Clark: Common Sense Must Prevail

After Kyle Bartley was sent off yesterday, Birmingham boss Lee Clark has called for a little more common sense within the game.

Bartley was dismissed for a second bookable offence in yesterday’s game, that offence being a celebration that stepped over the advertisement board.

Blues have scored from time to time and we have gone crazy haven’t we? I remember beating Villa at home on my 15th Birthday and I fell down a row onto the people in front of me (yes I apologised and they were ecstatic anyway) and sometimes that behaviour on the field (from a player) isn’t suitable and players need to be deterred from doing it.

However! If you have seen what Bartley did, you will be just as shocked as I was, he walks over to the Blues fans and just slaps his chest a couple of times. A controlled celebration by any stretch of the imagination.

It could be suggested that referee Gavin Ward produced a somewhat soft yellow card, maybe because he knew Bartley already had a yellow to his name.

I don’t like to comment on referee’s too often, just because I like to assess what the player could have done differently in order to not give the referee a decision to make. You can do that here, Bartley already had a yellow card to his name, he knows the rules and he chose to step over those pitch boundaries.

Clark defended his player (Birmingham Mail):

‘He hasn`t enticed the Huddersfield fans, he has gone to celebrate with his fans and I just think common sense needs to prevail there. I know the referee has probably got no option under the laws of the game. It`s a tough call for them.’

A red card that results from two bookings is, as we know, a one game ban.

Whilst the rules are as they are Kyle Bartley, do observe them and we look forward to you returning to the team after your ban after that performance.