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

 

 


Today

It's over

 

 

The Herald:

Johana Konta's history making run in Melbourne is over

 

Still going strong

 

The Herald:

Jamie Murray (right) and Bruno Soares are through to the men's doubles final

 

Stand-in skipper

 

The Herald:

Mikael Lustig is hoping to steer Celtic to the League Cup final in the absence of injured Scott Brown

 

Still up to it

 

The Herald:

Jimmy Calderwood has offered a reminder to Mark Warburton that goal-keeper Cammy Bell can still do a job for him

 

Still hopeful

 

The Herald:

Croatian youngster Luban Crepjula remains keen to join Celtic

 

Off to the Premiership

 

The Herald:

Falkirk's Ryan Blair has signed for Swansea

 

Staying put

 

The Herald:

Hearts' bid for Dundee United's John Souttar has been rejected

 

Great memories

 

The Herald:

And Steven Craig reckons Ross County are better now than they were when they beat Celtic in the Scottish Cup in 2010

 

My club 'tis of thee

 

The Herald:

Hamilton Accies boss Martin Canning's heart is still very much in the job

 

Helping the next generation

 

The Herald:

Jamie Langfield is more than happy to play his part in bringing on his successors

 

Focussing on club duty

 

The Herald:

Ryan Edwards is back at Partick Thistle after the disappointment of failing to lead Australia's under-23s through the Olympic qualifiers

 

Maintaining form

 

The Herald:

Kirsty Gilmour has started well in India after her fine run to the final of a Grand Prix Gold event in Malaysia last week

 

Having a laugh

 

The Herald:

Eddie Jones enjoying himself as he indulges in pre-Six Nations mind games

 

Not overly amused

 

The Herald:

Scotland coach Vern Cotter reckons the new England boss is trying to keep the pressure off himself 

 

Powering into action

 

The Herald:

European indoor sprint champion Richard Kilty gets preparations for his defence underway in Glasgow this weekend

 

06.02 Radio Scotland sports headlines

 

Jamie Murray and Bruno Soares through to Australian Open doubles final... Johana Konta beaten by Angelique Kerber... Scotland rugby coach Vern Cotter says England counterpart Eddie Jones is attempt to relieve pressure on his own shoulders... Dundee United knock back Hearts bid for John Souttar

 

06.35 Radio Five Live sports headlines

 

Konta beaten in straight sets by Kerber who goes on to meet Serena Williams in final... Jamie Murray and Bruno Soares through to doubles final... Manchester City through to League Cup final thanks to what Everton boss Roberto Martinez describes as 'heartbreaking' defeat of his side... Sunderland sign Ivory Coast defender Lamie Kone... Andros Townsend completes move from Spurs to Newcastle... Former F1 boss Bernie Ecclestone hacks drivers call for change of tyres...Tyson Fury avoids punishment from British boxing authorities for controversial comments but warned not to make more

 

 

Back Pages

 

 

In The Herald Mark Warburton expresses ‘fears for the future of football’ following Andy Halliday's red card, Croatian Ljuban Crepulja still hoping to win Celtic contract, Cotter accuses Jones of mind games, Hearts consider second bid for Souttar. The Evening Times noses on Mikael Lustig aiming to lead Celts to the League Cup final on behalf of injured club captain Scott Brown and says Warburton is demanding talks with officialdom about Halliday’s red card and The National leads on rugby with Mark Bennett's improving fitness offering a boost for Scotland coach Vern Cotter and has side panels flagging up Andy Murray praising British success in Australia and Falkirk’s Ryan Blair heading for Swansea

The Herald:

 

The Herald:

 

The Herald:

 

Grandstanding – today’s sports comment

 

 

In The National there is an assessment by The Kicker of the different rules that apply to bloggers as opposed to the traditional press, while my weekly column in The Herald questions whether the forthcoming Six Nations will further demonstrate how much damage has been done to European international rugby by the negotiating dominance of English and French clubs.

 

Sporting Twitterati

 

 

Nice to see a bit of role reversal as football club cheers on supporter:

 

 

 

 

Today’s top message

 

Long ago in primary school days, when I would pick up my weekly comics from the little Kiosk on Dundee’s Arbroath Road, one of them, ‘The Wizard’ I think, introduced a new sporting character. Name now lost in the mists of time he was a former rugby player who turned out to be a brilliant footballer and the most memorable aspect of his first appearance was that he  bemused his team-mates because when he scored goals he simply ran back to the halfway line and got ready for the next play.

Some of his new colleagues even protested to the manager about this apparent unfriendliness. It was explained to them that he was not being arrogant or aloof, his behaviour was merely a consequence of the culture he had grown up in. It made an impact because, unaware as I was that I was walking past a rugby ground, Dalnacraig, every time I headed to that quirky wee shop, it was my first was my first exposure to anything to do with rugby culture.

Having spent much of my professional career involved in that sport and, perhaps rather sadly, seen it shift away from such standards – take a look at the lack of celebration among Scotland players when Tony Stanger scored the Grand Slam winning try in 1990 some time – the memory of that was sparked yesterday by Mark Warburton’s contention that the very fabric of fitba was under threat from a referee’s decision to give Andy Halliday a second yellow card and so a red for the way he celebrated Rangers’ decisive goal at Morton the other night.

Given all else that represents a genuine threat to sport right now it may reflect the different culture I was exposed to in my early days as a sports writer, but the idea that the sport will be damaged if players are not entitled to behave in ways that are seen as goading opponents when they have the upper hand seems bizarre.

These days, of course, it is as much a part of professional rugby, which has seen a steady decline in standards, as it is in football, with opponents often even sarcastically congratulated with applause and pats on the head or back if they concede penalties.

Maybe it is the ultimate sign of the descent into fuddy-duddyness to prefer the notion of a return to those old standards on the rugby field and, indeed, the more consistent application of cards for what officials interpret as provocative behaviour on the football field, but as unrealistic as that is, with investigations currently taking place into match-fixing, doping, corruption and goodness knows what else in professional sport, it has been impossible to generate any sort of sympathy for the Rangers manager’s concerns when couched in terms of Halliday's treatment being a threat to the sport.

 

Thanks for reading. Back with tomorrow Scottish sports agenda