Wigan Athletic chief outlines plan to help referees - 'No-one ever listens to me, as usual!'

The Scot is still miffed at Callum Wright's second yellow card at Barnsley last Tuesday night, which was followed by Barnsley's equaliser in the sixth of NINE added minutes of the Sky-televised fixture.

It was Latics' NINTH red card of the season - 10 if including Matt Smith's dismissal in the FA Cup against Hemel Hempstead, which was subsequently appealed and overturned - which Caldwell has been keen to address.

"It's something I have spoken to the players about...about being disciplined, especially when you're on a booking," he said. "Making sure you're staying on your feet when you're defending, and doing everything you can to stay on the pitch.

"But a lot of decisions are going against us...I feel the nine minutes (of added time) was a crazy number to go up. And I think Sky have an influence on that, in that moment...I don't know...I think they enjoy the game when it's on telly, sometimes...when you see crazy numbers going up...that's just my opinion.

"I didn't think it was a nine-minute game. I just think when there's a red card, and it's 1-0, people want to watch that end to the game. Unless you're connected to Wigan Athletic, and you definitely don't want to see nine minutes!

"But I keep hearing that it's 'exact time'. Somebody needs to show me what 'exact time' looks like. Whenever you ask the fourth official, he has to look at something to make it up. If it's 'exact time', you should know what that is exactly, at every moment of the game. You shouldn't need to count it up, it should be exactly.

"Exact means exact in my world...how is it not nine minutes and 20 seconds...rather than nine minutes. The amount of added time can't always be an exact number of minutes and no seconds.

"I say it every year, and no-one ever listens to me, as usual. And I suppose when the result goes against you, you will always be frustrated, but the consistency - across the board - needs to be better.

"Every manager, player, supporter, will tell you that consistency of the referees this year has been poor. I know it's a tough job, I think they need more help, I think we need to work with clubs more to get them that help.

"I keep saying...when we lost against Plymouth Argyle recently, we didn't blame everyone else, and point the finger, and take no accountability. We held up our hands and said we weren't good enough, and we'd do something about this...which we did last weekend (in the win against Bradford) because of that.

"If referees were to do that, and work with clubs, and want to get better, I think on the whole it would help football. There, that's my rant...maybe I'm wrong!

"It's something that always winds me up a little bit...I'm probably one who's looking for a conspiracy theory in it...but whenever we were winning at Exeter, there always seemed to be a lot of minutes added on. And whenever there's a live (TV) game, and there's something on it, I think a lot of minutes go up...maybe I'm wrong on that...maybe it's just a Gary Caldwell thing!"