John Beaton has been appointed the referee for Saturday’s derby match with Rangers.
As you can imagine, collective groans from all across Glasgow were heard when the news was made earlier today. The truth is, however, that the standard of Scottish refereeing is so bad that it wouldn’t have mattered who was put in charge.
Both sides of the Glasgow divide feel that every referee in Scotland is against them. This is due to some horrendous decisions against both sides that have been proven to be wrong in the past. When a decision goes FOR your side however? Well in this part of the world we stick our fingers in our ears and go “lalala”.
So next up it’s Beaton who’s been given what’s almost becoming a poisoned chalice of a fixture to take control of. If either side wins, you’re the other side’s enemy. That’s been the case for years, and this weekend will be no different.
So let’s take a quick look at the referee’s stats for Saturday to see if either side should be truly worried.
Celtic’s Beaton memories
This season, Beaton has refereed just three Celtic matches. The Hoops have won two of them and lost the other. That defeat was the 1-0 loss to Hearts, where Steven Naismith and Kyle Lafferty both should’ve been sent off.
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Eight of the 10 yellow cards Beaton has dished out in Hoops games this season have been for the opposition. Fans, however, have been frustrated at why some of those didn’t lead to a red card down the line.
Out of his 24 games this season, Beaton has sent off seven players. One of those was Celtic’s Dedryck Boyata against St Johnstone.
Interestingly, out of his 25 games in charge of Celtic matches, the Hoops have never lost a game. A positive omen perhaps for Hoops fans?
On the other side of the coin, Beaton has refereed two Rangers games this season. They’ve both won and lost in them. They’ve also lost six matches under Beaton’s watchful eye.
If anything, the stats should favour Celtic when it comes to this appointment.
In truth, however, it’s all about what happens on the park as opposed to refereeing performances of the past.