Harry Redknapp has outlined the stark reality of life in the Championship with regards to refereeing standards.

Both Redknapp and Wolves boss Glenn Hoddle were united in their belief that referees should take their time before brandishing cards.

The Championship curtain-raiser at St Mary's on Saturday evening saw no goals but eight players booked and one sent off.

Saints defender Claus Lundkevam was the unlucky man to be given his marching orders in the second half for two bookable offences.

Berkshire referee Trevor Kettle was clearly over the top in his enthusiasm to produce cards in what was never a dirty game.

Redknapp fumed: "There were far too many bookings. There were yellow cards everywhere.

"The referee has got to take his time. They go running over straight away but should take a few seconds.

"But it's no different to playing -the lower you go, the standard goes down.

"The standard of players goes down and so does the standard of refs.

"The best players and the best refs are in the Premier League.

"The referee missed two fouls before the sending off and with Claus' first booking he's gone to volley the ball and the Wolves player has put his head down there."

Hoddle agreed: "It was not a dirty game at all. Anybody who says it was was watching a different game, but this happens every year.

"Referees have got a hard enough job as it is but it seemed as if they had been told to make instant decisions.

"Really we should be going the other way.

"I've said for ages that we should, dare I say, be doing things the rugby way. The referee should be given 10 seconds to think about it and bring play back if needs be.

"That way we keep the ball in play more and hopefully get some better decisions.

"The referee's decisions in this game were instant. He was the quickest draw in the west with those cards but it wasn't his fault.

"This is where the game needs to go forward."

It was Lundekvam's fourth red card of his Saints career but his first since his dismissal on the opening day of the 2001/02 campaign at Leeds.

He will now automatically miss tomorrow's game at Luton.

Options open to Redknapp are bringing in Chris Baird, Darren Kenton or Martin Cranie to play at right-back and moving Tomasz Hajto, who played at right-back against Wolves, into partner Darren Powell in the centre.

As for Kettle, Saturday's game was only the 10th Championship match he had ever refereed.

His first professional game only came in 2003/04 - at the start of a season in which he took charge of 28 matches and brandished a remarkable 131 yellows and 13 red cards!

In 2002/03 he refereed nine Conference games and an FA Cup tie between Stevenage and Hastings and handed out 10 reds and 40 yellows.

Last season saw a reduction in his cards per game ratio with 87 yellows and five reds in 28 games.