they do, they get a touchline ban. Therefore, it is amazing that Tony Pulis has come out and suggested that referees go into matches with Stoke city with a preconceived notion over how his team are going to play their football.
He suggests this is the main reason Stoke are bottom of the fair play league with 32 yellow cards and three red cards already this season. He has even held talks with referee’s boss Mike Riley. Doesn’t this all suggest that he is trying to get a little leniency towards his team which is technically unfair to other sides.
“I have spoken to Mike Riley this week. I find the whole situation disappointing week after week. Look at the incidents where our players are being booked or sent off, then compare them with similar incidents involving others that are going unpunished,” said Pulis in the Guardian.
Like it or loathe it, Stoke do have a very physical way of playing their football. It’s no fluke and it certainly hasn’t just appeared this season. Any fan who watches a match involving Stoke will see that they use physically big players to bully opponents, especially when they are playing at home.
It is a naïve suggestion to say that referees are penalising Stoke for their style of play. There is no intention on the part of officials to go into matches thinking they are going to whip out a yellow card at the first available opportunity. If Pulis genuinely thinks this is the case then there should be a full blown investigation into Premier League referees.
The comments seem to have been fired up following a challenge by Aston Villa defender Ciaran Clark on Stoke player Glenn Whelan last weekend. Pulis has suggested that had the challenge been the other way round, Whelan would have been shown a straight red card.
However, there have been a lot of contentious red card decisions so far this season, it’s simply part of the game. Figueroa was unjustly sent off playing for Wigan in the recent defeat at Newcastle and Fernando Torres was incorrectly shown a second yellow card during the Premier League match against Manchester United at Stamford Bridge.
We can all understand Pulis’ frustration but he is seriously going to annoy a lot of other managers with his comments and actions. The FA should treat him in the same way that managers get treated for commenting on referees just after a match.
image: © ronnie macdonald
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