Striker Dalby in demand
Bolton Wanderers have joined Wigan Athletic and Blackpool in the race to sign ex-Wrexham striker and free agent Sam Dalby, who spent last season on loan at Dundee United. (Football League World), externalRead the rest of Friday's Scottish gossip.
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Daily Mail
42 minutes ago
- Daily Mail
THE MOUSE WHO ROARED! McLauchlan shone from Tarbolton to Dunedin... and back again
There was an added sense of poignancy that news of Ian 'Mighty Mouse' McLauchlan's sad passing should arrive just as the latest batch of British and Irish Lions were jetting off on this summer's adventure to Australia. McLauchlan, who died on Friday aged 83, was considered one of the toughest and feistiest players to ever pull on a Scotland jersey, something he did 43 times between 1969 and 1979. It was his performances for the Lions, however, that elevated the Ayrshire-born prop's reputation and brought him to wider recognition, something he did with distinction over two tours of duty. The first came in 1971 when a group that included Welsh great JPR Williams and Irish icon Willie John McBride won two games out of four and drew the final one to secure what remains the Lions' only series victory in New Zealand. McLauchlan played a pivotal role in the first Test in Dunedin, charging down an attempted All Blacks clearance to score the only try of the game. Perhaps surprisingly for a player who scored frequently in the club game, it also turned out to be the only Test try of his career. McLauchlan was back in the fold three years later when the touring party, now captained by McBride, won 21 of the 22 matches they played in South Africa and drew the last one to earn the nickname 'The Invincibles'. It was a physically bruising, often violent tour but the Lions proved too strong for their Springbok hosts as they clinched the Test series by three matches to one. McLauchlan was again pivotal, playing in every Test match just as he had done in New Zealand, making him one of just five players to be ever-present across the two victorious series. International rugby had come late to the man from the Ayrshire village of Tarbolton, not a renowned stronghold for the sport. When he made his Scotland debut a month short of his 27th birthday in an 8-3 Five Nations loss to England at Twickenham in March 1969, he became the first former pupil of Ayr Academy and ex-Jordanhill College student to be capped for his country. 'Much of that day is a haze but I remember sitting in the changing room at 2.50pm,' he wrote in his autobiography, Mighty Mouse. ''Open the doors', I thought. 'Let me get out there and at them'. I had waited all my life for that moment.' McLauchlan wasn't big for a loosehead at under 15 stone and just 5ft8 tall but what he lacked in physical stature he made up for with tenacity and determination, in the scrum especially where he would regularly give his tighthead opponent a difficult afternoon. His club performances for Jordanhill and West of Scotland brought him belatedly to the attention of the Scotland selectors — six years after his first trial — starting a decade-long period of international recognition where he'd go on to establish himself in the team before becoming captain in 1973. He would lead his country 19 times, an achievement that stood as a record until it was later surpassed by David Sole. On one of those occasions, another Calcutta Cup clash with the Auld Enemy, he captained the team despite having broken a bone in his leg against Ireland just a fortnight earlier. Although he came from a corner of the country where football, racing pigeons and whippets were the favoured pastimes, McLauchlan would become a rugby obsessive. 'I was hooked straight away,' he admitted. 'I loved the physicality, the brutality and the camaraderie of it. Before long, the game had become the be-all and end-all of my life. 'I never wanted to give up. I played every minute I could play. I used to go down to Wales mid-week and play. I'd go to Ireland at the weekends and play on the Sunday. At that time Scottish Rugby had a ban on Sunday rugby but it didn't seem to matter too much in Ireland. It was quite good. You'd play in Glasgow and get the six o'clock plane to Dublin and come back on the Sunday night.' The 1970s were not a hugely memorable period for Scottish rugby overall, with the unlikely five-way tie in 1973 the only championship Scotland celebrated throughout the decade. The feeling was, though, that it could have been even worse had McLauchlan not done his best to lift the level through both word and deed until his international retirement in 1979, again with another Test match against the All Blacks, this time at Murrayfield. He worked as a PE teacher at Broughton High School in Edinburgh, launched his own marketing firm and even had a brief spell in journalism but rugby remained in the blood, making it little surprise that he would continue to contribute to the sport later in life. He served as president of Scottish Rugby from 2010 to 2012 and remained on the board until 2019. 