It’s been quite a week for Scottish sport and it all kicked off — as it so often does — at last week’s Old Firm derby.
Rangers and Celtic battled out a 1-1 draw which left neither side truly satisfied, but the main talking points once again derived from actions occurring OFF the pitch.
The sight of missiles raining down on the field of play is never welcome in Scottish football — or anywhere, for that matter — but the added obscenity of a giant tifo display showing an image of former Rangers manager Graeme Souness brandishing a shotgun and taking aim as Celtic walked on to the pitch and performed their pre-match huddle was a new and wholly unwelcome horror.
Mail Sport’s Calum Crowe wasn’t slow to train his sights on the lunacy of Rangers fans who chose to draw such unwanted attention to the club at a time when their proposed takeover is still to be completed, asking what the prospective new owners at the San Francisco 49ers must have thought of what they witnessed last Sunday.
And he expanded on the theme in his hard-hitting column by looking into the thorny issue of strict liability and asking if it is now time for Scottish football to look seriously at the matter.
Not that many within the self-styled Rangers ultras group would care to listen, as the Mail Sport team explained in this week’s Rangers Confidential that the Union Bears were already preparing to celebrate their Souness tifo by having the image printed on tshirts and other unofficial merchandise.
The distasteful Rangers tifo display that could have serious implications for the club
Would you trust this man to bring in the striker Celtic need in the transfer market this summer?
Zander Fagerson and Scott Cummings are all smiles during the Lions squad announcement
For Celtic, the result at Ibrox was fairly inconsequential — although a third straight failure to land a win against their bitter foes will rankle with Brendan Rodgers and spark a seed of concern among some of the Celtic faithful.
With the league already celebrated, all that remains is to see out the season and arrive at Hampden to face Aberdeen in the Scottish Cup final later this month in as fine a fettle as possible.
Inevitably, though, some focus has already turned to next season and, in particular, the club’s recruitment ahead of another assault on the Champions League while keeping a potentially revitalised Rangers at bay.
And Mail Sport’s Celtic’s Confidential dared to dredge up Rodgers’ transfer history when it comes to signing big-money strikers — the No 1 item on the shopping list of most Parkhead fans. Have a look for yourself and decide if it is a cause for concern or not.
Away from football, the big news this week involved the Lions squad announcement and the inclusion of a healthy total of eight Scots in coach Andy Farrell’s selection.
There had been some nerves before the announcement with a combination of fitness issues and rugby politics threatening the involvement of some of the Tartan contingent, but it was relief all round when the names of Sione Tuipulotu, Finn Russell, Huw Jones, Blair Kinghorn, Duhan van der Merwe, Pierre Schoeman, Zander Fagerson and Scott Cummings were all read out.
For Scotland skipper Tuipulotu, in particular, the call-up was especially sweet as it will see him return to his native Australia wearing the iconic Lions red jersey… just months after fearing his pre-Six Nations injury had scuppered his chances of making a tour many had tipped him as a captaincy contender for.
Of course, there were some big names left out, including the coach’s son Owen Farrell, Leinster fly-half Sam Prendergast and Scots duo Darcy Graham and Rory Darge, both of whom our rugby expert felt deserved an invitation.
One player who really opened up on what the selection meant to him was Glasgow centre Huw Jones, who revealed that he used to idolise former Lion Brian O’Driscoll and that the chance to follow in the Irishman’s footsteps really is what dreams are made of.
Lynsey Sharp is ready to be a mum again after revealing she is pregnant with baby No 2
Paul Di Resta is still involved in motorsport but insists Formula One wasn’t all glamour in his day
Elsewhere this week, Mail Sport was also proud to bring you the happy news about former athletics star Lynsey Sharp’s pregnancy, with the Commonwealth Games silver medallist set to become a mum for the second time with fellow athlete Andrew Butchart.
In an engaging and at times raw interview, Sharp took us back on a journey through her career, from her upbringing under parents who both graced the athletics world stage themselves, to that incredible night in Glasgow when she climbed off her sick bed to claim that sensational silver medal, to taking on intersex athletes such as Caster Semenya and the strain that had on her both on and off the track.
Speaking of fast people, we also had another fantastic exclusive with a speedy Scot this week, as we discovered what racing driver Paul Di Resta has been up to since leaving the perceived glamour of a life in Formula One behind. Find out what Paul is up to here.
And, last but not least, we also launched our brilliant new midweek column, The Digest, which pieces together all the stories from around the world of sport that may have fallen behind the bigger headlines of the week.
Each week, we’ll strive to keep you in the loop across the Scottish sporting landscape… and if you’ve missed anything, then you’ll probably find it here!
