The old adage states that the Championship is a physical league and you need to match that physicality to have success. There's matching the physical challenge the second tier represents and then there's going that fraction too far, racking up the bookings in the process.
That's been an issue for Sunderland this season on their return to arguably the most unpredictable league in world football. Far from being a dirty side, Tony Mowbray's men still find themselves almost sitting at the bottom of a league table nobody wants to be last in, the fair play standings.
The Black Cats' 54 yellow cards this season is a Championship high, some 23 more than the Fair Play table-topping Queens Park Rangers, while their one red card adds to the total for a standing of 59 points. With suspensions something Mowbray needs to avoid to give his side the best possible chance of victory once the season gets going again next month, Sunderland will hope to clean up their act a little in that regard.
