The Courier & Advertiser (Perth and Perthshire Edition)
McGregor redcard appealupheld
HULL BOSS Steve Bruce will take scant consolation from the news that goalkeeperA llan McGregor has won his appeal against his sending-off in Wednesday’s Barclays Premier League defeat at West Ham.
McGregor will be ruled out for the rest of the season with kidney damage following a clash with Mohamed Diame in the first half at Upton Park, which also saw him red-carded by referee Mike Dean.
The Football A ssociation reversed the verdict late yesterday but at a press conference before the news of the successful appeal, Bruce admitted he has been frustrated after a campaign he claims has been blighted by inconsistencies.
“I will speak to (referees’ chief) Mike Riley again but I seem to have called him more this year than I have in my whole career,” he said.
“It is happening on too many big occasions. It has cost us at Tottenham, Swansea andWest Ham and that for me is far too many.
“I know it’s a difficult job but we have to improve it and for me a bit of common sense has got to come back into it.
McGregor is expected to remain in the high dependency unit of a London hospital for another four days.
Bruce added: “I went to see A llan yesterday and the kid is still in a lot of pain.
“Overnight the observations have been better but it certainly looks like he is going to miss the rest of the season.
“A llan is as brave as they come but he has taken a horrible knock to his kidneys and badly damaged one of them.”
Bruce expects a tough game today against a Stoke side still looking to secure their own survival.
“We’re all looking to get to 37 or 38 points and there’s big games everywhere you look,” he added.