Wolves midfielder Stephen Hunt has risked reprisal from the FA by suggesting that his side should start trying to get opposition players sent off, alleging after Tuesday’s 1-1 draw with Arsenal that “every team does it”.
The Republic of Ireland international believes that Nenad Milijas’ red card in the Premier League match was influenced by “clever” Gunners behaviour and that Mick McCarthy’s side suffer due to their reluctance to surround referees.
The Midlands club saw Milijas sent off by Stuart Attwell for a tackle on Mikel Arteta.
“Everyone does it now,” Hunt told The Daily Mirror.
“We should be maybe better at it than any other team. Every team does it, so we don’t do it and get punished. Maybe we should start doing it.
“Players are clever, the reaction sometimes does not help the referee.”
The 30-year-old argued that Wolves might have been able to get Stoke defender Jonathan Woodgate sent off when the centre-back conceded a penalty in the two sides’ December meeting, which ended in defeat for the Black Country team.
“We have been done in the past – like with Woodgate, we should have been surrounding the ref to get him sent off,” Hunt continued.
“Generally I think the Milijas red card was harsh. It was more with one leg, then the other popped up the middle.
“Maybe even Alex Song’s tackle on me could have been a red, so it is one of those things.”
Wolves’ battling draw at the Emirates Stadium saw them stay above the Premier League relegation zone, two points ahead of 18th-placed Wigan.
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