Andy Murray loses Wimbledon final to Swiss ace Roger Federer

Murray may have not won Wimbledon this year but he certainly won over the nation with a battling performance and an endearing speech that would touch even the most cold-hearted in middle class England. Criticised for his lack of emotion and dour like manner, the 25-year-old was often perceived as a stereotypical miserable Scot who had no personality.

But after his 4-6, 7-5, 6-3, 6-4 defeat to Roger Federer, the crowd and the 17 million viewers at home saw a very different side to Andy Murray. A player, who had given his all for two weeks and carried the proverbial hopes and expectations of a nation on his shoulders, had suddenly felt that enormous weight shift only to be replaced by the harsh reality of defeat which hit him harder than any serve he faced throughout the tournament.

Emotionally and physically drained, Murray gathered his last ounce of strength to give an overwhelming speech which left a lump in the throat. “I'm getting closer,” he said with a wry smile,  dry sense of humour still intact – and indeed he was. It was the first time in three major finals that he had taking a set - off the now - seven-time Wimbledon champion Roger Federer. But Murray, who previously in reaching the final  had spoken with such poise,  robotic in its delivery, like he was serving up an ace on court, was unable to contain himself any longer. Emotional though he was when he lost the Australian Open final back in 2010, this pulled at the heart strings of everyone watching, as Murray desperately tried to fight back the tears while lamenting how much the tournament and the support of the home fans meant to him.

It was compelling as it was sad watching the Scot breakdown in front of the nation, the Centre Court crowd reciprocating his tearful outburst, his and their genuine raw emotion being displayed. It was the appropriate conclusion to an enthralling final. Pure sporting theatre.

But for a while in this match, it looked as though it would be tears of joy for Murray as he took control of the early exchanges against Federer, who started rather nervously. Murray instantly broke the Swiss maestro in the first game and wrapped up the first set in just under an hour. The British No.1 could have and should have took the second set but Federer, who had awoken from his slow start, played some wonderful shots to get himself back into the final.

Heartbreak: Swiss master comforts tearful Scot

Rain threatened as black clouds ominously gathered over the top of Centre Court, the momentum was beginning to shift towards the 30-year-old Swiss. It was not long before play was delayed and the final would be played indoors. Advantage Federer. The third set was played under the roof and perhaps the best game of the match was witnessed, lasting a whole twenty minutes. Federer eventually took the game, and with it, control of the third set. The Swiss eventually took it 6-3, before wrapping up the fourth 6-4 and equalling Pete Sampras' record of seven Wimbledon titles.

It was another devastating loss for the Scot his fourth defeat in a major final and his third against Roger Federer, but Murray, who was clearly hurt by the result, still showed a sense of humour.

He joked: “First I'd like to congratulate Roger. He's 30 now, he's not bad for a 30-year-old.” It was Federer's day yet again but for Murray his attention will now turn to the Olympic Games in two weeks' time where he will be going for gold, can he have the last laugh?

FOOTBALLERS AND THE PRESS: THE VICIOUS CYCLE OF SAYING NOTHING

Footballers have never been portrayed as having the silver tongue when it comes to expressing themselves to the media. Indeed, perhaps it’s more akin to parseltongue as they mumble incoherently to the gathered press pack, who are often stereotypically seen themselves to be sneaky and slithering, looking for their next back-page victim of prey.

All in all, it serves to give a somewhat hostile, uneasy environment with a 20 something-year-old sounding infantilized having 'emms', 'ahhs' 'wells' and 'buts' permeating through their speech, when attempting describe how it feels to have secured a 2-0 victory against Threave Rovers. 

Sometimes footballers just don't know what to say

Do not get me wrong, I am not for one minute suggesting it is easy to speak to the press – far from it – but, I want to try to dispel the myth that footballers cannot string a sentence together, or indeed, that the press are out to get their next pound of flesh every time the two invariably meet before and after matches.

It is all about the issue of trust, more specifically, a lack of trust between the media, clubs and the players. I am not trying to pin the blame on any of the people involved; rather, I am attempting to explore how it has got to a point where football has tightly regulated rules and restricted media access to players, compared to other sports, which seem to enjoy a far more liberalised and amicable relationship between journalists and professional sportsmen and women.

Essentially, it is like the chicken and the egg argument:  What came first? Was it a newspaper's article which took what the player said completely out of context and sensationalised the story in order to sell papers, which in turn made players clam up in fear of the same thing happening to them?

Or was it the players themselves, who said nothing interesting to the press, being blandly neutral which led the newspaper to 'buff' or 'polish' up a quote to make the story sound more entertaining for its readers. Or, is it because of 'lazy' journalists, who seemingly ask the same routine or 'stupid' (see below) questions?

Perhaps the role of the club's PR officer might enlighten this debate. It is he or she who is assigned the task of handling the club's communications with the public via the media. The club need the publicity in the press to attract sponsorship and fans; the journalists need to fill the back pages. It is a simple enough concept, but within it lies a much deeper issue.

The role of the PR officer has brought fairness, protocol and organisation to the mutually-dependent relationship between the club and the press, but with it comes the restriction of freedom of expression and access to players. Below is a video of Manchester United boss Sir Alex Ferguson getting his press officer to ban a journalist.

The press officer realises when a player goes out to speak the media, they are representing, not only themselves, but the team they play for.  Therefore, whatever they say to the media can affect the club’s image in the eyes of the public and businesses that sponsor them.

