The Tigers felt aggrieved after decisions they felt cost them a result in the Steel City
Sheffield United’s Mark McGuinness and Hull City’s John Lundstram clashed at Bramall Lane(Image: Ian Hodgson/PA Wire)
Chris Wilder admits he understands the frustration felt by Hull City and boss Sergej Jakirovic, after the Tigers felt bewildered by the penalty decision given to Sheffield United on Saturday.
City were 1-0 up at Bramall Lane thanks to Oli McBurnie’s goal on his return to the Steel City inside five minutes, but the game changed when referee John Brooks dismissed John Lundstram for a second yellow card in the closing stages.
That turned the game, with United awarded a penalty that McBurnie said the referee couldn’t explain what it was before, before Danny Ings turned in the winner three minutes from time.
Wilder has had plenty to say this season about his own refereeing frustrations, and again highlighted the standards in the second tier that he feels need to be better across the board, given what’s on the line.
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“I know people will be talking about sending off, and people will be talking about the penalty. Their boys were stood outside their changing room at the end, looking at it on their laptop, and I just mentioned that I had two and a half hours of that. Decisions. But from my point of view, we kept going. We kept knocking on the door; we were better,” he said.
“We’re talking too much about it; it’s a top division. Everybody talks about it. The play-off final yet again (defeat to Sunderland last season). We’ve talked about that. Do you want to talk about that decision?
“I can trump what he’s got and stick his Merc down. I’ll stick my Lamborghini over the top of it and deal with that. We’re all talking about it all the time, the decision-making.
“The referee for me, and that’s why there wasn’t a fallout on the sideline, by the way. We’re talking too much about it all the time, you know, the report that I get back in midweek, he should have been sent off, too late.
“I watched the Portsmouth match last week, and the boy gets sent off, and we’re talking about Portsmouth trying to stay in the division, having a ridiculous decision against them. I watched the Ipswich vs Norwich game, and Nunez should be gone. They’re missing decisions, and it’s not a penalty.
“The narrative around Championship games is not about how well they played or how poorly they played; it always involves refereeing decisions.
“I know that’s always been there, but it’s never been as highlighted and heightened as what it is now, and the standard of the division, and everybody wants it to be the standard.
“We talk about the fourth, fifth, best division in world football, not just European football. Better than the MLS, better than the majority of the divisions in Europe. Premier League up there and then you go bang bang bang bang bang, so I feel a little bit of pain.
“Is anybody gonna feel my pain about all the decisions that we’ve had go against us this year? Absolutely not, so we will take that one bit that we’ve had and take it with open arms.”
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