Rangers boss Mark Warburton defends criticism of plastic pitches, ex-SFA president backs Gianni Infantino to transform FIFA and Vern Cotter insists he has a winning team

Today

Mark Warburton insists grass is still greener after Ronny Deila’s claims that criticism of plastic pitches represents old-fashioned thinking

Deila set to ignore calls to field his exciting attacking triumvirate of Scott Allan, Ryan Christie and Patrick Roberts from kick-off against Accies

Gary Mackay-Steven admits he was just hoping for a chance in the first team last time Celtic met Hamilton last month after a lengthy spell out of the starting line-up

Martin Canning challenges his players to show they are better than the hiding they took previously from Celtic suggested

Former SFA president John McBeth explains why FIFA presidential candidate Gianni Infantino is best bet to salvage reputation of world football’s governing body

Derek McInnes believes Craig Storie can finally fulfil his potential and show why Manchester United were so eager to steal him away

Vern Cotter in defiant mood as he unveils near unchanged starting XV in trying to break his tournament duck in Rome

Outgoing SportScotland chair Louise Martin discusses her new role with Commonwealth federation

Glad to be in the first team mix

As Ronny Deila discusses his array of midfield options Scotland contender Gary Mackay-Steven admits he was just hoping for a starting chance last time Celtic met Hamilton

Red Devil

Craig Storie has been urged by Derek McInnes to demonstrate why Fergie wanted to take him to Old Trafford in 2012

Lone change up

Dutch-born winger Tim Visser is the only player brought into the Scotland team selected by Vern Cotter who desperately needs to break his Six Nations duck in Rome 

06.05 Radio Scotland sports headlines

Ex-Scotland captain Andy Nicol believes tomorrow's match against Italy could be the most important in Scottish rugby history... Glasgow Warriors gain Pro12 play-off boost with win in Newport... Celtic seek nine point lead at top of Premiership when they meet Hamilton tonight... Liverpool, Manchester United and Spurs all go through in Europa League

06.32 Radio Five Live sports headlines

Rookie to rescue as Marcus Rashford turns Europa League tie around for Macnhester United... Tottenham and Liverpool also through to last 16... FA has branded the English fixture over-crowded... Wales forward coach Robin McBryde warns that France could thrive on the atmosphere in Cardiff this weekend... Glasgow Warriors beat Newport Gwent Dragons in Pro12... Wigan beat Salford to go top of Super League as Castleford also claim win... Novak Djokovic forced to pull out of Dubai quarter-final due to eye injury... Laura Robson's bid to come back from a wrist injury has suffered a further setback

Read all about it – The Back Pages

In the Evening Times Gary Mackay-Steven vows to help Celtic extend their lead to nine points in the Premiership, while Mark Warburton expresses confidence that Rangers can take full advantage of the eight point gap they now have in the Premiership.

In The Herald Rangers boss Mark Warburton accuses Ronny Deila of being disrespectful in branding his views on plastic pitches old-fashioned and says his Celtic counterpart is simply showing a willingness to accept second best, Deila focuses on selection matters but rejects calls to shake up his midfield by playing attack-minded trio Scott Allan, Patrick Roberts and Ryan Christie together in midfield and Vern Cotter insists his Scotland rugby team 'will win a game'.

The National meanwhile leads on Hibs' latest share offer to supporters and carries news of Andy Murray's readiness to lead Britain in next week's Davis Cup clash as well as Tim Visser's recall to the Scotland rugby team. 

Behind the headlines

If you previously knew nothing about Westminster politics the maternal advice exchanged by the leaders of the two biggest parties this week would have been extremely instructive.

Under pressure at Prime Minister’s questions when heckled about the fact that even his own mother is opposing some of his policies, the PR man turned politician David Cameron got nasty.

“Ask my mother? I think I know what my mother would say. I think she’d look across the dispatch box and she’d say 'put on a proper suit, do up your tie and sing the national anthem.'”

His target, Jeremy Corbyn, did not need to say a word to own the high ground as the empty vessels brayed their approval of the jibe, but when he did he could not have emphasised the difference between substance and style in terms of their respective upbringings and outlooks more eloquently.

“Talking of motherly advice, my late mother would have said: ‘stand up for the principle of a health service free at the point of use’ because that is what she dedicated her life to, as did many people of her generation,” he replied.

Cameron was not the first Oxbridge product to let himself down recently by passing remarks about someone else’s dress sense, albeit the vast majority of thinking people would be much more understanding of the mess Stephen Fry got himself into with his observation, as his friend Jenny Beavan left the stage at the BAFTAs after picking up her award: “Only one of the great cinematic costume designers would come to an awards ceremony dressed as a bag lady.”

The shallowness of judging people on the basis of appearance blights particular elements of our society and has for many years been reflected in the world of sport with the creation and growth of what has been termed a “blazeratti” of people whose motivation is personal status and reward – financial or in kind – rather than satisfaction gained from the public service they claim to be offering. It is no coincidence, amid all the corruption scandals - one of which football hopes to address today with the FIFA presidential election - that the world of sports administration has never been in such low repute.

The appointment, then, of Mel Young, a man who was founder of the Homeless World Cup as the new chairman of sportscotland, would seem to have the potential to blow a badly needed blast of breath fresh air through the corridors of power, his background offering a grounded credibility that may, on the international scene as well as when dealing with domestic politics, allow him to punch above his weight in terms of the office he holds.

Certainly the impression has to be that someone who was behind the creation of that particular competition is capable of seeing the person behind the image they initially present and, most vitally of all, understands the importance of providing the kind of opportunities that can change lives.

Sport has a huge role to play in that and Young now has not only the opportunity to help create an environment that gives many more youngsters a sporting chance of finding out what they are good at, but has taken on the responsibility of doing so.

He must not, as so many have before him, allow himself to be distracted by the junkets and baubles. As we hanker after World Cup and European Championship appearances, major championship winning golfers and more than the odd win in the Six Nations Championship, while seeking to reduce an over-reliance in ‘minority sports’ upon the products of our private schools, there is a huge job to be done to transform a desperately weak Scottish sporting culture.

Thanks for reading. Back next week.