No news is good news as they say and that is exactly what gets conveyed to the players – do not say anything to the media which could be construed as controversial or negative which could later have repercussions for the club. They are out to get us. Former Hibs player Scott Brown, follows exactly this procedure below.

But there-in lies the problem, the players end up saying nothing at all remotely newsworthy because they've been told not to say anything which might be construed as controversial. So the press go back to their newsrooms, listen to what they have on their dictaphones or read their shorthand notes and discover they have to conjure up a story from the very little newsworthy quotes they have. Then, after the story has been written and published, sometimes this leads to the clubs being upset at the article because it is not what the player or manager meant.

And, while it is fair to say it is the journalist's job to tease a story out of the player or manager, to get him to display the emotion or passion he has for the game into words, it is up to the player or manager being interviewed, because, they can say as little or as much as they want to the press. 

This is known as ABC in media communication training which stands for Answer, Bridge and Communicate. The player or manager interviewed vaguely answers the question, then they use a bridge phrase to get back to what they want to communicate. A skill commonly associated with politicians; it is now being used by players and managers.

Scottish sports journalist Graham Spiers in 2006 said:

“The clubs don’t trust the press. The clubs protect the information that comes out of them and therefore it’s more difficult for journalists.”

Yet, in other sports and in other countries, journalists seem to have much better access to players. For instance, in America, sports such as American football, soccer or hockey allow accredited sports reporters into locker rooms to interview coaches and players because they realise the commercial value it brings to the club – such as merchandising and ticket sales.

And the same is reflected in rugby in this country. When I went to the RBS Six Nations Scotland v France, players seemed a lot more comfortable in the media spotlight and could convey what they wanted to get across to the reporters articulately.

This is what football should be striving for, to have a culture where players can openly speak to the press without trepidation of what they say landing them in trouble or being taken out of context. When a player is being interviewed, it is their opportunity to be positive about the club they play for, the players they play with or say something a little bit different which makes the reader sit up and take notice. 

For instance, this article by David Winner on Wayne Rooney is brilliant. The England striker, normally depicted as being an unintelligent, gibbering fool, quashes that belief as he explains to Winner, how he visualises scoring in a match before playing, somewhat proving that there is more to him than his chunky exterior would suggest. But it also avoids the usual routine questions which would normally be asked.

Rooney: Visualises scoring before he does

It is this kind of enlightening journalism which sports fans want to read about, and can help improve relations between the clubs, players and the media. Good quality articles like this will go some way to restoring the breakdown in communication.

Falkirk keeper Michael McGovern extends stay

Waking up to the news that goalkeeper Michael McGovern had signed a new one year deal with the club would have been exactly what Falkirk fans would have wanted to hear.

Many of them feared, given the performances he has produced for the Bairns this season. admiring glances from interested bidders in the SPL would be enough to entice the shot stopper away from the Falkirk Stadium.

But the supporters can relax knowing they will be able to rely on his services for another year.

The fans anxiety for boss Steven Pressley to tie up the player's contract for another season was quite understandable as his contribution to the team's success could not be underestimated.

Not only did he manage 14 shut outs in 45 games, but his reliable nature and assured performances inspired confidence in the rest of the young and inexperienced side.

It is clear to see that McGovern is enjoying his football, and well he should. A call up to the Northern Ireland national set-up, finishing third in the league, a cup winners medal and a League Cup semi-final is a great return especially since he played for a side, who to begin with, were seen as one of the candidates to go down.

 And as a result of the success, the Falkirk keeper has attracted interest from a number of bigger clubs but he insists it was never his intention to decamp from the Falkirk Stadium.

“I said at the start I wouldn't leave Falkirk for any other club just because they were in a higher league, it needed to be the right move,” he said.

“I'm playing regularly, I love working for the manager, I love the set-up, I love the club and the fans have been really good to me.”

McGovern revealed after signing the contract: “I'm absolutely delighted, it was great to get the deal done quickly, I enjoyed my first season and now I'm looking forward to the start of the second.

"The manager has been different class with regards to myself and the way he has treated me. He was patient with the contract negotiations and most importantly he's a manager who has belief in my ability.”

In what is only McGovern's third full season as a first team goalkeeper, having made over 70 appearances with Ross County before arriving at Falkirk last summer, the 27 year old has had 46 cleansheets in this time.

Though for Falkirk, arguably none more satisfying than when, in the Ramsdens Cup final, he pulled off a tremendous save to deny Hamilton and ensure the cup would be heading back to the Falkirk Stadium.

The Bairns' No 1 admits the year has far exceeded his expectations.

“I couldn't have envisaged this season going any better,” he said.

“I came in just wanting to play regularly and I was pleased with my form but as a team its gone well beyond anyone's expectations.

McGovern pulls off another fantastic save

“At the start we didn't really know what we were going to get with the young players but they stepped up to the plate.

"We challenged well in the league, we had a wonderful League Cup run - put in a great performance against Celtic and won the Ramsdens cup, there's so many positives to take.

“It's been my most enjoyable season.”

 McGovern believes there is plenty of promising individuals currently at the Falkirk Stadium though he concedes he would be surprised if PFA First Division Player of the Year winner Farid El Alagui remains at the club for much longer.

“There's at least two or three of the younger boys who could play at the highest level, they certainly have the potential I know its easy to talk up young players and there's a tendency to do that but these players have good heads on their shoulders and they can go far.

 “I'd be shocked if Farid stayed, everyone is looking for a goalscorer, he's 26 and coming into his peak years, he has to do what's best to benefit the rest of his career.”

