Play your cards right?
While on the subject of the “Suspension Tightrope” - we might well see those players currently on the edge of a one match ban due to five yellows, look to “strategically” pick up a yellow card over the next couple of matches.
The FA Cup third round falls on the weekend of January 5 and any player picking up a fifth booking either tomorrow or on this weekend in the Premiership, will sit out their respective tie if it falls seven days later. Bearing in mind that many Premiership sides are likely to field a good few second string players for their FA Cup ties, I just wonder if we’ll see some strategic thinking taking place with regards to bans.
The likes of Carragher, Lampard, Carvalho, Essien and Evra are all currently sitting on four bookings. It will be interesting to see how many of those manage to pick up a fifth booking by the end of the weekend.
Liverpool face Wigan at Anfield a week on Sunday, while United travel to Villa for their tie on the Saturday. Hardly gimme’s. However, As Gobbi pointed out in an earlier post, Chelsea face QPR a week on Sunday, a game which they may feel they can win without Lampard, Essien and Carvalho in order to reduce the risk of them missing a crucial Premiership game.
Such cynicism at Christmas can’t be good.
Strategic bookings. Now that does depress me.
It’d be nice if the FA slapped an extra game ban on anyone getting deliberately carded. Impossible to prove of course, and not the sort of strong line those jellyfish would take anyway.
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Don’t be so cynical. Playing in the FA cup ranks among the proudest moments of a premier league footballer’s career.
I’m sure they’d be absolutely gutted if they picked up a booking to miss it.
Expect waterworks- Gazza style….
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hehe…it’s a wild theory Old Gregg. Maybe I’ve had one too many Baileys
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heh. QPR will go down even with Shaun Wright-Phillips in goal
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