Barton has clearly left his mark on Fleetwood’s philosophy
At the end of the day, there is only one league table that matters in football: the actual league table, ranking every team in that league from best to worst based on the results that they pick up throughout the season. However, football obsessives can’t help but create alternative tables.
Our curiosity of how football might look if it were based on different factors gets the better of us – which is where form tables, calendar year tables, and slightly more niche league tables based on disciplinary records.
With data collected from the FA website, the good folks at Portsmouth FC have formulated a League One league table ranking all 24 teams from cleanest to dirtiest.
It is measured like this: a caution = 4 points; a denial of a goal scoring opportunity or dismissal for 2 cautions = 10 points; and violent conduct, serious foul play, spitting or offensive and abusive language =12 points.
Based on this criteria, Joey Barton’s Fleetwood Town – currently 10th in the actual League One table – would rank first in this alternative table, making them the dirtiest team in League One. The Cod Army have been shown 64 cautions and five red cards – accumulating to 310 disciplinary points. Bradford City would sit just behind them in 2nd, having accumulated 294 disciplinary points.
With a record like this, you can’t say Barton hasn’t made an impact in his first job as a manager. Famously a shithouse on the pitch as a player, Barton has carried that aggression into coaching and the players are evidently listening to him.
You can view the full alternative league table here.
