Welcome to Kicking Off, the quick way to get on top of the day’s sporting agenda.
Today’s Top Tales
*Hearts supporters are urged to shop the “moron” who abused Kilmarnock forward Josh Magennis by charity organisation Nil By Mouth.
*Danny Wilson of Rangers insists grinding out wins means much more at this stage of a title run-in than thrilling the crowds.
*Rangers midfielder Harry Forrester states that taking the Ibrox club into the Premiership would “live with him forever” – even if he does not do enough to earn an extended contract.
*Celtic manager Ronny Deila defends his side’s mental strength following last Friday night’s slip-up at Hamilton Academical.
*Aberdeen defender Mark Reynolds bemoans the lack of true strength in depth at Pittodrie as Herald Sports Writer Graeme Macpherson writes off their title chances.
*Dundee United midfielder Paul Paton insists Dundee United can achieve Mission Impossible and escape relegation from the Ladbrokes Premiership.
*Greg Stewart admits it is the biggest week he has faced at Dundee as the Dens side prepare to travel to Celtic Park on Wednesday.
*Motherwell striker Scott McDonald admits he doesn’t know whether to focus on Top Six or avoiding relegation following a valuable 3-1 win over Partick Thistle.
*Scotland rugby coach Vern Cotter urges cool heads and steely focus in the wake of the most welcome Six Nations victory over Italy in Rome.
*Scotland winger Tommy Seymour praises the desire and composure shown by the side.
*Edinburgh Rugby coach Alan Solomons admits 24-23 victory over Scarlets was crucial for the club's Pro12 hopes.
*Braehead Clan secure their place in ice hockey’s Elite League Play-Offs with a 4-2 win over Nottingham Panthers.
*Scots pair Steph Twell and Jo Moultrie overcome past problems to win gold and silver at the British Indoor Championships
*Beth Potter and Andrew Butchart celebrate their success in the Scottish National Cross-Country Championship.
*WBA and IBF super-bantamweight champion Carl Frampton insists he is not interested in a rematch with Scott Quigg following their contest at the weekend.
Radio Blah Blah: The word on the wireless
06.05 Radio Scotland sports headlines
Al Dickinson says Scotland will have to up their game to beat France in the Six Nations…. Edinburgh Rugby coach Alan Solomons believes the win over Scarlets was critical to their chances of a Top Six finish in the Pro 12… Manchester City manager Manuel Pelligrini says keeping his word to goalkeeper Willy Caballero that he would play in cup games paid off as the Argentinian helped his side to League Cup final penalty shoot-out victory over Liverpool
06.32 Radio Five Live sports headlines
Manchester City manager Manuel Pellegrini insists he was never going to leave Willy Caballero out of the League Cup final, stating he would rather lose the match than go back on his word... Liverpool manager Juergen Klopp insists his side will get better following defeat to City... Marcus Rashford makes it four goals in two games for Manchester United after scoring twice in his Premier League debut in the 3-2 win over Arsenal at Old Trafford... Tottenham Hotspur are now just two points behind league leaders Leicester City after coming from behind to beat Swansea 2-1... In the PRO12 rugby, Leinster are within a point of leaders Connacht with Munster, Edinburgh and Cardiff Blues also winning... At the indoor British championships in Sheffield, Adelle Tracey beat Lynsey Sharp and Jenny Meadows to win the 800 metres gold... Adam Scott wins the PGA Tour golf in Florida
Shop the bigot
Hearts fans have been urged to identify the supporter who directed anti-Irish abuse at Josh Magennis.
Keep the head
Scotland rugby coach Vern Cotter won’t get carried away.
Job of a lifetime
Harry Forrester is loving life at Rangers.
Title tough nuts
Celtic manager defends his players after another slip-up.
Man of the future
Hearts winger Sam Nicholson on his Scotland hopes.
Coming up short
Mark Reynolds discusses Aberdeen’s failure to make ground on Premiership leaders Celtic.
