With gameweek 12 now complete, it’s time to round up all the miscreants and take stock of the ramifications their offences will bring. We’ve already spoken of the 22 Saturday yellows in our previous review and after the addition of the Sunday and Monday games, that yellow card count ticked up to 29.
However, there were no further names joining Wigan’s Antolin Alcaraz, and the Saturday additions, Joey Barton, David Dunn, Stephen Hunt and Jamie O’Hara on the ban list for gameweek 13 (extending to GW14 in the case of the Wigan man).
Meanwhile, the population of the Suspension Tightrope was boosted tonight by a fourth yellow card for Villa’s reborn Bulgarian, Stiliyan Petrov. There are now up to 11 nervous souls on the tightrope, with Saturday’s new faces: Ryan Shawcross and Lee Cattermole, already making themselves uncomfortable on the high wire.
The final mention in the shake-up from gameweek 12 must go to the card happy pair of Steven N’Zonzi and Lucas Leiva. The Blackburn and Liverpool enforcers both picked up further yellows over the weekend. N’Zonzi’s in the bizarre 3-3 draw at Wigan, making that six in just 12 league appearances, with Lucas’ yellow in the win against Chelsea, his sixth in 13 games across league and cup this season. The pair now forge ahead together in the lead of the card ‘race’, with a two-match ban; the prize if either (or both) of them makes it to 10 before the distant April 8 deadline.
Gameweek 13 Bans
- Antolin Alcaraz (Wigan) – FA Charge
- Joey Barton (QPR) – 5 Yellows
- David Dunn (Blackburn) – 1 Red for 2 bookings
- Stephen Hunt (Wolves) – 5 Yellows
- Jamie O’Hara (Wolves) – 5 Yellows
Gameweek 13 Tightrope
- Gabby Agbonlahor (Aston Villa)
- Stiliyan Petrov (Aston Villa)
- Frank Lampard (Chelsea)
- John Terry (Chelsea)
- Brede Hangeland (Fulham)
- Steve Sidwell (Fulham)
- Gareth Barry (Man City)
- Ryan Shawcross (Stoke)
- Glenn Whelan (Stoke)
- Lee Cattermole (Sunderland)
- Richard Stearman (Wolves)
