Herald Sport Diary: Planes, trains and rogue fire alarms

While our head of sport continues to cut about on his holidays, no doubt appearing like the Man from Delmonte with a Herald Sport and a Tunnock’s wafer in his back hipper, the rest of us have been left behind to mop up another drama-laden seven days in his absence.

Rangers lose in Europe, Rangers lose the Big Tax Case, and Rangers lose Barrie McKay. Progres you say?

As most of us are still trying to fathom out just how the fourth best team in Luxembourg could get the better of a team containing Josh Windass, spare a thought for our brave soldier Chris Jack, who was deployed to Luxembourg City in the pursuit of journalism excellence and a rare night oot.

While the former was completed without a hitch, the latter sadly failed to materialise. On his first night, a tentative message was pinged to check on the contentment of young Mr Jack at 11.30pm local time, some 18 hours after his journey commenced. The response was telling. “Apart from no internet, being thrown out the stadium because it was shutting, filing my copy on the back of a wall and a taxi driver that doesn’t speak English? Aye it’s been one of those days.”

However, it was perhaps his sign-off that should have rung an alarm bell: “Not to worry, tomorrow will be better.”

Twenty-four hours later Rangers were out and Pedro Caixinha was in a hedge. He may be deep in something else, but time will tell.

Content with a bizarre night’s work, our man’s evening was complete as he returned to his hotel to find a rogue fire alarm had left the occupants stranded in the car park.

It’s all glamour, I tell you.

The week began in an ominous fashion. Saturday was the landmark day when Junior got his first taste of life as a footballer.

Just a couple of weeks shy of his third birthday, the wee fella went along, decked out in claret and amber, for his maiden Motherwell FC Community Trust coaching session. It was a proud moment for any fitba’ daft faither as Junior bounded on to the park demanding a kick. Sadly, it was of his auld man rather than a ball.

That was as good as it got. Two toilet breaks, three crying fits and a pitch-invading parent were needed during a fiercely contested game of tig to get him through a torturous time at Fir Park.

Little does he know it’s a Saturday ritual that three decades on is even more traumatic. Roll on today...

The Good Ship Herald Sport resembles the Marie Celeste at present as our group of correspondents vanish to their various boltholes.

Two of our finest are a week into their Andy Murray watch at Wimbledon, and while the Jack and Victor of SW19 down their Pimms, chief football writer Matthew Lindsay has jetted back into Blighty after two weeks following Celtic about Austria and Prague. It’s a hard life.

Meanwhile, golf correspondent Nick Rodger has just confirmed he is going to be heading over to Iowa to bring our readers coverage of the Solheim Cup, which kicks off on August 14.

He’s setting off in the Herald pool car tomorrow.

IT is with great sadness that the footballing world learned yesterday of the death of young Sunderland fan Bradley Lowery, who passed away aged just six.

The little lad stole the hearts of millions when he first led his team out back in September against Everton as his family hoped to raise funds to send him to the United States for potentially life-saving surgery to cure him of neuroblastoma.

Sadly, this brave soul’s fight was lost yesterday as he was surrounded by his family and loved ones.

The thoughts of everyone at The Herald, and I’m sure the whole of Scottish sport, go out to Bradley’s family at this extremely difficult time.

Rest in peace, Bradley.