Boss Roy Keane says he’s glad he’s no longer playing if Jon Stead’s tackle on Crystal Palace's Freddie Sears is worthy of a four-match ban. Stead’s appeal against his red card at Palace was rejected by an independent FA Disciplinary Commission yesterday, who added an additional fourth match to his suspension as they felt the appeal was frivolous and had no chance of success.
Keane said: "We’re obviously very disappointed. If that tackle deserves four games I’m glad I’m not playing any more.
"It was only a yellow, but that’s what happens. Steady is as honest as the day is long and I’ve seen the tackle over and over again and it’s a yellow card at the most and he ends up being out for the best part of a month.”
The Blues boss says he is as sorry for the player as he is annoyed at losing his on-form frontman at a vital stage of the season: "He didn’t even deserve a three-match ban and we’re disappointed for the player. He’s never been sent off before, but I best say no more. He’s a good striker, we’re going to miss him.”
Keane says he’s yet to analyse why the FA Commission took their decision when most observers, including Palace manager Neil Warnock, felt the decision was harsh: "We got the report last night by email, I’ve not seen it yet. No doubt the words they will use will be that we were only wasting their time, as has happened with other managers. It happened to Steve Bruce recently, it happened to Gareth Southgate last year.
"If it was a bad tackle and we did chance our arm a little I could get my head round it, but I think it’s a yellow at most and nobody’s going to change my mind on that.”
The Town manager admits that the affair will make him think twice before making similar appeals in the future and says he hasn’t had too much luck with similar significant decisions having failed to go his way both on and off the field in his time as a boss: "I’ve been a manager for 100 games at Sunderland and 20 here and I don’t remember many major decisions like that going my way and I could name a few.
"I don’t mind the referee making a wrong decision but to get an extra game on top of that, it’s lucky I’m not paranoid.”
Keane says the player is upset at missing a month’s football: "The boy’s devastated. He’s a striker in a decent bit of form. Four games is a lot. I think I got five once, but four’s a lot for that tackle.”
Stead begins his ban when the Blues travel to Blackpool for the third round FA Cup tie on Saturday.