Even a poisoned chalice needs a safe pair of hands

In case you hadn't noticed, or in the even unlikelier event that you'd forgotten all about it, there's an Old Firm cup tie on the way.

It'll be at Hampden at half past one on the first of February next year. Those of a nervous disposition should make alternative arrangements now before it's too late.

This will be the most toxic, acrimonious gathering of two sets of supporters with a mutual loathing for each other in the history of the game.

It will therefore require a referee with ice water for blood and a steadfast temperament that will enable him to stay in control amid conditions not too far removed from an officially sanctioned outbreak of public disorder.

The timing of the kick-off at the National Stadium means the joyous and the disaffected will have a long time over the remainder of the day to give vent to their feelings after the final whistle.

The match official should never have to bear responsibility for the questionable actions of the disorderly, but the less reason the loser has to bear a grudge, the better it will be for all of us.

The big calls made by the referee that day will have to be spot on and able to easily rise above the counter claims made by those whose impartiality seriously impairs their vision and judgement.

The dubious distinction of handling the extraordinary demands of this uniquely spiteful occasion will go to one of two men, Craig Thomson or Willie Collum. They are the pair known as the SFA's elite referees and it would be illogical, and unwise, to look outside of that shared category for the man in the middle at Hampden.

This will be no setting for on the job training for somebody less experienced.

But in the last two weeks at Tynecastle both men have, by the dubious nature of their decision making in matches involving Celtic and Rangers, given rise to serious concern.

So far the tally reads two red cards not shown when they ought to have been in the case of Rangers' Kenny Miller and Kris Boyd and a penalty that never was awarded before disallowing a perfectly legitimate goal that should have stood for Celtic.

That's four clear cut cases of mis-judgement that would add up to mayhem if repeated on the day with absolutely no margin for error.

Perfection is out of the question for whoever is referee on the grounds of human fallibilty, but illegal contact will need to be properly punished and penalties should not be given when there's no contact at all.

It's not the fault of Collum or Thomson that the course of the games they handled in Edinburgh was irreversibly altered by their decision to send off Rangers' Steven Smith and Hearts' Mogaro Gomis. Both players sat up and begged to be dismissed for challenges on opposing players that were as crude as they were stupid and their respective clubs will just have to deal with the consequences of their inexplicable actions.

But whoever gets the dubious distinction of being handed the Old Firm gig can't afford to be held responsible for any miscarriages of justice. That's not putting an unfair burden on their shoulders. Being a referee, with all of the attendant pressures that go with the job, is the life they chose.

And even a poisoned chalice needs to be held in a safe pair of hands for fear of spillage.

Rangers' indisciplined loss at Tynecastle clearly carried no lasting effects. They were too much for a gormless, spineless Kilmarnock at Ibrox in the Scottish Cup.

But Hearts' defeat from Celtic in the same competition at the weekend could possibly be a pivotal moment in the season for Robbie Neilson's side.

For the first time since the championship started, the manager's side looked their age. When Gomis was rightly red carded for a ludicrous tackle on Scott Brown he left behind what suddenly looked like a primary school team.

The fresh faces who'd previously managed to avoid defeat at home all season long looked careworn as they were systematically taken apart by the team with the numerical advantage.

It might just be that Celtic have done Rangers a massive favour by highlighting a previously unseen vulnerability where Hearts are concerned. Their injury list grows longer and the next league game, against a highly consistent Queen of the South, could herald the blip that everyone suspects will blight Hearts's season at one point.

Next Saturday, and the ones which follow immediately after, could be a real test of Hearts' psyche.

Celtic's collective state of mind, meanwhile, appears to be in good order. In spite of the fact they took a sore one from Red Bull Salzburg a few days earlier in the Europa League, Ronny Deila joined his players in a post-match bow in front of their fans at Tynecastle.

But is it just me or is it not slightly premature to be cavorting in front of the fans when all you've done is beat a side who had ten men for virtually the whole match ?

I know all the stuff about bonding with the support and showing your passion for the club, but shouldn't you wait until you've actually won something first before lining up for an ovation ?

All the theatrical bows in the world won't mean a thing if they turn out to be a case of premature celebration at the end of the day.

And Celtic have an awkward time to come when the transfer window opens in January. Deila's already bracing himself for a bid being made for Virgil Van Dijk and it must be moving closer to the day when Kris Commons moves away from a club where he's no longer held in the high regard he once was under another manager.

Both of those players could be away from Celtic in the days leading up to the game against Rangers and that could add to the tension which will make that afternoon the supreme test of everyone's ability to withstand stress from the high octane side of the scale.

Particularly the referee and his match assistants, otherwise known collectively as the accused until proved innocent.

• Hugh Keevins