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Glasgow Times
5 days ago
- Sport
- Glasgow Times
Lennon details Walter Smith's reaction to McCoist bust-up
The game, which has gone down in history with three red cards, 13 yellows and 34 fan arrests at Celtic Park, is remembered for the heated exchange between Lennon and McCoist. The match resulted in Scottish government intervention in the days that followed the cup replay, with Celtic emerging victorious courtesy of a Mark Wilson goal. Speaking on Open Goal, Lennon has delivered his version of events, as he claimed the altercation began after "nasty antics" from El Hadji Diouf. Lennon said: "El Hadji Diouf started it all. "Emilio Izaguirre got injured after Steven Whittacker caught him in a foul, got a second yellow and was sent off. "Diouf came over to get instructions when Tim Williamson was running on to treat Emilio. "Diouf gives him one of them (motions an elbow). "I clocked it and said 'you f*****g leave my staff alone'. "Coisty then came on to say 'don't talk to my players'. "So, that was the start of it really, then it got really spicy in the game." Lennon went on to describe the moment he and McCoist squared up to each other at the end of the match. He said: "I shook hands with Walter, then he goes. "Coisty said 'don't speak to my players like that,' and I f*****g snapped. "The normal thing to do is to shake hands and leave it, but I said 'is that right?'" Asked about Smith's reaction, Lennon continued: "He was amazing. "He gave us both a bollocking afterwards in my office - he told us to behave ourselves! "He was brilliant. "I loved him. "I had a lot of respect for him, he was a brilliant manager. "Really, really smart."
Scottish Sun
5 days ago
- Sport
- Scottish Sun
Celtic hero Neil Lennon reveals Walter Smith's ‘amazing' reaction to THAT infamous spat with Rangers legend Ally McCoist
Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) IT will forever be remembered as one of the most bitter exchanges in Old Firm history. Celtic legend Neil Lennon has opened up on what really happened between himself and Ally McCoist during the infamous touchline spat in 2011. 3 Ally McCoist and Neil Lennon squaring up on the touchline Credit: News Group Newspapers Ltd 3 Things got very heated at full-time Credit: Reuters The famous Scottish Cup meeting at Celtic Park resulted in three red cards, 13 yellow cards and 34 fans arrested. It was the Hoops who came out on top courtesy of Mark Wilson's first and only Old Firm goal, but it wasn't just the action on the pitch that caught everyone's attention. It's widely remembered as the time the Celtic and Rangers legend went head-to-head in an angry exchange at full-time. The pair previously joked that it was Scott Brown who sparked the heated affair for noising up El Hadji Diouf. But now the two-time Celtic boss has pinned all the blame on the Senegal forward. Speaking on the Open Goal podcast, he said: "El Hadji Diouf started it all. "Emilio Izaguirre got injured after Steven Whittacker caught him in a foul, got a second yellow and was sent off. "Diouf came over to get instructions when Tim Williamson was running on to treat Emilio. "Diouf gives him one of them (motions an elbow). "I clocked it and said 'you f*****g leave my staff alone'. Incredible moment Celtic legend Neil Lennon was strangled by boss Martin O'Neill "Coisty then came on to say 'don't talk to my players'. "So, that was the start of it really, then it got really spicy in the game." On the incident with McCoist itself, Lennon continued: "I shook hands with Walter, then he goes. "Coisty said 'don't speak to my players like that,' and I f*****g snapped. "The normal thing to do is to shake hands and leave it, but I said 'is that right?'" 3 Neil Lennon with Walter Smith in 2010 Credit: PA:Press Association Lennon went on to reveal that Walter Smith let rip at not only himself, but McCoist as well, during a post-match meet-up in the Celtic manager's office. On Smith's reaction, Lennon said: "He was amazing. "He gave us both a bollocking afterwards in my office - he told us to behave ourselves! "He was brilliant. I loved him. "I had a lot of respect for him, he was a brilliant manager. Really, really smart." Keep up to date with ALL the latest news and transfers at the Scottish Sun football page
The National
5 days ago
- Sport
- The National
Walter Smith's angry reaction to Celtic vs Rangers agro
In a game that has gone down in history with three red cards, 13 yellows and 34 fans arrested at Celtic Park for the Scottish Cup derby encounter between the teams on March 2, 2011, it is also widely remembered as the time Lenny and McCoist went head-to-head in an angry exchange. As the full-time whistle sounded on a dramatic evening in Glasgow's east end, the respective club legends locked horns, with TV cameras picking up the pair squaring up to each other. The match resulted in Scottish government intervention in the days that followed the cup replay, with the Hoops emerging victorious courtesy of a Mark Wilson goal. Speaking on Open Goal, Lennon has delivered his version of events, as he claimed the rammy began after nasty antics from El Hadji Diouf. And it was in this chat with Si Ferry that Lennon revealed what Scottish football legend Smith - Rangers manager at the time - thought of it all. "El Hadji Diouf started it all," Lenny said. "Emilio Izaguirre got injured after Steven Whittacker caught him in a foul, got a second yellow and was sent off. "Diouf came over to get instructions when Tim Williamson was running onto treat Emilio. "Diouf gives him one of them (motions an elbow). I clocked it and said 'you f*****g leave my staff alone'. "Coisty then came on to say 'don't talk to my players'. So, that was the start of it really, then it got really spicy in the game. We won 1-0, they had three men sent off. "I shook hands with Walter, then he goes. Coisty said 'don't speak to my players like that,' and I f*****g snapped. "The normal thing to do is to shake hands and leave it, but I said 'is that right?'" Asked about Smith's reaction, he continued: "He was amazing. He gave us both a bollocking afterwards in my office - he told us to behave ourselves! "He was brilliant. I loved him. I had a lot of respect for him, he was a brilliant manager. Really, really smart."
