QPR reaction given to Amadou Mbengue impact - one thing "which isn't good" made clear | OneFootball

FLW's QPR fan pundit feels that their new signing's only flaw is his poor disciplinary record

This article is part of Football League World's 'Terrace Talk' series, which provides personal opinions from our FLW Fan Pundits regarding the latest breaking news, teams, players, managers, potential signings and more…

Amadou Mbengue has slotted in perfectly in the QPR back line since he arrived from Reading in the summer.

The Hoops kept their first clean sheet of the season last time out in their 1-0 win over Stoke City, which was the third straight game in which the 23-year-old had partnered Liam Morrison at back for the full 90 minutes — all three of which resulted in wins.

Julien Stephan is starting to find some consistency in his QPR side after a hectic summer transfer window, and the former Rennes boss is seemingly starting to settle on a more recognisable eleven from game to game.

Therefore, there'll be some frustration among the R's fanbase that Mbengue has picked up four yellow cards in the six Championship games so far, and could have easily seen red for a challenge on Ben Pearson last time out against Stoke.

A consistent starting eleven will be necessary for success this season for QPR, and whilst injuries can't be avoided sometimes, suspensions can be, and FLW's Hoops' fan pundit, Louis Moir, believes that Mbengue's early disciplinary issues are the only drawback from his time at Loftus Road so far.

Speaking to Football League World, Moir was quick to praise new arrival Mbengue before going into his early disciplinary issues, which have seen him become one of six to have picked up four yellow cards in the opening six games of the Championship campaign.

"Mbengue has been quite the character since arriving from Reading. We haven't had a player like him in a long time. What a bloke!" he said.

"On the pitch, he's doing really well, but he has obviously picked up a few yellow cards, which isn't good. Four in six games, and if he gets another, he'll be suspended.

"But he's all out, he doesn't hide, and he'll slide in and put in a last-ditch tackle to help the team, even if it means getting sent off."

A sliding lunge almost saw the 23-year-old receive his marching orders for a challenge on Ben Pearson versus Stoke. At the time, the tackle received no punishment, but pictures have since revealed that he may have gotten away with one.

On that tackle, Moir added: "Photos made it look worse after the game, but admittedly, another ref on another day, despite getting the ball first, may have shown him red.

"I'm not too worried about it, but the first few games have seen him be a bit reckless. I'm not sure if that's just him and if he'll change, but I will say that he's played well.

"If there was one negative, though, it'd be his recklessness, and you sometimes feel a bit nervous purely due to the way he plays."

Ultimately, having players willing to get stuck in can be a good thing, as it makes you a cult hero for the club, but Moir would like Mbengue to be a little calmer in the future to avoid the centre-back pairing being disrupted too much.

"He's come in, played well and has been building a relationship with Liam Morrison at the back, and you don't want a player being suspended all the time. That won't benefit us because our centre-back pairing will be chopping and changing again," he said.

"He just needs to calm it a bit, because four yellows in six is quite ridiculous.

"Hopefully, he'll just settle a little more and know that he doesn't have to go and slide in all the time or be reckless. But overall, what a bloke, really happy with him and an incredible signing."

QPR will need to be wary of potential Amadou Mbengue suspension

Whilst frustrating, Julien Stephan will need to be prepared for a game without Mebngue in the near future. The threshold for five yellow cards runs out on gameweek 19, which is a good few months away, and the possibility of the 23-year-old going 13 more games without picking up a caution is almost slim-to-none.

Mbengue isn't too well-known for a terrible disciplinary record, and perhaps he's just adjusting to a new league after two years in League One, where he picked up 14 yellow cards and one red over the course of 71 games - numbers which you'd associate with a defender at any level.

As Moir alluded to, his numbers won't be causing anyone any stress for the time being, as defenders pick up cards all the time — five others have joined him on four cautions already this season — but if it continues like this over a longer time frame, there will certainly be frustrations when he misses a good amount of games through suspension.