Managers pointing fingers at referees

Kettle on the boil at The Valley

A number of his Championship rivals have been at it after the first round of Easter games and none more so than Bolton's Dougie Freedman who had two players sent off in their game at Charlton.

Ahead of the games I noted that both Darren Deadman and Trevor Kettle had been allocated games, so no surprise the card count went up. These two contributed a total of 17 yellow and two red cards between them.

Kettle led the way at Charlton with Freedman saying after the game: "We gave him the opportunity and we know he's a sending off referee." He's right; Kettle has sent off 82 players in ten seasons and that includes one season where he didn't use his red card at all.

It's what you expect from him and it's what you expect from Deadman. I watched the Huddersfield v Hull game yesterday and for the life of me couldn't work out exactly how that game warranted eight yellow cards.

Neither did Steve Bruce but, having won the game, said: "I'm not going to have a go at the referee, it's not going to be my scene tonight." There could, and should, have been a red card too but Deadman, who has already suffered a four month break from the Championship this season, got the wrong player. He yellow carded James Vaughan in error when it should have been Oscar Gobern who had already been yellow cardd.

Deadman, I suspect, is on his way out. He's had yet another season riddled with shocking mistakes and this might just be his last season.

It really was a tiresome game but Hull won it and are now very much the favourites for the second automatic place behind Cardiff who managed to lose to Peterborough for a second time. Malky Mackay too was far from happy with referee Eddie Ilderton's award of two penalties. He said the first one was a dive and I have some sympathy with him.

Cardiff have a reputation for blowing it but I can't see that happening this season. They'd certainly need a massive collapse to drop out of the top six and I'd been very surprised now if they didn't claim a top two place.

That can't be said for Leicester. They lost again and are now out of the top six. It hasn't had an effect on manager Nigel Pearson; he's as equally weary win or lose but I suspect his days at the King Power  are numbered no matter what happens now.

They are, I think, the only team outside that top six to have a chance of getting back in. Bolton's defeat at Charlton and Middlesbrough going down at Wolves has surely ended their hopes. Middlesbrough were third going into 2013 but their record in 2013 is incredibly bad. They've won just seven points and that's six less than the next worst Millwall.

As a matter of interest it is Watford at the top of the 2013 table with 27 points with Brighton and Forest right behind them. There's a surprise in fourth place. It's Peterborough who have 23 points this year and it's just about, for now, lifted them out of the bottom three on goals scored.

It's tight down there. Bristol City are almost at the trap door but even our fifty points doesn't look totally safe right now. Despite being as high as 13th we are only five points ahead of Peterborough and Wolves.

The next two days might change things a bit. There are eight games tomorrow with the other four being played on Tuesday evening.

The results and stats from the weekend are below along with the next fixtures.