The worst disciplinary record in all 4 divisions - even worse than Leeds. Add the league fines, it is pretty shabby. Any ideas why it is so bad when we are considered to be one of the footballing sides in the division and couldn't out-muscle bambi?
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As we all know, compared to the Stoke's, Burnley's, Watford's & Hull's of this division, we're not a physical side.
A bit too quick to get wound up, maybe - and too often we've paid the price for retaliation.
But there does appear to be a streak of indiscipline shown by too many of our players.
I'm talking about dissent - what's the point of gobbing off to a referee? I know there have been several shocking refereeing performances: Argyle, Burnley & yesterday against Hull obviously spring to mind.
We need competitive players with fire in their bellies - but it's mindless to take on a referee no matter how inept his performance. So how many cards this season are down to dissent?
The suspensions are coming thick and fast now - damaging the team, especially coupled with the increasing number of players absent injured or those having to play on with injuries - Powell, Ambrose, Iwelumo & ZZ - who can't be afforded recovery time and play only half-fit and half-paced.
Senseless bookings for dissent are avoidable.
Pards needs to sort this one urgently - otherwise we are going to play the rest of the season with an unnecessarily weakened team.
I've been saying how dirty other teams are, and yet, to an outsider, we are the worst!
Perhaps our players are trying to over-compensate for the fact they are not as physical (dirty) as others in this division?
Its not great, but its not worst in the league. Barnet have had 6 off, while Orient, Southend, Wrexham and Grimsby have had five off.
But it's the sheer number of yellows for dissent that I find incredible.
That's just a lack of self discipline in the team.
And it's hitting us badly.
Cov 45
Burnley 43
Barnsley 43
QPR 42
Preston 42
Charlton 42
Reds:
Burnley, Charlton, Norwich, Scunthorpe
Good point, Ledge - but it's the senseless yellows for dissent rather than fouls in open play that are causing a big part of the problem.
Any player at any standard from Prem to park football is going to disagree with refereeing decisions.
But even the park player knows gobbing off to the ref will damage the team and hit himself in the pocket.
So why are our experienced professionals so indisciplined that they have to argue the toss with a ref?
It's happened so many times this season.
And no ref has ever changed his decision just because a player has given him a mouthful of abuse.
The only small positive is that the team are still undefeated when reduced to 10 men.
And hate to say I told you so, but I did re Mills being an accident waiting to happen. That's four points chucked away in the past two games due to silly sendings off. So we may be undefeated as 10 men, but at this rate it's still going to cost us promotion.
We will all feel pretty sick if we missed promotion by a single point.
And it's games like Hull on Saturday & Norwich today where we may very well have got maximum points that could be the difference.