They say if reputation precedes you, and in particularly one of a bad kind, then you may start to experience a struggle for social equality and a me against the world complex may start to loom large in the mind of the beholder.

Of course not all footballers are saints, not all are sinners but bad antics, unwelcome gesticulations and issues of simulation have increasingly become a part of the fabric of the modern game whether we like it or not and despite the bitter presence of these events, they unintentionally give punditry panels hours of material to chew over and debate upon.

We often see many South American and Spanish stars trying to forge a name for themselves in our top flight and these more technically gifted pros can often get clattered by the brute force and physical nature of some of our more direct brands of football, with fans often feeling cheated by instances of diving and several players feigning injury.

As personalities become more familiar, cynicism becomes rifer and more punditry panels speak about a particular player’s defects is it any wonder that the referees’ duty to remain impartial becomes blurred and reputation supersedes to the forefront of their mind?

Let us take a look at the top ten players who are unfairly penalised by reputation.

Click on Ryan Shawcross to unveil the 15

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Who else’s reputation do you feel precedes them when they enter the football field of play? Follow me on Twitter @Taylor_Will1989