2:11pm Thursday 4th September 2008
By Jon Murray
Oxford United manager Darren Patterson does not believe the three red cards his players have picked up in the first month of the campaign represent a lack of discipline at the club.
The U's look to have got their season back on track after two good results on their travels this week, with Tuesday night's 2-1 win at Northwich the first occasion they have played away and not had a man sent off in the first half.
But even before then, Patterson was insisting the club have tightened up on discipline this season, and there is a very strict policy on stepping out of line or if a player collects a needless yellow or red card.
Asked if James Clarke's dismissal at Barrow, and the early baths Luke Foster has had at Wrexham and Ebbsfleet mean there is a discipline problem at United, Patterson responded: "It isn't like that.
"I've spoken to Mick Brown andWe've actually put in extra measures this season.
"We had one of the worst disciplinary records last season for bookings, it was horrible. I looked at my team and thought 'have I got any nasty so-and-sos here?' and I haven't.
"I've actually asked them to be a bit more competitive, because at times we were bullied in the league.
"It's not something we've set out to do, we've actually put in disciplinary fines which hits them where it hurts - probably the hardest and harshest the club's ever had.
"Other than that, I just think we've been unfortunate. Referees have clamped down on the laws.
"All three challenges for me were dubious, they're all 50-50 apart from Foster's first one which, with the letter of the law now, if you stop a goalscoring chance, it's a mandatory sending-off."
So why then, when it happened against Oxford with the Northwich Victoria keeper, Scott Tynan, stopping a clear goalscoring chance when he fouled James Constable to concede the penalty this week, was he not sent off?
It does point to an anti-Oxford bias in the Blue Square Premier.
Patterson said: "I challenge anybody to come and watch our home games and do stats for us and against us, and I'll guarantee them the officials are against us. The stats show it.
"We coach in small-sided games and deliberately give ridiculously stupid decisions against the team, to make sure there's no reaction. They just accept it and get on with it, and we've done that all pre-season.
"I thought Clarkey's was a fair challenge and, as with Luke last Saturday, their boy didn't challenge with him, so it ends up looking bad. But they're both hard and fair challenges.
"However, we know we just can't do anything like that now. How that's going to affect us defensively, I don't know.
"So I hope fans will understand that, away from home, we can be a little bit tentative, because that's the way things are going.
"I had a very honest and calm discussion with the referee at Ebbsfleet last Saturday and I do generally believe that referees feel we are the big team and everybody who plays against are are the underdogs.
"Like the assessor said, 'you ARE a big club', and I said: 'So what?' That should not affect any judgment, especially at home.
"It's a beautiful, big stadium, no matter whether we're top or bottom of the league. The way I look at it is we're the underdogs now because most of the teams are above us!
"All we're asking for is 50-50 fair decisions, not a feeling sorry for the underdogs when we're at home.
"I understand there are going to be bad decisions made, and bad judgments. But not with the consistency that they have been made. That is simply not right."
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