SUNDERLAND manager Peter Reid last night called for an overhaul of the Premiership refereeing system to make match officials more accountable for their performances.

Reid feels that professional referees could be the answer to a growing problems and suggested that the use of European officials would prevent clubs having the same man in charge four or five times in a season. And he argues that match officials should be prepared to publicly explain their actions after matches.

Twice in recent games - against Manchester United and Liverpool - at the Stadium of Light controversial refereeing decisions by Graham Poll and Graham Barber have gone against Sunderland.

"I don't want a witch hunt against referees," stressed Reid.

"But there has got to be more accountability. If I don't do my job I get the sack, if the players don't do their jobs they get left out, but I don't know what happens to referees.

"It is amazing how many crucial decisions have gone against certain teams.

"There have always been controversial decisions, even when I played, but in the modern game it has been magnified ten times."

Reid has steadfastly refused to publicly criticise referees, despite being disappointed several times this season with key decisions which haven't gone Sunderland's way, and he goes into this afternoon's FA Cup fifth-round tie against West Ham United without three suspended players.

He said: "Certain high-profile managers have a go at referees in the Press - I don't.

"All I said was that I thought Mr Poll had a poor game on one occasion, which I think was proved right.

"A referee's job is very, very difficult, but I just think if you asked Joe Royle, Gordon Strachan and possibly Bryan Robson over the last few weeks there have been crucial decisions which have changed the course of games.

"I have to go into a Press conference and answer questions and rightly so, because that's my responsibility.

"But from my point of view referees make those decisions and some choose to go to the media when they want.

"I think if they want that then they should go there all the time and answer questions that everybody wants to know the answers to.

"We have had two home games and 96,000 people have walked away from them recently talking not about the players but about officials and not getting answers.

"The Press have asked for the referees and have got no answers so we all in the dark. I am in the dark and all these managers I have spoken about are in the dark.

"If referees want to go to the Press one day, why not every day? Some referees have columns in the papers if I'm not mistaken.

"I haven't got a column, though I have been offered columns and I have turned them down."

Reid feels that the players are becoming frustrated by the inconsistency of refereeing decisions.

He said: "My players get fined for dissent and rightly so. But when you look at the whole scenario I see some players at certain clubs doing the same things on a football pitch and not getting booked.

"My players come to me and say how come they are getting away with it and we are getting booked.

"My players get fined for dissent, kicking the ball away and for getting suspended - that's a club rule and will always be the case.

"I'm sure my players don't like getting fined but I think it is borne out of frustrations because it is an emotive game and they think they are getting hard done by, especially in recent games.

"If referees were professional you could certainly make them accountable and do something about it I am sure.

"Or we could have foreign referees - they are only in Europe.

"Do we have to have the same referees four or five times in a season? At the moment we don't have any recourse. I make private phone calls to people involved but I don't get any joy out of it."

Reid is also unhappy with the way some of his players have reacted to refereeing decisions which have gone against them.

He said: "One of the things which concerns me is that after some of these decisions we have lost discipline.

"That is something we have talked out. People will make mistakes but we have to keep that discipline."

Sunderland go into today's cuptie without Scottish international Don Hutchison, banned for two games after receiving ten bookings, and the two players sent off against Manchester United, skipper Michael Gray and Scottish B midfielder Alex Rae.

But Brazilian central defender Emerson Thome is expected to be back after recovering from a calf injury, allowing the versatile Darren Williams to switch back to fullback