IPSWICH skipper Jason De Vos has warned his team-mates: “You are wasting your time arguing with referees.”The 32-year-old Canadian defender has collected just two of the club's 48 yellow cards this season and has plenty of advice to pass on to his younger, less experienced colleagues.

By Mel Henderson

IPSWICH skipper Jason De Vos has warned his team-mates: “You are wasting your time arguing with referees.”

The 32-year-old Canadian defender has collected just two of the club's 48 yellow cards this season and has plenty of advice to pass on to his younger, less experienced colleagues.

Alex Bruce, 22, has been booked an amazing nine times in just 14 outings and went into today's home clash with Sheffield Wednesday knowing that one more would see him serve a two-game ban.

De Vos said: “I have had a chat with Alex and it's nothing malicious or nasty on his part that has seen him get booked so often. He'll put his foot in, but he's not dirty.

“But he's been unlucky. He needs to pull back sometimes and he knows that, but I would never describe him or any of our players as dirty.”

De Vos is not lacking in sympathy for any of his colleagues and shares their frustration at some referees' decisions, one of which he was on the receiving end at Burnley last week.

He recalled: “I got booked for standing on a guy's toe and I said to the referee, who I know and get on well with, that Halloween was over and he could stop dishing out the cards.

“I could understand it if I was going in with intent to hurt or I was denying the other team a goalscoring opportunity, but it wasn't like that.

“I have always had a policy of trying to get on with referees and I have told the other lads that there is absolutely nothing to be gained from being mouthy with them.

“It doesn't matter what you say to him, he's not going to change his mind.

“There are no refs out there who are going to turn round and say 'You're right, I was wrong and I will reverse my decision'.”

Town's three yellow cards at Burnley came after they had collected six in each of their previous two away games, which cost them £15,000 in Football Association fines.

Both chairman David Sheepshanks and manager Jim Magilton have expressed their concern at the mounting crime count, but De Vos believes Ipswich are not alone in being made to suffer.

He added: “During the game at Burnley last week one of their players spoke to me and said he thought the ref was losing control of the game.

“It was a physical game up there but not dirty.

“The vast majority of referees have never played professional football and have a problem deciding what constitutes a legitimate tackle or doesn't.

“Some of the decisions that have been made are mind-boggling.

“As professionals I don't think we ask for too much - all we want is a bit of consistency.”

Ipswich are set to extend Czech Republic goalkeeper Jaroslav Drobny's stay at Portman Road.

The 27-year-old former Fulham man was signed on a one-month contract due to expire near the end of November but he is likely to be offered the chance to remain until at least the end of the season.

Town boss Jim Magilton has admitted that ex-Crewe midfielder Kenny Lunt, who was at Portman Road today as a Sheffield Wednesday player, was someone in whom he was interested in signing in the summer.