Royle’s Reaction: CPFC
By Aston
March 18 2006
Reaction from Ipswich Town manager Joe Royle following Towns 2-2 with Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park earlier today.
Town manager Joe Royle has sympathy for Ricardo Fuller who was sent off to for a gesture he made to crowd which the officials interpreted as being aimed at the linesman.
Royle: “Ricardo had been getting stick all game on and off the pitch, he had been taking some stick from their defenders without getting a foul all afternoon and was clearly frustrated.
“He says he gestured to the crowd and was shown a red card for that. I'm not condoning what he did but I do have some sympathy for him. He didn't get any protection from the officials all game and it leaves us with six red cards this season - and me scratching my head.
“I've said this a few times already this week but we are not a dirty side yet we've had six players sent-off. Of those, only Sito's at Sheffield United was deserved in my opinion and we have dropped points in all those games where we have lost players.
“Those decisions have cost us perhaps 10 points and that's the difference between us and the Play-Offs.
“The players were terrific though and I can't praise them enough.
“We had players missing and were up against a strong side yet played the better football and although we really needed the three points, I was delighted with the performance.
“Chris Casement was terrific when he came on for his debut, Shane Supple made two or three good saves and the front two of Lee and Fuller gave their defence a torrid time.”
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