Norwich City goalkeeper John Ruddy calls for ref consistency
Last updated on .From the section Football
Norwich keeper John Ruddy has pleaded for consistency from officials after Leon Barnett's red card against Stoke.
Referee Neil Swarbrick sent off the defender - and awarded Stoke a penalty - for a foul on Jon Walters in .
Ruddy, 24, saved former Ipswich striker Walters' subsequent spot kick.
"Again it seems we're talking about consistency of referees and that shouldn't be the case," he told BBC Radio Norfolk.
"I thought it was outside the box and Barnett was unfortunate to get a red card, it wasn't even a foul, it's just a tangle of legs you see every week.
"I was surprised, you saw the one with Kieran Richardson last week [for Sunderland against Liverpool] when he's only got a booking."
After making six changes to the side that earned a draw at Wigan the week before, the Canaries looked to have held on to their 1-0 lead, only to concede an injury-time equaliser from Kenwyne Jones.
But after collecting two points from as many games, Ruddy said Norwich are proving they will be competitive in the Premier League this season.
"It was never in doubt within our group and the club that we would get around teams and cause them problems," he said.
"If you're playing a team like Stoke, you know how they're going to play, you've got to be big enough and strong enough to deal with that, and we are.
"The fans can see the quality's there, the last two games we've fielded two different teams and they can see the quality and depth is there."
