Sunderland’s Dan Neil opens up on Middlesbrough red card, suspension at Stoke and approach to referees

Dan Neil admits it was hard to accept his red card during Sunderland’s controversial 4-0 defeat against Middlesbrough - and that he’s been more careful when appealing to referees.

The 21-year-old midfielder was shown a second yellow card for dissent when the game was still goalless, while Sunderland received an apology from the PGMOL (Professional Game Match Officials Limited) for the decision made by referee Jarred Gillett. The sending off also meant Neil served a one-match suspension for his side’s trip to Stoke the following weekend, a game they lost 2-1, before returning to the side for fixtures against Leicester and Norwich.

“I’m not going to lie to you, it was very difficult to accept,” Neil told the Echo when reflecting on his dismissal against Middlesbrough. “I felt like I was wronged. I’d hold my hands up if I said something that was completely out of order, but I’m sat in the house watching our Stoke game and watching other games on a weekend I’m suspended and seeing tens of examples of people saying exactly what I said, if not worse, to referees.

“I just think it was an emotional decision by the ref but it’s gone, I can’t do anything about it. It was two yellows so you couldn’t appeal it so I kind of accepted it pretty quickly and was just desperate to get in the team, especially after the Stoke game I knew Leicester was coming up and it was a big game against basically a Premier League team. I was just itching to get back playing.”

In the 1-0 defeat against Leicester Neil should have been awarded a first-half penalty after he was brought down by Foxes defender Wout Faes in the box, yet the decision went against Sunderland. It was even suggested by pundits on Sky Sports’ TV coverage the midfielder should have appealed more to try and win a spot kick, yet Neil admits he’s tried to alter his approach in recent matches.

“The last two games I’ve tried to be careful with the refs,” he added. “In the Middlesbrough game, the games beforehand, even last year, because I’m in the middle of the pitch I’m always shouting at refs and appealing for things. Trust us I’ve said worse than for what I got sent off for.

“I’ve just tried to learn from it and be a bit more cooler with them, even when there was a suspicion of offside (against Norwich) I just pulled him in the tunnel and just said what’s your thoughts on their goal and he explained it and I just said ‘ok, fair enough’ and got on with it. I do think there have been a few controversial decisions over the last few games but we just have to get on with it and play the game.”

Neil had started every league game for Sunderland before his suspension against Stoke, which did allow the midfielder to recharge as head coach Tony Mowbray rotated his midfield. “The gaffer came up to me and said it’s not a good thing that you are suspended but it is for me at the same time because it means I’m not going to have to drop you, this is your time to rest,” explained Neil.

“I just almost, as best as I could, took it as a positive. Obviously I was absolutely hating sitting at home and watching the lads. I didn’t realise how horrible the feeling is sat with no control just watching so it was a horrible 90 minutes to watch. I just used that weekend to get my body sorted, get myself ready mentally to go and play against Leicester and I did that.”

Despite the defeat at Leicester, Sunderland took confidence from their performance against the Championship leaders, using it to come from behind and win 3-1 against Norwich, with Neil scoring his side’s second goal in the stroke of half-time.

“I think the whole team took confidence from it,” the midfielder replied when asked about the game at Leicester, who are top of the Championship after winning 13 of their first 14 league games this season. “Like I said before they are basically a Premier League side and we knew they would want to dominate possession so just we just went let’s go man for man and see if we can put some pressure on them. I know they had a few chances but we had just as good chances and I feel like we were a bit hard done by.

“A lot of people have said to us what their manager said after the game saying we’re the hardest team they have probably faced, and I felt that during the game that we were on top for long spells, forcing them to go long, forcing them into errors and to kick it out of play.

“We just didn’t have that finishing touch in and around the final third which we have had most of the season. If we can play like that, especially out of possession, with that intensity every single week then we’ll be a match for pretty much everyone in the division.”

The win over Norwich at the Stadium of Light moved Sunderland back up to seventh in the Championship table ahead of this weekend’s trip to Swansea. The Black Cats will then host Birmingham before November’s international break.