Monk Calls On Referee To Be Strong

The Swansea City captain was under no illusions as to what is needed tomorrow – a repeat of the strong referee who took charge of the Carling Cup tie and set the tone early on for his intentions and what he would stand for.

Stephen McPhail was sent off in the second half amongst a host of Cardiff bookings as the Swans progressed in the competition and Monk believes that tomorrow the referee needs to be equally as strong

“We had a great referee that night,” Monk told the Evening Post in reference to the Carling Cup tie. “Joe Ledley challenged Britts in the first five minutes and it was a bad tackle. The ref stamped it out straight away.

“We have had refs at home and away that have allowed teams to hit us six or seven times before thinking of doing something about it.

“I’m not saying he should go around booking players for everything because that will spoil the game, but if he stamps it out early doors then the game flows well and both teams play football.

“Sometimes in these kind of games they can be too harsh, but we have to make sure that the players are protected.

“They are a really good team and have the quality to beat any team in this league,” he said.

“They are probably one of the best footballing sides we have played against in this league. They are not where they are for no reason.

“They class themselves as the bigger team – they have been in the Championship for a few years and pushed for the Premier League.

“We have come through the divisions and are seen as the smaller clubs and the underdogs.

“But we have gone to places like Plymouth, Norwich and Preston and won and should have won at Ipswich and Coventry. It shows we can compete well at this level.

“If we finish above Cardiff in the league then we will be in a really good position because Cardiff will be right up there.”