CELTIC defender Kristoffer Ajer says his club should be inspired by the achievements of Ajax in the Champions League and hopes Celtic can replicate the Dutch club's successful business model. "It shows that, if you have a really good structure for a number of years then you can deliver good results," said Ajer.
And the centre back has called on the police, the game’s ruling bodies and the clubs to ensure that football grounds become safe spaces for players and spectators again. "It’s important that we come to a point where you go out onto the pitch and feel safe," said the 20-year-old.
Scotland manager Alex McLeish has revealed that he expects a full squad of players for the upcoming European Championship qualifiers against Kazakhstan and San Marino, regardless of clubs' domestic schedule. McLeish warned: "I’m not expecting the likes of Neil Lennon, Stevie Gerrard, Steve Clarke or Craig Levein to do me a favour but I’ll pick the squad and expect everyone to be there."
And McLeish has said he has no qualms about selecting Allan McGregor after the Rangers goalkeeper's recent brush with the Scottish FA, arguing that the national team and the governing body are two seperate entities. "Are there any concerns about Allan? The SFA are the governing body and we are all part of it but no, I don’t think so," said McLeish.
Sunderland manager Jack Ross is looking to add the EFL Cup to his trophy collection when his Sunderland side face Portsmouth at Wembley at the end of this month and expects his side will take a large number of fans with them to London. Ross said: "We will take 40,000 fans and more. So will Portsmouth. There is talk about there being more at this final than there was the League Cup final between Manchester City and Chelsea."
And Ross has insisted that Lewis Morgan, on loan at Sunderland from Celtic, still has the time and ability to become an important Celtic player. "I have not seen anything to suggest his confidence and belief in himself has diminished," asserted Ross. "Look, he is a good footballer and he’s still young."
Rangers coach David McCallum reckons that the Under-17s at the club have benefitted from playing against other top youth sides in international tournaments like the Al Kass Cup, which Rangers won. "The belief starts to grow when they get the chance to play against different styles, in different formations, and then they see performances reaching higher levels," said McCallum.
And McCallum believes the influence of Steven Gerrard will raise the standard of players and coaches working within the Rangers Academy. McCallum said: "He has given us a lot of trust and the Academy has pushed to a level where hopefully we see some rewards in terms of players coming through."
Hibernian manager Paul Heckingbottom thinks that he helped Ryan Kent to develop into the player he is today after the pair worked together at Barnsley. Heckingbottom said: "We identified his strengths and what we thought were his weaknesses in terms of what we were looking to improve and that was very much in line with Liverpool."
Inverness manager John Robertson has cast doubts over whether Inverness' Scottish Cup semi-final against either Hearts or Partick Thistle should go ahead at Hampden, and thinks that fans could struggle to fill the national stadium. "You want the semi-final to go ahead at Hampden but you have to look at it from a player’s perspective and a fan’s perspective - you want a bit of atmosphere," said Robertson.
In the Algarve Cup, Scotland women's manager Shelley Kerr has praised her players after a second-string side saw off Euro 2017 finalists Denmark 1-0. "Every single player is growing and getting better and better," said Kerr. "The mentality is getting better and better all the time."
In tennis, a pain-free, limp-free Andy Murray has revealed that he is making 'slow' but 'pretty good' progress and is hoping to prolong his career. Murray said: "If my hip allows me to do that [continue playing] – without pain – and I can still enjoy it then I'd like to try."
In rugby, Scotland hooker Fraser Brown has refused to blame Scotland's Six Nations Championship failings on the injuries that have plagued Gregor Townsend's squad. Brown said: "You can lose players during a game at any time, but you can’t dwell on that."
Wales head coach Warren Gatland has highlighted the "fantastic" contribution of Wales' replacements to a record unbeaten run and Six Nations title charge. "It's something that we did identify going back to the autumn, just in terms of the strength in depth we are trying to create in this squad and how important our bench has been," said Gatland.
Scotland prop Alan Dell has challeneged his team-mates to kill of Wales' Grand Slam dreams when the two teams face each other this weekend by taking advantage of any over-confidence from the Welsh. Dell said: "So, if they come in thinking about the Grand Slam and thinking about how we played in France and come in expecting it to be easy, then we can get a good run on them."
Maro Itoje and Jack Nowell will be given every opportunity to prove their fitness for England's Guinness Six Nations showdown with Italy at Twickenham on Saturday. England defence coach John Mitchell said: "We're sensible enough to make sure the athlete's health comes first. There's no way that we want to create a setback for the athlete."
Elsewhere, Hearts striker Steven Naismith will miss the next two months of the season through injury, according to the Scottish Sun.
And Partick Thistle manager Gary Caldwell has told the Scotsman that more has to be done to clamp down on fan behavious after he was almost hit by coins during his side's Scottish Cup quarter final with Hearts on Monday night.
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