 McGovern, who was called up for his country in February, admits that while he remains in the Scottish First Division he might restrict his chances of playing for Northern Ireland. Michael O'Neill's men have a friendly against the Netherlands at the start of next month but the former Staggies man is adamant that is not a concern for him just now.

 “The fact that I play in the Scottish First Division, might hinder my chances of playing for Northern Ireland but that didn't really come into my thinking,”he added.

“Anything that happens with the national team is a bonus I'm just concentrating on working hard and developing at Falkirk, there's no hurry to step up a level.”

With rivals Dunfermline being relegated from the SPL and former Falkirk manager Jim Jefferies in charge of the Pars, there is an added incentive to the occasion next season and McGovern is relishing the challenge.

He added: “I've been told there was a big crowd and a great atmosphere the last time the two sides met in the League Cup and that's the sort of games you want to play in, I'm really looking forward to it.

“We're looking to build on what we've achieved this season, we drew a lot of plaudits for our performances and in a sense the air of surprise is gone now so we'll need to work a lot harder.”

Bridging the gap between homelessness and Scottish football

A Scottish Premier League star providing a Christmas lunch is just one of the ways Scottish football is giving back to the community. I spoke to three campaigners to see how the beautiful game is helping to turn round the lives of others in Scotland

As the cold and long winter months set in, thoughts turn to those less fortunate and Rangers footballer Steven Naismith has decided to help one of the most vulnerable groups in society by sponsoring a Christmas lunch for a Glasgow based homeless charity called “Loaves and Fishes”. Originally a soup kitchen feeding homeless people from the back of a van, the charity is now based in the warmth of the indoors at Renfield St Stephen’s Church Centre.

There is a buzz of excitement surrounding the place. A sense of hopefulness replaces the typical feeling of hopelessness among these people. The coldness and isolation endured from life on the streets of Glasgow is forgotten about – at least for a few hours this afternoon – instead a feeling of warmth and comfort fills up the room courtesy of Naismith and it is where I caught up with him that day.

The Rangers midfielder has been out of action this year 

 “A few friends had brought it [the charity] to my attention, a good number of months ago,” Naismith starts to explain.

“I was in the middle of the season. I had a lot on and I didn’t have a lot of time to do the research on Loaves and fishes and see the work they had done. But once I did, I was very keen to be involved and make a small contribution.”

Naismith injured his knee in a recent match against Aberdeen and will miss the rest of the season. Wearing a casual dark blue hoodie, blue jeans, and walking with a slight limp, the former Kilmarnock man was showing signs of being in a little discomfort, but the injury he suffered was put into perspective after he received a letter from a serviceman out in Afghanistan.

“When I got injured, the week after, I got a letter from somebody out in Afghanistan asking if I was ok and when I would be back playing. This was a lovely touch, seeing as I am just a footballer with an injury rather than fighting for my country.”

The striker admitted that it had opened his eyes to some of the incredible work people do and revealed that it gave him the motivation to help others.

“It’s guys like that; if we can find a small bit of time to help them I’m definitely willing to do it. Football can help raise the issue of homelessness,” he enthused.

“I hope to get the awareness out there that these kinds of charities need help and they need – if not volunteers then donations. There are people struggling and if others such as myself have got a small amount of time or can make a donation then, it will go a long way to help the charity.

“Hopefully in the next five or six months I will have time to be involved with not just one charity but a few.”

But the positivity football brings is not confined to generous handouts from football players. While it is important to help charities through donations, there are football programmes and projects up-and-running which allow the homeless, to help themselves. Inspired by Naismith’s words, I searched for other ways football can help improve peoples’ position and spoke to two other people who had witnessed the power, the ball has in reshaping peoples’ lives.

Football can be used a tool “to energise people and turn peoples’ lives around,” according to Zakia Moulaoui, the Schools and Fundraising manager for the Homeless World Cup.  Her voice is filled with an infectious enthusiasm as she tells me about what football can bring to the homeless.

“Seventy-four per cent of the people involved in the programmes change their lives dramatically. Whether it is getting a job, a house, coming off drugs, going into education or mending broken relationships, football has helped to solve all of these problems,” she says.

“It works because, football gives you a routine. It gives you something to look forward to and you have a commitment. It gets people off the streets, can give them a better future, more confidence and a healthier lifestyle.

“When you live on the streets and you don’t have anything to do, you lose track of what is important. You don’t get to socialise and you don’t meet anyone, but during the football session you have to play in a team, to play fair and you have to evolve with others, so those are the first steps.”

David Duke took those first steps many years ago, and is living proof that the football projects and programmes work. Growing up in Govan, a socially deprived area in Glasgow, David became homeless in 2003, after his father has passed away. At 23-years-old, he admits he didn’t cope with it the best.

“I ignored emotion rather than seeking help from family or friends. I cut myself off from everyone as if nothing had happened. I was starting to drink more, and it put a strain on my relationship so me and my girlfriend split up, I also got kicked out of my flat and in turn lost my job.

“I didn’t know what homelessness was or the stigma attached but being in that situation you soon become very damaging to yourself, your confidence goes and you become very isolated.”

One day, David noticed an advert in a shelter for football trials run by the Big Issue. After getting through the preliminary stages of the trials, he was selected for an 8-man squad to go to the Homeless World Cup in August 2004, in Gothenburg.

“I didn’t know where my life was going; I had no desire, just living-day-to-day,” he continued.

