Sunderland midfielder Lee Cattermole believes referees are out to get him and he is determined to shed the bad-boy image.Under-pressure manager Steve Bruce substituted the tough-tackling former Middlesbrough and Wigan man after he received his third booking of the season with 20 minutes remaining in the 2-2 draw with West Brom prior to the international break.
It was a change designed to protect Cattermole, who has been booked 47 times and sent off on five occasions in domestic competitions since 2005/06, but he defends his record. "I feel like they (the referees) are out there for me at the minute It's something I have to address, but if you put every foul I've ever made up on the television, I think there'd be one tackle which was actually a bad one.
"That was against Scott Parker when I was playing for Wigan and I've spoken to him since to apologise about it. That's the only bad tackle I've made in my career - all the rest have been genuine attempts to win the ball, not nasty attempts to hurt someone." Cattermole was furious after being substituted against West Brom and believes Baggies midfielder Steven Reid is just one of several players who attempt to paint him as a villain. "The tackle I got booked for wasn't a foul, simple as that," Captain Cattermole had returned to Sunderland's starting line-up against West Brom having been dropped for the 4-0 win over Stoke.
