Nacho Novo believes Rangers have been suffering at the hands of referees for the last few years - and not just this season.

The new campaign may only be five matches old but already Rangers have had three players sent off, with Pedro Mendes's dismissal at the weekend adding to red cards for Kevin Thomson and Madjid Bougherra.

Manuel Pascali also saw red - and seven other players cautioned - as Rangers and Kilmarnock battled out a goalless draw in the Premier League on Saturday.

Both camps felt the crime count was not a fair reflection on the game, or that either side should have been reduced to 10 men in what was not a particularly dirty encounter.

But, as Rangers continue to count the cost of indiscipline with Mendes now banned for the visit of Aberdeen on Saturday, Novo insists the situation is nothing new.

In fact, he believes all clubs in Scotland's top flight have suffered as a result of poor decisions from match officials.

Novo said: "In the last three years there have been really rough decisions for us, which you can see from the TV.

"These things happen in football. It's a hard job for referees and we just have to get on with it and try to think about the next game.

"I think it's like that for everybody - not just Rangers and Celtic. Sometimes it works out for you and sometimes it works against you. That's football.

"Referees will always make mistakes but anybody can make mistakes. It's a difficult job. We are all human and we all make mistakes.

"The players just have to concentrate on trying to win matches."