SCOTTISH football has lurched closer to an acrimonious civil war after plans for a new unified 42-club league body were informally rejected by a majority of Second and Third Division chairmen at Hampden.

HEARTS face a funding gap of £2.5million for the year to June 2014 and could again ask the club’s supporters to dip into their own pockets to fill it.

Leigh Griffiths has been out on the town more times than his manager would normally like in recent days, but his recent 
excursions have been with Pat Fenlon’s blessing.

RUSSELL Latapy believes a Hibernian triumph in this weekend’s William Hill Scottish Cup final would be down to a team effort rather than one individual.

SURPRISINGLY for a firmly established international footballer, Mikael Lustig will take part in the first cup final of his senior career this weekend.

Former striker Pierre van Hooijdonk believes Celtic’s season will be regarded as a disappointment if they fail to lift the William Hill Scottish Cup this weekend.

Rangers boss Ally McCoist won his first Manager of the Year Award last night, however it was Queen of the South that were the big winners at the Irn-Bru Phenomenal Scottish Football League End of Season Awards Dinner in Glasgow.

Rio Ferdinand has set his sights on winning more silverware under David Moyes after signing a one-year contract extension with Manchester United.

Bayern Munich midfielder Bastian Schweinsteiger is aiming to treat Wembley to footballing perfection in the Champions League final tomorrow.

FORMER Celtic winger Bobby Petta has expressed concern over the injury problems which he fears could prevent James Forrest fulfilling his potential to become one of the club’s greatest-ever wide players.

FIVE years ago Roman Romanov chaired an annual general meeting of Hearts shareholders and treated his audience with a mixture of contempt and condescension.

NEIL Lennon has expressed his delight at being able to lead

Celtic out in the William Hill Scottish Cup final after escaping an immediate touchline ban.

TWELVE months ago, Scott Brown suffered along with the Hibs support at Hampden as they experienced the trauma of their most mortifying derby defeat of all time.

JAMES McPake took a look at the travelling support who had made their way to Rugby Park on a Sunday two months ago and wondered just what he and his team-mates had done to earn their backing.

THE Hibernian captain was struggling to be fit on time, and Celtic were desperate to shrug off a reputation for under-­performing in big knockout games.

HOW far Leigh Griffiths goes in football will be determined only by his own mindset and ­fitness, according to John ­Collins.

MOTHERWELL manager Stuart McCall has cut short a holiday in Spain to hold talks with Sheffield United about the vacant job at Bramall Lane.

Sir Alex Ferguson has issued an impassioned rallying cry to the Dunfermline supporters and told them to defend the club’s “glorious history”.

AN Edinburgh-based management group confirmed last night that it is still working on behalf of a Scandinavian consortium interested in taking over Hearts.

MANCHESTER City’s hopes of landing Manuel Pellegrini as their next manager look to have increased after the Chilean announced he was definitely leaving Malaga.