Consistency. That is all we ask of referees. Is it really that difficult? If you call something one way for one team, just call it the same way for another.

            It sounds so easy but the top referees in the Premier League manage to mess it up every weekend.

Mike Riley's horrendous decision to send Frank Lampard off has everyone talking about the standard of refereeing again and Riley can really only blame himself for the abuse he is getting.

Sending Lampard off was bad enough but to allow Steven Gerrard to stay on the pitch after a similar studs up challenge just highlights the problem. Inconsistency. Neither of these tackles warranted a red card but if Riley is going to send Lampard off then he has to do the same to Gerrard. It would be two horrible decisions but at least it would be consistent refereeing.

Mike Riley is the same referee that kicked off the respect campaign debate last year by treating Ashley Cole like a schoolboy so it is funny that it is Riley's inadequacies as a referee this weekend that show exactly why players find it so hard to respect referees.

The campaign started off last year with Javier Mascherano receiving a red card for constantly complaining to Steve Bennett.

This red card was to signal that referees would no longer stand for players openly complaining about their decisions.

Fast-forward almost 10 months and I struggle to remember another red card for such an offence. Is that because players learned from Mascherano's mistake?

Not likely. The sight of Wayne Rooney swearing and remonstrating with a referee just a couple of weeks ago shows that yet again referees have failed to stay consistent in their decision making.

The respect campaign was a good concept but the powers that be in football must remember that respect is something that is earned.

Until referees show some consistency in their decision-making, it will be impossible for them to earn the respect of the players they are officiating.