7. Joey Barton - 12 Games
Steve Drew/EMPICS SportIt's no accident that so far, all of the players on this list have been notorious hotheads, with a real track record when it comes to disciplinary hearings, and the trend continues here, with infamous rule-breaker and unlikely philosopher and political talking head Joey Barton. Whether it was his troubles at Manchester City (when he actually assaulted his own teammate, Ousmane Dabo), or the time he punched Blackburn's Morten Gamst Pedersen in the stomach, Barton is a guy you don't really want to mess with on or off the football pitch. And as well as Dabo and Pedersen, there are three Man City players who would testify to that philosophy, too. During the final game of the 2012-13 season, after which City would eventually win the title in the most dramatic of manners, and with his team needing a result, Barton took it upon himself to lead the charge against City. Unfortunately, his excitement was misplaced and all he did was get himself sent off with a massive implosion. In the 55th minute of that game (with QPR winning 2-1), Barton elbowed Carlos Tevez in the face, earning him a straight red card for his actions. A melee (naturally) broke out, and Barton would next turn his attentions towards Sergio Aguero, kicking him in the knee, clearly deciding that if he was going off, he was taking someone else out with him. City captain Vincent Kompany tried to intervene to calm matters down, but all Barton wanted to do was headbutt the Belgian. Eventually, he was dragged away from the carnage by opposing players, and left the field. The fact it was the last game of the season didn't make the FA any less lenient in their punishment, though, and they imposed a 12-match ban.