Boro have racked up nine red cards this season, an all-time club highest total, but Woodgate says Boro are not a nasty team to play
View gallery Gallery: Middlesbrough's nine red cards this season
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Boro have clocked up a red card record.
But, insists skipper Jonathan Woodgate, they are not a dirty side.
Boro have already racked up NINE red cards this season, an all-time club highest total.
The previous highest tally was two years ago when they got seven.
Only Blackpool with 10 have had more men sent off in the Championship this term.
But Woodgate was quick to point out that Boro are far from being a nasty team to play.
“The number of red cards we are getting looks bad but we are not dirty,” he said. “No way.
“How many have we had now this season? Nine? And there isn’t a bad foul among them.
“No rash tackles, no reckless two footed challenges, no flying elbows... there’s been nothing like that .
“They have nearly all been for two yellows, and most of those were for silly mistakes.
“Obviously it’s still too many and we need to cut those mistakes out, but there’s no way you can call us dirty.”
Boro have committed 448 fouls this term - only the 12th worst and well behind bad boys Yeovil on 545.
And they’ve been shown 69 yellow cards, the ninth most. Niggly Watford and Nottingham Forest lead the way with 86 each.
Daniel Ayala was sent off for two yellow cards in stoppage time at Burnley hot on the heels of Ben Gibson and Kenneth Omeruo being dismissed at home to Birmingham in the previous game.
Dean Whitehead at Sheffield Wednesday, Gibson at Watford and Curtis Main at Derby also went for two bookings while Jason Steele went at Leeds for a professional foul.
Earlier, Emmanuel Ledesma saw red for a foul at Forest and Rhys Williams for a hefty tackle at home to Bournemouth.
“You will always get the odd mistimed one when the pressure is on and you are defending,” said Woodgate. “But as a team we are not dirty.”
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