The Suspension Tightrope Returns

This evening we bring back the Scout’s Suspension Tightrope widget, which is now available in your right sidebars under the Watchlist rankings.

For those of you less familiar with these pages, the tightrope offers a window into the more nefarious antics of the Premier League and the impact these indiscretions may have upon our Fantasy form. Cards are counted up from League Cup, FA cup and Premier League matches and the table is updated after each Gameweek – we’ll aim to share the Fantasy implications of the latest yellows and reds dished out by referees as we go.

We’ll bring you news of all the suspensions to blight our game, along with a regular update of the yellow card totals of the most heinous perpetrators as they approach the precipice of a ban and mount the ‘Suspension Tightrope’.

At present, there is just one player currently teetering on the brink of a one-match ban. Arsenal’s Mathieu Flamini is the man in question, after picking up his fourth caution of the season in the Gunners’ draw against West Brom on Sunday afternoon – the Frenchman has now been booked in four of his five league appearances since returning to the Emirates this summer.

Given Flamini’s propensity for picking up yellows, he looks highly likely to be facing suspension soon – essentially, he has to avoid incurring the referee’s wrath up to and including December 31, when the card quota is then extended to 10.

Plenty of others currently sit on three yellows, with just a couple more cautions set to trigger a ban. Amongst the most notable in Fantasy terms, the list includes Chelsea’s Branislav Ivanovic, who is owned by 30% of Fantasy Premier League (FPL) managers, whilst cut-price midfielder Ross Barkley and Ravel Morrison are also in the mix, along with the likes of Craig Gardner, Jon Walters and Marouane Chamakh.

Fernando Torres and Lucas are now both available after each served a one-match suspension in the previous Gameweek. Torres is still sidelined with a knee injury, though, while his former Liverpool team-mate is expected to return to the fold as Brendan Rodgers takes his team to Tyneside to face Newcastle next time around.