IT is a shame that Alfred Hitchcock is dead because he would have been the perfect man to direct Leeds United's next paranoid appearance on ITV's Premiership highlights.

I refer to the growing belief around Elland Road that everyone, particularly referees, has it in for Alan Smith.

A Smith production has everything the great film maker needed in order to create a classic.

After every bad tackle or so-called controversial sending off we get disbelief, anguish, horror, distrust, suspicion and paranoia.

Oh, what Hitchcock could have made of that on a Saturday night.

Every production needs a villain of the piece and, according to the Leeds brigade - and in accordance with movie convention - the villain wears black in the form of the referee, and the good guys are in white - the Leeds players.

Last Saturday Smith was sent off for the eighth time in his career - a prolific record for a man who only reached the tender age of 22 on Monday.

The football mafia stuck together and sung from the same songsheet that said Smith's reputation was the reason he was dismissed and not the offences he committed.

That's out of order as was the sneer of suspicion on the face of Leeds manager Terry Venables, who accused Mr Styles of not doing his job properly.

Neither offence was the worst foul in the world, but technically both merited yellow cards.

The first, when he went through the back of Joseph Desire Job, was a nailed-on caution in the refs' rule book. The second was equally a bookable offence, despite the protestations of the Leeds camp, Southgate himself and the television experts who said Smith was already committed to the challenge.

How do they know he didn't mean it? The questions are did Smith catch him, did he hurt him and was he late? The answer is yes on all counts, so the ref had no option but to book him.

Footballers are always saying they want refs to be consistent yet here we have a case where they criticise a ref for not showing leniency. It's hypocrisy. The ball was five yards away when Smith hit Southgate hard and the Leeds player was either naive or stupid for committing such a reckless foul when he was already on a yellow card.

Leeds back Smith by telling anybody who will listen that he is not as bad as he is painted. But reputations don't make themselves and the player must help himself by learning control when the red mist descends.

I think Smith will learn from his mistakes and become a top talent without compromising his tenacity which is one of his greatest assets.

But if I'm wrong there could always be a career in acting. Who better to take the lead in remakes of old Hitchcock classics like 'Suspicion', 'The Wrong Man', 'Saboteur', 'Notorious', 'Frenzy', and 'Psycho'?