Danny Murphy tells Bristol City's Nigel Pearson to stop playing the victim after referee blast

TalkSPORT pundits Simon Jordan and Danny Murphy have both criticised Nigel Pearson's outburst on Sky over the standard of refereeing claiming he is sending the wrong message and is in "victim mode."

The Bristol City manager remarkably revealed he has been thinking about retiring from the game because the quality of officiating is compromising the integrity of the sport. His comments came in the wake of the Robins' 2-0 victory over Luton that saw Mark Sykes receive a red card and Rob Atkinson have a penalty appeal turned down.

City have been on the receiving end of a handful of controversial decisions already this season and Pearson admitted he had received a letter from the PGMOL informing him that Hull shouldn't have had a penalty on the opening day while his City should have had two spot-kicks awarded.

He told Sky Sports News: "I’ve got to be honest with you, I thought about it last year, and I’ve thought about it again this year and that is basically to pack up being involved in the sport.

"And that is not because how shallow the modern game is and how some of the aspects of the modern game irritate me but the standard of officiating, as far as I’m concerned, is at an all-time low.”

However, Murphy fired back at Pearson on talkSPORT, claiming he should put his money where his mouth is before questioning his loyalty to the Robins.

The former Liverpool midfielder said: "If you're thinking of quitting because of the referees, fine quit. Stop talking about it.

"Hand in your resignation and let someone else who is out of work and desperate to run a good club like Bristol City and work in the game and coach and do the right things. Let someone else have a go at it.

"If you're frustrated because of refereeing standards