As reported by The Daily Record, Celtic manager Brendan Rodgers has blasted Ross County’s Andrew Davies for the horror tackle on Scott Brown that saw him receive his marching orders when the two sides met on Saturday.

What’s the story?

Davies was sent off in the 39th minute after flying into a challenge on the Hoops captain, appearing to stamp on the midfielder’s groin area.

As you can see from the video above, it was a challenge that angered Celtic players and supporters at the time.

Hoops boss Brendan Rodgers also viewed the incident dimly, using his press conference to blast the actions of Davies.

As quoted by The Daily Record, the Celtic manager said:

There is no doubt the challenge on him [Scott Brown] today was disgraceful.ÂWe’ve seen a lot of challenges where there’s question marks over them, but that there today was one of the worst I’ve seen since I’ve been up here.

There’s no intent to play the ball there. That was a really dangerous challenge – and only someone of that toughness and robustness could get up and play on.

Is the incident worth a lengthier ban than the one automatically received for a straight red card?

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Is Brown being targeted?

Scott Brown is loved by Celtic and their supporters but the combative nature of his midfield play makes him a target to other teams. Celtic’s opposition know he is one of the most effective players in Brendan Rodgers’ team and stopping him must be seen as a tactical priority.

The challenge by Davies was perhaps at the more malicious end of the spectrum but it’s the third time in four matches that a player has been sent off in an incident involving the Hoops captain.

Whether targeted or not, it appears that the former Scotland international is definitely getting the upper hand in his midfield battles and even in the face of painful boots to the groin, he continues to excel at Scottish Premiership level.