· 10 November 2025, 13:30
Sky Sports News' Ref Watch segment took a quick look at Dan Burn's sending off for Newcastle United against Brentford.
Each Monday, Sky Sports News drag Dermot Gallagher out of his crypt and onto our screens to weigh in on the weekend's more controversial refereeing decisions.
It's an interesting segment, mostly because it highlights just how easy it is for referees to make a mistake, because Gallagher has the benefit of many replays and the gift of time to analyse each situation and still manages to get things wrong.
As we've already stated in another article, we believe Dan Burn should have been sent off, but probably for the penalty that wasn't given, as that was the incident in which there was actual contact with Dango Ouattara, but referee Stuart Attwell booked the Brentford forward for diving instead.
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Demot Gallagher looked at the second penalty incident, which was awarded and resulted in Dan Burn being sent for an early bath. Replays on the day showed that there was even less contact this time than in the previous incident, even Brentford's Nathan Collins admitted that, but what did Dermot Gallagher say on Sky Sports?
"It is [correct]. I thought it was a foul at the time and he was already on a yellow.
"When he gets a second yellow, he says to the referee 'I accept it' so he knew."
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Burn thought he was getting his marching orders the first time around; it was like he was already thinking of having the dressing room to himself, so of course, he accepted it.
Newcastle and Burn got away with one when Stuart Attwell punished Ouattara the first time, and that was Eddie Howe's cue to react and haul Burn off, but the Newcastle gaffer opted to keep him on because he said he needed the height that Burn provided.
“Yeah, I mean, of course, we're discussing that as the game's going on. But those moments obviously impact everything because with hindsight, you then go, well, you could have done something before that moment.
“But with Dan's height being pivotal from the set plays and with Joelinton going off, we then suddenly would have become very small. So, they're big calls to make. And yeah, of course, with hindsight, you'd possibly make a different decision.
“Of course, in that moment, I have to weigh up what I'm doing.”
Well, how did that work out, Eddie? You lost his height and a one-man advantage. Well done, sir.