I appreciate that sometimes we view the world through a green tint. I also understand that others elsewhere see it through a blue one. My thing is that I always look for something that backs up what I believe, because that way I know I’m presenting a fuller version of the picture.
The other day, I was looking over some stats and found some interesting ones, and one that on the surface of it gives more solace to the lunatic fringe on the Ibrox forums. Because one of their long-term theories is that we get an inordinate number of fouls compared to our yellow cards.
Their view is that more of our fouls should result in bookings.
Well, amazingly, the stats seem to back this up; at least if you’re only looking at them through the blue tint. I looked through the green tint and I was surprised at what I found, because it’s closer to their view than it was to mine, which is that we get an inordinate number of fouls given against us, and that this is what has skewed the picture.
In fact, the style of football we play is so effective that we concede the fewest fouls of any club in the league. Think about that for a moment. The least number of fouls of any team, and on the surface of it, that is exactly what you would expect from a club with more possession than anyone else.
Because if we’re always on the ball, how can we be committing fouls? This is why I thought our foul count had to be higher than it was; we do seem to get fouls given against us an awful lot when we’re trying to win the ball back.
But our foul stats are actually broadly in line with what you’d expect from a side with the most possession. We are firmly rooted to the bottom of the foul count table. So what Ibrox fans think they know about these stats might seem correct, but their interpretation of them is actually wildly, insanely wrong.
Right in line with what you’d expect from the wild and the insane.
In fact, those stats are a serious tribute to how disciplined this team is.
We have conceded 241 fouls in the 26 games we’ve played this season.
Now, I still think that number is too high. I think it’s suspect. Because there are games we dominate with over 80% possession. But to find out that we’re at the very bottom of the table for fouls committed? In hindsight, that should not surprise me in the slightest, because even with referees looking for every opportunity to punish us, we just have the ball too much for it to matter.
And it’s because we play such a disciplined and clean game that we’re at the bottom of the foul stats. But – and here’s where Ibrox fans get awfully excited – we’re also bottom of both the yellow and red card tables too—not just by a little, but by a lot.
We’ve had 25 yellow cards over those 26 games and not a single red card. St Johnstone, who have the second-lowest number of yellow cards, believe it or not, have 45.
The Ibrox club has 49 yellow cards from 285 fouls committed—one of the highest foul counts in the league. They are fourth in the foul count table and seventh in the yellow card table. A nice middle-of-the-road position.
We are, furthermore, the only club in the league without a single red card.
Hearts, our closest challenger in this regard, have had just one. As have Dundee United, Dundee, and Aberdeen. The Ibrox club, along with Ross County, has two. Kilmarnock, on the other hand, seem to be the dirtiest team in the league with seven red cards—three more than their closest challenger.
But that too is a little misleading. The seven red cards they’ve had put them comfortably at the top of that table, but they’re actually 10th in the fouls overall. Ask Ibrox fans what they make of that particular stat. And with 45 yellows, they’re joint second-lowest, with St Johnstone one place above us.
Maybe these Celtic minded refs are discriminating against Killie in the red card count. Aren’t their fans suspicious of those figures?
But looking back at Celtic’s, what these numbers actually show is a pattern.
They show that Celtic is the most disciplined and well-behaved side in this league by a considerable distance. The only team without a red card. The fewest yellow cards. The fewest fouls committed overall. And I know exactly what Ibrox fans will say about these figures—that they prove some great conspiracy to prop Celtic up.
But again, this is exactly what I was talking about the other day in the piece where I said they refuse to accept that we’re just a damn good team.
We’re also the most professional, well behaved side in this league. All the pieces fit together perfectly. We have the highest possession stats, the most shots at goal, the most shots on target, the most goals scored, the least conceded. And we do it fair and square. We win games without roughhousing our way through them.
I’ll admit, I expected to find something else. I didn’t expect to find us at the bottom of the foul count, because I still believe we get an inordinately high number of fouls given against us relative to our possession. But what these numbers prove is that we are ahead of the curve in every metric.
When you see a side get results as consistently as we do, you might assume we’re a “win at all costs” team.
What those numbers show is that nothing could be further from the truth. Not only are we fantastically well-run off the pitch—doing everything fair and by the book, staying within financial fair play regulations, and not going into debt—but we apply the same principles on the pitch.
We are the model of how all football clubs should operate.
And when you consider how much success we have, to actually be the least dirty team in the league while still winning relentlessly—that’s a minor miracle. In its own way, that’s even more impressive than all the other stats. It’s a credit to the players, the manager, and the style of play.
It’s tremendous that we don’t need to resort to aggression to win games.
Some of our fans think that’s a string we should have to our bow, but I think it’s a huge credit to us that we win without resorting to any of the dark arts. Even under pressure, we’re capable of keeping our heads while all others are losing theirs.
That too is the mark of champions.
Photo by Craig Williamson/SNS Group via Getty Images
Our latest podcast episode is up. We called it Just Another Saturday.
I’m not surprised by any of that to be honest even though out with that, poor Maeda keeps copping the cards in the CL.
Nonetheless it’s a good bit of researching and stat analysis though over at the midden they’ll neither thank or trust your interpretation. Naturally the one stat that counts most is we’re homing in on the league with 12 to go and a 13 point lead. HH
Most of the fouls we supposedly commit aren’t fouls either, there’s no need for us to be giving away fouls and picking up cards domestically as we have good enough players to win the ball back. If a team is being over the top with aggressive tackles on our guys and give a bit back, I wouldn’t mind that but we don’t tend to do that either (since Brown retired). The genuine fouls we commit are the rare times we’re beaten by a genuine bit of skill or make a daft mistake.
A further breakdown here would be to understand how many of those fouls are for offside. I would assume the team with more possession more likely to be flagged for offsides and I have never seen a player booked for being offside (I can think of some who should have been hooked for being caught offside too often!). And teams out of possession more likely to make foul tackles.
Assuming offsides are included in the totals, if you took them out pretty sure there would be a bigger spread from top to bottom.
I’m fairly certain that offside decisions would not appear/count as part of the foul stats.
Personally, I think the really great teams of the past have also been aggressive ones. We all know that we could do with a midfield enforcer and that particular player would certainly have to have a ruthless streak about him. So, I don’t read a lot into those stats and if anything they are telling me that, although we are a fair team, that perhaps we are a bit too soft sometimes.
Excellent point Johnny – Especially in this god forsaken country of football Thuggery !
Clach, need to be more specific ‘….god forsaken country of knuckle dragging, Hunnery inspired, kulturally motivated football thuggery’.
There fixed it for you.
Yep – Agreed 1,000% percent plus SFATHENADIROFCHIFTINESS !!!