Clough Not A Happy Man

Derby manager Nigel Clough was not pleased after his side went down 2-0 at Ashton Gate on Saturday.

Clough raged at an incident just before half-time where City goalkeeper David James brought down Kris Commons, as the Scottish winger tried to go past him. Referee Sheldrake awarded the Rams a free-kick just outside of the box and James was shown a yellow card. And just to rub salt into Derby’s wounds, he saved the free-kick.

City went on to win with two second-half goals from in-form striker Brett Pitman.

Clough said: “You are fined if you don’t attend meetings with referees and fined if you criticise them. I don’t see the point of going to meetings because what we are told there doesn’t apply.

“Unless the rules have changed, James should have been sent off. We are shown videos of different situations at the meetings with referees and told when a red card will apply.

“If it doesn’t when a player has gone around a goalkeeper and is about to sidefoot the ball in, I don’t know when it does apply.

“We didn’t score the goals our play merited. But that was a huge moment and it’s difficult to understand how the official could have got it so wrong.

“We have had big decisions go against us in three games recently and all we want is for the rules to be applied.”


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