Former Coventry City player Noel Whelan has been talking about referees clamping down on time wasting, something many supporters don't like about the game and something the International Football Association Board are looking into.
Whelan, who now co-commentates on Leeds United matches, said to the Sporting Life’s Sky Bet Championship podcast: “There has been a lot said by fans; fans throughout the Championship now.
“I’ll go back to Birmingham City at Leeds United recently, Birmingham's style of play was just deliberate time wasting.
"Nottingham Forest (again against Leeds) was the same. They’ve got the most yellow cards in the Championship and I know why.
It’s not through aggression, not through late challenges, but through petulance. Kicking the ball away, throwing the ball away and getting in the referee’s face, trying to kill time by holding on to the ball, these sort of things.
“If the referees nip that in the bud straight away, in the first five minutes, it doesn’t happen again throughout the game, simple as that. You lay the law down: yellow card for that [and if] anyone else does it, it’s a yellow card.
"Do you want to risk yourself for the next 60-70 minutes of the game walking the tightrope on a yellow card that you got for holding onto the ball or booting it five yards away?
“They [referees] have got to nip it in the bud, it is annoying to watch, annoying for teams to be part of and you don’t want to see things like that in the game.”
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