Is it fair that cup yellows/reds count towards league games?

[dirtygary69]

Let me just say, I have no real answer to what the solution might be but I've just been thinking that surely it's a little bit harsh.

We were one of 16 teams out of a possible 92 that progressed in the Capital One Cup. Some sort of achievement, I guess, yet our players (and those of the 15 other teams) ran the risk of picking up cautions that could and have affected the league season. Our opponents on Saturday, West Ham, didn't make it as far as us in the cup yet, because they had no game, their players didn't run the same risk that ours did.

Surely, then, that means that the further you progress, the more you are penalised in terms of picking up yellow and red cards. To be banned by November for accumulation is maybe a bit OTT to be fair (Bardsley) but West Ham went out in Round Two, meaning they had two less games than us to collect yellow and red cards.


I know it's a difficult situation to manage and I might be talking utter bollocks but I thought it was interesting. Obviously you'd have to pinpoint exactly when it became a fair/unfair advantage and it's not something that's likely to be looked at; however, I do think it's penalisation of some sort.

The teams in the quarter finals (a more important stage of the competition) now have to tread carefully as it could mean missing an important league match against a team that maybe went out two or three rounds earlier. Is that fair?

[Lakeland Potter]

It never seemed to be a problem for most Stokies before yesterday's game! If you confine red card bans to the cups many players will not serve their bans until the following season.

[thebet365]

Flip side, Ivanovic got sent off, probably wouldn't have played against Shrewsbury, Is now available for the next league match.

[metalhead]

Oct 30, 2014 13:30:35 GMT Lakeland Potter said:

It never seemed to be a problem for most Stokies before yesterday's game! If you confine red card bans to the cups many players will not serve their bans until the following season.

Agreed.

[dirtygary69]

Oct 30, 2014 13:30:35 GMT Lakeland Potter said:

It never seemed to be a problem for most Stokies before yesterday's game! If you confine red card bans to the cups many players will not serve their bans until the following season.

That's why I said I have no real solution, more of a discussion. Surely it can't be argued that the further you progress, the more likely you are to pick up bookings and suspensions?

It works like that in the Champions League. If you get suspended but exit the competition, it's carried over until you next play in European competition, whether that be the following season or not. Chances are, the players playing in the league cup this season will be playing in it next season too.

If Pelle would have got sent off yesterday and Southampton still went through, wouldn't it make more sense for him to be banned for the next round rather than in the league?

[jeycov]

I believe that yellow cards etc in the Europa league do not affect the Premier League / Championship games here in England.

I seem to remember Huth having to miss a game after 2 yellows in the group stage of our European adventure

His ban did not apply in the league

Do Premiership players who are suspended here have to miss European Games?

The FA Cup and Capita One Cup are based here in England (and Wales) but teams and their players can be disadvantaged by doing well in these competitions

Possibly in the minds of clubs who rest their most important players?

[2004]

I don't think cup yellows should be counted towards the league because they are 2 different competitions. It is that simple.

[rawli]

It's fair when our next opponents have a player suspended because of it.

It's unfair when it affects us.

[AlliG]

It is one more excuse for clubs to put out weakened teams.

The 2 teams who get to the final will have played 6 or 7 games in the competiton by the time we reach the deadline for the 5 bookings means a suspension.

If a defender plays all of those games he is likely to pick up say 2 bookings which means he would only need 3 League bookings to get a suspension. (With Bardsley on 4 bookings I wouldn't have played him last night because of the risk of suspension)

If the League & Cup games were treated separately for disciplinary reasons (current 5 /10 bookings for a suspension in the League & say 2 for a suspension in the cup with the slate wiped clean after say 3 games without a booking) then we might see managers pick stronger teams.

I certainly don't see anything to lose in trying it out. If it doesn't work, well you just try something else.