Source: Northern_Echo
Bruce sees red
AFTER watching his Sunderland team start the season with the tenth red card of his managerial reign, Steve Bruce last night insisted he is baffled by the treatment his players receive from officials.[LNB] During the last few weeks Bruce has been stressing to his players the need to avoid picking up soft bookings in an attempt to prevent many of the suspensions which cost his team last season.[LNB] The Black Cats were hit with a fine of £100,000 in May after setting a new Premier League high of nine red cards during one campaign.[LNB] But, coupled with an over anxious and inexperienced official in Anthony Taylor, Lee Cattermole was sent off two minutes before half-time for picking up his second caution inside 16 minutes against Birmingham City.[LNB] The first was for tamely kicking the ball away after wrestling Cameron Jerome to the floor and his second was for a clumsy trip from behind on former Newcastle midfielder Lee Bowyer.[LNB] It means he will now miss next Saturday's trip to West Brom, bringing back memories of last season when Bruce had to move players around to deal with bans picked up by many of his men.[LNB] The Sunderland manager does, however, feel match officials seem to be singling his team out when they are not a dirty side.[LNB] It's a mysterious statistic,[LNB] said Bruce, knowing two more of his players were booked against Birmingham and that Sunderland recorded 82 yellow cards last season.[LNB] Ultimately it costs you. We have had so many dubious ones and I don't know why. I brought it up at a Premier League meeting recently at Aston Villa. Michael Turner, Jack Colback, Lorik Cana, Lee Cattermole, all suffered.[LNB] What I have seen here is a referee that made a rod for his own back with the harshness of the yellow cards he issued. He handed them out when they weren't there, he didn't need to.[LNB] Cattermole was also sent off at Portsmouth last season and he was also dismissed twice under Bruce during their one season together at Wigan before his £5m switch to Wearside last summer.[LNB] The 22-yearold's combative style helped to earn him the captaincy for the opening day of the season and Bruce wants to see one of his favourite players improve further still.[LNB] But while slightly disappointed with C a t t e r m o l e , Bruce directed most of his anger towards referee Taylor.[LNB] Taylor, 31, only refereed his first Premier League fixture in February and Saturday's outing was his third at that level.[LNB] Catts should know better after his yellow card, said Bruce. Lee is being victimised by the referees but he does have to learn his lesson though.[LNB] But this referee was totally inadequate. It was a huge decision to promote him after just four years in the Football League. He wasn't ready for it.[LNB] I am all for a young lad trying to make his way, but he was absolutely awful and ultimately that cost us.[LNB] I'm sure the Premier League have looked at Sunderland v Birmingham and thought we'll throw him in'.[LNB] He wouldn't have been given a Manchester United game.[LNB] Either side of Cattermole's sending off, Sunderland had cruised in to a two-goal lead courtesy of Darren Bent's penalty and Stephen Carr's own goal.[LNB] But two goals in the final 13 minutes, resulting from Sebastian Larsson's deliveries in to the areas which the Sunderland defensive unit failed to deal with, cost Sunderland an opening day win.[LNB] Goalkeeper Simon Mignolet, a £2.1m signing from the Belgian league, was at fault for allowing Scott Dann's downward header through his legs for the first, but Bruce was happy with the 22-year-old's overall contribution.[LNB] He was unfortunate with the header that it has gone through his legs, said Bruce, who was told by chairman Niall Quinn that he could not bring in another goalkeeper on loan.[LNB] I am quite happy to stick with him. We got caught by Larsson's deliveries, which were fantastic.[LNB] Sometimes it's not your day.[LNB] Bruce will now step up work on the recruitment front this week, with Rennes' Ghana striker Asamoah Gyan top of his list to replace Kenwyne Jones, whose first appearance for Stoke was cut short with a worrying knee injury.[LNB] We all like Gyan, admitted Bruce, who was informed yesterday that another of his striker options, Paraguayan Nelson Valdez, is keen to leave Borussia Dortmund. He is a very good player, whether we can do a deal, I'm not sure.[LNB] Bruce also confirmed that Birmingham's hopes of striking a deal for George McCartney is a possibility and that he knew nothing of any interest from Celtic in Andy Reid.[LNB]
