Brendan Rodgers keeps a 35 match form guide on every Scottish referee!
The hoops boss is famous for his detailed preparation ahead of every match. Information on opposing players is carefully compiled alongside the card tricks of referees.
Last season Robbie Neilson was called up in front of the SFA after explaining that Hearts trained with ten men ahead of any match refereed by Willie Collum.
Without following that same line Rodgers revealed that his players are well briefed with the stats of every ref before they go out to kick off.
“We study the referee,” Rodgers admitted after John Beaton dished out 11 yellow cards at Tynecastle on Sunday. “We look at the last 35 games of the ref and his form going into games. Does he give particular cards at a high level or not? Everything’s in there.
“It’s not homework but the players are given a document on the opponent. Everything is in there about the player they are playing against.
“We look at the offensive organisation of the opponent and the same defensively. So we study the opponent in depth but then it is the choice of the player to read it. It’s never forced on to them.
“All of them will take away a document that will allow them to be 100 per cent prepared for the game.
“Some will read every letter on there. Some, I’m sure, will set it down after 10 seconds and not look at it again but that is life.
“It’s about us knowing as a staff we have done absolutely everything for the players to gain that extra one per cent.
“Then they don’t have any excuses. Creating that no-excuse environment is very important.”
Kevin Clancy will be in charge of tomorrow’s Celtic v Motherwell Betfred Cup tie, in four matches so far this season he has handed out four yellow and no red cards. On Saturday he issued three yellow cards at the Falkirk v Hibs game.
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