SPL Today: Three At Three

Dundee United v Inverness

I wrote a few weeks - displaying a prescience for which I am not famed - that Dundee United and Peter Houston deserved credit for the way they’d kept plugging away in a difficult season.

And how.

With Kilmarnock beating Motherwell in the early kick off, United lie fifth with two games in hand.

More impressive has been their resilience. 10 of their last 13 points have come with goals scored in the last quarter of the game. They keep going.

Decent players as well and no little goal threat.

All of which probably means they’ll get beaten today.

I’ve still backed them for the win though.

Inverness go into this one somewhat annoyed at the way events transpired as they lost to Celtic in midweek.

I’ve not seen the decision that led to the second Celtic goal. But, free kick or not, you still have to defend it. Inverness didn’t and paid the priced.

It’s also not great to take a late first half lead and then surrender it before the break. Inverness were the architects of their own downfall.

Home win.

Hamilton v St Johnstone

Hamilton are not giving up on the struggle for survival.

But nor are they looking capable of doing much about it.

Still without a win in 2011, adrift at the bottom and having played a game more than St Mirren. It looks like relegation.

St Johnstone have slipped into the bottom half at the wrong time and their hope of a top six place have been dashed.

Goals. That’s been a major issue with these two teams. I can’t see that changing today.

“A must win game for Hamilton.”

They all are. But they don’t win them. And that’s why they look so desperately doomed.

I’ll back them for the point today though.

Hearts v St Mirren

As often happens to the best of the rest pace setters, Hearts look in danger of running out of fizz.

With no cup run to motivate them, with third place all but secured and second place out of reach their trapped in a no-man’s land where the season can already be declared a success and not much left to play for.

All of which might explain their recent run. Three games played, no goals scored and only one point won.

But St Mirren, who gave us a glaring example of their failings with their exit from the cup over two games this week, might represent a good chance for Hearts to get back on track.

Goals again though. Hearts have nine SPL goals in 2011. St Mirren have seven. Not prolific.

A tight home win.

SPL Today: Kilmarnock v Motherwell

Why did nobody tell me this game kicked off so early?

An unavoidably brief preview.

Kilmarnock were comfortable in beating Hearts a fortnight ago and somewhat aggrieved in losing to Rangers last week.

Motherwell are a team so bereft of consistency that it’s almost impossible to know what to expect.

Impressive in beating Celtic, abject in losing to Inverness, then twice throwing away a lead at Tannadice in the Scottish Cup.

A mystery.

The last time the two met a Silva goal was enough for a Kilmarnock win at Fir Park.

The home side welcome back Eremenko from suspension while an injury in the warm up for Francis Jeffers has forced a late change for Motherwell.

Kilmarnock seem to be recovering from their dip and find themselves very much in a battle for fourth with Dundee United.

But so much today depends on which Motherwell turn up.

A tight home win.

Celtic v Rangers: The League Cup Finals

An Old Firm league cup final.

Celtic v Rangers.

The sponsors dream. Whether that sponsor be Bell’s, Skol, Coca-Cola or, for the last time tomorrow, Co-operative Insurance.

A dream that is oft fulfilled.

For this is a tournament that has enjoyed/endured serious Glaswegian domination. And not just with Partick’s victory in 1971.

History shows that Rangers lead the way. Their 26 wins have come from 33 finals, Celtic’s 14 wins are countered by 13 final defeats.

That’s 40 of the 54 league cups snaffled by the Old Firm.

Rangers set the tone back in 1946/47 taking the inaugural competition with a 4-0 win over Aberdeen.

Strangely it wasn’t until 1956/57 that Celtic reached the final, beating Partick Thistle after a replay.

The following year threw up the first Old Firm final. Celtic stormed it that day, winning 7-1.

They didn’t meet again until 1964/65 when Rangers won 2-1. Celtic reversed that score the following year and won again against Rangers in 1966/67 as part of their annus mirabilis.

The 1970s saw three Old Firm finals and three wins for Rangers, in 1970/71, 1975/76 and 1977/78.

There were three clashes in the 1980s as well. Celtic won 2-1 in 1982/83 before Rangers won 3-2 after extra time the following year. Graeme Souness then won his first managerial trophy with a 2-1 in 1986/87.

1990/91 was the last final to be played in front of over 60,000 people and saw Rangers win 2-1 after extra time.

That was the last Old Firm final of the century. Fast forward to 2002/03 and Rangers again triumphed, winning 2-1 with first half goals from Claudio Caniggia and Peter Lovenkrands.

Henrik Larsson pulled one back for Celtic in the second half before John Hartson missed a penalty to level the scores and Neil Lennon received a late red card.

Two years ago Gordon Strachan’s Celtic won 2-0 after extra time with Darren O’Dea and an Aiden McGeady penalty - following a Kirk Broadfoot red card - getting the goals.

All of which means tomorrow is the 14th Old Firm League Cup final.

Rangers have won eight to Celtic's five in the previous 13.

History is most likely bunkum in this instance. The only theme that develops is that - the 7-1 thrashing handed down by Jimmy McGrory’s Celtic apart - Old Firm finals have been tight affairs.

