Welcome to Kicking Off, the quick way to get up to pace with what is happening today in sport in Scotland and beyond

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Today

 

 

 

Not again

The Herald:

Ronny Deila watches it all go wrong for his Celtic side in a semi-final once again as Ross County boss Jim McIntyre looks on

 

Turning Point

The Herald:

Martin Woods drills home the penalty that turned the League Cup semi-final Ross County's way

 

Mishandled

The Herald:

Craig Gordon makes his point to referee Craig Thomson in claiming he was unfarily taken out ahead of Ross County's crucial second goal

 

We've got to stop getting ahead of ourselves

The Herald:

Gary Mackay-Steven, scorer of the opener inside 30 seconds that looked to have put Celtic on course for another final, reckons league meeting with closest rivals Aberdeen cannot come quickly enough

 

Sending for reinforcements

The Herald:

Manchester City's Patrick Roberts at Hampden to watch Celtic in their League Cup semi-final defeat to Ross County ahead of his expected signing

 

Time I was out of here

The Herald:

Andy Murray's turned to other matters as he watched Novak Djokovic lift the Australian Open trophy after losing to him in the final once again

 

This is how you do it bro

The Herald:

Jamie Murray celebrates his Australian Open doubles win with partner Bruno Soares

 

Scottish singles success

The Herald: MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA - JANUARY 30:  Gordon Reid of Great Britain poses with the championship trophy after winning the Men's Wheelchair Singles Final match against Joachim Gerard of Belgium during the Australian Open 2016 Wheelchair Championships at Melbou

And Gordon Reid ensures that there is a Scottish victory in the men's singles in Australia as he lifts the wheelchair tennis title

 

Drop Out

 

The Herald:

Paul Lawrie's challenge for a third Qatar Masters title falls away badly after he led going into the final round

 

What do you make of that?

The Herald: St Johnstone boss Tommy Wright has a word with Hibs counterpart Alan Stubbs during their League Cup semi-final meeting

 

Majestic start

The Herald:

Billy King races off to lead Rangers' victory procession after his debut goal sees them claim a late win against Falkirk 

 

We've got what it takes

The Herald: Wes Foderingham reckons Rangers showed their title credentials with their late winner against Falkirk

 

Heaven's above

The Herald:

Gary Locke looks to be seeking divine intervention on his last day in charge at Kilmarnock

 

Buddie brilliant

The Herald:

St Mirren's Calum Gallagher )centre) celebrates his long-awaited home winner

 

Pound-ing home the message

The Herald:

World Anti-Doping Agency chief Dick Pound is ramming it home to every major sport that they are all under threat 

 

Power games

The Herald:

Ali Dickinson reckons he and his colleagues in the Scotland pack have what it takes to bludgeon their way to Six Nations success

 

 

06.05 BBC Scotland sports headlines

Ronny Deila calls for positive response from his team after League Cup semi-final exit... Novak Djokovic vows to stay hungry in pursuit of further Grand Slam tennis titles after Australian Open defeat of Andy Murray... Ali Dickinson says Scotland must improve their defence for this season's Six Nations

 

06.35 BBC Five Live sports headlines

John Terry says Chelsea will not renew his contract at the end of the season... Everton through to face Bournemouth in FA Cup, while Shrewsbury look forward to meeting Manchester United... Ross County beat Celtic in Scottish league Cup... Newcastle make £21 million bid for West Brom's Berahino on transfer deadline day... Middlesbrough bid to sign Jordan Rhodes from Blackburn falls through... English Premiership rugby wins for Exeter and Newcastle as Ospreys draw with Glasgow in Pro12

 

 

Back Pages

There are mentions of Andy Murray's latest Australian Open defeat but otherwise it is pretty much all about the League Cup semi-final shock with The National congratulating Ross County on their success while The Herald and The Evening Times ponder the issues facing Celtic boss Ronny Deila and the latter also has an exclusive with Gary Mackay-Steven looking ahead to Celtic's league meeting with Aberdeen, while Wes Foderingham suggests Rangers showed the character required of promotion contenders with their defeat of Falkirk. 

 

The Herald:

 

The Herald:

The Herald:

Grandstanding - today's sports comment

In The Herald Matthew Lindsay offers his assessment of Hamilton Accies' contribution to the messy business of finding a venue for the East Kilbride v Celtic Scottish Cup tie

 

 

Sporting Twitterati

Days after Burns Night there is a chance for Scotland's finest ever sportsman can take consolation from getting to see how others among his peers see him:

 

 

And the man himself offers a reminder of his priorities, albeit life is going to be tough for that baby with two legends in the house…

 

 

Today's top message

 

There was one paricularly poignant moment as one of the the greatest Australian tennis players of all time handed the runners-up trophy to Andy Murray at the Australian Open. Ken Rosewall is considered to be one of the great gentlemen of the sport and was, in his day, a prodigious talent who reached the quarter-finals of the US Open as a 17-year-old and won both the Australian Open and the French Open as an 18-year-old.

When he lost the 1954 Wimbledon final it was thought that it was only a matter of time for the then 20-year-old since he was considered to have the perfect game for the sport's most famous tournament, yet two full decades later, having got to further finals in 1956 and 1970 and won the doubles titles at all four Grand Slams and eight Grand Slams in all including two US Opens, he was still striving for that elusive title.

His appearance in the 1974 Wimbledon final in his 40th year was an emotional affair, but the thrusting young American Jimmy Connors was not one for sentiment and battered the old fellow into submission in three straight sets.

As Murray received that particular trophy for a fifth successive time, then, it was tempting to wonder whether the tennis Gods were redressing the balance in denying Britain's greatest player of the modern era the prize he has come so close to lifting so often.

 

 

Thanks for reading. Back to kick off another day of Scottish sport tomorrow