The latest Nationwide Fairplay league table shows Fulham still in third position but does little to indicate a correction in the imbalance caused by erratic refereeing decisions.

The statistics for fouls and yellow cards show that Watford's players are now able to commit more than twice as many fouls per yellow card than Fulham's players. Some variation in what different referees think is worthy of a yellow card can be expected but a variation in the figures as large as that between Fulham and Watford is hard to understand.

It would be nice to treat this imbalance in the distribution of yellow cards as a statistical oddity however logically it means that if it were to continue twice as many of Fulham's players will be suspended during the season than Watford's players.

That cannot be fair play in any meaning of the tem.