Newell fumes at red card
18 Sep 2006 - 12:00:19
Furious Luton Town manager Mike Newell blasted the officials after watching his side concede a penalty and be reduced to ten men in the early stages of Saturday's Championship clash at Cardiff City.
Lewis Emanuel was sent off after only ten minutes for handball and Darren Purse rubbed salt in Town's wounds when he converted the penalty to set the Bluebirds on the way to a 4-1 success.
Newell blasted: "There's no way in the world that the linesman could say that was deliberate handball. It's been deflected off Sol Davis' head, who's a yard in front of Lewis Emanuel.
"It's not physically or humanly possible to handle a ball that's been deflected at you from a yard. There just isn't a way.
"It came off his elbow which is in front of his body, so if it hadn't hit his elbow it would have hit him in the chest.
"I'm amazed because the referee hasn't given it, but then the linesman's given it and decided that it was deliberate!"