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But what about Danson this season, his record is already staggering. In 13 games there have been 36 yellow cards which is about average but he has already issued a frightening 8 red cards in those games.
Those to go so far are Fraser McLachlan (Stockport in a 1-0 defeat at Colchester), Aaron Brown (Bristol City, 1-0 defeat at Brentford), Gerald Sibon (Sheff Wed, 4-0 defeat at Forest), Paul Robinson and Dominic Foley (Watford, 4-0 defeat at Norwich), Lee Williamson (Mansfield, 3-1 home defeat against Derby), Mark Williams (Franchise, 4-1 win at Portsmouth) and Richard McKinney (Colchester goalkeeper, 4-1 defeat at Cheltenham).
Of those red cards all but one have been given to away team players and there is also a bias with the yellow cards with 14 to home players and 22 to away players – so Burnley beware.
It is just over two years since we saw Danson, that was the 1-0 home win against Sheffield Wednesday in our first season back in the First Division. True to form he issued three yellow cards that night but all three went to the away team Sheffield Wednesday.
He was somewhat more even in the previous season. He was referee of our 0-0 draw at Preston and it was the home fans who had most to complain about when he missed what appeared to be two good penalty shouts late in the game. Mind you is Tom Cowan bringing down Kurt Nogan really a penalty? Paul Cook and Glen Little along with two Preston players were booked.
Then later that season he was the ref for our 2-0 home defeat against Luton on a flooded Turf Moor when just one Luton player was booked.
He has sent a Burnley player off, Peter Swan in our first ever visit to the Madejski Stadium. I’m not sure though that anyone there that night would have argued with him. Chris Scott was also booked in that game.
And that takes us back to the Waddle season and the 1-0 defeats at Watford and Fulham where he had two pretty quiet games, Mark Williams and Damian Matthew getting yellow cards at Fulham.
The worry though has to be his current obsession with red cards and we can only hope that he is in more tolerant mood tonight.