Disciplinary tightrope

[billycopper]

Apologies if it's been posted elsewhere but Barry, Barkley and Howard are all 1 booking away from a suspension too.

I imagine that Roberto won't ask them to get booked to get the suspension out of the way because he didn't seem to do anything different when McCarthy had the ban hanging over him.

What would happen though if Barry got yellow-carded against Fulham? If Barkley went on to pick up a caution in the same match we could be without two thirds of our centre midfield for the trip to Swansea.

According to Opta McCarthy didn't make a single tackle in the Palace game, where he was under threat of missing the derby. If Barry and Barkley tiptoe around against Fulham it could hand the initiative to the opposition.

Maybe the answer would be to start with them both and ask them to play their natural game. If one of them gets booked we could bring the other one off to save them both potentially being suspended for the same game.

We can't really rotate because we only have Osman in reserve and he will be covering for McCarthy. Perhaps we should play Mirallas in the hole and reward Deulofeu by starting him on the right. Then, if Barry does get carded, Barkley won't be missing for the same match.

 

[Eggs]

...you can't plan for this type of event, you just manage it if it happens. The real problem would've come if Barry and McCarthy were missing at the same time. Most sides will have suspensions and injuries over the festive period and we have enough options to cope.

 

[roydo]

I thought Barry was out of the Fulham game after the card at Arsenal.........

 

[Khalekan]

No, that's McCarthy.

Barry is now one yellow away from a suspension.

 

[ncblue]

when a player gets 5 yellows and is suspended, does that mean the game after he's back to 0 yellows or is it 4?

 

[BoysInBlue]

I thought Barry was out of the Fulham game after the card at Arsenal.........

Nope. McCarthy is the one who is banned as he's reached 5 yellows.

Howard, Barry and Barkley are all on 4 yellows.

 

[tim cahill]

How has Howard managed to get himself 4 bookings???

 

[BoysInBlue]

when a player gets 5 yellows and is suspended, does that mean the game after he's back to 0 yellows or is it 4?

Yeah, he's back to 0 yellows after serving his suspension.

Then if he gets booked another 5 times, after his 5th one (which will actually be his 10th in total), he is banned for 2 games.

 

[Big Fat Sam]

Has a goalkeeper ever been banned for collecting five yellows in a season before?

Howard could be on a suspension by the second week of December. Hilarious!

I know at least two of his yellows have been laughable, can't remember the other two. Madness.

 

[BoysInBlue]

How has Howard managed to get himself 4 bookings???

3 for dissent and 1 for timewasting.

1 of the dissents was for protesting the penalty at City.
The timewasting one was against Arsenal.

 

[ncblue]

Yeah, he's back to 0 yellows after serving his suspension.

Then if he gets booked another 5 times, after his 5th one (which will actually be his 10th in total), he is banned for 2 games.

Thanks.

 

[Eggs]

I thought Barry was out of the Fulham game after the card at Arsenal.........

...I didn't think so, I just thought McCarthy was missing.

 

[Bruce Wayne]

We have Naismith don't forget

 

[Eggs]

...I think there's an amnesty in January and everybody starts again. Might have that wrong, though.

 

[jts73]

There's always Heitinga!