Aston Villa manager Paul Lambert believes that his side are only bottom of the fair play table because of their enthusiasm.

Villa have accumulated 64 yellow cards and two red cards in their 30 Premier League matches this season, but Lambert laughed off suggestions that his side could be considered 'dirty'.

Lambert told reporters: "I'm a little bit surprised we are bottom. Because we're a young side, sometimes our enthusiasm overrides things. If the referee decides to wave the yellow card, you have to run with it.

"Are Villa a dirty side? Are you kidding? We've got one player over six feet tall. The rest are three feet, nine inches!

"We are not the biggest team but we will certainly stand up to things."

Fabian Delph has received the most cautions in the Premier League this season, picking up 10 yellow cards.

Written by
Darren Plant