FOOTBALL fans in Scotland certainly have long memories. The week’s riveting Champions League drama centred on two Serie A clubs: Roma, thanks to an incredible comeback against Barcelona, and then Juventus who nearly pulled off their own miracle at Real Madrid’s expense. Supporters of Dundee United and Celtic were quick to give their own slant on events.

Some United fans will of course never forgive Roma for their 1984 European Cup semi-final victory over the Tangerines, in a toxic atmosphere that had little do with fair play. This dislike of the giallorossi has been exacerbated since former Roma director Riccardo Viola confirmed a substantial payment was made to the French referee, Michel Vautrot, ahead of the decisive leg 34 years ago.

Many of a Celtic persuasion tweeted last week about former Juve striker Nicola Amoruso and his simulation antics, duping German official Hellmut Krug and costing Martin O’Neill’s team a Champions League game against the bianconeri in 2001.

You can understand that to be a fan means internalising such hurt and wishing ill upon the guilty for eternity. But personally, I find it hard to blame the son for the sins of the father.

It is a reflection of how football has changed that Roma and Juventus were undeniably the underdogs in the Champions League story last week, the Dundee Uniteds of modern day.

Roma can now look forward to their first semi-final in Europe’s premier club competition since their 3-2 aggregate success over Jim McLean’s troops. History is everywhere, the Romans having been paired with Liverpool, the team they lost to on penalties in the 1984 decider held in the Italian capital.

It is perhaps the one unnerving aspect of Friday’s draw from the Liverpool point of view. A huge club the Reds certainly are, but they have drawn energy and inspiration from being the slight outsiders. Jurgen Klopp’s men now will be favourites and while they can handle having such a tag on them, it does bring additional pressure and demands.

While witnessing Roma play Juventus in an international challenge match just outside Boston last July, there was scant evidence they were a team capable of scaling such impressive heights.

Roma changed personnel on a large scale in the summer. The sale of Mohamed Salah, ironically to Liverpool, might look like bad business but it tied into an overall strategy of beefing up the squad, while sacrificing individuals. The appointment of Monchi, the highly- successful former Sevilla sporting director, was a coup, and his decision- making is already bearing fruit.

Eusebio Di Francesco, a former Serie A winner as a player with Roma, has had his challenges in league terms. But the courage and willingness of his players to press and harry Barcelona from the word go on Wednesday, was striking. Liverpool have been warned that their fire will be matched by that of Roma, particularly before an 70,000-plus sell-out crowd in the second leg.

But will Klopp, on balance be happy with the outcome of the draw? I believe so.

That Bayern Munich and Real Madrid will lock horns in the other semi-final is no Champions League oddity. The listless merengues made it through by the skin of their teeth against Juventus and frankly looked unlikely to score in open play all night. Thank goodness for English referee Michael Oliver, Madridistas might still be saying.

If anyone can expose weaknesses in the opposition it is the wily 72-year-old Jupp Heynckes, as he prepares to bid goodbye to football management in the summer. Bayern have confirmed his successor to be Niko Kovac, a former pupil at the club, who has worked wonders at Eintracht Frankfurt.

Heynckes guided Real Madrid to Champions League glory in 1998, before repeating the feat with Bayern in the inspirational treble winning year of 2013.

Bayern badly want to avenge what they saw as injustices in their meetings with Madrid at the quarter-final stage last term. They will get their opportunity starting at the Allianz Arena on Wednesday week.

THE heady days of Scots aplenty managing Premier League clubs lie very much in the past. So when the two Scottish managers currently supervising English top-division sides find themselves on a collision course tomorrow, it is only natural to sit up and take notice.

Proud Glaswegians, David Moyes and Paul Lambert, have written their own unique stories as football bosses these past few years but there is one striking thing they have in common. Both were appointed essentially to the role of firefighter at a time when the sparks at West Ham United and Stoke City respectively, threatened to evolve into a conflagration.

Moyes has the right to feel better about life currently than Lambert. It would have been perhaps a strange thing to say a month ago.

In mid-March, the Hammers manager was trying to do his job amid relegation worries and outrage from the fans directed towards the club’s owners. Timing is everything though and a quirk of the fixture list produced a welcome three-week break, part of which the players and staff spent away from the noise in Miami. West Ham came back fit and firing, disposing of fellow underachievers Southampton 3-0 in one of their most complete performances of the season.

No less important was last Sunday’s 1-1 draw away to Chelsea at Stamford Bridge. Moyes astutely drew up tactics designed to keep his side in the game despite the concession of a scruffy Cesar Azpilicueta goal. His use of Javier “Chicharito” Hernandez was timely indeed with the little Mexican pouncing just three minutes after being deployed as a substitute to earn his side a precious point.

West Ham have breathing space that simply hasn’t been afforded Lambert. The former Celtic captain won his first official game in charge against Huddersfield in late January but has not triumphed since with four draws and five defeats.

They will close out the season against fellow relegation candidates Crystal Palace at home and Swansea away, but one suspects it could be too late by then with a difficult trip to Anfield looming at the end of the month.

Stoke need victories and fast, beginning tomorrow in East London.