Football: New season, same old list of offenders
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Your support makes all the difference.Another season, another batch of familar names entering referees' notebooks around the country.
Arsenal, whose disciplinary record was the poorest in the Premiership last season (81 yellow cards, five reds) despite the cultured guidance of Arsene Wenger, made sure their campaign got away to a flying start by exercising Dermot Gallagher's pen four times at Elland Road.
Naturally, the Frenchman Patrick Vieira, cautioned 11 times last year, was among them. Indeed, Gallagher took a dislike to Arsenal's Gallic contingent in general, also booking Gilles Grimandi, Emmanuel Petit and Remi Garde.
David Batty, whose card count also reached 11 last term, began with another yellow against Sheffield Wednesday, where Peter Jones was in charge, while John Moncur, with a reputation for upsetting officials overshadowed only by John Hartson at West Ham, took an early lead over his team-mate by incurring the displeasure of Alan Wilkie at Barnsley.
Happily, guessing who is liable to be suspended will be a more straightforward business this season with the scrapping of the disciplinary points system. In future, a booking will be a booking, whatever the offence, with suspensions automatic after five, eight and 11 yellow cards.
On last year's form, Leeds (76 yellows, one red), Chelsea (72-2) and West Ham (67-2) are the Premiership sides most likely to lose players. Well-behaved Wimbledon (37-1), Liverpool (42-1) and Leicester (48-1) have the least to fear.
Among the more card-happy referees, Leicester's Paul Danson, who issued them at a rate of four per match last season, is no longer on the list but Birmingham's Mike Reed, who matched that with 100 cards in 25 games, still lies in wait.
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