Source: Team_Talk
Cattermole: Refs out to get me
Sunderland midfielder Lee Cattermole believes referees are out to get him and he is determined to shed the bad-boy image.[LNB] Under-pressure manager Steve Bruce substituted the tough-tackling former Middlesbrough and Wigan man after he received his third booking of the season with 20 minutes remaining in the 2-2 draw with West Brom prior to the international break.[LNB]It was a change designed to protect Cattermole, who has been booked 47 times and sent off on five occasions in domestic competitions since 2005/06, but he defends his record. [LNB]"I feel like they (the referees) are out there for me at the minute," he said. "Maybe it's my stupid mistakes in the past that have got me that reputation, so I can't sit here and blame everyone else. I have to get rid of that reputation, but it's so hard at the minute when I find myself getting a succession of soft yellow cards. [LNB]"It affects your game. It's something I have to address, but if you put every foul I've ever made up on the television, I think there'd be one tackle which was actually a bad one. [LNB]"That was against Scott Parker when I was playing for Wigan and I've spoken to him since to apologise about it. That's the only bad tackle I've made in my career - all the rest have been genuine attempts to win the ball, not nasty attempts to hurt someone."[LNB]Cattermole was furious after being substituted against West Brom and believes Baggies midfielder Steven Reid is just one of several players who attempt to paint him as a villain.[LNB]"The tackle I got booked for wasn't a foul, simple as that," he said. "But it's twice it's happened now with Steven Reid. He's six foot four and he rolls around like a girl, simple as that. [LNB]"It's twice it's happened and it's a shame. People whinge about the foreigners, but he's a British lad and he's acting like that. I was booked for that challenge, and then the second one was on him again."[LNB]Captain Cattermole had returned to Sunderland's starting line-up against West Brom having been dropped for the 4-0 win over Stoke.[LNB]"The gaffer probably changes three players for every game, but as soon as it was me it was a big issue and highlighted everywhere," said Cattermole. [LNB]"He told me the reasons, asked me if I wanted protecting in the papers and I said I didn't want anything. I just said, 'tell them it's my form and I'll bounce back from it'."
