ROBERTO Martinez felt Newcastle United captain Fabricio Coloccini was “reckless” – and had to go.
Coloccini was sent off in yesterday’s 3-0 defeat to Everton at Goodison Park for a lunge at Aaron Lennon.
I thought it was reckless and really high
Everton boss Martinez
The club’s captain is facing a three-match ban.
Everton manager Martinez – whose side had played a Europa League tie just three days earlier – said he wasn’t surprised to see referee Martin Atkinson brandish a red card.
“I thought it was reckless and really high,” said Martinez.
“If you look at the reaction of the Newcastle players, I don’t think anyone was suprised.
“Football is a game of contact, you cannot forget that. I thought the referee did what he had to do.
“Now the red card is going to bring a suspension, and that should help you not to do it again, but it’s a contact sport, and those actions will be there.”
Everton, like Newcastle two years ago, have struggled to manage the competing demands of domestic and European football.
But Martinez said: “I’m proud that we played with a lot of intenstiy after Europe – something we haven’t done in the past.
“I think it shows you that we’ve come a long way. I’m trying to look forward and see how much we can fulfil our potential.
“It’s true that we are a stronger team now than at the start of the season because of how tough it has been.”
