We all like to think our team are fair, and it’s the opposition that are the thugs, don’t we?

Football is like watching a superhero movie. Your team are the paragons of virtue who do things the right way, and the opposition is the faceless henchmen led by an evil villain. If you get a foul given against you, it is harsh, but if you’re fouled, it’s just par for the course.

Football isn’t really like that; most teams are capable of the odd cynical foul, and very rarely does a team genuinely come up against a truly dirty opponent. Some are more robust than others, usually a Steve Evans’ side, but there are few proper hatchet men like those of old.

Fans of a certain vintage will remember Red Card Roy, Terry Hurlock and Vinnie Jones. These were players who really did go out to foul, kick, punch and even headbutt at times. Today’s game is far more serene, but there are still players and teams out there that commit more fouls than most. It might be marginal, but the stats don’t lie.

So, who are the dirtiest teams and players across the EFL and National League? We’ve turned to football stats provided by Wyscout to find you the ones you really do need to look out for every Saturday afternoon.

It’s time to find out whether your team or your favourite player might actually be the bad guy!

These stats are for total fouls committed, not fouls committed per 90 minutes.

Championship

Teams

224 – Stoke City

215 – Sheffield Wednesday

213 – Birmingham City

211 – Watford

211 –  Preston North End

Players

29 – J. Hugill, Rotherham United

29 – Sam Morsy, Ipswich Town

27 – Yakou Meïté , Cardiff City

27 – Cameron Pring, Bristol City

26 – Hayden Hackney, Middlesbrough

League One

Teams

226 – Stevenage

204 – Bolton Wanderers

200 – Wigan Athletic

194 – Burton Albion

193 – Fleetwood Town

Players

45 – Jordan Roberts, Stevenage

42 – Gassan Ahadme, Cambridge United

32 – Josh Vela, Fleetwood Town

29 – James Collins, Derby County

26 – George Dobson, Charlton Athletic

League Two

Teams

249 – Accrington Stanley

215 – AFC Wimbledon

203 – Grimsby Town

201 – Newport County

196 – Salford City

Players

36 – Josh Andrews, Accrington Stanley

34 – Will Evans, Newport County

32 – Omar Bugiel, AFC Wimbledon

32 – Jamie Walker, Bradford City

31 – Joe Ironside, Doncaster Rovers

Gary H

Founder and Editor-in-Chief at The Real EFL, Gary is a passionate Lincoln City fan with extensive content creation across the Championship and EFL. He also shares expert football betting tips.