Bans no longer cross the boundary from the reserves to the first team - which is some consolation for Richard, who was given his marching orders for a second yellow card against Derby on Tuesday.
Taking up the story, he says: "I think he has given me a card for dissent, but the ball has only gone two metres away from me. It was between my legs and I have punched it into the ground.
"It has slid away and he has sent me off which I thought was quite strange - I wasn't upset at the referee or anything, it was just that the ball had gone out of play.
"If they could have broken and maybe scored, or I'd shown dissent at a decision, you could understand it, but it wasn't anything like that so it was a bit strange.
"As soon as he pulled me over I thought 'you are having a laugh aren't you?' and then I walked off - what else could I do?
"He didn't say much except that he had booked one of their players in the first half for exactly the same thing but I thought he couldn't have because what I did wasn't anything out of the ordinary."
In the 2-2 draw, Rams goalkeeper Patrick Foletti was booked for diving, and Richard adds: "The boys told me about that. It was pretty strange as well, and I think the whole refereeing was a bit weird.
"Even Izzy Iriekpen got a yellow card for kicking the ball back to their player. If you can't even give the ball back to them when they have got a free kick, what can you do?"
But at least the performance, against a Derby side who had Francois Grenet sent off, was good after a 2-0 defeat at Coventry the week before was described as the worst of the season by Roger Cross.
"I think we played well," says Richard. "Derby are looking to win the league and that is twice we have played them and twice we could have won, so it is a bit disappointing we didn't take our chances to get all the points," says Richard.
The game marked Anton Ferdinand's full debut for the reserves, and Richard says: "He played really well. He has been improving in training and good luck to him - hopefully he will become a regular."
Comparing him to older brother Rio is as inevitable as it is perhaps unfair, but Richard says: "They are quite similar in the way they look and their height but they are different in the way they play. Anton has got some characteristics of his brother, but he has got a fair bit of catching up to do.
"I'm sure he will go further than him. Anton is even cooler on the ball than Rio, if you can imagine that."
Meanwhile, the young Aussie reveals that his new contract is all but signed and sealed, which comes as a relief as his contract runs out this summer.
"Just the final details are being done and it is pretty much signed, really. It is just having the time and doing the thing properly, but it will be signed in the next week or so when we get around to it," he says.
"I am happy at West Ham and it looks like I am getting a chance so it is really just up to me and the way I play.
"Hopefully we can get another couple of wins under our belt and then the pressure is off, and maybe I can get a few more games under my belt to get a bit more experience.
"The first team is what everyone at the club aspires to and for me it has been a great season coming through, getting a few games and being on the bench.
"I'm just hoping I can improve more and more each day and hopefully cement my position in the first team."