“But I went to the World Cup and met guys from Africa, Brazil and all these places and it was a real eye-opener. In Scotland, I was feeling sorry for myself, but really, the stuff that was going on in my life was nothing compared to the trauma and experiences of people in other countries.”

Scotland finished 4th in the tournament but perhaps the real success was that David had realised he could do something with his life. After registering with Active Glasgow to do volunteering and coaching, David soon got the opportunity to coach youngsters and since then has never looked back.

“The lifestyle change for me was when I suddenly became a role model to kids. I had 20 kids every Tuesday, Thursday and Sunday, who all looked up to me and wanted to be me. I had a whole new outlook; I wanted to look after myself, so that I could do the best for the kids.”

After being involved with various other coaching activities and leading Scotland to the Homeless World Cup in 2007, David now runs the Street Soccer Scotland charity which he set-up in 2009. The charity – through football – helps socially disadvantaged adults and young people across Scotland.

“It is used in a way to beat isolation, boost their confidence and self-esteem, provide a healthy option of socialising which is hard to get on the homeless scene,” David adds.

David for all his hard work and endeavour in helping disadvantaged youths and adults through football has received an Honorary Doctorate from Queen Margaret University last year.

The stereotypical view.  Football can help change this

David’s and Zakia’s experiences of the Homeless World Cup cannot be underestimated. In the UK homeless people are stereotypically portrayed to be lazy, drunk and begging on some street corner. Some suggest they are causes of their own downfall, but the tournament provides a platform to change this depressing outlook and to redefine and strengthen the image of homelessness.

Champions: Scotland added to their 2007 success in Paris last year

Zakia adds: “During the tournament it is amazing, people realise that these guys are full of energy, they really want to make it. Most of the spectators ask ‘are they really homeless?’ and you say ‘yes!’ and they don’t want to believe it. So it changes the opinion, and they will talk about it with their friends and spread the word. Then the next time you see a homeless guy on the street you think about him differently, or you will do something a bit better.”

Scotland's Homeless football manager Ally Dawson receives PFA special merit award

Ally Dawson has been awarded the PFA Special Merit Award for his work with the Scottish Homeless World Cup team and a homeless football charity.

The 54-year-old steered the homeless national team to their second World Cup triumph in Paris last October, repeating the 2007 success.

The former Rangers defender got involved in the homeless national set-up when it began in 2003 and after managing the team for the next couple of years, he handed the post over to former homeless World Cup player David Duke.

Last year, Dawson re-joined Duke, who is now the chief executive of Street Soccer, to continue his help with the charity and Dawson conceded he was humbled to receive the accolade.

Ally Dawson (left) receives award for services to homeless football

“It was a great honour but it was a surprise, we were up for it,” he said.

“It reflects greatly on the eight players who went over to Paris and the work our organisation Street Soccer Scotland does.”

Scotland manager Craig Levein may have a selection headache picking the right players for the up and coming qualifiers but Dawson reflected on an altogether different range of problems he faced when choosing his squad to travel to tournaments.

“Some of the guys who went had never been abroad. Initially it was a concern how they would react being there,” he said.

“They were also away from home comforts, however players who had been abroad before helped the new boys to settle in.

“The rest was left to me to pick up the pieces, to put them on the park, to play the games and then leave them again, it worked very well and professionally with David Duke.”

Dawson also insisted alcohol, which is frequently related to the issue of homelessness, was not given to players even after the tournament success.

“From the start of the tournament to the celebrations at the end there were only soft drinks,” he added.

“We had no alcohol and they enjoyed it. I think they remember it better as well.”

Dawson believes football tournaments such as the Homeless World Cup give homeless people a purpose and he says this is evident in the way they are attempting to rebuild their lives now.

“The eight guys we had, were focused they wanted to play and win,” he added.

“You see the difference at the end of the tournament but you also see the opportunity they're getting now such as volunteering and coaching.

“Football makes them socialise. They start mixing with people, young groups and old groups.

“They go through problems together.  It's that camaraderie and it initiates some things for them. That is an important thing – they then see that there is educational programmes on which can help them begin to turn their life around.

“We're starting one in two to three weeks’ time so that's the next part of their development.

“It's all football themed so it's something they should enjoy, something they can hope to use in the future as well “

Dawson will take charge of the homeless national team this year where they travel to Mexico to retain their defence of the trophy in October.

Scotland are we born losers?

WITH the Scotland national rugby team succumbing to a 16-12 defeat to the Auld Enemy on Saturday, one wonders whether losing has become an innate characteristic of Scottish identity.

It seems apparent that no matter what sport we partake in the outcome is normally one of frustration and 'glorious failure'.

That tiresome phrase has been banded about for years perhaps in direct proportion to our lengthy wait for some sort of momentous victory.

Yet is it a self fulfilling prophecy?

It is almost as if we were born brilliant losers. The nation has their expectations significantly raised before any big match – perhaps the media are to blame – and then in the aftermath whether it be in football, rugby, tennis or any other sport we are filled with the same juxtaposed feeling of despair and pride that watching Scotland and our sports men and women competing usually brings.

Referee's are vehemently sworn at for 'that' decision which cost us, the pitch just didn't suit us, the weather affected our play are the usual excuses which are made to soften the blow.

Pints are launched across the room, TV's thrown out of flat windows but once normality is restored and we accept that we were inches away from a famous win we take solace from the fact that we tried our best.

