Matt Taylor will serve the second match of a two-game dugout ban this weekend against Carlisle after picking up six yellow cards
After receiving his sixth yellow card of the year, Matt Taylor will serve the second of his two-game ban this weekend at home against Carlisle United. Matt Taylor will be missing from the Bristol Rovers dugout once again.
Since joining the Mem in December, Rovers manager Taylor has been issued two known yellow cards: one for celebrating Luke Thomas’ Boxing Day victory against Portsmouth in the 94th minute by sprinting down the touchline, and another last week at Stevenage for objecting when a Boro player lifted up a Gas player who had been injured.
The 42-year-old, who claims he can only recall three yellow cards from his time at Rotherham United earlier this season—he served a one-game suspension for the Millers’ Championship match at Cardiff City in September—only learned last Thursday that he would be barred from the dugout for two games.
Taylor affirmed, “I can remember three,” following last weekend’s 3-1 loss at Sixfields. “I know of three, but some are from amazing circumstances. A fourth has to be in there. I went into Tuesday’s game unaware that I was on five.
Would I have reacted the same way as I did when one of the opposition players picks up an injured player on the floor? I probably would do actually. But it’s incredible how I sit in the stands and get a suspension and every time a referee makes a mistake they’re still out there the following week.”
The three yellow cards prior to his arrival in BS7 were shown for kicking a water bottle after seeing a player sent off against Blackburn, which was subsequently apologised for by referees group PGMOL, protesting an amount of added time shown at Sunderland and voicing frustrations with decisions at home to Preston North End.
However, the nature of the sixth yellow card, whether that was before his departure from Rotherham in November or while at Rovers, remains a mystery but will mean that, once again, assistant manager Jamie McAllister will have to lead the side from the dugout alongside Individual Player Development Coach Wayne Carlisle, while Taylor watches on from the stands at the Mem as the Pirates host bottom-side Carlisle.
It sounds as though Taylor has had to endure similar frustrations with officials at both clubs he has been in charge of this season having had two bans while also receiving an apology from PGMOL head Howard Webb.
When it comes to officiating, the Gas manager will always be impartial. He said that he will be having conversations with midfielders Antony Evans and Kamil Conteh following their suspensions for receiving ten yellow cards and being sent off against Stevenage, respectively. In addition, he acknowledged that his celebrations against Portsmouth were “rightly” booked.
Unfortunately, though, due to some bad choices and an unidentified booking, the 42-year-old is once again unable to guide his team from the bench.
“I’ll pay the fine because the club won’t pay it and I’ll keep on doing that because if I don’t then no one will talk about the issue,” the former Millers manager said to the Rotherham Advertiser following his third yellow card at Rotherham in September, which resulted in a one-game suspension.
“I have to constantly emphasising that it is wrong because it is.” Shall I just watch things happen from a distance? That’s not something I can do. I need to find a way to draw attention to the shortcomings in that field (refereeing). I must stand up for my players.
“They are unable to do it on their own. We really cannot afford to book them for another farewell. They cannot receive suspensions and become unavailable.
Leave a Reply