Stuart McCall and Paulo Sergio unite in defence of red-carded Black

Published Date: 08 August 2011
By Stuart Bathgate
BOTH Motherwell manager Stuart McCall and his Hearts counterpart Paulo Sergio leapt to the defence of Ian Black last night after the Edinburgh club's midfielder was sent off for a late tackle on Keith Lasley.
Referee Stevie O'Reilly - who would later dismiss Lasley for a second bookable offence - had no hesitation in showing Black a straight red for the offence some five minutes into the second half. But Sergio, whose team lost 1-0 in his first domestic match in charge of them, said there had been no malice in the incident.

"I think he fights for the ball," the Portuguese manager said after explaining he would not criticise the referee for the decision. "Maybe he touched his opponent, but he's an honest player. I think he fights for the ball in that moment.

"He's not just an aggressive player. He's a good player and I think he's an intelligent player who I'm sure will help Hearts in the future."

McCall offered a similar analysis after watching a TV replay of the incident, adding the suggestion that the wet conditions had played a part. "Black and Lasley are two good pros, both committed players," he said. "They've both gone in for the ball, Las has got there a split-second before, and on the greasy surface . . .

"I don't think there's any malice from Black at all and Las will say the same. But he has got there a split second late and it can look reckless, and I think the referee probably sent him off for a reckless challenge. In these conditions when you go to ground and slide in on a challenge like he did, you've got to make sure you get the ball. It's the first time Las has got there before anyone else in his life."

McCall also expressed some sympathy with his own midfielder, whose dismissal came minutes from the end of the game. "Fouls are fouls - they're not always yellow cards. I can understand why the referee sent him off, but I think if you watch it again, sometimes you've got to realise every free-kick isn't a yellow card."

Sergio, whose team have picked up just a point from their first three games, said that Hearts might have deserved to take something from the match, won by a Jamie Murphy goal shortly after Black's dismissal. "We didn't make a great first half," he added. "I was sure we'd improve in the second, but to lose a player so early made it hard for us.

"We had two good chances to score in the first half and another two in the second, so maybe we shouldn't lose today. But we have a lot to improve on and I'm sure we will."

Hearts full-back Ryan McGowan refused to blame Black's dismissal for the defeat, saying that the ten remaining men should have been good enough to take something from the contest. "There's no point complaining about a decision," the Australian said. "We still had 30 minutes to get something out of the game."

Taken from the Scotsman