We can be proud of what 'our wee nation' has achieved – but the harsh reality is in the end it just isn't enough when it comes to competing in elite level sport.

Scotland were 12-3 up against England with half-an-hour to play why couldn't we have maintained that lead or at least held on?

Who pressed that notorious self destruct button which ultimately ended the dreams of a nation – again.

Or am I being to harsh? Do we just accept that the better team won – their play merited the victory and they deserve the plaudits coming their way?

From the evidence of Saturday's game this could not be further from the truth, England did just enough and no more and now progress to the quarter finals.

In football, the last time Scotland reached a major competition was when I had hopes and ambitions of playing for the country myself - suffice to say it was not yesterday.

The year 1998 seems a long time ago over 13 years, one wonders whether it will be another 13 years before we reach another World Cup – I certainly hope not.

It seems every qualifying competition, whether it be in the Euro's or the World Cup there was always that one result which if it had gone the way of us, we would have ended the barren spell.

Will we look back at the disastrous 4-6-0 formation in Prague and rue that decision – hindseight is a wonderful thing.

But maybe multiple World Champion cyclist and Olympic gold medalist Sir Chris Hoy would have something to say about this blog perhaps he is the exception to the unwritten rule – that Scots are born losers.

He is the most successful in his sport of all time, he has proven that it is possible for Scots to reach the peak in their elected sport – what makes him different?

And with tennis star Andy Murray, the question seems to be not if he will win a major but when.

Having already reached three finals – the 2008 US Open, 2010 and 2011 Austrialian Open the Scot has illustrated the potential he has to win a grand slam.

But is this itself 'glorious failure' he has always been there or thereabouts but the real prize has eluded him so far in his career.

Perhaps it is ingrained in our culture – even the national anthem suggests glorious defeat in the face of adversity: “And we can still rise now and be the nation again” reads the line.

It is all about bouncing back from loss and being determined to right the wrongs that have pervaded our history and perhaps that is reflected in our sport today.

Just who is Falkirk star striker Farid El Allagui?

Not many people in Scottish football would have heard about Falkirk striker Farid El Allagui before Wednesday night’s Scottish League Cup third round match against Rangers. But after the French-Moroccan helped himself to a brace to shock Ally McCoist’s men in a 3-2 victory for the Bairns they will know about him now.

Signed from SO Romorantin – a club plying their trade in the murky depths of fourth tier French Football- the 26-year-old has made an instant impact since his move in the summer to the Falkirk Stadium.

Pressley brought El Allagui in on trial after he was recommended by his former team mate at Hearts, Stefano Salvatore. The striker produced a series of fine displays whilst there to prompt the Bairns boss to snap him up on a permanent basis and the target man has repaid his manager’s faith.

With nine goals in nine appearances the forward has fired his side into third place in the league and secured a passage into the later rounds of both domestic cups.

His double against Rangers on Wednesday night highlighted his explosive jump and his very good positional sense , some call it instinctive but as Kieran Duffie whipped in a cross, the 26 year-old knew where to be, to rise above the visitors defence and bullet a header past Neil Alexander in goal.

His second bared a similar resemblance with 16-year- old Craig Sibbald starting the move by launching a counter-attack and then producing a splendid cross for El Allagui to power another header past Alexander.

But there is more than just finishing to his game. At 5ft 11, he may not be the tallest centre forward but his powerful leap gives him the ability to out jump most players at his level which has built the foundation for Falkirk’s attacks this season.

The Bairns under former managers John Hughes and Eddie May played with a slow tempo where keeping the ball was the main focus but while it proved successful for a spell and it is questionable at all under Eddie May, teams learned to thwart this type of strategy, and a fresh approach was needed.

El Allagui has enabled Pressley to bring in this new refreshing style to the side by offering an outlet up front. Falkirk now opt to play with a direct and quick tempo with goalkeeper Michael McGovern starting an attack by launching a long ball to the French Moroccan where he has a tendency to win most headers even despite the height advantage defenders have on him.

This alleviates the pressure from the young Falkirk side – they have at least six academy graduates starting most games – because they are further up the park and are playing in the oppositions half rather than their own which has happened under previous regimes.

The 26-year-old is also unselfish, his ability to hold up the ball bringing others around him into play such as Sibbald on the left, David Weatherston on the right and Kallum Higginbotham through the middle combine a potent three-pronged attack behind him which has been the focal point for Falkirk’s goals this season.

But after his impressive displays so far it remains to be seen whether Falkirk can hold onto their star striker before bigger clubs start sniffing around this talented prospect.

Scotland 2-2 Czech Republic: Czech mate late Michal Kadlec penalty all but ends Scotland’s chances of making the European Championships 2012 in Poland and Ukraine

As we traipsed onto the bus heading towards Hampden on Saturday we were greeted with spew bags on our seat, little did I realise it was to be an omen for the day as a late Michal kadlec penalty to make it 2-2 was a real sickener, and left a horrible taste in the mouths of Scottish fans up and down the country.

It was a tale of two penalties; one given and one not. Dutch referee Kevin Blom left the hosts seething as substitute Jan Rezek – who was still lucky to be on the pitch after lunging in recklessly not once but twice within seconds of each other midway during the second half – made the most of a Danny Wilson stuck out leg and fell to the ground – his dying swan act enough to convince Blom that it merited a penalty.

Kadlec converted the spot-kick sending it high into the roof of the net giving Allan McGregor no chance and all but ending Scottish hopes of reaching the European Championship in Poland and Ukraine in 2012 barring a minor miracle.