Nerve janglers in fact.

More of the same tomorrow?

Friday Video: Bert Trautmann

Bert Trautmann's story has always fascinated me.

From Iron Cross winning paratrooper to Manchester City's FA cup winning hero.

A man who defied the odds in the war (only 90 of his 1000 strong regiment survived by the time of his capture by British troops) and survived a broken neck at Wembley in that successful 1956 final.

As it has entered footballing legend the story has been reduced to the rather simple tale of a "good" German triumphing against the odds to reach the top of the English game.

It's much more than that.

Trautmann, now living in Spain and in his late 80s, was a magnanimous and determined character, capable of inspiring those around him and working hard to overcome the initial outrage that greeted his move to City in the late 1940s.

He could also be difficult, rash and given to unleashing a wild temper.

Contradictory? Perhaps. But Bert Trautmann was the product of quite extraordinary times.

Part of a generation who saw their childhood stolen by Hitler's totalitarian Germany, he volunteered for the German war effort before being conscripted.

As a paratrooper he was suddenly forced to confront death, among both his own comrades and the nameless young British and Commonwealth troops he faced. It was a stark lesson in the futility of war for a young man who thought he was simply doing the right thing for his country.

As a high profile German in Britain he had to face the obvious anti-German feeling of many.

More than that, as a high profile German in Manchester, he had to face the anger of the city's Jewish community when signed for City.

Trautmann worked hard to overcome this prejudice. Where he could have been a figurehead for continued hate and resentment, he actually became a figurehead for improved relations between two countries.

Respected and admired in Britain he was feted in Germany for his role in the difficult process rebuilding that country's reputation.

Eleven years after he was captured as part of National Socialism's vanquished army, 1956 should have been Trautmann's greatest year as he was voted player of the year and won the FA Cup.

But in the course of that triumphant final he broke his neck. That he played on seems a story too outrageous for Roy of the Rovers and cemented his place in the hearts of British football supporters.

Just months later Trautmann was again coming face to face with tragedy when his young son was knocked down and killed.

Again he overcome professional and personal adversity to reclaim his place in the Manchester City first team.

In 1960 he became the first foreign player to captain an English League representative side - the closest he would come to international football.

By 1964 his playing career was coming to an end. 60,000 fans turned out for his testimonial game as a combined City and United side took on an international select. Just 15 years earlier 20,000 people had protested at his signing.

It was a remarkable end to a remarkable playing career.

Make Mine A Pint

A fitting guest post for a Friday as Blair Grant goes in search of the perfect pre-match pint.

My own rule for away games is to avoid windowless pubs. Safer, I always think, to crash through the window onto the pavement than to bounce off a wall into whatever melee you've just been thrown from.

More from Blair at A Place in the Stand. The choice of illustration is his and his alone.

Jubilant scenes as Hibernian fans celebrate their last Scottish Cup final victory

You need to plan ahead. It really is as simple as that. There’s no point going all that way to be faced the ubiquitous offering of Tennent’s lager, while the barmaid attempts to justify the less than ample selection, with: “Ooooh, but we’ve also got the Ice Cold variety on tap, see?” She says it with hope in her voice, anticipating your response. A notable hush falls over the pub. You know that she wants you to order it; the glass is in her left hand, while her right is already hovering over the pump. She wants you to smile, then with one proud breath, say: “Four Tennent’s Ice Cold please, and one for yourself.” You stick with a bottle of lager.

The pre-match pint (never just the one in my case) is for many, part and parcel of a match day ritual. I’ve known men and women who won’t go to certain establishments in Glasgow because they don’t serve pints of ‘heavy’, the mainstay of East coast regulars of a certain generation.

Attending a game with my then girlfriend a few years ago, I took her for a few pre-matchers in one of the less salubrious establishments in Perth. I was met with this retort on ordering her drink of choice, by a puzzled barman who shouted over the din: “Pinot Grigio? Eh... is that a type of wine, like?”

If need be you make do with a Weatherspoons, as prominent and as much a part of the generic British city centre these days as a McDonald's 'restaurant'. It’s 10.55am, too early for the Saturday shoppers and you and your mates find a seat by the window. There’s a mixed crowd with home and away fans in equal numbers as you make your way to the bar. The place is awash with senior citizens who drink alone or in groups with their coats on, flicking over creased day-old newspapers and staring idly into space. Wetherspoons supremo, Tim Martin has found a niche: provider of cheap fried breakfasts and even cheaper drink for the masses.

Sometimes you get lucky. A trip to Aberdeen or Edinburgh when on entering a pub, your focus is instantly drawn to the sprawling bar. They have Staropramen and Heineken on tap, and what’s this? Beck’s Vier! Oh joy of joys, a pub which sells Beck’s Vier on draught. So what if you stick to the floor with every step, or if the toilet door last saw active service a decade ago. Beck’s on tap is the pinnacle, that’s what you’re aiming for.

