Russell returns for Derby visit
Monday, 22nd Mar 2010 21:37

For the second time this season Hertfordshire official Mike Russell is the man in the middle for a Tuesday night match at Loftus Road.

QPR v Derby County
Referee – Mick Russell (Hertfordshire)
Assistants – McLoughlin (Bedfordshire) and Norcott (Essexbr>Fourth Official – Buck (Kent)

This is Mick Russell’s second QPR appointment of the season – he was the referee who postponed our home game against Crystal Palace an hour before kick off because of a waterlogged pitch, then refereed the re-arranged game that finished level at 1-1. This is his sixth season on the list and that performance, for which he received a mark of seven from LFW that places him sixth on the referee league, was his first in a Rangers game. Both teams got a penalty in that Palace game, both decisions looked correct.

Referee - Mike Russell (Hertfordshire) 7 One or two dodgy decisions and moments of confusion, most notably the Buzsaky free kick resulting from the foul on Agyemang. Russell seems to be keen for his linesmen to get involved in decision making all over the park and once or twice I felt he allowed himself to be overruled by his assistants when he personally didn’t think it was a free kick. That’s not necessarily a problem, but it does make referees look a little unsure of themselves at times. Both penalty decisions and yellow cards given were correct. LFW Palace Match Report

So far this season he has shown 81 yellows (2.53 a match) and three reds in 32 games. That includes six yellows in the MK Dons v Huddersfield and Gillingham v Oldham games, and five yellows and a red at Derby v Bristol City and Northampton v Port Vale which are his biggest hauls of the season so far. Eleven of his games so far have been in the Championship. He has shown 29 yellows and a red in those games which at 2.63 is slightly above his card average.

Last season he showed 57 yellows (2.0357 a game) and four reds in 28 matches. Again his top haul in a single match was six yellows. Nine of those matches were in the Championship.

Derby beat Bristol City 1-0 in his fixture with them this season, and lost 2-0 to Ipswich when he had them last year.

Elsewhere Andy Hall has a Championship game, bad news for fans of Forest and Palace. Looking further ahead to Saturday we have Alan Haines in charge of our trip to Preston. More on him towards the end of the week.