But in the dying seconds the hosts could and perhaps should have had a penalty of their own – given the softness of spot-kick awarded moments before. Defender Christophe Berra managed to wriggle free of the visitors defence before Roman Hubnik unwisely stuck out a leg - a move that had been ruthlessly penalised in the opposite box previously. But to the bewilderment of at least 50,000 fans and millions more watching at home, the whistler from Holland accused the Wolves defender of diving.

It is sort of the decision that leaves fans, players and managers incensed because of the inconsistency of the awards given. And once again calls for some sort of technology to be introduced into the game.

But no qualms about the result on reflection a point was fair as the Czechs controlled large periods of the match. The two goals that Scotland did score were defensive errors and should have been dealt with but it would have mattered very little had Milan Baros taken his early opportunity and Charlie Adam had not escaped punishment for a rash challenge in the box on the aforementioned striker, indeed they could have been out of sight with only 15 minutes played.

However, the Scots grew in confidence after their initial early scare but as has been the case with most games this European Qualification campaign rarely ever troubled the opposition goalkeeper. Looking at shots on target to goals ratio this tournament Scotland have converted 40% of their chances an incredibly high rate compared to the opposition yesterday who have a 22% success rate.

The stat suggests that Scotland do not create that many chances but when they do they usually take them. That certainly was the case yesterday as against the run of play the Scots went up 1-0 through Kenny Miller just before half-time. Darren Fletcher played an incisive pass through to the Cardiff City striker and his effort was poorly dealt with by stand in keeper Jan Lastuvka who let the ball squirm under his foot before nestling in the back of the net.

It was a lead the hosts barely deserved and the Czechs look confused as to how they were behind. The pattern of play in the second half widely reflected what had happened in the first, the visitors were in control and should have equalised when Tomas Rosicky threaded a ball through to Baros but he put his effort wide.

Miller could have extended the Scots lead when James Morrison put in a wicked delivery but he couldn’t convert the chance.

Then on 55 minutes, Rezek was introduced to play and would have a big impact on the match. His fired cross aided Jaroslav Plasil to bundle the ball home from a few yards out to give the Czechs the equaliser on 78 minutes.

But it was the partnership of Miller and Fletcher again that would lift the hopes of Scotland as the striker pounced on an error by Jan Rajnoch before driving towards goal and playing a perfect weighted pass to the Manchester United midfielder who tucked the ball away with aplomb.

The gamble had looked to have paid off. Fletcher had been sidelined for five months with an unknown virus but manager Craig Levein had no issues about putting him in the starting line-up. However, it was to be the midfielder who was caught spending too much time on the ball which led to the visitor’s equaliser. The 27-year-old was deep in his own half and should have just cleared the ball away to safety but perhaps his match sharpness so late in the game was questionable having being out for so long.

The result all but ends Scotland’s chances – they need to win their last three games including an away tie against the World Champions Spain – a challenge that can’t be overestimated.

The Jekyll and Hyde nature of Falkirk midfielder Jack Compton

Jack Compton is something of a footballing enigma. There are times when he is capable of tearing defences apart with his blistering pace and scoring wonder goals like he did against Raith Rovers last season – resulting in the Bairns coming from behind to record an important 2-1 victory.

But there are times when the player just seems disinterested with what is going on around him, his effort and determination is at times questionable leading to him being unable to produce performances expected from this calibre of player.

It is frustrating to witness especially since he has so much more to offer and after the team’s 2-0 defeat to Peterhead, there were clear signs that the manager Steven Pressley was also becoming annoyed with this Jekyll and Hyde footballing personality.

“Bar one player Jack Compton, the players gave me their lot,”

Pressley told reporters.

“There are demands I put on the players and that one player continually fails to meet those standards.”

Compton signed for the Bairns in January 2009 under the management of Eddie May - a massive coup for the then SPL side who beat off competition from Newcastle United to land the 22-year-old’s signature.

The former Weston-Super-Mare player’s arrival to the club came with a wave of expectancy but injury and a lack of first team football restricted Compton to just a handful appearances for the side.

It was not until the Bairns were relegated to the First Division did the fans get to witness glimpses of what this talent is capable of. His marauding runs down the channel terrorised the opposition defence and his goal against Cowdenbeath had tinges of Arjen Robben about it having drove down the right wing, he cut inside on his left foot and lashed an unstoppable low drive past the goalkeeper.

His goal against Raith Rovers was nothing short of sensational, he ran fully forty yards with the ball as the Bairns countered, with support left and right of him the pass seemed the better option but Compton continued to surge forward as the Raith defence backed off and then from thirty yards, he cut inside again on his left foot and unleashed a ferocious shot which clipped the underside off the bar before hitting the back of the net.

But these 2 goals and a further goal he added against Stirling Albion is all he has scored. He made 24 appearances last season – 15 of these he started.

On his day Compton could play at a much higher level, he has illustrated what he can do but the problem remains that he fails to regularly produce this high standard. To his credit, he has came back from a recurring knee injury which he picked up when he was a teenager and this has no doubt held him back from going on to bigger and better things.

This season he has the chance to finally step-up and give consistently high performances as he – even at the age of 22 – seems a veteran in a very inexperienced Falkirk side. The onus is on him and other first team players' to drive the team on but only time will tell if he can deliver the goods which too often has not been the case.

