Having savoured the splendours of Spurs’ win over Bolton at first-hand yesterday, the suspension update comes with something of a personal touch this evening.
We’ll start then at my game and with the disciplinary talking point of Saturday’s match ups – Gary Cahill’s red card. The Bolton defender was given his marching orders by referee Stuart Atwell for a foul on Scott Parker after 17 mins that was deemed to be ‘denying a goal-scoring opportunity’. A 1 match ban will result, meaning Bolton will be without both Cahill and last week’s headliner, David Wheater, for the GW15 game hosting Aston Villa.
Most onlookers were in agreement that the decision was extremely harsh (or an ‘absolute disgrace’ as Bolton Chairman Phil Gartside put it), and when viewed in the context of a yellow card for Chelsea’s David Luiz four minutes into the Saturday lunchtime game for a much more clear cut ‘professional foul’, they may have a point.
In the other games, we saw another red card, this time for Swansea’s Joe Allen who picked up a first yellow for throwing the ball away and followed it with a second late on at Ewood park for a push on Junior Hoilett, to earn himself an early bath and a ban for GW15 (FUL).
Joining him as new entries to the ban list are the aforementioned David Luiz – that yellow card his fifth of the season, meaning he will miss next week’s Monday Night Football against the league leaders (mci) – and perennial offender, Lee Cattermole. The Sunderland midfielder also picked up his fifth booking in this afternoon’s live game, with his ban to be served against Blackburn.
As well as the suspensions, there were also a couple of additional inductees to the Suspension Tightrope this week. Arsenal’s Alex Song and Bolton right back Paul Robinson both picked up their fourth yellow cards of the season to join the merry balancing band one yellow card from a ban.
Gameweek 15 Bans
- Stephen N’Zonzi (Blackburn) – FA Charge (Last of 3 matches)
- Gary Cahill (Bolton) – 1 Red for a professional foul (1 match)
- David Wheater (Bolton) – 1 Red for serious foul play (Second of 4 matches)
- David Luiz (Chelsea) – 5 Yellows (1 match)
- Lee Cattermole (Sunderland) – 5 Yellows (1 match)
- Joe Allen (Swansea) – 1 Red for 2 bookings (1 match)
Suspension Tightrope – Four bookings
- Alex Song (Arsenal)
- Gabby Agbonlahor (Aston Villa)
- Stiliyan Petrov (Aston Villa)
- Paul Robinson (Bolton)
- Frank Lampard (Chelsea)
- Brede Hangeland (Fulham)
- Steve Sidwell (Fulham)
- Yohan Cabaye (Newcastle)
- Ryan Shawcross (Stoke)
- Glenn Whelan (Stoke)
