Astounding disciplinary switch at Newcastle United set to be completed – Almost there | OneFootball

Picking up 26 yellow cards in the opening 10 Premier League matches, it looked like Newcastle United would be heading for serious disciplinary problems as the season went on.

The Premier League rules are that if you pick up five bookings in the opening 19 PL games of the season, you get a one match suspension.

Then 10 yellow cards within the first 32 PL games of the season earns a two game ban.

With a three game suspension if you manage to pick up 15 yellow cards in a Premier League season.

After 31 Newcastle United matches in the Premier League this season, here is the situation with PL yellow cards..

The 2024/25 Premier League leaderboard for Newcastle United players and yellow cards:

9 Joelinton

8 Burn

6 Schar

4 Bruno

3 Hall, Murphy

2 Gordon, Longstaff, Kelly, Pope, Willock

1 Wilson, Livramento, Botman, Isak, Trippier

It is quite astounding the disciplinary turn around as the season has progressed.

After the 26 yellow cards in the opening 10 Premier League matches, only 27 bookings in the next 21 PL games (numbers 11 to 31). Indeed, whilst there were four bookings for NUFC players in the 2-1 home defeat to Fulham, the other ten of the most recent eleven PL matches have seen United players pick up just another six yellows.

Joelinton picked up his most recent Premier League booking in that defeat to Fulham on 1 February, which put him on the nine yellows tightrope, but somehow he has managed not to trigger a further two game suspension (he missed Ipswich away after picking up five in the first half of the season, whilst Burn missed West Ham at home after quickly reaching five). Fabian Schar picked up a three match suspension but that was due to a red card in the opening PL game of the season against Southampton.

As well as saving legs when Joelinton was one of those subbed on Sunday against Man U at St James’ Park. Ensuring no daft 10th PL booking may well have also been a factor in Eddie Howe’s thinking. Especially as things were getting a ‘little’ fractious between our Brazilian (who only cost forty million…) and Man U’s Ugarte. Bruno subbed off at the same time and ‘encouraging’ Joelinton off the pitch to avoid the referee having to step in.

Joelinton now just has to get through this match against Palace without a yellow, to avoid a two game ban.

It is strange how occasionally some things don’t really register, when there is a change of circumstances.

If you had asked me how Newcastle United were doing for discipline this season, I would have guessed NUFC were still towards the worst end of things, when it came to Premier League bookings.

However, this is how it looks, the three Premier League clubs with most bookings this season and the three with the least (the number of bookings is ahead of each team:

89 Chelsea

81 Southampton