After weeks of refereeing controversy, take a look at which officials are most card-happy
Football Whispers take a look at which refs are the strictest and most lenient when it comes to awarding fouls and cards
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NOT a week goes by in the Premier League when refereeing decisions aren’t questioned by players, managers, fans and pundits alike.
Stoke boss Mark Hughes was unhappy with Graham Scott for giving West Ham a penalty after Manuel Lanzini went down in the box after a challenge from Erik Pieters.
"He's a clever player, he wasn't clipped and clearly dived," claimed Hughes after the game.
"It's disappointing the referee hasn't seen that and he should have given us a free-kick prior to him taking the ball into the box.”
With the man in the middle taking centre stage far too regularly, Football Whispers look at which referee is the strictest in the top flight and who has been the most lenient this season.
Most yellows per game: Michael Oliver (3.86)
The Ashington-born official has given out 58 bookings in 15 games so far this season, more than any of his colleagues. Next on the list is Craig Pawson with 50 in 14 matches.
Oliver’s yellows include two for Tottenham right-back Serge Aurier in September against West Ham, while he’s also given out the joint-most red cards, four.
Two of those dismissals came this weekend, with Troy Deeney and then Jonathan Hogg seeing red.
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But the Huddersfield midfielder questioned the referee’s call after the game.
“I thought the cards were soft, I really did. I thought Troy getting sent off was soft as well,” Hogg said.
"The referee thought he made a mistake and tried to even it up in my opinion.
“I am not the happiest because it meant me getting sent off. It is one of those where I have been hard done by.”
Most reds per game: Martin Atkinson (0.33)
Alongside Oliver and Pawson, Atkinson has sent off four players this season – the 46-year-old has managed it in the fewest amount of games though, 12.
He’s also produced 35 yellow cards, including the two he showed Wilfred Ndidi during Leicester City’s defeat to Crystal Palace.
Controversially, Atkinson didn’t show a red card to Liverpool goalkeeper Simon Mignolet for bringing down Mame Biram Diouf earlier this month.
That led to Stoke boss Hughes criticising the man in black, claiming he should be pulled from the following round of fixtures.
“It should be recognised that referees make mistakes,” Hughes said. “I don't see why he should be refereeing this weekend.”
Most fouls per game: Anthony Taylor (23.83)
Despite blowing up for fouls more often than any of his Premier League colleagues, Taylor is yet to show a red card this season.
He did flash four in 30 last term though – a figure only beaten by Mike Dean – so it would be a surprise if he doesn’t show at least one red later in the campaign.
But perhaps the 39-year-old is trying to keep a lower profile this season.
In 2016/17, he received heavy criticism for wrongfully awarding a penalty to Burnley in their 3-2 defeat against Swansea after failing to spot that the ball had actually struck the arm of their striker Sam Vokes.
That game and questionable decision came 72 hours after he had returned from his three-night stag do in Marbella.
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Most fouls per tackle: Graham Scott (0.74)
Scott has awarded 219 fouls in his ten Premier League games this season.
So for every four clean tackles made in games involving the Abingdon-born ref, there have been nearly three fouls given on average.
When refereeing Stoke against West Ham this weekend, Scott actually gave more fouls against West Ham than challenges he let go – for every tackle by a Hammer, he gave 1.86 fouls.
And of course he upset Potters boss Hughes by awarding the Hammers a penalty.
Fewest yellows per game: Lee Probert (1.14)
Showing just eight yellow cards in the seven games he’s officiated this season, Probert is by far the most lenient referee in the Premier League in terms of bookings.
He has given two red cards though – to Watford’s Marvin Zeegelaar and Bournemouth’s Simon Francis.
The average of yellows given is considerably down from his three per game last season, but even then only Scott (2.63) and Paul Tierney (2.9) showed fewer.
Fewest red cards per game: Neil Swarbrick (0)
There have been six referees who are yet to hand out a sending-off this season, Tierney, Taylor, Chris Kavanagh, Mike Jones, Kevin Friend and Swarbrick.
The 51-year-old tops our list though by virtue of giving out the fewest yellows per game compared to the other five – just 2.36.
Swarbrick wasn’t rushing to send players off last year either, handing out just one red card.
He may be hesitant after showing a red card incorrectly to Craig Dawson back in 2014/15 – a game in which he should have sent off his West Brom team-mate Gareth McAuley instead.
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Fewest fouls per game: Andre Marriner (17.31)
The 46-year-old lets the game go on more often than other referee. He gives an average of just over 17 fouls per game – the league average is 21.11.
Perhaps Marriner lets too much slide though. Arsenal fans were infuriated when he failed to give a penalty against Manchester United after a challenge on Danny Welbeck by Matteo Darmian.
“This is a penalty,” said Gunners legend Ian Wright on Match of the Day.
“How has he not given that? The linesman is there. Arsenal needed that, especially with the way they started. You've got to give that.”
Fewest fouls per tackle: Andre Marriner (0.55)
The experienced ref is well below the league average of 0.65, but given he gives the fewest fouls per game, it perhaps isn’t a surprise.
Despite that, Marriner is seventh in terms of most yellow cards handed out in the Premier League this season, with 33.