It’s exactly a year since Fabian Delph was the first to climb aboard last season’s 10 yellow card Suspension Tightrope. For the last six games, the Villa midfielder had the chance to repeat that feat but, while he continued to press his claims for international recognition, including a goal (and own goal) in the win over West Brom in January, a defeated opponent from that Midlands derby has been steadily making his way up the charts to pip Delph at the post.
With a third booking of 2014 secured in stoppage time against Fulham at The Hawthorns on Saturday, Jonas Olsson became the first man to reach nine yellows this season and subsequently earn first place on the second tightrope of the season.
Replacing Olsson in the band on eight yellows, was Everton’s Gareth Barry, booked (eventually) for a series of fouls in the Saturday lunchtime defeat to Chelsea. The Toffees midfielder joins David Luiz, Marouane Chamakh, Wayne Rooney, Jon Walters and Claudio Yacob, who, along with the aforementioned Delph, made it through the weekend with his copybook unblotted.
This week’s Tightrope, which highlights those players with at least seven cautions accrued, now has 23 names. Four teams supply us with three players apiece – West Brom (Olsson, Yacob and Fabrice Mulumbu), Villa (Delph, Gabby Agbonlahor and Ciaran Clark, Chelsea (Luiz, Branislav Ivanovicand Ramires and Newcastle (Mathieu Debuchy, Moussa Sissoko and Cheick Tiote.
With no new suspensions from the weekend, we just need to tidy up the returning faces, as Craig Bellamy, Wes Brown and Andy Carroll are once again available for selection. While Bellamy and Carroll face up to fixtures at Spurs and Everton respectively, Brown is set for a Capital One Cup Final clash with City and, with an FA Cup fixture the following weekend, won’t be back for league duties until March 15, when the Black Cats welcome Palace to the Stadium of Light in Gameweek 20.
