Rangers and their fans might be nervous following news that has come out regarding their game in the Scottish Premiership tonight.
With the title race looking like it could be a very close race between now and the end of the season, as Giovanni van Bronckhorst’s men sit just three points off the summit in second place, there isn’t going to be a lot of room for slip-ups between now and the end of the campaign.
However, there is every chance that one of those slip-ups could occur tonight as they get set to take on St. Johnstone on the road.
It has been announced that Willie Collum will be the man in the middle at McDiarmid Park tonight, and he will be supported by Calum Spence and Ross Macleod, whilst Gavin Duncan will take on fourth official duties, and the news that Collum will be taking charge of things might not go down too well with everyone associated with the Ibrox club.
What do the stats say?
Whilst Rangers do have a very good record whenever he is in charge, winning 36 of the 55 games that he has taken charge of them, one thing that has let them down over the years has been their discipline, as he has handed out 85 yellow cards and six reds to them since he first took charge of them during the 2006/07 season, on top of awarding their opponents eight penalties.
Discipline has also been the order of the day for Collum this season, as he has dished out seven red cards in all of his games this term, so it’s fair to say he isn’t necessarily shy in handing out punishment.
He also came under fire for his decision to ignore a foul that left Ryan Jack crocked against Hearts earlier on this season, so he won’t exactly be a favourite in the eyes of Rangers fans. Meanwhile, he also was alleged to have missed a penalty that should have been awarded to the Ibrox side in that same game.
But whilst Rangers have been relatively clean this season, with the fewest red cards and third-fewest yellows to their name in the Scottish Premiership, with hotheads like Alfredo Morelos in the side, they may have to be on their best behaviour tonight.
TIF Verdict on the referee appointment…
Will Giovanni van Bronckhorst succeed at Rangers?
Yes
No
Rangers are starting the game behind in the title race, and whilst they should be in a decent position to win tonight against a side that is second-bottom in the league, they need to be careful of the consequences should anything happen to them moving forward.
Given Collum’s refereeing display against Hearts, there is every chance that a Rangers man could get themselves in a compromising or vulnerable position and end up not being available for a chunk of the run-in, which could end up having a major impact on the title race.
A controversial decision is seemingly never too far away with Collum in charge.
In other news: GVB told to unleash £315k-rated ace in ‘big’ decision at Rangers