Five Premier League games in and some players are already halfway to a ban

Matt Crooks has three yellow cards from three appearances for Hull City. Two more before Hull finish their 19th league match would bring a one-match ban. Six players are on three yellows on our Most Cards leaderboard, and Crooks is the only one who got there in three games. The other five needed five.

Hull's next three league matches are Everton at home on Sunday 11 October, Fulham away on Saturday 17 October and Brentford at home at 2pm on Sunday 25 October. If Crooks is booked against Everton and Fulham, he misses Brentford.

I wouldn't bench Crooks now just to protect him. Hull have too many league games left before the 19-match cut-off for that to work. If he gets his fourth against Everton, though, Fulham becomes a real selection decision. Hull can change his job in midfield, tell him to stay out of arguments with the referee, or leave him out. Doing nothing would be a decision too.

Premier League yellow cards after five games

Twelve players are on a score of three or more.

The top six are there because of red cards. A red carries its own ban and isn't added to the yellow-card count, so for the five-yellow rule the players to watch are the six on three. Crooks got there fastest.

Fatawu tops the board on two yellows and a red from five appearances.

Calvert-Lewin is the one that catches my eye. I didn't expect to be checking his ban count after five games. Janelt being here is less of a surprise, but the rule doesn't care whether a booking fits a player's reputation. Eight more are on two yellows, including Matty Cash, Jacob Greaves and Jair Cunha.

Hull have two players on three

Crooks isn't Hull's only concern. Oliver McBurnie is also on three yellows, from five appearances. That leaves two Hull players two bookings from a ban.

Hull were shown five yellows at Chelsea on 12 September and five more at Newcastle on 19 September. Ten in two away games is the number I'd want the coaching staff looking at before Everton. Hull need to stop the cheap ones: dissent, and fouls nowhere near danger.

Crooks's cards aren't coming from a high foul count. He isn't in Hull's top three on our Bad Boys board, where McBurnie and Mohamed Belloumi lead the club on seven fouls each and Elliot Stroud has six.

Fouls don't tell the same story as cards

Our Bad Boys board ranks players by fouls committed. Adrien Truffert and Sasa Lukic lead it on 11 each. Neither is in the first 20 on Most Cards.

Fatawu, Janelt and Calvert-Lewin sit high on both boards. Fatawu has ten fouls, level with four others just behind the top two. Janelt and Calvert-Lewin have nine each.

A clumsy nudge near the corner flag and a shirt pull that stops a break both count as one foul. I'd expect the second to bring a card.

That's why Crooks worries me more than Truffert or Lukic at this stage.

How the five-card rule works

Five bookings in a club's first 19 league matches bring a one-match ban in the same competition. Ten yellows up to and including the 32nd league match bring a two-match ban. Premier League yellows don't carry into the EFL Cup or FA Cup.

A player who gets through that fixture on four yellows has cleared the first threshold, although the ten-card rule still applies.

I'd act as soon as Crooks picks up his fourth card. If Hull treat that moment as routine, the fifth booking will pick the team for them.