The SPL relegation battles are rarely without incident, writes Neil Forsyth
Nothing marks the Scottish Premier League’s character more than the manner of its departing. For three years now the nation’s uppermost collection of professional football clubs have ended their season in squabbling and intrigue that has left most fans watching events through their fingers in embarrassment.
Ben Lyttleton tells us how Iran forgot their troubles for one glorious night
The celebrations throughout Iran after they beat Bahrain 1-0 last month to become the second team to qualify for the World Cup, one hour after Japan, passed off peacefully in spite of the country’s security forces abandoning their duties and joining fans in the streets.
MK Dons are facing an uphill struggle to be accepted, writes Tom Davies
Attempts by supporters of the Milton Keynes Dons franchise to integrate themselves into the wider football fan movement have received their first knockback, with the rejection by the Football Supporters’ Federation of a membership application from the club’s supporters’ association. The FSF’s annual conference in May voted to refuse the MK Dons supporters’ application until the football authorities had tightened their rules on clubs moving grounds and disposing of stadiums (something the League have since acted upon) and until MK Dons stopped claiming the history and honours of Wimbledon FC as their own.
What defines a career, money or medals?
If Rio Ferdinand succeeds in getting his Manchester United salary increased to £120,000 a week, he will receive in a month what someone on the average wage would take 19 years to earn. In recent newspaper reports on his contract negotiations, Rio was depicted wearing a Che Guevara baseball cap, so he may have plans to redistribute his bloated income in a manner befitting someone who identifies with a Marxist revolutionary. But it is none the less fair to assume that he will receive advice to the contrary and that his wages will continue to be spent on fast cars, holidays in exclusive resorts and helping Jody Morris to release fire extinguishers in hotel corridors.
Sky would kill for last day dramatics like this. Bobby McMahon retells the tale of one of the closest ever title races
The long-term significance
This season brought to an end a period in which teams other than Rangers and Celtic actually won the Scottish League. In the 19 seasons after the end of the Second World War, non-Old Firms clubs took eight of the championships. In the 40 years since, that has only happened four times. After winning the domestic treble the previous season, Rangers slumped to fifth while Celtic could only manage to finish eighth.