Welcome to Kicking Off, the quick way of getting across the day’s Scottish sports agenda
Today
- Hearts crush Ross County to consolidate third place in Premiership
- Liam Boyce signs new deal to extend stay in Dingwall
- Richard Gough targets strength and safety in numbers with a unified Rangers fans group
- Colin Kazim-Richards discusses moving from one Istanbul club to another - but not being daft enough to do the same in Glasgow
- Ex-St Johnstone chairman Geoff Brown reveals the secret advice that helped Derek McInnes become a success at Aberdeen
- Simo Valakari reportedly in the running for the Kilmarnock manager's job
- Rangers keeper Wes Foderingham on Premiership ambitions and racism in game
- Scottish clubs warned they must devise more innovative ticket initiatives or face losing disillusioned fans
- Kilmarnock's Kallum Higginbotham criticises "attention-seeking" Rangers full-back James Tavernier
- Keith Lasley calls for unity ahead of pivotal week for Motherwell
- Dan Seaborne says Partick Thistle's new formation could be key to banishing bogey team Hearts
- Accies boss Martin Canning sets sights on halting Dundee United recovery by beating them for third time in a row
- Matt Scott relives humiliation of 51-3 defeat in Wales two years ago
- Jonny Gray claims there will be no intimidation factor in Cardiff
- Glasgow Warriors' meeting with Munster moved to Rugby Park because Scotstoun unplayable
- Paul Lawrie offers helping hand to Paul Shields after funding knock back
Dauba double
Newcomer Abiola Dauba makes his mark for Hearts with two goals in their defeat of Ross County
Happy in Highlands
Liam Boyce (left) has signed a new deal to keep him at Ross County
Superfan
Ex club captain Richard Gough is keen to demonstrate his on-going support by joining board of supporters group Rangers First
Quite the character
Colin Kazim-Richards (second from right) once sparked fury in Istanbul by switching clubs within the city but say he will not be doing the same in Glasgow
Where it all began
Former St Johnstone chairman Geoff Brown (right) remembers the advice that helped send Derek McInnes (left) on his way in management
Killie contender
Former Motherwell player Simo Valakari is reported to be a contender for the managerial vacancy at Kilmarnock in spite of having just agreed extended terms at Finnish club Seinäjoen Jalkapallokerho, along with former Scotland international Graham Alexander
Bigot basher
Rangers goal-keeper Wes Foderingham lends his considerable presence to the 'Kick it Out' campaign bidding to tackle racism and discrimination
Deserving better
Some 385 Hearts supporters travelled to Dingwall to watch their team consolidate their place in the top three but a report suggests that supporters deserve better treatment
Seeing red
Sent off for his tackle on James Tavernier at the weekend Kallum Higginbotham has hit out at the Rangers player's social media reaction
Backing the badge
Motherwell's Keith Lasley is calling for everyone involved with the club to pull together
Fighting for improvement
Partick Thistle's Dan Seaborne is hoping that changing their set-up can help transform their fortunes against bogey team Hearts
I come to bury United
Hamilton Accies boss Martin Canning is planning a third successive win over Dundee United which would kill the Premiership bottom side's bid to avoid the drop
Something stronger?
Scotland centre Matt Scott gets a bit dry in the mouth as he recalls the horrors of the team's last Six Nations trip to Cardiff
Refusing to be intimidated
Jonny Gray says he will not be fazed by the intensity of the atmosphere in Cardiff's Millennium Stadium
Still awash
Glasgow Warriors have been forced to switch yet another fixture because of the state of their Scotstoun Stadium home
Paul to Paul
Paul Shields is the latest young golfer to receive backing from Paul Lawrie
06.05 Radio Scotland sports headlines
Kilmarnock plan to interview Graham Alexander about their vacant manager's job... Hearts win in Dingwall to pull further clear of Ross County in the race for a top three spot... Scotland team to face Wales in Six Nations to be named later today
06.35 Radio Five Live sports headlines
Liverpool owners backtrack on top ticket prices following fans' protests... West Brom through to fifth round of FA Cup after penalty shoot out win over Peterborough... Hearts win 3-0 against Ross County... Nicolas Anelka leads tributes to former Bolton Wanderers chairman Phil Gartside... Nestle become latest big company to ditch their deal with troubled athletics governing body the IAAF... weakened West Indies team could play at T20 World Cup due to pay dispute... Olympic gold medallist Anna Watkins withdraws from GB rowing programme ahead of Rio
The Back Pages
A big day for big men as former Rangers captain Richard Gough features on the back of both The Herald and The Evening Times where he outlines his ambitions for their supporters group to be among the strongest in the UK as he bids to join the board, while The National leads on Glasgow Warriors captain Jonny Gray’s claim that he will not be intimidated by sampling the Cardiff Six Nations atmosphere for the first time this weekend.
Grandstanding – today’s sports comment
In The National the case for seeding the Scottish Cup draw to help alleviate the sort of problems that afflicted it this week are raised by The Kicker. Meanwhile, can any man have 147 times the value of another? That’s the question raised by last weekend’s meeting of English Premier League rivals Manchester City and Leicester and my weekly column discusses how that is very much a parable for our times with one per cent of the world’s population owning 50 per cent of its wealth.
Sporting Twitterati
News of Richard Gough's candidacy for the Rangers First board gets a mixed response:
Richard Gough is a legend, but supporters' groups should put fans first, even at the expense of the Rangers board. Would he do that?
— John DC Gow (@johndcgow) February 10, 2016
@ClydeSSB announced that Richard Gough is standing for @RangersFirst
— VOTE Ricki Neill RF (@RickiNeill) February 10, 2016
Hope they announce the other 22 that are standing 😀 @Snagsy1980
Richard Gough feels faith in Dave King to effect change at Rangers has been vindicated https://t.co/kw8560rumN #GersFamily
— Gers Family (@GersFamily) February 10, 2016
Liverpool's submission to supporter pressure gets a high level welcome:
Liverpool FC ticket prices frozen for two seasons. After 77 minute walk out on Saturday. Great to see people power working
— Jeremy Corbyn MP (@jeremycorbyn) February 10, 2016
And that tweet from James Tavernier which got Kallum Higginbotham fired up again:
Red card or not 🤔🤔 pic.twitter.com/oqT7bFAsHv
— James Tavernier (@James_Tavernier) February 6, 2016
Behind the sporting headlines
With Liverpool fans having shown their capacity to influence the boardroom fan-power is increasingly on the agenda and Richard Gough's decision to stand for the board of supporters' group Rangers First looks to be evidence of the impact that is having.
The reality is that sports businesses are very different to any other because of the nature of the amotional attachment which means that those paying to spectate want to feel like part of the organisation rather than mere customers.
That they have managed to make their presence felt even in the English Premiership where gate money has seemed less and less relevant as commercial deals, particularly for broadcasting rights, have distorted clubs' spending power beyond recognition.
That looks to represent a clear opportunity in a country like Scotland, where there are nothing like the same income streams from clubs, for supporters to influence change at a time when a newly published report has suggested that Scottish fans are not getting the treatment they deserve.
Gough reckons the group he wants to join has the potential to become one of the most powerful groups of its type in the UK, while in Edinburgh the Hibernian Supporters Ltd, recently celebrated the anniversary of its formation and Hearts fans are being given ever more say in the running of their club.
Most obviously in Germany there are examples of the benefits supporter involvement can bring to ensuring that clubs retain their identities and getting well known former players involved can only strengthen that bond.
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