DEPENDING on who you listen to, the main villain of Wellington's Phoenix's loss to Sydney was (a) Troy Hearfield, (b) Alex Brosque or (c) referee Ben Williams.

The Yellow Fever message boards spewed vitriol in fairly equal amounts at all three men following the match, so let's consider the case against each.

Hearfield was the best player on the pitch until the brain explosion which led to his red card. He was at the heart of most of Phoenix's best moments with one cross in particular somehow evading Shane Smeltz who was five yards out with the goal at his mercy. On countless occasions, Hearfield showed, in the most emphatic fashion he has all season, why Ricki Herbert pursued him and persuaded him to sign for Wellington.

He'd just won a free-kick in a dangerous position by skipping past Brosque who subsequently fouled him and earned a yellow card. What on earth possessed Hearfield to then get involved in an altercation with Brosque is completely beyond the comprehension of most Phoenix fans.

That he then butted his head (no matter how lightly) at the Sydney player right in front of the referee is utterly beyond belief. It was a brain explosion, pure and simple, and one which Hearfield would have instantly regretted as he trudged towards the sideline.

His remorse will have grown markedly as he watched his ten remaining team-mates not only fail to win a match they really needed to, but lose it in the final minutes and come away with nothing.

The case against Brosque seems to be based mainly on him being a cheating Aussie. The fact he provided the final touch to set up the winning goal made it doubly galling for many. However, from what I could see, Brosque simply set a trap for Hearfield to fall into, which (to the glee, I'm sure, of Brosque and his Sydney team-mates) he did.

Brosque probably felt a fair degree of justice had been dealt as TV pictures showed him being felled by what appeared to be a forearm from Hearfield in the first half, an incident missed by the match officials and one which could yet be examined by the judiciary.

Blaming the ref for defeats is a time-honoured tradition, so Ben Williams received a roasting for his performance too. The most noticeable incident was a fairly strong case for a penalty when Smeltz was shoved over in the area in the second half - I've certainly seen those given.

There was also talk that the indiscretion which led to Hearfield's red card was at the lower end of the scale and could have been overlooked, but to be fair to Williams, he saw a headbutt and was totally justified in sending the offender off. Quite frankly, if you're blaming the ref for following the rules, you're barking up the completely wrong tree.

So, for me, Hearfield must shoulder a fair degree of blame. It's drawing a long bow to suggest he cost his team the match, but he certainly didn't help them by exiting in the 64th minute. Unfortunately, he may also have lost any chance to redeem himself this season, as with (quite probably) only two matches left, his ban may take in both of those games, especially if the first half skirmish with Brosque gets further examination.

Instead, he'll have to again watch as his team-mates attempt the task of beating Adelaide United, something they've never managed, to keep their now slim play-off hopes alive.