Newcastle Reaction: Referee has a howler

Last updated : 16 November 2008 By Paul Farrington
The sending off of Emmerson Boyce proved critical to the game yesterday. Despite clearly playing the ball, Boyce was sent off for a good tackle on Shola Ameobi.

Despite dominating the game with eleven men, Wigan struggled when down to ten and fell 2-1 behind.

However Titus Bramble popped up with a fantastic last gasp header to seal a point.

It couldn't have come against a better (or worse) club for Titus who celebrated by holding two arms aloft in front of the fans who jeered him just a few years back.

Here is the reaction of the two managers.

Steve Bruce

I would love to say what I really want to say, but I can't for obvious reasons. But the sending-off is a joke, and absolute joke of a decision, and cost us ultimately.

I think we comfortably would have gone on to win the game with 11 - we should have won the game with 10, if Henri Camara had taken his chance.

And now with this stupid rule that you can't appeal two yellow cards, we miss the boy next week for Everton as well, so I am very disappointed.

It's a howler of a decision. He absolutely got the ball. The referee has got to be absolutely nailed on before he gives a yellow card or before he gives a red card because those decisions change games.

That's why we go nuts. The Respect campaign and all the rest of it - he has got it wrong. Sir Alex (Ferguson) is probably right this week - they should come into the training grounds and referee the training games or do something.

We were robbed three weeks ago at Anfield and it knocked us back, and it was the same thing again here today. That's all we are talking about - refereeing decisions.

Joe Kinnear

We should have put the game to bed. We probably didn't need to give the corner away that led to the goal and to get beaten so late in the game with a set-play is a sickener. The manner in which it was scored was a bit disappointing.

The first goal took the wind out of our sails. After that, we didn't play high-tempo, didn't create too much. The last 10-15 minutes of the first half was our best spell.

In the second half we went for broke with three strikers up and created numerous chances.

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