Tony Mowbray insists the standard of refereeing in the Championship needs to improve after Sunderland saw a promising attacking move cut short by a premature whistle in last night's goalless draw against Blackpool. Shortly after the hour mark, Patrick Roberts was stopped in his tracks by defender Jordan Thorniley as he surged towards the penalty area.
Sunderland wanted play to continue as the loose ball was immediately played to Elliot Embleton inside the area and he slotted past the goalkeeper, but by that point referee Jeremy Simpson had already pulled play back for the foul on Roberts. Thorniley was shown a yellow card, but Simpson's decision to stop the game rather than play the advantage left Mowbray - and the crowd inside the Stadium of Light - frustrated.
"I don't want to be the manager who moans about referees all the time, but come on," said Mowbray. "Goodness me.
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"You tell me what you thought. I don't want to lambast the referee, but there was some strange stuff going on out there, wasn't there?
"I thought there was, anyway. I'm not the referee's assessor who sits in the stand and talks to them afterwards about what he did well and what he didn't do well.
"I'm not sure he [the referee] helped the football match, or helped us anyway. But his job is not to help us, it's to make the game as entertaining for the supporters as he can and let it run when he wants.
"He got one or two [decisions] wrong I think, but don't they all in this league? It's a bit harsh that comment, but I do think the standard of refereeing in this league needs improving.
"That's just a fair assessment, and to be honest most of them know my thoughts because I talk to some of them after the games and let them know - in a nice way, a respectful way, I hope.
"I don't go in their office and f-and-blind and tell them what I think of them, I just want some answers sometimes. I just say 'tell me the processes that go through your mind', and I think that's alright."
Asked directly if he had sought answers about the decision to pull play back for that incident, Mowbray said: "I asked the fourth official at the time, but it's a self-protection society at times."
It was a second successive goalless draw for Sunderland, following the weekend home game against Preston North End, with the point lifting them up one place to seventh in the table - at least until tonight's round of Championship fixtures.
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