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A RANGERS player wrongly blamed for one of Scottish football’s most tragic accidents is to be honoured in a hall of fame.
Striker Sam English quit football aged 28 after a fateful tackle killed Celtic goalkeeper John Thomson in 1931.
An official enquiry cleared English of any blame, but he was routinely booed by opposing fans and released by the Gers within a year.
But he still holds the record as Rangers’ top league goalscorer with 44 goals in 35 games.
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FORMER Celtic boss Davie Hay has revealed that the club carried out secret drugs tests on striker Mo Johnston after allegations were made against his behaviour off the pitch.
In his new autobiography Hay has told how he swore a handful of people to secrecy and arranged for Mo – known as MoJo – to have a drugs test without his knowledge.
The star striker was told he was to have a full medical test by doctors to assess his general health – while the club’s chiefs anxiously waited to see if any trace of drugs showed up in the player’s system.
Mo – who would later transfer to Rangers, becoming the Catholic to play for the Glasgow side – was often seen in nightclubs and bars, dated a string of models and owned sports cars.
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By Michael MacLeod
CELTIC goalkeeper Lukasz Zaluska has been hit with a fine for speeding near Edinburgh Zoo.
A speed camera caught the 27 year-old Poland international hitting 41mph in a 30mph zone on the capital’s Corstorphine Road on January 21 this year.
This week he admitted that he had been driving a car over the speed limit.
The Parkhead number two managed to keep a clean sheet in his side’s 4-0 win over Falkirk in the Co-operative Insurance Cup on Wednesday night.
But yesterday (Thurs) he got three penalty points on his licence at Edinburgh’s Justice of the Peace Court.
DISGRACED former Livingston boss Angelo Massone has finally left the building.
The Italian businessman, who only sold his shares in the West Lothian club last week, has moved out of his plush flat in the exclusive New Town area of Edinburgh.
Mr Massone was paying a whopping rent of £1950 per month for the three-floor Georgian townhouse.
He also had to shell out the added expense of a monthly council tax bill and a £140 parking permit for the up-market area.
A source confirmed the furnished house was, until very recently, rented by the former football chairman.
By Michael MacLeod
OLD Firm football thugs who beat their wives have been slated as “barbaric” by a senior Government minister ahead of Saturday’s potentially explosive SPL title deciding clash at Ibrox.
Communities Minister Alex Neil revealed yesterday that an advertising campaign will be run on TV before, during and after the Rangers v Celtic match being shown live on Setanta specifically targeted to highlight a proven rise in complaints of domestic abuse centred around the Glasgow derby.
Electronic advertising hoardings around the perimeter of the pitch at Rangers ground Ibrox hosting the match will also carry the message: ‘There’s no excuse for domestic abuse’.
MSP Neil revealed that shameful domestic abuse attacks jumped by a staggering 88 per-cent to 231 cases on the last Old Firm matchday in March, sparking demands from police to the Scottish Government that ‘something has to be done.’
CAMPAIGN: Alex Neil, Communities Minister
And Mr Neil, unveiling a new report yesterday, admitted he worries for the wives and partners of drunken football yobs.
Evidence
He said: “We are doing extra this weekend around the Old Firm game because we have very clear evidence that around the game there is an increase in domestic abuse, particularly in the West coast.
“We are deliberately segmenting the message to men and women before and after the game. There’s absolutely nothing worse than for a woman to live in fear of her partner and we take a zero tolerance approach to violence against women, especially drunken violence.
“This is the 21st Century, Scotland is a modern nation and it is absolutely barbaric to engage in domestic abuse, which is one of the worst forms of violence in our society.” Continue reading
A SCOTS tailor has told of his shock when two of Osama Bin Laden’s brothers came to him to buy a suit.
Glasgow dad Mike Sweeney, 55, is living the high life in London, tailoring suits for the stars including Chelsea FC owner Roman Abramovich and actor John Cleese.
He came face to face with the siblings of the world’s most wanted terrorist last month – and took £24,000 from them.
Mike said the duo were “both a spitting image” of the Al-Qaeda leader, but was happy to serve them as they splashed the cash on stylish clothing.
But with his son-in-law serving in Afghanistan, he admitted the duo came and went with few questions asked.
The wealthy Arabs are the latest in a long line of celebrities to drop into Ermenegildo Zegna on London’s trendy New Bond Street.
Singer Annie Lennox and comeback politician Peter Mandelson usually ask for manager Mike by name when shopping in the Italian fashion store.
Born and bred in Parkhead, Mike began his fashion career in Galashiels, and now takes celebrity visits in his stride.
He said: “The Bin Laden brothers were good customers and I don’t see why we should treat them any other way.
“We try not to make a fuss about our clients and I didn’t want any trouble because my son in law Lee is fighting in Afghanistan.
“I was just glad there wasn’t too much conversation to be honest, because Lee is serving out there as a sergeant with the Royal Signals.
“He’s 29, lives in Inverness, has two kids and of course everyone in my family is very proud of him.
“Luckily these guys went against the grain – while they looked the spitting image of Bin Laden, they were really nice to our staff.”
They each bought £12,000 worth of suits, asking for them to be tailored within two days of ordering.
Osama Bin Laden’s father is widely reported to have 50 children from four marriages, with most attempting to lead respectable lives.
Many of his brothers and other relatives bought swanky London properties after hitting success with the Bin Laden construction empire, which built a number of shopping malls in the Middle East.
The Saudi-born militant was even reported to be a fan of London football team Arsenal.
But Mike said his two visitors were “reserved and friendly, not what you’d expect.”
He added: “Nobody was intimidated – it’s not like they have anything to hide.
“They weren’t dressed up like typical Arabs, but they knew what they wanted and we had to turn the order over pretty quickly.
“We’re quite used to Arab customers and it doesn’t matter about a person’s background – there’s nobody I wouldn’t serve.”
By Karrie Gillett
MORE than 20,000 people have gathered to pay their last respects at the funeral of Celtic legend Tommy Burns.
The crowds of mourners packed the east end of Glasgow to remember the 51-year-old who died last week after a battle with skin cancer.
And friends and family who filed into St Mary’s Church in the Calton area of the city were joined by past and present players as well as ex-managers and many familiar footballing faces.
It was a sombre day as fans stood for hours at Celtic Park to leave their tributes to the Parkhead hero – remembered by many as “a true gentleman”.
by Karrie Gillett
THOUSANDS of football fans paid tribute to Celtic hero Tommy Burns at grounds across Scotland this weekend.
As the season draws to a close, a minute’s applause was heard before kick-off as supporters remembered the 51-year-old who lost his battle with cancer on Thursday.
And, as the massive sea of shirts and flowers at Parkhead grows, there was also a message from fans of Kilmarnock FC who are remembering TB’s on and off-pitch achievements.
A shrine of strips, scarves and photos was placed at Rugby Park where a generation of Killie fans credit the Celtic legend as one of their best-ever players.
The tributes at the Ayrshire stadium thanked The Hoops coach for his four and a half years there between November 1989 and June 1994 both as player and manager – where he secured a top-flight promotion for Kilmarnock and a Scottish Cup semi-final.
By 
Deadline Press & Picture Agency 