Boss Roy Keane has told midfielder Grant Leadbitter not to pick up any more yellow cards for dissent. The Blues manager says that while bookings for tackles are inevitable for someone who plays in the centre of the midfield, three of the 24-year-old’s nine cautions this season having been for dissent and unnecessary.
The former Sunderland man faces a two-match ban if he picks up his 10th yellow card of the season before the second Sunday in April. Earlier in the season, Leadbitter missed the game at Crystal Palace having amassed five cautions.
Keane says Leadbitter shouldn’t let the situation alter the way he plays the game but has spoken to him regarding the cards for dissent: "He's obviously not listening. He's learning from the master. You can get the odd one for dissent but he's had three.
"That's unacceptable and players get disciplined for dissent. It's in their contracts. They get fined and that's standard procedure at most clubs.
"Grant's got to be careful. You've got to know how much to say to the referee and then back away.
"But he's obviously gone over that line once or twice. I've seen the bookings and he's deserved every one of them. But he's young and learning. I'm not going to shoot him — yet!”
Meanwhile, Keane says his players will do virtually no training during the weeks to come with seven games in 22 days.
The Town manager says it'll simply be a matter of playing games and recovering from those matches: "There won't be any training over the next few months, in terms of the lads involved in the first team. They will be playing Saturday, Tuesday, Saturday, Tuesday, until the end of the season.
"Game Tuesday, then Wednesday will be recovery, Thursday will probably be off and Friday we might work through a few set pieces, and just get ready."