Champions League Final: Barcelona 3-1 Manchester United

It had been built as the greatest final in 10 years, with Manchester United and Barcelona -two of the world’s best going toe-to-toe in the Wembley arena- and it did not disappoint. Many articles and reports will have been written on the best spectacle in the world - evening eclipsing the Superbowl - but none could do it justice.

It was a pulsating match from start to finish as the world’s superstars displayed the sort of entertainment that had you on the edge of your seat and as if the script had been already written it ended fittingly with Frenchman Eric Abidal- who 72 days ago was having a tumour removed- lifting the Champions League for the Catalan giants after their fantastic 3-1 victory. It was Barcelona’s fourth time and twice in quick succession over Sir Alex Ferguson’s side- beating them 2-0 in Rome in 2009.

And perhaps the most pleasing aspect from a neutral point of view was that there was little if any controversy which mired the La Liga Champions semi-final against Real Madrid. The game was played the way it was supposed to be, with the exception of Barcelona’s Sergio Busquets- who would win an Oscar for best actor as each challenge he received saw him roll about the floor as if he had been taken out by a sniper in one of the stands.

That aside however, this match was exceptional and it was United who took the game to their Spanish opponents in the early stages as their defence looked lost without their leader Carles Puyol. Ji- Sung Park has been a revelation for the Red Devils this season and put in three decisive challenges – including one on Leo Messi – which demonstrated the kind of character and determination exuberating around the whole team in the opening 10 minutes. United could have even went ahead as Wayne Rooney almost latched onto a through ball but goalkeeper Victor Valdes – who many still question his ability- came rushing out to deny the Englishman. But where that was good anticipation, it was perhaps fortuitous that Gerard Pique’s back pass under pressure from United’s Javier Hernandez did not go past him moments later.

Although after this initial early pressure from United, Barcelona started to stamp their authority on the match and created chance after chance. But they were thwarted by the excellent defending of Nemanja Vidic – who was unfortunate to be on the losing side- however Barca’s pressure soon proved too much as they opened the scoring through Pedro Rodriguez on 27 minutes. It was a lovely goal and epitomised the Spanish’s style of play as Busquets and Andres Iniesta played a one-two, fed the ball into orchestrator Xavi- he darted unopposed towards the United defence before playing an exquisite pass- with the outside of the foot- to Pedro who evaded Vidic’s challenge slotting the ball past Edwin Van der Sar at his near post.

It was the type of goal we had come to expect of Pep Guardiola’s men, a style which has manifested itself in the Catalans – and bares the hallmark of the Dutch total football from the 1980’s. It is no coincidence that Barca have picked up this attractive play. Former Barcelona manager Frank Rikjaard was a Dutch superstar thirty years ago. Guardiola has only smoothed off the rough edges of the style shaping his team into one of the best the world has ever seen.

But if Barca expected the Red Devils to roll over and appease them they were sorely mistaken. Ryan Giggs who perhaps might have taken out a super-injunction for this match as he was fairly anonymous throughout- even the linesman failed to spot that he had strayed into an offside position for Alex Ferguson’s side equaliser on 34 minutes. Despite that the goal was as good as any made in Catalonia. Rooney played a one-two with Michael Carrick before -baring a similar resemblance to Xavi's pass previously -dinking the ball with the outside of his foot into the path of the Welshman who set up Rooney to curl the ball past the despairing dive of Valdes in goal.

The animation witnessed on Ferguson’s face only moments before had lifted and been replaced by joy. But Barca came roaring back and almost took the lead twice before the first half ended. A free kick worked off the training ground as Xavi rolled the ball into Busquets before threading a pass through to Pedro almost made it 2-1. Then Messi went on one of his trademark runs before finding David Villa, the Spaniard then laid the ball into the Argentine’s path but the last ditch challenge by Vidic did enough to put the striker off and the sides went in level at half-time.

Nevertheless United’s defence would be breached again as Xavi and Iniesta orchestrated the play in the final third – a wave of unrelenting Barca attack eventually took its toll and it was Messi who delivered a severe blow to the Red Devils cup aspirations by surging forward and hitting a curling shot beyond the clutches of Van der Sar- who perhaps might have felt he should have done better as the ball was fairly centre of the goal.

The Dutchman soon made up for his unusually poor goalkeeping by producing a string of stunning saves to deny Xavi and co. But he could do absolutely nothing about Barca’s third. Ferguson would have been raging with the sloppy defending in the lead up to the goal. Substitute Nani – who’d only recently came on- surrendered possession in United’s box, the Spaniards' took full advantage as the ball was laid back to Villa at the edge of the D, and he took a touch for control before producing a dipping curling shot beyond the 40-year-old. It was a fantastic piece of skill and thoroughly merited.

United had a couple of chances towards the end – Rooney tried to find the top corner with a curling effort but it only found the roof of the net, and Giggs felt that United should have had a penalty late on but the referee waved play on. Ultimately, it would be the Spaniards' that would go on to lift the coveted trophy.

Is Lord Voldemort playing Premier League football? He-who-should-not-be-named plans to sue The Sunday Herald

With the news that The Sunday Herald could face legal action by the footballer-who-should-not-be-named over their publishing of an article about his alleged affair with celebrity Imogen Thomas the debate between the freedom of the press and privacy of the famous rumbles on.

For those of you who are unaware of the debacle a Premier League footballer took out a super-injunction to prevent the media from publishing the story about his six month sexual affair with the former Big Brother contestant. However Social networking site Twitter has been used as a vehicle recently by some users to name and shame celebrities over their scandalous stories and he was one of them – he is also looking into legal action against the Californian company.

