SUNDERLAND manager Peter Reid last night spoke up for his England international midfielder Gavin McCann, who goes into tonight's game against Tottenham Hotspur on the brink of a ban after picking up four bookings in the opening six games of the season.

One more yellow card and McCann will be automatically suspended for one game - but Reid insisted: "He is not a dirty player."

Sunderland, who were spotlighted as having committed more fouls than any other team in the Premiership last season were hauled in front of an FA Disciplinary Commission last month and fined £50,000, suspended for 12 months.

But the club could be heading for further trouble after a rash of early-season bookings, including four in the goalless draw at Aston Villa on Sunday with striker Kevin Phillips spotted on television using his elbow on Lee Hendrie.

Sunderland have now picked up 11 cautions and have committed 92 fouls, putting them high on the list of Premiership offenders.

Reid, who felt that McCann played his best match of the season at Villa Park, said: "Two of McCann's bookings have been for kicking the ball away when he hadn't heard the whistle.

"One of them was when we were losing 2-1 so he could hardly have been time-wasting - tell me the logic in that."

Reid, however, admits that he is concerned about his side's disciplinary record, and wants players to carry more responsibility for their behaviour on the field.

But he feels the game has not changed so much from his playing days in the 1970s and 80s, though the physical side is not as severe.

He said: "It is an emotive game and people lose their heads and pay the penalty.

"The difference now is that technology on the cameras has got better and players and managers know that if you do things you are not going to get away with it.

"But if you tell people to take passion out of football you are not going to get a game - that's part and parcel of it."

"I am not condoning it at all but I am just trying to make the point that you are going to get sendings-off and you are going to have people reacting to tackles when you wished they didn't.

"That's human nature - that's us. But certainly you can't raise your fist or get involved in fighting - that's where you have to have your discipline."

Phillips, who had been booked for an earlier offence against Hendrie at Villa Park, now looks certain to suffer a penalty for the elbow incident - the FA having confirmed they are to investigate.

Reid, however, said he hadn't had time to study the video and declined to comment, with his priority tonight's game against Spurs.

He said: "We are playing at home and hopefully we can relax and play football - I don't think we have been at our best yet this season."

Sunderland will again be without their Danish international goalkeeper, Thomas Sorensen, still recovering from surgery on his broken nose, and Austrian Jurgen Macho will continue to deputise.

Team (from): Macho, Haas, Craddock, McCartney, Gray, Arca, McCann, Schwarz, Kilbane, Quinn, Phillips, Laslandes, Varga, Williams, Thirlwell, Bellion, Ingham.

Tickets are still available for tonight's game and the final proceeds from the remainder will be given towards the British Foreign Office Appeal to help the victims of last week's terrorist attack on America. The club is asking for a minimum donation of £7.50 per ticket.

*The £1.2m transfer of midfielder Alex Rae to Wolverhampton Wanderers looks likely to be completed later this week

Read more about Sunderland here.