It is one thing arguing til you're blue in the face about the validity of Cheick Tiote's red card - for me, it was a bad challenge that was unintentional, and unhelped by the shove Danny Rose gave Tiote it - but there is a far more valid argument that says that yesterday, Martin Atkinson was inconsistent in his bookings and his treatment of fouls. On more than one occasion Sunderland players persistently fouled, and weren't booked, while Yohan Cabaye was booked for persistent fouling, and worse, Tiote was sent off for presumably dangerous play after a studs raised challenge, and yet Seb Larsson escaped punishment for a high kick on Shola Ameobi's chest. The Swede's foot had no purpose being that high, and his intent to hurt could be as easily assumable as that which saw the Ivorian sent off. Yes, Tiote's challenge was bad, and badly timed, but his intention was the ball, and had it not been for the foul by Rose that gave Newcastle a free-kick, the impact would not have been so clumsy. Larsson on the other hand had no such challenge on him, and yet his foul apparently didn't even warrant a yellow card. It is that sort of inconsistency that makes a rod for a referee's back, and not just poor judgement calls in general.