There used to be a myth about driving instructors that they’d never pass a learner on a Tuesday afternoon.

Or if it was the first day of the Test at Lord’s; or if their dinner had been served without gravy etc etc.

In the same way, English boxers never get the verdict in Germany unless the home fighter is carried out of the ring on a stretcher.

And then, it’s only given on a split-decision.

And only Man United get awarded dubious calls at Old Trafford … The conspiracy theories will always flourish when results are based on personal opinion.

I’ve always thought the same when clubs appeal against refereeing decisions.

Yes, the Football Association will thank you for taking the time and trouble to compile the evidence and knock off a copy of the match DVD.

But no, we won’t be changing our minds. We’re sure, deep down, that the officials did genuinely get it right.

So that’s £600 from the club’s coffers down the drain as the authorities pay lip service to the process.

Woahh, hang on just a minute. City’s appeal this week against James Hanson’s dismissal turned out to be money very well spent.

Peter Taylor’s confidence in his striker’s innocence was borne out by the panel. Justice, in the eyes of the player, his manager, the club and the fans, was carried out as the FA experts ruled “not guilty”.

Referee David Webb seemed to have as much control on the Oxford game as a hoody with a particularly hungry Rottweiler.

He clearly wasn’t 100 per cent sure what really went on in the “afters” following the first red card. He got no help from his assistants, particularly the guy who was facing the incident directly – and failed to murmur a single suggestion.

Someone obviously had been up to no good. So the safest option seemed to be to get rid of a player from both sides.

Taylor and City were having none of it. And fortunately neither were Tuesday’s hurriedly-convened panel, clearing Hanson to feature again that night at Bury.

I’m not writing this just to slam another off-key official. Let’s be honest, we see plenty of those over the season.

But, in the aftermath of the ludicrous Nani goal against Tottenham, it highlights the fact that referees are human. They make errors like the rest of us.

There’s no shame in that. I’m not suggesting for a minute that our whistle-blowers should be absolutely perfect every game.

In an ideal world, that would obviously be the case but we know that, like all of us, there will be days when they do blunder.

An overturned appeal is not a sign that the FA have no faith in their referees. Writing a wrong on one occasion does not equal a public pronouncement of “no confidence” in the official involved.

It’s always been too easy to blame a team’s shortcomings on the referee. Dodgy penalty here, blatant offside there – it’s the staple diet for beaten players and managers who don’t want to stare at themselves in the mirror.

Wayne Rooney’s weekly wage wouldn’t tempt me to pick up a whistle. I’d rather be a traffic warden (and no disrespect meant there – except to the humourless clone who booked me outside Bramall Lane a couple of years back) than a professional referee.

It can be a thankless task being abused by all four sections of a football ground. Inevitably an honest error will crop up.

But there’s no need for a cover-up. Harry Redknapp’s claim that Mark Clattenburg and his team will “work out” a story to protect themselves should not be the case.

If the referee or their bosses are willing to hold their hand up to the odd blunder then they would immediately gain more respect. And the game would surely be better for it.