Wolves to appeal Milijas's red card

Wolves boss Mick McCarthy today vowed to appeal Nenad Milijas's red card against Arsenal.

The Serbia international faces a three-match ban after being shown a straight red by controversial referee Stuart Attwell in yesterday's 1-1 draw at the Emirates Stadium for a tackle on Mikel Arteta.

Replays showed Milijas won the ball cleanly in the 75th-minute challenge and McCarthy hopes the decision gets rescinded.

"There's no doubt we'll appeal it," said the boss.

"I'd hope when the referee looks at it again he'll be magnanimous enough to see he made a mistake and will rescind it. In the past we've been targeted as a dirty team but Nenad hasn't got a bad bone in his body.

"He just doesn't tackle that way and it was a perfectly good tackle. I don't think it was ever a red card offence while I've got a head of grey hair. His foot was on the ground and he won the ball and I'm just not sure how that can be seen as a sending off.

"The referee gave the decision based on what he saw, but I think if he sees it again, he won't be so sure."

Milijas also won sympathy from team-mate Stephen Hunt, who believes Arsenal's players influenced Attwell in his decision.

"Sometimes players' reactions are clever – they help the referee get a player sent off and this was one of those things," he said. "Everyone does it nowadays and we should be better at it.

"We've been 'done' in the past, for instance when Jonathan Woodgate stayed on – we should have been surrounding the ref to get him sent off. We don't do it and we get punished so maybe we should start doing it.

Hunt added: "I thought it was a harsh decision – he tackled with his one leg and then the ball kind of popped up.

"I'd imagine the manager would appeal – I'm not even sure we should have to because he should just rescind it. I think the red card will be rescinded anyway, and if that's the case and it's done in time for Saturday, we won't be punished."

Hunt believes Arsenal's Alex Song could have been sent off for kicking him minutes before the Milijas incident, instead of being booked.

"Maybe Alex Song's tackle on me just before that could have been a straight red," he said.