Welcome to Kicking Off, the quick way to get abreast of the day’s Scottish sports agenda

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Today

 

Here we go again

The Herald:

He loves a good glower but after Scotland suffered a record eighth successive Six Nations Championship defeat that could also pass for a look of resignation

 

Best foot forward

The Herald: Eddie Jones makes a sure footed arrival in Six Nations Championship rugby by claiming a trophy on his first outing as England retain the Calcutta Cup

 

Regal proclamationThe Herald:

King Kenny has decreed that there will be no need for an abdication or a coup at Celtic Park if the title is won this season

 

Keen to make advantage count

The Herald:

Gary Mackay-Steven reckons Celtic must now capitalise on their Premiership lead

 

We can go this far

The Herald:

Jason Cummings celebrates the moment that revived Hibs' Scottish Cup bid

 

Up in the air with feet on the ground

The Herald:

Dominic Ball is eager to ensure that Rangers don't get carried away again as he reckons they did with their early season attacking form

 

Kiltie warrior

The Herald:

Kilmarnock winger Greg Kiltie hopes his side have turned a corner by battling for a draw with Rangers at ibrox

 

Mo way

The Herald:

Motherwell's Morgaro Gomis was deeply unhappy with officialdom after his side's last gasp defeat to Inverness

 

Loan Ranger

The Herald:

Tom Walsh (left) is making the most of his time with Dumbarton as trhey enjoy their cup run

 

Unlucky mate

The Herald:

Scots-born place-kicker Graham Gano is consoled by Carolina Panthers team-mate Brad Nortman after hitting the post with a crucial attempt during their side's Superbowl defeat to the Denver Broncos

 

Bowing out elegantly

The Herald:

A retiring Imogen Bankier savours a 10th successive mixed doubles win at the Scottish National Championships

 

Hell weekendThe Herald:

Braehead Clan head coach Ryan Finnerty has much to ponder after a difficult few days (pic courtesy of Al Goold)

 

06.05 Radio Scotland sports headlines

Hibs striker Jason Cummiongs is 100 per cent confident his side can beat Hearts in their Scottish Cup replay... the Scotland rugby team is to analyse where it went wrong against England at a team meeting today... Denver Broncos have won the Superbowl, beating Carolina Panthers

 

06.35 Radio Five Live sports headlines

John Terry says there has been no further discussion between him and Chelsea about a new contract for next season following their draw with Manchester United... Arsene Wenger says Arsenal had to register the win they claimed against Bournemouth to stay in touch with leaders Leicester ahead of next week's meeting of the sides... Celtic are through in the Scottish Cup after win over East Kilbride, but the Edinburgh derby goes to a replay... Joe Schmidt admits to relief at getting a Six Nations draw after seeing his Ireland side surrrender a 13 point lead against Wales... Denver Broncos claim an against-the-odds Superbowl win against Carolina Panthers 

 

 

The Back Pages

The National leads with Alan Stubbs suggesting his side is capable of anything after their late cup comeback, as does The Herald which also carries a report that Ronny Deila felt he could not pick Callum MacGregor at the weekend because the youngster was not ready to play just days after being arrested for drunk driving, as well as Scotland rugby coach Vern Cotter’s claim that his team will get better. The Evening Times meanwhile focuses on Celtic’s scramble to a cup win over Lowland League side East Kilbride and Rangers shift of focus back to basics.

The Herald:

The Herald:

The Herald:

 

Grandstanding – sports comment

In the Evening Times Alison McConnell suggests the win over East Kilbride has earned Ronny Deila some breathing space but in The Herald Scott Mullen unleashes both barrels at the under pressure Celtic manager.

Firing people up

The Herald:

Ronnie Deila's situation is stirring emotions

 

 

Sporting Twitterati

How others see us... after all the usual pre-tournament hype the standard start invites blunt assessment of Scotland's Six Nations prospects:

 

 

The gang’s all here… after successful defences of her women's singles and doubles titles Kirsty Gilmour takes a selfie with the rest of the winners and beaten finalists at the Scottish National Badminton Championships:

 

 

The Sixties fondly remembered with a look back to the first Superbowl on the weekend of the 50th:

 

And a child of the fifties tries to work out what on earth is going on:

 

 

Behind the sporting headlines

The Six Nations Championship got underway in front of full houses in Edinburgh and Dublin, if not a still deeply unsettled Paris, but the greatest sporting show of this weekend and all others this year was taking place on the other side of the Atlantic.

The USA's National Football League just gets so much right when it comes to sporting entertainment and that is setting aside the Superbowl half-time show which, as we were reminded, has featured, among others, McCartney, The Stones, Michael Jackson, Stevie Wonder, The Boss, James Brown, U2 and Whitney Houston and was this time headlined by Coldplay who teed up a sing off between Beyonce and Bruno Mars which was apparently too uncool to keep our trendy young colleague Scott Mullen tuned in to the wee sma’ ‘oors.

This is a collision sport where, for the most part, when the action stops so does the clock, ensuring that spectators get the fullest possible value for money.

Behind that lie player recruitment and commercial structures designed to maximise competitiveness so that the widest possible number of teams have a real chance of tasting success every few years.

A six month competitive season which begins in September and ends in February also ensures that spectator fatigue is never a factor.

The 50th staging of the NFL’s showpiece event saw even more error riddled attacking than the previous day’s Calcutta Cup and if it also generated some irritation because the brilliance of the Denver Broncos defence contributed to the mythology that surrounds Peyton Manning by compensating for their veteran quarterback’s inadequacy, it was still compulsive viewing.

The only thing that could have made it better was the presence of the most effective player ever to have played the sport, who missed out in the Superbowl equivalent of the semi-finals after leading his side to a fifth successive championship game, something those aforementioned structures were supposed to make as impossible to achieve as an outright victory at a Scottish parliamentary election.

Next time Tom Brady, next time… and then and thereafter here’s to the next 50 Superbowls.

 

That's entertainment

The Herald:

Coldplay, Beyonce and Bruno Mars provide a nice wee break from the real action at the Superbowl

 

Thanks for reading. Back tomorrow to run the rule over another day’s Scottish sports agenda.