Keith Hackett was greatly astonished by a call made by referee Steve Martin involving Chris Mepham and Julian Carranza.
That’s according to former PGMOL chief and ex-FIFA official, Keith Hackett, who exclusively told Football Insider that
Marti Cifuentes was hired as Leicester manager in the summer, succeeding the departing Ruud van Nistelrooy, but the former QPR boss’ beginning to life in charge of the Foxes had been inconsistent at best, winning only three of his first six matches in the Championship.
And on a chilly Friday evening at the Hawthorns, the Spaniard’s squad once again faltered, this time surrendering points to Ryan Mason’s West Brom.
However, matters could have been far worse after Carranza’s flash of recklessness.
Keith Hackett analyses confrontation between Julian Carranza and Chris Mepham:
On the hour mark, Leicester‘s summer loanee from Feyenoord became entangled with Mepham and after being nudged by the Baggies defender, the forward retaliated, shoving the 27-year-old, who then sank to his knees.
Having reviewed video of the altercation between the pair, Hackett told Football Insider exclusively that referee Martin had displayed his expertise by not dismissing the Argentine striker, even after the 25-year-old struck out at the Welsh centre-back.
However, the ex-PGMOL chief was left slightly baffled by the choice not to caution Mepham for his involvement in the fracas.
Hackett said: “Referee Steve Martin is one of the most experienced officials operating in the Championship.
“He was the official involved in having to call off the recent Blackburn Rovers game.
“Looking closely at this off-the-ball incident, the referee has done well to view the incident involving Carranza.
“His response did not reach the threshold for violent conduct [and therefore a red card].
“In this situation, I was rather surprised that a yellow card was not shown to Chris Mepham.”
Leicester still battling to knit together as a unit:
A 1-1 stalemate between Leicester and West Brom was a fair outcome on the balance of play, although the hosts absolutely should have netted a second late on before the Foxes grabbed their leveller.
Every club that endures relegation is forced to carry out a revamp of its roster, thanks to players departing after dropping down a tier.
And while there are some fresh additions, the nucleus of Leicester’s lineup has been part of the Midlands outfit for several seasons now.
Nevertheless, they do not resemble a side with shared playing experience and that lack of chemistry resulted in just one effort on target at the Hawthorns on 26 September.
Until they can solve their chance-creation problems, Cifuentes’ men will continue to surrender points in fixtures they ought to be winning.