Tom Cleverley defends Brendan Wiredu over Plymouth Argyle red card
Plymouth Argyle’s assistant manager Tom Cleverley has leapt to the defence of midfielder Brendan Wiredu after his late dismissal in Saturday’s 3-2 defeat at Lincoln City.
Wiredu, who had been influential for large spells of the contest, was shown a red card by referee Carl Brook in the closing minutes after picking up a second yellow card. The decision, however, sparked frustration within the Argyle camp, with Cleverley questioning whether the incident warranted such a harsh outcome.
Speaking after the game, Cleverley made it clear that while Argyle had to take responsibility for their own shortcomings in Lincolnshire, he felt the sending-off was unfair on the 25-year-old.
“For me, Brendan has been excellent all season and again today he gave us energy and composure in midfield,” said Cleverley. “The challenge in question wasn’t reckless, it wasn’t dangerous, and to give a second yellow in that moment feels incredibly harsh. We all know football is about fine margins, and unfortunately today those margins went against us.”
Argyle had fought back from an early setback to level the match twice, with goals from Morgan Whittaker and Ryan Hardie keeping them in the contest. However, they were undone by a late strike from Lincoln substitute Jovon Makama, who sealed the points for the home side. Wiredu’s dismissal compounded Argyle’s frustration, leaving them unable to mount a late push for an equaliser.
Cleverley, who stepped in for head coach Wayne Rooney during post-match media duties, argued that referees need to show more awareness when players are already on a caution.
“I’m not saying referees shouldn’t apply the laws of the game, but there has to be a bit of common sense. Brendan didn’t stop a promising attack, he didn’t endanger an opponent, and I think most people in the ground were surprised when the red was produced. Moments like that can define results, and we feel a bit hard done by.”
Despite the frustration, Cleverley was quick to stress that Argyle must focus on positives as they look to bounce back from the defeat. He highlighted the team’s resilience in coming from behind twice and praised the contribution of the travelling supporters.
“Our fans were brilliant again, they gave us incredible backing, and the players responded to that,” he added. “There are areas we need to tighten up defensively, but there was no lack of fight. We’ll take the lessons and move forward.”
For Wiredu, the red card means he will serve a suspension, ruling him out of Argyle’s upcoming clash at Home Park. Cleverley admitted his absence will be a blow but backed the squad to cope.
“Of course we’ll miss Brendan, but we have depth and players ready to step up. He’ll come back stronger from this, and knowing his character, he’ll be even more determined to prove himself.”
The defeat leaves Argyle still searching for greater consistency in the Championship. While Cleverley’s defence of Wiredu may not change the referee’s report, it underlines the faith the coaching staff have in a player who has quickly established himself as a key figure in the side.
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