Scottish Premiership referees will once again be under the microscope as Celtic and Rangers clash in the east end of Glasgow this Saturday (kick off: 12pm).
With fans of both teams desperate for three points in order to aid their title challenge, every decision will be magnified as the battle to be crowned champions of Scotland hits fever pitch.
Willie Collum has been handed the task of officiating this weekend’s mammoth clash at Celtic Park and will take charge of the 11th Old Firm fixture of his career. But how does he compare to other Scottish Premiership officials this season in terms of handing out yellow and red cards?
Who is card happy and who has not yet issued a red card all season? Using soccerbase.com, we rank every Scottish Premiership referee that has taken charge of 10 games or more by awarding one point for each yellow card given out and three points for each red.
1. Nick Walsh - 95 points
Far clear at the top of this list, Walsh has awarded three red cards and a huge 86 yellow cards this season during his 18 games officiated. This equates to 4.78 yellows per game and 0.17 reds. He is the referee second most likely to give a yellow card in the Scottish Premiership based on these statistics. Photo: SNS Group
2. David Dickinson - 80 points
This official has handed out more bookings than any other referee in the Scottish Premiership with a whopping 74 yellow cards given out this season. He has also awarded two red cards. This gives him an average of 4.11 yellows per game - the third highest in the Scottish Premiership. Photo: SNS Group
3. John Beaton - 71 points
Third of the list is Beaton with 68 yellows awarded. He has awarded just the one red card this season, however. But his yellow card average is on the higher side with a 3.77 average per game. Beaton has taken charge of more Scottish Premiership games than any other referee with a total of 18 games. Photo: SNS Group
4. Matthew MacDermid - 66 points
MacDermid has officiated 16 Scottish Premiership games this term and given out a total of 60 yellow cards but just two reds. His 3.75 yellow cards per game average is a little on the higher side compared to some of his colleagues but his 0.13 red cards per game is one of the lower averages in the league. Photo: SNS Group