Celtic reaping the benefits of ref complaints and SFA changes?

Last updated : 02 November 2011 By Bigy

Below is the number of fouls committed per yellow card received in the SPL so far this season. On average a yellow card is recieved every 6.79 fouls, however one club is getting penalised much less than all the others.

1 - Celtic - 13.00 fouls per booking
2 - Dundee Utd - 7.94 fouls per booking
3 - Rangers - 7.28 fouls per booking
4 - Aberdeen - 6.54 fouls per booking
5 - Motherwell - 6.44 fouls per booking
6 - Inverness CT - 6.21 fouls per booking
7 - Dunfermline - 6.05 fouls per booking
8 - Kilmarnock - 5.95 fouls per booking
9 - Hibs - 5.86 fouls per booking
10 - Hearts - 5.70 fouls per booking
11 - St Mirren - 5.29 fouls per booking
12 - St Johnstone - 5.17 fouls per booking

If we now look at the average booking per fouls in home games only, one club's average is again significantly more favourable than any other team in the league.

1 - Celtic - 15.67 fouls per booking
2 - Dundee Utd - 8.90 fouls per booking
3 - Rangers - 8.67 fouls per booking
4 - Aberdeen - 7.89 fouls per booking
5 - Kilmarnock - 7.80 fouls per booking
6 - Inverness CT - 6.46 fouls per booking
7 - St Johnstone - 6.45 fouls per booking
8 - Hearts - 6.29 fouls per booking
9 - Hibs - 6.18 fouls per booking
10 - Motherwell - 6.00 fouls per booking
11 - Dunfermline - 5.69 fouls per booking
12 - St Mirren - 5.00 fouls per booking

And finally, looking at away games, and again one club's average is much more favourable than anyone elses:

1 - Celtic - 11.86 fouls per booking
2 - Motherwell - 6.89 fouls per booking
3 - Dunfermline - 6.83 fouls per booking
4 - Rangers - 6.58 fouls per booking
5 - Dundee Utd - 6.57 fouls per booking
6 - Inverness CT - 5.91 fouls per booking
7 - Aberdeen - 5.82 fouls per booking
8 - Hibs - 5.65 fouls per booking
9 - St Mirren - 5.54 fouls per booking
10 - Kilmarnock - 5.41 fouls per booking
11 - Hearts - 5.08 fouls per booking
12 - St Johnstone - 4.08 fouls per booking

It's silly to draw conclusions at this stage of the season - and also difficult in a general sense as multiple tackles will go unpunished as harmless but one bad foul will lead to a caution - but when one considers that both Glasgow sides finished last season with an average FPB (fouls per booking) of between 6.5 and 6.9 the huge difference so far this term is worthy of comment.

Let's see how it develops.