STANLEY boss John Coleman says his players are 'too nice', despite them having the third worst disciplinary record in league Two.

The Reds will have to do without Matty Pearson against Middlesbrough in tomorrow's FA Cup fourth round clash as the defender starts a three-match suspension for his red card against Carlisle last Saturday.

The defender is joined in the stands by captain Scott Brown, who is serving a four-match ban after picking up two dismissals this season.

Stanley have chalked up seven sendings off so far, with 64 bookings also against their name.

That puts them behind only Newport County, who boast the most yellow cards with 84, Luton Town, who've collected eight dismissals, and Crawley Town in the 'bad boy' rankings.

But Coleman claims that's not down to his players being overly aggressive, more down to the new rules on respecting officials that he thinks are misplaced.

He said: "It's just a freak season. If anything I think we're a bit too nice.

"I know that doesn't reflect in seven red cards and 64 yellows, but of those 64 yellows probably 20 of them were for dissent.

"It's the new rules, this so-called respect campaign, and these are new rules that I'm being told managers asked for. Well, I can't remember asking for it.

"Basically a referee makes a mistake, you challenge him and he compounds the mistake by giving a yellow card.

"It's a way of trying to protect the referees and I don't think they need protecting.

"Some of them are very good and can look after themselves, and I don't think they should have to pull a yellow card out if someone complains to them."

He added: "I don't think it's enriching the game, all it's dong it make lots of players serve suspensions and starving the public of seeing players who would normally play not play.

"I don't see how anybody wins. It's not making the game more marketable.

"People compare it to rugby league and say there's not enough respect, but respect is a two-way process.

"Referees are employed to do a job and sometimes they don't do it to the best of their ability, and they suffer no sanctions.

"Yet the minute they are questioned they are told to punish it with a yellow card.

"I just think gone are the days where referees can manage the game themselves, they are tied down by red tape and rules.

"I won't be the only manager who has suffered an increase in yellow cards this season, the whole league will suffer from it.

"It would be the equivalent of turkeys voting for Christmas if you said managers voted for it."