Hearts the Premiership's most FOULED team and Aberdeen commit the fewest as SPFL’s offenders ranking is revealed

Hearts are the most fouled team in the SPFL Premiership.

The Jambos, who sit third and have a return to European football in their sights, are on the end of the most rough stuff in all four divisions, according to new data from the CIES football observatory. They have crunched the numbers on who gets crunched the most on the park, and worked out the fouls conceded to fouls committed ratio, and Hearts lead the way in both, with a ratio of 0.77. They commit 10.1 fouls per game, which is not the fewest in the Premiership – that’s Aberdeen on 9.8 – but with a comfortable division high of 13.1 fouls suffered per 90 minutes, the capital club’s ratio means they have the lowest fouls committed to suffered ratio in the Premiership and Championship.

St Mirren are at the other end of the scale. The Buddies commit an average of 13.3 fouls per match, compared to suffering just 8.8 committed against, giving them a ratio of 151. Ross County are second with 11.8 committed and 9.2 suffered, making their ratio 1.24.

Celtic are fourth with 10.6 transgressions per game, although they only suffer 8.7, meaning a ratio of 1.22. Motherwell commit the most fouls in the league, with an average of 13.6 per game Rangers’ numbers are pretty much equal. Michael Beale’s men rack up an average of 10.6 fouls, with slightly more being committed against them - an average of 10.9, working out at a ratio of 0.97.

Inverness CT

Top of the tree however, are Championship promotion hopefuls Ayr United. The Honest Men don't live up to their name with 11.9 fouls per match compared to only 7.7 suffered, giving the Somerset Park outfit the highest ratio of all 42 clubs at 1.55.

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