West Ham manager Sam Allardyce has hit out at the "hysteria" surrounding two-footed tackles.

Allardyce is without his captain Kevin Nolan for the next three matches through suspension after he was sent off for lunging in at Millwall's Jack Smith last weekend. Manchester City defender Vincent Kompany saw red last month despite cleanly winning the ball from Manchester United's Nani, and Allardyce is unhappy with the referees' current interpretation of such challenges.

"There's a hysteria in the game in this country that every two-footed challenge is a red card and the referees are being put under pressure to give a red card, whether it's a dangerous challenge or not," said Allardyce.

"I can't remember a player being stretchered off from a two-footed challenge - at West Ham, Blackburn, Newcastle and Bolton, in 10 years of management, I can't remember a two-footed challenge, going to ground, injuring a player.

"There's a hysteria about it unfortunately, but I can't say that it's dangerous.

"It looks bad, but we are not on about looking bad.

"There are tackles that don't look bad that are far worse than that, believe me."