Hoops’ Bradley concerned by red card flurry
AHEAD of the return of Shamrock Rovers to Tallaght tonight, Stephen Bradley has warned that the fledgling Airtricity League season is headed into ‘dangerous territory’ over contentious calls by referees.
With three red cards for the champions in two games, all for central defenders, Bradley’s beef could be interpreted as a whinge but he feels there is a pressure on officials to impress their assessors in the stand.
It’s not just Rovers who are on the receiving end as officials clamp down.
At Dalymount Park last Friday, there were 11 yellow cards, which didn’t reflect the flow of a fair, competitive, game between Bohemians and Dundalk.
Bradley feels the ‘trust’ between referees and players has been splintered because officials no longer have ‘the freedom’ of before and are also ‘working under pressure.’
Each week, three games are singled out for scrutiny after the FAI engaged an Estonian firm to assess match officials, and Bradley feels that is unfair on referees.
‘I think they are refereeing the game for the assessor and if they don’t give a yellow or red (card) or give a certain foul, they feel they won’t be working for a few weeks and that’s not right. ‘You shouldn’t be working under that pressure. I feel for them a bit because it’s not a nice way to (have to) referee a game.’ Bradley knows the League of Ireland, as a player and manager since 2005, and he’d like to see referees revert to what worked previously. ‘I’ve played in games and been involved in games where referees have been brilliant talking to the players. Players know there is a line and if they cross it, they’re going. ‘I think they have to give more trust and referee the games as they see it, that’s when they have always been at their best.’
Of the Rovers red cards, Bradley had no issue with Lee Grace and Daniel Cleary getting their marching orders against Drogheda United last Friday, although he felt Cleary’s initial caution was harsh.
The red card for Pico Lopes against Sligo Rovers still stings, even moreso when the Dublin side were unable to lodge a €500 payment in time for the appeal deadline the next day — most observers felt the Hoops would have had a strong case for overturning the dismissal.
‘If we are going to be sending people off and handing out a three-game suspension for ruffling people’s hair then we are in dangerous territory.
‘If you watch the game, the two players were having a bit of standard banter on the pitch, that goes on in every game.
‘If they’re going to keep going by the letter of the law, you’re going to see a lot of play-acting come into it and referees being played,’ he added.
The red-card kerfuffle aside, Rovers were ‘three minutes away from six points’ after two games. Instead, they have two which gives them some catching up to do, starting against Derry City tonight.
Bradley reckons the FAI Cup winners, along with Dundalk and St Patrick’s Athletic, will be the teams most likely to challenge Rovers.
‘I think it’ll be a strong race this year. There’s four teams who can take points off each other and then you always get one or two who jump out of the pack.’
Rovers are unbeaten at home in 29 league games, stretching back to May 2021.
‘We’ve been very strong in Tallaght. The pitch is fantastic, it allows us to play and the crowds have helped us. We want to win the game and keep that run going.’