In form player Jacob Greaves of Hull City claims that having nine cards hanging over him has actually improved his play since he knows he could be suspended soon.
Since receiving his warning against Sheffield Wednesday on New Year’s Day, the Tigers defender has had nine bookings. Should he receive one more before the end of the Leicester game on March 9, he will lose two games as a result of receiving 10 yellow cards before the game’s 37th game.
Greaves, who will make his 31st City appearance of the year on Saturday against Huddersfield Town, acknowledges that he has changed his style of play to attempt to avoid receiving a tenth warning, which has helped him grow.
Having received five yellow cards in the season’s first eight games, Greaves was forced to sit out the draw with Plymouth Argyle on September 30. Since then, he has only had three cautions in the 22 games played, and he believes this has improved his play.
When asked whether he had to change his approach, Greaves responded, “Yes, a little bit,” to Hull Live. “I would probably say that I’m a little more cautious when talking to the referee. It’s not that I speak badly to them, but I just want to be extra cautious in case I get booked for asking for something. You know, these days, if you ask for someone to be carded or anything like that, you end up getting booked yourself or kicking the ball away.
“In the 95th minute of the game (against Rotherham), Rocky (Ryan Allso) handed me the ball and we were ahead 2-1. I felt the referee could book me for wasting time, so I tossed it back, and he recognised himself. “You don’t want to get another booking,” the referee (Leigh Doughty) said, merely attempting to be cautious.
“I will be booked if I am. I’m not scared to take a shot for the team or anything else, but I have made a conscious effort to be more cautious and much more organised when I make tackles. However, I believe that in addition to trying not to be booked, I’ve also likely been talking a lot more and staying up a bit longer, which has definitely helped me as well.
“When I go back over my nine reservations, I believe I’ve had some very bizarre ones. I have a lot on my schedule, which is annoying, but it’s something I have to get used to. I had no idea that the (five-booking) rule even existed. It wasn’t something I gave much thought to until I was suspended for the Plymouth game. Missing that game was quite annoying, but rules are rules, and you have to play by them. All I’m attempting to do is maintain my cleanliness.”
The 23-year-old has also expressed his respect for Rebecca Welch, the referee. This weekend’s match at John Smith’s Stadium will mark the official’s second City appearance of the season; she presided over the team’s 4-1 victory against Rotherham at the end of November.
“She’s probably the best ref that we’ve had all season in terms of her aura, the way where she spoke,” Greaves said. “I think I get along well with most of the refs, but she was really fantastic that night, and our victory really helped.
“She’s been an excellent ref and the way she spoke to us, the way she carried herself on the pitch was a breath of fresh air and hopefully that can be the case again come Saturday. In the game, she was quite open in terms of speaking to you, in the tunnel at half time, you’d have a little discussion with her, a little chat, she was friendly, and you could get on with her, it was just like speaking to one of your teammates. She was nice, she’s a good ref.
You get different refs, you get different personalities, it’s just like in a different workspace, everyone’s different. You get on with some refs, you might not get on with some others. I seem to have a good relationship with quite a few of them. They all seem sound with me, but yes, she was probably the best we’ve had this season in terms of the actual decisions that she made.
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