'I've always been involved in rugby in one way or another,' he said at the time. 'I suppose it kind of appealed to my sense of humour, the thought of being on the board. 'It's like everything else. I just wanted to do something to help rugby. It's a plain, simple fact: if you don't do anything, you don't get much from it — but if you try to do something you get a great deal of self-satisfaction and reward comes from effort.' McLauchlan would fill other rugby roles, too, chairing the British and Irish Lions Trust, becoming a director of European Professional Club Rugby, chair of the Murrayfield Injured Players Foundation and a director of the Hearts & Balls rugby charity. In 2013 he was inducted into Scottish Rugby's Hall of Fame and four years later received an OBE for services to rugby. Later in life he moved from the Corstorphine area of Edinburgh to settle on Islay where his wife Eileen, who died in 2023, hailed from. News of McLauchlan's sad passing prompted tributes from all across the rugby world, including from former team-mate — and another Lions and Scotland legend — Andy Irvine. 'He was some character and some player,' said Irvine. 'He was smaller than most props he came up against but I never saw anyone get the better of him. He was so tough, almost indestructible. What a fantastic career he had for Scotland and the Lions. It's very, very sad.' The sad news broke just as Lions head coach Andy Farrell and his players were boarding the plane to Australia ahead of their Test series against the Wallabies. They paid tribute to one of their own: 'Our thoughts are with the friends and family of former Scotland captain and Lions great Ian McLauchlan.'
Daily Mail
2 hours ago
- Daily Mail
EXCLUSIVE Failure of SNP's green plan as motorists fork out £19m in city centre LEZ zone fines
Growing numbers of motorists are being fined for driving into Scotland's city-centres - according to new figures which call into question the value of the country's controversial low emission zones. LEZs have now been operating for two full years in Glasgow and for one full year in Edinburgh, Aberdeen and Dundee. Analysis by the Scottish Mail on Sunday of new published data reveals the massive impact on drivers - with more than 169,000 fines issued so far, worth in excess of £19million. The stated aim of the LEZs is to improve air quality in city centres by banning older vehicles which, despite being otherwise legal and road-worthy, are deemed to create too much pollution. When the schemes were introduced, it was anticipated the number of fines would gradually dwindle away as drivers either switched to public transport or upgraded to more modern, eco-friendly, cars. As expected, each LEZ saw a rapid drop in breaches within the first few months of operation. However, over the past five months, the trend has reversed and the number of fines issued has actually risen steadily. In January, across the four cities, 7,058 fines were issued. But by May the number had risen to 8,956. The figures suggest the LEZs may not be as effective at reducing air pollution as council bosses had hoped. Meanwhile critics argue there are thousands of drivers who need to travel into city centres for work - but who simply cannot afford to upgrade to newer vehicles. Opposition politicians have warned that if LEZs failed to improve air quality, they would simply become another tax on hard-pressed motorists. Scottish Conservative transport spokesperson Sue Webber MSP said: 'These figures prove what motorists already know – they're being milked for cash because the SNP have gutted council funding. 'You'd think low emission zones were about cleaner air – but in reality, they're trapping drivers who have no other option. 'Most Scots can't just shell out for a new car to meet these rules. The nationalists are completely out of touch. 