Newcastle appeal against 'crazy, ridiculous' Fabricio Coloccini red card

The Magpies captain was dismissed just before half-time after fouling Steven Fletcher, an incident which led to Adam Johnson opening the scoring from the penalty spot in a 3-0 win for the Wearsiders. Coloccini faces a one-match ban for the offence, which would rule him out of Saturday's game against Stoke.

Referee Robert Madley pointed to the spot and then brandished a straight red card, with many observers suggesting the Argentina international was unlucky to be dismissed and that a yellow card would have sufficed as keeper Rob Eliott would have gathered the ball anyway.

The game turned on that decision and Newcastle confirmed they had lodged an appeal with the Football Association on Monday morning.

Newcastle boss Steve McClaren said in his post-game press conference that Madley had made an "absolutely ridiculous" call.

“It’s simple: he’s wrong in my opinion," said McClaren.

"Referees are part and parcel of the game and you control your performance – you can’t control the opponent or the referee and they can affect the result, and they have done today, not so much the opponent, but definitely the referee.”

Newcastle star Darryl Janmaat also lashed out at referee Madley after the defeat, calling the official's decision to send off Coloccini "unbelievable" and "crazy".

"I think we were by far the better team in the first half, and then we get a red card like this. It was unbelievable," the 26-year-old told the Newcastle Chronicle.

"I don't like to blame referees, but that was not a penalty. I think everybody saw it -- and a red card is crazy in my opinion. It kills the game.

"I don't like excuses, but I think we had 70 percent possession in the first half and were far better than them.

"In the second half, we lost the game with 10 men. It is disappointing because in the first half we played well."

This was very much a borderline decision, particularly given that there seemed little prospect of Fletcher getting to the ball first. Yet it is one that the referee certainly had an argument to give.

In those circumstances, the FA is generally reticent about second-guessing match officials, so we've a feeling that Coloccini's ban will be upheld. Not that it will hurt Newcastle too much: it was an insane bit of defending given that the goalkeeper had the situation covered.