West Brom failed in their bid to secure an instant return to the Premier League this season partly down to having some of the dirtiest players in the 2021/22 Championship campaign.
The Baggies dropped out of the top-flight last term alongside Fulham and Sheffield United. Yet unlike the Cottagers, who will go back up as champions, second-tier football will return to The Hawthorns again in 2022/23. The Blades could still earn promotion via the play-offs.
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Falling off the promotion pace by February also saw West Brom sack Valerien Ismael after just seven months in charge. He departed the West Midlands with the club fifth and eight points from the automatic spots. The Baggies ended up 10th, eight points off the play-offs.
Referees had brandished five red cards to West Brom players through Ismael’s time at the Hawthorns helm. An additional two red cards were also issued to Baggies players following Steve Bruce’s arrival in charge, for a joint division-high seven as a club with Derby County.
Blackburn Rovers and Bournemouth hold the next-worst disciplinary records with five red cards for the 2021/22 season. The Ewood Park natives often found themselves earning the referees’ attention this term, with the Lancashire side also earning the most yellows (107).
Cardiff City and Middlesbrough followed Blackburn in receiving the most cautions with 104 and 102 respectively. Derby, meanwhile, ranked sixth as a club with 88 despite earning the joint-most red cards. As for West Brom, the Baggies earned the 18th-most yellows with 78.
So, who were the dirtiest players in the 2021/22 regular Championship season, including stars from West Brom, Derby, promoted Bournemouth, Middlesbrough and Coventry City?
West Brom star Furlong among Championship’s dirtiest players on two red cards
Five players account for the seven red cards that West Brom received during the 2021/22 Championship campaign, as one of the dirtiest clubs with Derby. Darnell Furlong and Jake Livermore received their marching orders twice, with reds under both Ismael and Bruce.
Furlong earned his first red on October 30 at Fulham for denying a goalscoring opportunity by fouling Bobby de Cordova-Reid. He later saw red again on April 18 at Nottingham Forest for two yellows after 17 minutes for a late challenge on Philip Zinckernagel and a handball.
Livermore, meanwhile, earned his marching orders at Huddersfield Town on November 20 and Sheffield United on February 9. He saw his first red for a high boot on Fraizer Campbell before opening Bruce’s reign with a harsh red for a committed tackle on Conor Hourihane.
Coventry star Fankaty Dabo, Gary Gardner of Birmingham City, Bournemouth ace Jefferson Lerma, Preston North End’s Liam Lindsay, Derby County’s Tom Lawrence and Swansea City star Ryan Manning also received two red cards during the 2021/22 Championship season.
Crooks of Middlesbrough most cautioned second-tier player this season
Middlesbrough midfielder Matt Crooks was the dirtiest player during the 2021/22 regular Championship season for yellow cards. The 28-year-old earned 16 cautions across his 40 appearances, while also seeing a straight red card once away to Reading on September 25.
Gustavo Hamer of Coventry and Queens Park Rangers midfielder Sam Field received the second-most cautions with 14 each. Preston’s Benjamin Whiteman, Blackburn star John Buckley and Bournemouth ace Philip Billing received 13 cautions, also without any reds.
Lee Nicholls was the dirtiest goalkeeper in the 2021/22 Championship season with seven yellow cards in the Huddersfield stopper’s 43 appearances. He earned one more caution than Nottingham Forest’s Brice Samba, who also received a red card over his 40 matches.
Samba was one of just three goalkeepers to earn a sending off this season with Derby’s Kelle Roos and West Brom’s summer free agent Sam Johnstone. A total 32 shot-stoppers were shown a caution over the 1,104 second-tier fixtures held over the regular campaign.
Luton star Adebayo the dirtiest Championship player during 2021/22 for fouls
Luton Town star Elijah Adebayo was the dirtiest Championship player during 2021/22 after committing 76 fouls over his 40 appearances. Yet the 24-year-old only received six yellow cards and was never sent off to help the Hatters finish the campaign in the play-off places.
Crooks, on the other hand, ended the season with the most cautions after committing the second-most fouls with 70. His tally marginally eclipsed the 69 set by Richard Smallwood of Hull City, which saw the 31-year-old booked 10 times but never given his marching orders.
Peterborough’s Jonson Clarke-Harris and Nottingham Forest’s Ryan Yates made the fourth-most fouls on 68 in 41 and 43 games. Blackburn’s Lewis Travis (67 in 45), Hamer (66 in 39), Livermore (64 in 37), Millwall’s Jake Cooper and Zinckernagel (63 in 42) settle the top 10.
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