Apart from his lack of experience - he is only twenty-five years old - his reputation for brandishing red cards should have ruled him out of contention when it came to refereeing a televised game, in which every mistake he made would be replayed from at least three different angles.
It was some consolation when the FA rescinded the straight red card, shown to City Captain Grant Holt just before half-time; but there can be little doubt the Canaries would have come away from the Madejski stadium with three points instead of one, if they had not been a man short for the whole of the second half.
It is now widely accepted that referees should have the benefit of goal line technology, to determine whether or not the ball has crossed the line, but perhaps red card technology should also be introduced, so that referees can make use of those instant replays the rest of us can see at the flick of a switch.
Would it slow the game down? Not as much as the current situation in which the referee is often surrounded by angry players, incensed by a bad decision.
However, for the remainder of this season, players and supporters alike will have to put up with the status quo and settle for hurling insults at the referee whenever he gets it wrong! Come to think of it, if referees did have the benefit of instant replays, fans would have no excuse for using abusive language!
As the founder and promoter of SAFE - Soccer As Family Entertainment - in the 1980's, I persuaded many League clubs to introduce concessionary prices for families and juniors. I was, therefore, very disappointed to hear a caller to a Radio Norfolk phone-in programme suggest that Norwich City should abandon its commitment to Family Football in order to obtain more revenue at the turnstiles.
It would be interesting to know what City supporters think about such a radical proposition. I am happy to pay full price for my own ticket in the Castle Lounge area, but when I had a young family I would not have been able to afford full-price season tickets for my children.
With this in mind, I would really like to know how many of the current crop of adult season ticket holders came up through the ranks, so to speak, because they had concessionary season tickets as Junior Canaries.
I suspect there are many. There will also be others who came with a school or college party under the 'Kids for a Quid' scheme. If you fall into either category, why not write to me with your views on whether or not Norwich City should go on promoting Family Football through its pricing structure.
I would also like to hear from members of supporters' clubs and coach operators with details of travel arrangements, which could be of interest to existing season ticket holders, or armchair fans interested in going to the odd game, home or away, but not wanting to drive.
Please send your comments to john@canariescorner.com