Mission Possible
Forget it
Boxer Carl Frampton has bigger fish to fry than weekend opponent Scott Quigg
Read All About It – The Back Pages
In The Evening Times, Harry Forrester, the Rangers midfielder, insists that it would “live with him forever” to help take the Ibrox club into the top flight of Scottish football – even if he is not deemed worthy of a new contract which will permit him to play there. Celtic manager Ronny Deila also defends the mental strength of his players in the wake of their 1-1 draw at Hamilton on Friday evening.
In The Herald, charity organisation Nil By Mouth encourages Hearts supporters to identify the “moron” who forced Josh Magennis, the Kilmarnock forward, to file a complaint with Police Scotland over anti-Irish abuse during his side’s match at Tynecastle on Saturday. Scotland rugby coach Vern Cotter also warns against getting carried away following the weekend’s badly-needed Six Nations victory over Italy in Rome.
In The National, police appeal for witnesses over the abuse received by Josh Magennis.
Grandstanding – today’s Scottish sporting comment
*Herald Chief Football Writer Matthew Lindsay defends Celtic manager Ronny Deila over his assertion that Dedryck Boyata deserved to be sent-off against Hamilton Academical
*Rugby Correspondent Stuart Bathgate offers his view on Scotland’s Six Nations win over Italy
Sporting Twitterati
I've just watched @JoshTaylorBoxer bout from last night and I'm telling everybody now he's going to be a World Champion #rememberisaidit
— Barry McGuigan (@ClonesCyclone) February 28, 2016
Barry McGuigan makes his thoughts clear on Edinburgh-based fighter and Commonwealth Games gold medallist Josh Taylor following his latest victory on the undercard of the Carl Frampton-Scott Quigg world super-bantamweight unification contest.
Very sore but a very successful operation..can't thank you enough for all the support. I will be back soon 👊🏼🇬🇧 pic.twitter.com/xaUESY6YRR
— Scott Quigg (@scottquigg) February 28, 2016
Scott Quigg, meanwhile, tweeted from his hospital bed after undergoing an operation to fix his broken jaw.
Behind The Headlines
ROBBIE NEILSON, the Hearts manager, is scheduled to hold a press conference this morning at the Edinburgh club’s Riccarton training base.
It is inevitable that the subject of weekend abuse received by Josh Magennis, the Kilmarnock centre-forward, at Tynecastle will come up. It seems equally likely that Neilson will state, once again, that a minority of supporters cannot be permitted to cast a shadow over so much of the good work that is taking place at Hearts as they re-establish themselves as a Premiership club following the agonies of administration and relegation.
Neilson is a central part of what is going on behind-the-scenes at the club, having signed a new contract as head coach until the summer of 2018 just last week. It is understood that he was hugely frustrated on Saturday evening at Tynecastle when the details of Magennis’ complaint to Police Scotland first emerged.
Hearts dealt with the matter poorly at the weekend, making no kind of comment whatsoever until 9.15pm on Saturday night. Neilson, you would expect, will get the club back on the front foot today.
Back in October, he made his views clear after home fans had attacked a Ross County Supporters’ Bus outside the stadium. There have been a number of problems at Tynecastle since.
“We can eradicate this from the club and we want to make this a great venue for people with kids, wives and everyone to attend,” he said. “People should not be scared to come to Tynecastle.
“We want it to be a difficult environment for opposition teams - loud and energetic - but there's a line that can't be crossed.
“The good work that has been done here won’t be undone. The easiest thing in the world would be to sweep it under the rug, but we want to highlight it, make sure it gets sorted and be sure that the fans who come to the game understand we are trying to stop this. They can help us.”
Hearts are to be applauded for the way they have tackled and challenged troublesome elements within their fanbase. There can be no letting up, though. They need to stay on top of it.
Thank you for reading. Kicking Off will be back tomorrow.
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