'If SNP ministers are serious about getting Scots out of their cars, they should show some common sense for a change and deliver reliable and affordable public transport, instead of punishing motorists.' Analysis by the MoS shows that a total of 169,329 LEZ fines have so far been issued across the four cities - worth an astonishing £19.1m. The severity of penalties depends on how often a driver infringes the LEZ - from £60 for a single breach to a maximum of £960 if someone drives a non-compliant vehicle into the zone five or more times in a three-month period. Incredibly, 6,787 of these maximum £960 fines have so far been dished out across the country. Scotland's first LEZ was set up in Glasgow in June 2023. Policed by a network of number-plate recognition cameras, it covers a square mile of the city centre between the River Clyde and the M8 motorway. As the country's long-running LEZ, it has unsurprisingly issued the highest overall number of fines: 72,110 tickets - an average of 3,005 every month - worth a total of £7.1m. Last September Glasgow City Council said the LEZ had made a 'promising start' at improving air quality. Pollution data covering the first six months of the LEZ suggested nitrogen dioxide levels in parts of the city centre had dropped by 20 per cent - but remained high in the busiest streets. The council also revealed that, after operating costs, the scheme raised a surplus of around £750,000 in the financial year 2023/24 - which would be spent on planting trees and turning bus-stop roofs into havens for bees. Edinburgh has so far issued the highest average number of LEZ tickets - 3,988 each month. The capital's zone extends from Holyrood Park to Haymarket - and came into force in June 2024. After a sharp drop last year in the first few months of the LEZ, the number of fines in the capital has risen steadily from 2,664 in January to 3,401 in May. Last night Edinburgh City Council blamed the recent rise on tourists driving into the city - but said the scheme overall was delivering benefits. Transport and environment convener Stephen Jenkinson, said: 'Last year we joined Glasgow, Dundee and Aberdeen to implement and enforce an LEZ across the city centre, reaffirming our intentions to create a healthier, cleaner city for everyone. 'Since then, I've been really encouraged to see the number of fines for non-compliant vehicles steadily decline, showing that people are getting used to the LEZ and making changes. 'Recent fluctuations may be down to an increased number of visitors over the months that attract more tourists and we'll continue to monitor this.' Meanwhile drivers in Aberdeen have been hit with the highest average value of fines - equating to £417,930 per month. The city's LEZ, which also came into force in June 2024, is clustered around Union Street and the surrounding roads, covering an area of just half a mile squared. Dundee's LEZ is bordered by the A92 and the A991 inner ring-road and began at the very end of May 2023. It has so far issued the lowest average number of fines - just 1,292 per month. Government agency Transport Scotland has said that despite the rises in recent months, the number of LEZ breaches was still significantly lower than last June when the scheme was first introduced in Edinburgh, Aberdeen and Dundee. A Transport Scotland spokesperson said: 'In Edinburgh and Aberdeen, the number of PCNs issued in May 2025 was approximately half the number issued in June 2024. In Dundee, the figure was down by around two-thirds over the same period, while in Glasgow, there was a reduction of about one-third. 'LEZs are already working to improve air quality. In Glasgow, where the LEZ has been enforced since 2023, air quality benefits are already being accrued with average nitrogen dioxide (NO2) levels in the LEZ down approximately 20% compared to 2022.'
BBC News
2 hours ago
- BBC News
David Gray hopeful Rocky Bushiri & Nectar Triantis will be back for Hibernian
Gray hopeful Bushiri & Triantis will be back for Hibs , Nectar Triantis (left) and Rocky Bushiri (right) were integral parts of David Gray's side last season 3 hours ago Head coach David Gray revealed Hibernian have held positive talks as they bid to secure the services of Rocky Bushiri and Nectar Triantis for the upcoming season. Both players were instrumental in helping the the Leith side finish third in the Scottish Premiership last term. Centre-back Bushiri has been with Hibs since January 2022, but the 25-year-old is currently out of contract and weighing up his future. "Rocky's season was prolonged by going away on international duty, so he's been away doing that," Gray told the Press Association. "A couple of weeks off for him, a lot of positive talks in the meantime, and he's someone who did incredibly well for Hibs last season. "Naturally, there will be interest in him from elsewhere, but as I said, there have been real positive talks on that one. It's certainly something we're trying to do and working towards." Australian midfielder Triantis was one of four nominees for the Scottish Football Writers' Player of the Year award after excelling during his season-long loan from Sunderland, where he is contracted until 2027. "His parent club obviously got promoted to the Premier League, so there are conversations going on there about what's next for Nectar," Gray added. "Clearly, he's someone who was really, really good for us last year and someone you'd like to bring back.