Daily Record
6 days ago
- Entertainment
- Daily Record
Soccer Aid's Martin Compston's professional football career before he left for acting
The Scots Line of Duty star is starring in the Soccer Aid line-up, however, this isn't the first time he's laced up his football boots... Before he was a huge star in the likes of Line of Duty and Mayflies, Martin Compston was actually a professional footballer. The Scots actor is mostly known for playing a waistcoat wearing DS Steve Arnott in the hit BBC drama. The 41-year-old, is set to play Soccer Aid at Old Trafford this evening in the Rest of the World against England, with former Italy star Leonardo Bonucci among his team-mates. He's not the only Scots actor on his team either, as Baby Reindeer star Richard Gadd is also set to take on England. However, before Celtic daft Compston turned to acting, he was actually a pro footballer. In his early football career, he had stints with Aberdeen and Morton. The Greenock-born star even played two senior matches for Morton at the end of the 2001/02 season, but without much success. His first appearance resulted in a 4-0 defeat against Alloa Athletic, while his second – another 4-0 defeat, this time against Queen of the South – saw Morton relegated from the Scottish Second Division. Speaking on his pal Si Ferry's famous football podcast, Open Goal, Compston opened up about his brief football career. He explained that he was first spotted while playing in a Scottish underage cup final against a Celtic side which included future Man Utd star Darren Fletcher. After a stint with his hometown club, he was signed by Aberdeen where he played alongside future Premier League star Dean Windass. Compston even captained the Aberdeen youth team for a short period, but the actor knew when his time was up at the club. He told Si: "I remember I was captain at a game and one of the top scouts came down, and we got beat off an East Kilbride select, I went, 'That's that f*****!'" After his time at Aberdeen, Compston found himself back at Morton in the Scottish Second Division. "It just wasn't a good time to be at the club," the actor admitted. "They'd just gone down to the second division and we were struggling. "It was a mad time. We were full-time the YTS [Youth Team Scholarship] players. There was only three or four of us cleaning 40 pairs of boots and cleaning the stadium. "The first team were coming in training at night. There was a lot of hanging about. I felt more like a cleaner than a football player. "I made my debut when I was 17," Compston recalled. "We were away to Alloa. I knew they were only going to pitch me in if we were well up or well down. "I felt terrible, Alloa were winning 2-0 with 40 minutes left and they put a third one in and I was like, 'You beauty.' "The last game of the season, we had to win to stay up and we were playing Queen of the South who had to win to win the league. It was a sell-out, 14,000. The atmosphere was unbelievable." The day didn't go to plan however, he added: "There was some b******... at half-time, I knew I was going on. So I'm spraying balls about. "It smashed somebody and he's run on and rugby tackled me. The stewards were just all laughing. It was nerve-wracking. It was Scottish second division football but it's like, 'You've done that.'" Compston began acting during his football career after he bagged a lead role in Ken Loach's film 'Sweet Sixteen' while still with Morton. "It worked out perfect," Compston explained. "I'd just finished my exams and I'd got my Morton contract. The auditions were at the end of the year. "I went to [Morton manager] Peter Cormack and asked if it was alright to miss a couple of days of pre-season. We filmed it in the close season. He said, 'You're a fit boy, you'll be fine.' I finished filming and went back to Greenock Morton. "I remember being gutted because in the programme notes, the players were asked who's their favourite actor and not one of them said me. I thought one of them, for a joke, would throw my name in there!" Despite Loach being impressed by Compston's acting ability, the director advised him to keep in at his football career. He decided against Loach's advice and auditioned for a Heartbeat spin-off called The Royal. He had been sent the wrong script but still got the part and from then on his mind was set. "That was a big wake-up call," Compston said. "They don't know who I am. They hadn't seen Sweet Sixteen. To get that, I said, 'OK, I'm alright at this.' "Morton weren't going through the best of times. I was driving up the road one day, passing Cappielow [Greenock Morton's stadium] and I just went in and said [to manager Dave McPherson], 'I think I'm going to give this acting a crack.' He said, 'Sorry to lose you,' but I didn't find it too hard to be honest." Join the Daily Record WhatsApp community! Get the latest news sent straight to your messages by joining our WhatsApp community today. You'll receive daily updates on breaking news as well as the top headlines across Scotland. No one will be able to see who is signed up and no one can send messages except the Daily Record team. All you have to do is click here if you're on mobile, select 'Join Community' and you're in! If you're on a desktop, simply scan the QR code above with your phone and click 'Join Community'. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like. To leave our community click on the name at the top of your screen and choose 'exit group'.
