Source: Team_Talk
McGhee: Refs are too card happy
The Dons received their fifth red card of the season on Saturday when Jerel Ifil was sent off for clashing with Celtic striker Georgios Samaras.[LNB]McGhee had no complaints about the sending-off but he has spoken out against the other dismissals.[LNB]Aberdeen are not the worst offenders in the Scottish Premier League with Dundee United on six red cards and Hearts on seven, if Suso Santana and Ian Black's post-match transgressions at Hamilton are taken into account.[LNB]The New Douglas Park brawl took the number of dismissals for the SPL season to 29, around one in every three games, compared to 54 for the whole of last term.[LNB]McGhee, who led Motherwell into Europe via last season's Fair Play League, was disappointed with some of his side's challenges at Celtic Park but he is more concerned with the approach of the match officials.[LNB]When asked if he was worried by the number of red cards, he said: "We're still one behind Dundee United and I don't know what we are behind Hearts.[LNB]"It's not a worry. I think four of them were hard; Saturday's was totally justified.[LNB]"On Saturday there were three or four other challenges, trips, that were unnecessary and pretty ugly and I'll be talking to the boys about that.[LNB]"We don't want to be going down that road, it's unnecessary and makes you look poorer than you are as a team.[LNB]"So we have to stop these unnecessary yellow cards, there is no doubt about that.[LNB]"But the game is now being refereed in such a way that it would appear practically every foul is a yellow card.[LNB]"So therefore we are maybe all going to have to reconsider how we play the game.[LNB]"If referees continue to referee matches with such determination, we could end up having a totally different style of Scottish game because it looks like you can't tackle."[LNB]Meanwhile, McGhee has warned fans not to expect many new arrivals this winter.[LNB]McGhee still retains an interest in signing one of three midfielders - Derry's Ruaidhri Higgins, Lyn Oslo's Paul Obiefule or Paul Marshall of Manchester City.[LNB]But his main concern is looking ahead to next season with an official approach having been made to Motherwell over winger Jim O'Brien.[LNB]"I'm working for the summer, not for Christmas," McGhee said. "The next few weeks is only part of that process."[LNB]McGhee will also hold talks with Charlie Mulgrew's agent this week in a bid to persuade the left-back to stay beyond the summer.[LNB]"I've had another chat with Charlie and explained what I feel are the benefits of him staying here," McGhee said.[LNB]"Charlie seemed to be responsive to that and we'll find out, when we speak to Charlie and his representative, just how responsive."[LNB][LNB]