This has since sparked debate over whether celebrities can impose such gagging orders on the media when at the click of the button on Twitter all can be revealed. Many argue that the orders should be disposed of because it is a law that is designed purely to protect the rich as only they can afford to impose privacy injunctions or super-injunctions. Others believe that even the rich and famous are entitled to a private life and it is not in the public interest to know who’s sleeping with whom.

In the Press Complaints Commission ethics code (1992:11) it states that “the public interest is not whatever happens to interest the public.” It must be something of paramount importance to the public – can it be argued that this is imperative to the public’s needs? Celebrity magazines such as Hello! and Heat would certainly have you think so.

And onto the issue that has got The Sunday Herald into hot water. On May 22 it printed a photograph on the front page of the footballer, with his eyes blackened out and the word ‘censored’ over the top – immediately obvious to anyone who ­picked up the paper and read it as to who the Premiership star was. Underneath the caption: "Everyone knows this is the footballer accused of using the courts to keep allegations of a sexual affair secret. But we weren't supposed to tell you that.”

The paper goes on to name the footballer in the newspaper and this has made the representatives of the player to consider what legal action to take. However, there is a legal loophole and this has created a divide in media law opinion as to whether The Sunday Herald has a right to publish such stories.

Many argue including criminal law expert QC Paul McBride that the super injunction only applies to English media law and not the whole of the UK so it is perfectly legit for the Scottish paper to publish the story.

“They forget that Scotland has an entirely separate legal system which makes its own judgments. They think that their rulings affect the world when in reality it is just England and related jurisdictions,” McBride told The Scotsman.

"Basically the footballer's lawyers forgot that they should take out an interdict in Scotland, and that allowed the Sunday Herald to publish.

"They can call it a super-duper-injunction. If they don't have an interdict in Scotland it is worthless."

Although top media lawyer Brian Deane has a different view he believes the paper’s editors, journalists and directors could be prosecuted for contempt of court.

“If the paper was absolutely sure of its position, why didn't it publish the names of all the other super-injunctions, none of which have been served in Scotland?” Deane told The Scotsman.

"I suspect that if the roles were reversed and a Scottish judge's ruling was ignored this way in England the Scottish judge would be seething."

So it seems that according to Deane being aware of the injunction being in place is the crux of the matter rather than whether or not the injunction was directly imposed on the newspaper itself.

However Mr. Deane has raised an important issue when he asks why they have they not named all the other super- injunctions. If The Sunday Herald was to win the case then this could potentially start a wave of Scottish newspapers naming and shaming celebs that have imposed gagging orders across the border.

But The Sunday Herald is not the first paper to reveal the player’s name as the Spanish print media have also published who the player is which poses the question everyone knows who it Is, so why does he not just come out and admit it?

In 2011 there have been 18 privacy junctions granted with a further 12 super-injunctions being put in place which ban the media from even mentioning their existence. A recent report by the Telegraph revealed that nine footballers, nine actors, four pop stars, six wealthy businessmen and women, a senior civil servant and an MP have obtained injunctions. Schillings, the media law firm, has obtained more than 20 of the orders and been paid an estimated £2 million.

But what is your view on the matter should celebs be granted such orders to avoid their dirty linen being washed out in public, do newspapers and magazines print these stories because they know it will sell papers and therefore is it in the public interest? Or does becoming the status of a celeb mean that the public have a right to know every single detail of the person’s life?

Should we all be jumping on the Bannan wagon?

Scotland has found itself its next superstar, or so it would appear.

Introducing Barry Bannan a young talented Scottish winger with tinges of Jimmy Johnstone about him. The twenty year old, soon to be twenty one is at Aston Villa and has recently broke into the first team under current boss Gerard Houllier.

Bannan himself claimed that former manager Martin O'Neill was detrimental to his progress as he wouldn't play him due to his height. The Aston Villa player stands at a proud 5 ft 7 and was head and shoulders above the rest on his debut for Scotland against the Faroe Islands if only in metaphorical terms.

However, are we right to be hyping him up so quickly? A reality check suggests otherwise as it was the Faroe Islands he was playing against, and to further emphasis this their season finished three weeks ago. It was hardly the sort of team that would provide any sort of challenge to the tricky winger.

I can already hear the argument about him playing against Manchester United and undoubtedly playing really well. But careers are not made on one game they are made on hundreds and there have been instances in the past where the Scottish media in particular have hyped up players and then nothing has come of it.

Players like Mark Burchill when he was a youngster at Celtic was being compared to the great Michael Owen when he was at his peak and where is he now one might ask.

Another candidate in the hat for this award is Sean Maloney again another rising star for the Hoops went down to the Premiership to try and test his ability against the elite of football but was found to be lacking in certain areas and instead is back in the SPL testing his ability against the 'elite' in Scottish football.

Incidentally Maloney played in the match against the Faroes and was dire his night was summed up when he was gifted the easiest of chances as a misplaced pass led him one on one with the goalkeeper- admittedly if it had been a proper International match then he might have not attempted to chip the keeper but it was a poor effort none the less.

And what about superstar John Fleck being compared to the next Wayne Rooney a season or so ago and he cannot even get in the Rangers team even with their squad being sparse as it is.

But perhaps in Bannan's favour is he already playing in the Premiership where others in the past have failed. He seems to have genuine talent and does not seem to fear anyone with the right coaching and direction he could become a very good player for his country but for now he needs to keep his feet on the ground.