Men in the middle point the finger

It has not been a good week for Graham Poll. On Monday he was savaged by the Highbury crowd as he sent off Gary McAllister, Patrick Vieira and Dietmar Hamann. On Tuesday he was pilloried by the press. The next day he admitted he was wrong about sending Hamann off, and yesterday an FA video review panel decreed he had got the McAllister decision wrong too.

The panel reduced the punishment to a yellow card, and also charged Gilles Grimandi with misconduct after he was pictured stamping on McAllister. As he runs out at Portman Road this afternoon, Poll would be forgiven for thinking that there is no part of English football that he has not alienated so far this season. The new FA panels are made up of three officials chosen from a pool of 12 former players and managers who are sent videotapes of incidents to review. The panel upheld Vieira's sending-off against Sunderland on the opening day of the season, and also ordered that charges of misconduct should be brought against Preston North End and Sheffield United for a mass brawl.

Although the panel's decisions can be overturned by the FA's disciplinary commission, their existence can only increase the pressure on referees, given that they already come in for plenty of criticism. A spokesman for the FA said: "There has always been a right to appeal. The video panels are not designed to undermine referees. The pressure on them is not coming from the FA."

Many within the game claim that the pressure on referees is self-generated. They say that too many red and yellow cards have been handed out by unreasonable referees who are unable to manage games efficiently. Referees insist that they are doing nothing different this year, and that they have issued only one new directive, borrowed from Euro 2000, in which the refereeing was considered to be a success.

According to Phillip Don, the referees officer for the Premier League, it was found that when referees clamp down on offences in the first 15 to 20 minutes of a game, it leads to less retaliation, firmly establishes the authority of the referee and allows the game to flow.

Two games into the new Premier League season and the men in the middle stand accused of doing exactly the opposite. The figures certainly speak for themselves. After two matches in the Premier League last season only four red cards were shown, 81 yellow cards, four penalties and 516 free kicks awarded. This season after two matches there have been eight red cards and 590 free kicks awarded. However, referees have shown only 72 yellow cards and given four penalties.

Don insists that when the 20 Premier League referees met at Lilleshall to discuss the coming season they were told to continue as per last season in the way they run their games.

And he denies that the new directive to clamp down early on minor offences could be responsible for the increase in red cards.

"Our new directive has not led to more red cards. In fact, we told referees at Lilleshall not to caution too early, but obviously if a major offence is committed then referees have no option but to apply the letter of the law."

Many feel, however, given the number of red cards this season, something has changed. While players and managers blame the referees, accusing them of not understanding the game, Don and his colleagues claim that players and managers could be responsible.

"We are at the beginning of a new season and players are going out there to impress," he said. "Squads are bigger, everybody is fighting for their places and they are rearing to go. Everybody's got a responsibility. "Referees seem to shoulder the blame for everything these days. Managers have a responsibility to control their players and players also have a responsibility."

Don points to two games this past week as an example of how players can be held responsible for many of the problems that have been highlighted this season.

On Tuesday night, at Ipswich against Manchester United, the first free kick was awarded in the 28th minute and by the end of the match a total of 16 free-kicks had been given.

On Monday night, at the controversial Arsenal against Liverpool match, 47 free kicks were awarded.

"This has to be down to the attitude of the players," Don said. "They must also share the blame. Monday night, for example, was a very difficult match, you cannot blame the referee."