Is Cardiff City Really A Dirty Side?

Cardiff City have recieved more red cards than any other club in the division. Bluebirds players have been given their marching orders on 9 separate occasions this season.

Loovens, McPhail, Walton (vs Leeds) were unlucky with their decisions while the likes of Purse and Gilbert (vs Leeds and Norwich City respectively) were completely unnecessary and avoidable.


On the basis of that, Cardiff City would be expected to be a dirty team collecting yellow cards for fun and conceding many fouls per match.

In fact, that is a long way from the truth. Cardiff City have 56 yellow cards (less than 1.5 per game) and only Colchester and Crystal Palace have collected fewer bookings.

On the fouls count, Cardiff fare just as well with 442 fouls so far this season, thats staggeringly less than 5 fouls per game. Only Colchester and Sheffield Wednesday have conceded fewer.

That is strange given the Owls niggly and committed performance on Saturday.



So Cardiff City commit few fouls, rarely pick up yellow cards - but are often sent off? True, Mark Clattenburg swayed the stats given his 2 red cards in the CCFC vs LUFC game but it is a little strange.


Maybe Cardiff need to be a little more aggressive and give away a few more fouls, Steve Thompson could put himself about more akin to Deon Burton last home game.


A Swansea City supporter assures me that Welsh clubs are victimised especially in away games.

Perhaps Cardiff City players go in particularly rashly when under pressure and frustrated (Simon Walton!).


If you have any opinions / theories regarding Cardiff City's predicament, form, media or official bias or just bad luck - feel free to leave your comment at the foot of this article.

Click here to join in the debate on the club forum.