Leeds have picked up just 29 yellow cards so far under Farke’s leadership, which is the lowest tally of any English Football League club, and their one red card came from two bookable offences.
For a comparison, Stoke City sit at the top of the bookings table with 50 already after 19 games, while Southampton have 49, and Leicester and Ipswich have both picked up 44.
Writing for the Yorkshire Evening Post [5 August], Donnohue shared: “Elland Road has long been the home of ‘Dirty Leeds’, but the very moniker which has become synonymous with the Whites has never been further from the truth under Daniel Farke.
“United have picked up the fewest yellow cards of any team in English football’s second, third or fourth tiers, accruing just 29 cautions – and one red for two bookable offences – in their 19 Championship outings so far, making them the division’s cleanest side.
“Leeds have hardly been known to curry favour with referees but this season, the youthful bunch, steered by Farke at the helm, are the officials’ pocketbook darlings, whether fans of the club like it or not.”
Is this a positive or a negative?
To put it simply, picking up fewer bookings means fewer players are likely to be suspended, be it through red cards or an accumulation of yellows. This means the first-choice side is more often than not available to Farke with injuries the only issue.
Crysencio Summerville’s four yellow cards this season had him walking a tightrope with suspension a possibility, but the cut-off point for the accumulation of bookings was after the 19th game of the season, which passed against Middlesbrough.
However, a more negative viewpoint could suggest it shows these Leeds players lack that bit of bite which is sometimes required to achieve results at this level, particularly when the games get tough.
Some of the famed Leeds teams of the past thrived on their “Dirty Leeds” tag, becoming masters of the dark arts of football which would inevitably wind up opposition fans, much to the adoration of those inside Elland Road. Could that now be something they miss?
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