Club formerly managed by Joey Barton crowned ‘worst divers’ in the EFL

Chelsea and Man City were also found to be prolific offenders 

A new ‘Deep Diving Audit’ produced by football statistician Dave O’Brien (AKA Statman Dave) in conjunction with Snickers has found that a club formerly managed by none other than Joey Barton received more bookings for simulation than any other in the past three seasons. 

By analysing match footage, referee reports, and league data provided by Opta, Statman Dave was able to uncover which clubs hit the ground most, when, and much more. 

He found that Bristol Rovers lead the charge with eight dive bookings, followed by Chelsea and Burton Albion with seven, and Manchester City, Newcastle United, Crawley Town, Accrington Stanley and Barrow with six.  

Hilariously, the women’s game was revealed to be significantly cleaner on the simulation front than the men’s. Just one booking for diving was found on record from the last three seasons in the Women’s Super League, compared to a whopping 250 in the men’s game. 

 Top 8 most dive-prone clubs of past three seasons (22/23, 23/24, 24/25) 

1.        Bristol Rovers – 8 dives

2.        Chelsea – 7 dives

3.        Burton Albion – 7 dives  

4.        Manchester City – 6 dives  

5.        Newcastle United – 6 dives 

6.        Crawley Town – 6 dives 

7.        Accrington Stanley – 6 dives 

8.        Barrow – 6 dives 

 Football Analyst, Statman Dave comments: “Diving has always been a part of the game, but when you look at the numbers, it’s clear that some clubs really know how to keep things interesting. Whether it’s tactical, instinctive, or maybe even hunger-related, one thing is for sure, when players are off their game, it shows. And sometimes, it’s not just the ball that goes rolling.” 

 Delia Lendais-Metral, Senior Brand Manager, Snickers comments: “Let’s face it, when you’re hungry, you’re not quite yourself. The Snickers Deep Diving Audit taps into those moments when things go slightly off, on or off the pitch. Whether it’s a mis-timed slide or a full-blown flop, this is a fun reminder that staying fuelled helps keep you on your game.” 

Snickers have teamed up with football experts Statman Dave and Nada Allali to bring the findings to life in a new tongue-in-cheek video exploring whether players are really diving, or perhaps they’re just hungry and feeling a little off their game.