Mail on Sunday

[ Last Week Was Hard ]

Last week was hard. Nothing tragic, but full of those disappointments that make you feel that your luck has finally run out.

Andersson Is Due a Fairytale Finish As Swede Revenge for a Miserable Run of Hard-Luck Stories at Home ; Fraser Mackie On a Keeper Who has Suffered a Terrible Run of Bad Luck

DANIEL ANDERSSON likes a bit of chaos in his Cup Finals. He would just appreciate coming out a winner in the end, for a change. The Hibernian goalkeeper intends to succeed where he failed in the Tennent's Scottish Cup recently and keep Rangers out of his goal in this week's CIS Cup semi-final. That would open the gateway to another Hampden appearance next month and a first showpiece occasion for the 30-year-old in Scottish football.

Mcleish Must Put Impeccable Cup Pedigree On the Line Again

THE start could not have been much more shaky - a scoreless draw at Berwick Rangers in the Tennent's Scottish Cup. Since that inauspicious beginning in January 2002, however, Alex McLeish's record in domestic knockout competitions is exemplary.

I Couldn't Turn Down Ibrox After Telling My Twin to Go ; Fraser Mackie Finds a Dutchman Content to Follow His Own Advice

FRANK de BOER is the younger of football's most famous twins, having weighed in 10 minutes after his brother on May 15, 1970. Yet that disadvantage in experience terms did not prevent him from passing on a nugget of advice which reveals that this de Boer played an important role in aiding the cause of Rangers - years before last week's surprise transfer to Ibrox.

Milne's Cause for Optimism

PARTICK THISTLE are bottom of the heap, but one of their number is on top of the pile as the Jags prepare for a trial by TV today against Rangers. At a time of great uncertainty in football, Kenny Milne's new twoyear contract has seen him acquire a level of job security not enjoyed by a substantial number of his colleagues.

Inverness Add Heat to Premier Demands ; First Division

THOSE rather ludicrous SPL entry regulations were exposed again yesterday with the wintry blast claiming two Premier League ties. Caley Thistle's supposedly unprotected pitch passed a morning inspection with flying colours. There have only ever been two postponements at the ground, yet installing undersoil heating could be one of the demands hindering this club's ambitions come May.

Sheerin: I'd Never Underrate Underdogs

PAUL SHEERIN will always champion the cause of the underdog after playing a decisive role in one of the greatest upsets in the history of the Scottish Cup when Inverness Caley Thistle defeated Celtic four years ago. The midfielder's expertly- converted penalty was the third goal for the First Division side and killed any chance of a comeback at Parkhead.

Bobby Baffled

Hibernian 1 Dundee 1 SOME eccentric decisions by the match officials cost Hibernian all three points at Easter Road yesterday.

Agathe's Forward Thinking Ensures It's Backs to Wall for Killie

Celtic 5 Kilmarnock 1 ANY FROZEN fans daydreaming of warmer climes during the first half were ordered to keep their mind on the job by a man who would've been forgiven for pondering what the temperature was in his La Reunion homeland yesterday.

Devastating Didier Wings Way Back Into O'neill's Good Books

MARTIN O'NEILL last night declared Didier Agathe back to the peak of his form after the French winger destroyed Kilmarnock yesterday. Agathe scored the opener and teed up another two goals as Celtic secured a 5-1 victory in the second half - after starting the game at rightback in a four-man defence.

Lack of Hunger Will Cost Pars Bite at Euro Cherry ; Fifers Boss Laments His Side's Failure to Go Third As United Earn the Points at Tannadice

Dundee Utd 1 Dunfermline 0 DUNFERMLINE manager Jimmy Calderwood criticised his players' lack of ambition for failing to seize the chance to claim third place in the SPL.

Aberdeen Fans in a Fury After Referee Calls Off Match at the Last Minute

FURIOUS Aberdeen fans demanded their club make an official protest following the late call-off of their match against Motherwell at Fir Park - as rain and snow played havoc with the fixture list. Eleven of the 20 senior fixtures scheduled for yesterday were cancelled, with the matches at Falkirk, Queen of the South, Raith Rovers, Berwick, Dumbarton, Albion Rovers, East Stirling, Elgin By Ewing Grahame and Gretna falling victim to severe winter weather.

Danish Teenager for Rangers

RANGERS attempted to shake off their 'Dad's Army' tag last night by making a deadline-day swoop for Danish teenage striker Bajram Fetai. Alex McLeish, who signed Frank de Boer last week and who is trying to finalise the summer Bosman capture of 34-year-old Alex Rae from Wolves, has looked to the future to beat off Premiership interest in the 18-year-old from B93 Copenhagen.

Bobby Blows Whistle On Ref

BOBBY WILLIAMSON claimed his Hibs team lost out on a potentially match-winning penalty yesterday - because the referee couldn't get the whistle to his mouth quickly enough. Steven Conroy failed to give the decision after the ball appeared to strike Barry Smith's arm in the box during the 1-1 draw with Dundee.

Tycoons Question Fergie's Health

THE Irish racing duo engaged in a vicious legal war with Sir Alex Ferguson raised questions over his health and the wisdom of Manchester United offering a long-term contract to a man of his age. The club's biggest shareholders, John Magnier and JP McManus, voiced concerns in a sensational letter sent to the club who were negotiating with Ferguson, 62, over a new contract.

Cool It, Bhoys ; Anxious O'neill Tells Hartson and Co to Cut Out the Aggro at Hearts

MARTIN O'NEILL will order John Hartson to keep a cool head during Celtic's potentially-explosive Scottish Cup fourth-round tie with Hearts. Relations between the two clubs have plummeted since the striker's alleged elbow on defender Andy Webster in a controversial SPL clash at Tynecastle a fortnight ago.

Can You Profit From Your Principles?

No doubt about it it's an ethical investment, but is it a sensible investment? This week, Cafedirect, which boasts of offering fair prices to impoverished coffee, cocoa and tea growers in the Third World, announces plans for possibly the most idealistic share issue in the UK since Body Shop went public in the Eighties.

Fsa Warns: Tackle Endowment Mess ; Insurers Face Big Fines If They Miss April 30 Deadline Fsa Warns Big Insurers

FOUR of the biggest life insurers have been warned to speed up their handling of mortgage endowment mis-selling complaints or face massive fines from the City regulator. The financial giants have until the end of April to remedy the situation. The tough stance by the Financial Services Authority follows last Tuesday's dressing down of insurance bosses by John McFall, chairman of the powerful Treasury Select Committee, over widespread endowment mis-selling and the failure by the industry to cl...

Who Is Stella's New Man?

Mothercare Is Rocked by Massive Sales Slump ; Mothercare Sales Slump

MOTHERCARE has suffered a dramatic slump in sales of children's clothing, prompting questions over its much-vaunted recovery story. According to confidential industry figures seen by Financial Mail, the retailer suffered a 32 per cent drop in childrenswear sales by value in the 24 weeks to December 15 and an astonishing 43 per cent fall in volume.