Ange Postecoglou’s Celtic side are nearing a return to competitive action, with a trip to Aberdeen on the horizon this weekend.
The Bhoys travel up to Pittodrie to take on Jim Goodwin’s Aberdeen, who will be looking to solidify their hold on third place in the Scottish Premiership.
The referee appointments for this weekend’s games have been confirmed, and Steven McLean will be the man in the middle for the Hoops’ first December fixture [SFA].
The 41-year-old official will be joined by assistants Calum Spence and Craig Fergusons, with Alan Newlands taking on the fourth official role.
Of course, the return of Scottish Football also means the return of VAR after its first involvements just before the winter break.
Kevin Clancy will be the man taking charge of the technology, and he will be joined by Sean Carr as his assistant in the VAR room.
The trip to Aberdeen won’t be the first Celtic fixture McLean has been the referee for this season, having also officiated the Bhoys’ 9-0 win over Dundee United and 6-1 victory against Hibernian at Parkhead.
The whistler has also been in charge of one Dons fixture this campaign, in their extra-time league cup victory over Annan. So he has experience with both sides in 2022.
Having awarded just one yellow card in each of the games he has refereed Ange Postecoglou’s side this season, many will be hoping he is in for another less busy afternoon on Saturday.
All eyes on referees as VAR comes into focus once more.
The winter break has afforded some time away from the limelight for the majority of Scottish Football, including referees and VAR, for the most part.
However, it will be back under the spotlight right from the off when the Scottish Premiership resumes this week.
And the pressure could be on for those working with the system this coming week after SFA chief executive Ian Maxwell claimed it had ‘done what it’s supposed to do’.
Following a pretty disastrous start for the new technology, you would be hoping that all referees and officials have been working to try and improve how it is used.
As one of the more experienced refs in the top flight in Scotland, McLean should be one of the first examples to showcase those improvements.
However, I certainly won’t be holding my breath, and I am sure it would come as no surprise to see more VAR chaos on Saturday.
We will have to wait and see what happens. But, either way, Ange Postecoglou will have his side strictly focused on the matter at hand – winning this game.
In other news, The understated threat January recruit will bring to Celtic squad.
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