Daily Mirror
6 days ago
- Entertainment
- Daily Mirror
Martin Compston's football career before Line of Duty actor made career switch
Scottish actor Martin Compston, best known for his role as DS Steve Arnott in the hit BBC drama Line of Duty, is a former professional footballer, having even had a stint with Aberdeen Before his acting career took off, Line of Duty star Martin Compston was a professional footballer. The Scottish actor is now best known for his role as DS Steve Arnott in the hit BBC drama. The 41-year-old is set to lace up his boots for Soccer Aid at Old Trafford, with kick off on Sunday evening at 7.30pm. Compston will line up for the Rest of the World against England, with former Italy star Leonardo Bonucci among his team-mates. However, Compston was also a pro footballer in Scotland before focusing his energy on becoming an actor. In his early football career, he had stints with Aberdeen and Morton. The Line of Duty actor even played two senior matches for Morton at the end of the 2001/02 season, but without much success. His first appearance resulted in a 4-0 defeat against Alloa Athletic, while his second – another 4-0 defeat, this time against Queen of the South – saw Morton relegated from the Scottish Second Division. On Si Ferry's Open Goal podcast, Compston previously discussed his brief football career. He explained that he was first spotted while playing in a Scottish underage cup final against a Celtic side which included future Man Utd star Darren Fletcher. After a stint with his hometown club, he was signed by Aberdeen where he played alongside future Premier League ace Dean Windass. Compston even captained the Aberdeen youth team for a short period, but the actor knew when his time was up at the club. "I remember I was captain at a game and one of the top scouts came down, and we got beat off an East Kilbride select," Compston said in 2019. "I went, 'That's that f*****!'" After his stint at Aberdeen, Compston found himself back at Morton in the Scottish Second Division. "It just wasn't a good time to be at the club," the actor admitted. "They'd just gone down to the second division and we were struggling. "It was a mad time. We were full-time the YTS [Youth Team Scholarship] players. There was only three or four of us cleaning 40 pairs of boots and cleaning the stadium. "The first team were coming in training at night. There was a lot of hanging about. I felt more like a cleaner than a football player. "I made my debut when I was 17," Compston recalled. "We were away to Alloa. I knew they were only going to pitch me in if we were well up or well down. "I felt terrible, Alloa were winning 2-0 with 40 minutes left and they put a third one in and I was like, 'You beauty.' "The last game of the season, we had to win to stay up and we were playing Queen of the South who had to win to win the league. It was a sell-out, 14,000. The atmosphere was unbelievable." However, the day didn't go entirely smoothly. "There was some b******... at half-time, I knew I was going on. So I'm spraying balls about," Compston said. "It smashed somebody and he's run on and rugby tackled me. The stewards were just all laughing. It was nerve-wracking. It was Scottish second division football but it's like, 'You've done that.'" Compston began acting during his football career after he secured a role in Ken Loach's film 'Sweet Sixteen' while still with Morton. "It worked out perfect," Compston explained. "I'd just finished my exams and I'd got my Morton contract. The auditions were at the end of the year. "I went to [Morton manager] Peter Cormack and asked if it was alright to miss a couple of days of pre-season. We filmed it in the close season. He said, 'You're a fit boy, you'll be fine.' I finished filming and went back to Greenock Morton. "I remember being gutted because in the programme notes, the players were asked who's their favourite actor and not one of them said me. I thought one of them, for a joke, would throw my name in there!" Despite Loach being impressed by Compston's acting ability, the director advised him to stick to football. However, the Line of Duty star didn't heed that advice and auditioned for a Heartbeat spin-off called The Royal. He had been sent the wrong script but still got the part and from then on his mind was set. "That was a big wake-up call," Compston said. "They don't know who I am. They hadn't seen Sweet Sixteen. To get that, I said, 'OK, I'm alright at this.' "Morton weren't going through the best of times. I was driving up the road one day, passing Cappielow [Greenock Morton's stadium] and I just went in and said [to manager Dave McPherson], 'I think I'm going to give this acting a crack.' He said, 'Sorry to lose you,' but I didn't find it too hard to be honest."