Should that man really be lying that way on the ground? Has anybody noticed the overpowering stench of sick near the quiz machine and those pigeon-repelling barbs on the window are coated with three month’s worth of shit and downy feathers. Wait... is that on the inside of the window? But you quickly reassure yourself that it's fine; it doesn’t matter as you have your Beck’s Vier. The bubbles hit the back of your throat and the world is a wonderful place, as you settle down with your pint and everything seems that little bright brighter.

Sip. You’re not overly optimistic with the jam-packed schedule and the defensive frailties were really evident during that last game. Sip. Yeah, it really does look likely that he’ll leave in the summer, but the youth team winger is supposed to be a real prospect. Sip. He hasn’t scored all season but it’s not his fault he’s not been given a solid run in the team. You just wait until next season, he’ll come good, just watch.

By the fifth or sixth pint all is well and the game can’t come soon enough.

Then it happens. Through the dusty haze you spot a jukebox, bathed in sunlight as if calling out to you. Why is Wham emanating from the speakers, who put that on? You reach into your pocket and retrieve the necessary loose change before squeezing past the punters as drink spills on the floor, dribbling abjectly onto the already soiled carpet. Maybe that’s why it’s so sticky? You mumble apologies allied with the compulsory tap on the arm: “Sorry, mate, didn’t see you there.”

He understands. He’s seen the jukebox too. And all of a sudden it’s a foot race across the busy floor, but with guile and the promise of better tunes to come, you extricate yourself from the group near the bar stools, reaching the jukebox in time. Primal Scream, The Jam, The Stone Roses. All dependable choices for the archetypal match day experience. And you hear the music and you drink your pint and everything falls into place and we’re going to win today, I know it.

A Place in the Stand

Follow Blair @blairgrant86

Forgotten Scotland Players: Brian Martin

While I’d find it hard to deny that I have my share of strange habits and odd quirks, it is not the norm for me to have images of bald men racing through my mind.

So I find it hard to explain why I found myself thinking about Brian Martin the other day.

But I did. And it’s inspired what might be an occasional series on ‘Forgotten Scotland Players.’

Given this is Scotland, and especially given the selection scatter gun in play during the Vogts' years, this could be a series as long running as The Archers.

But let’s start with Brian.

His career began in 1980 with Albion Rovers and quickly rocketed down a cul-de-sac. A stint at Stenhousemuir followed but it wasn’t until 1985 that he landed a move to Falkirk, switching to Hamilton in 1987 and moving on to St Mirren less than a year later.

At Love Street he established himself in the first team and caught the eye of Motherwell manager Tommy McLean.

By November 1991 McLean could claim to be a Scottish Cup winning manager. But his cup heroes were slipping away from the club and his team were heading nowhere fast, except perhaps the First Division.

He saw something he needed in Martin and duly signed him for £175,000, the only transfer fee of note that Brian ever attracted in his career.

And, at Motherwell, Martin blossomed. Motherwell survived in his first year and he was part of the team that finished third in the league under McLean and second when Alex McLeish took over as manager. Suddenly our hero was hobnobbing with Borussia Dortmund in European competition.

By 1995 the national boss, Craig Brown, was taking notice of Martin’s progress. Never much concerned with youth, Brown plucked the then 32 year old centre half from Fir Park and named in his squad for the 1995 Kirin Cup.

And so it was that on 21 May 1995, some 15 years after he took his bow with Albion Rovers, Brian Martin lined up for Scotland against Japan in Hiroshima.

The starting eleven for a goalless draw was:

Jim Leighton, Brian Martin, Colin Calderwood, Alan McLaren, Craig Burley, Paul Lambert, Billy McKinlay, Scott Gemmill, Rab McKinnon, John Spence and Darren Jackson

Three days later Scotland played Ecuador in Toyama. Brown had rung the changes but Martin stayed in the team for a 2-1 win:

Jim Leighton, Alan McLaren, Brian Martin, Colin Calderwood, Derek Whyte, Paul Bernard, Craig Burley, Billy McKinlay, Scott Gemmill, Darran Jackson and John Robertson.

Names to conjure with there. Not least the four centre halves. Stevie Crawford came off the bench to join Robertson on the score sheet.

Two games, no defeats and only one goal conceded. For a Scottish team that relied heavily on its fortitude in defence Martin’s introduction had been a success.

But his presence owed much to the absence of regulars on that trip and he soon fell out of the reckoning. By 1996 and the European Championships in England, Martin was in the crowd watching Scotland play England at Wembley.

By 1998 he was back in the lower leagues with Stirling Albion and then Partick Thistle. By the turn of the millennium he had retired from professional football but was still turning out in the juniors.

An old fashioned end to an old fashioned career.

Quite a modern claim to fame though. Along with Paul Bernard (who could feature here in the future) he made his only two appearances for Scotland in Japan.

Forgotten Scotland Players Number 1: Brian Martin, Motherwell, 2 Caps

English Premier League: Up for Grabs

It's funny that the English Premier League, oft called the world's greatest, is currently developing into a duel between two sides who seem to be perpetually on the verge of being christened crisis clubs.

Manchester United's every defeat or stumble allows people to point forensically to their weaknesses while ignoring the counter evidence that they sit atop the league, have a cup semi final to look forward to and remain in the Champion's League. At the moment it looks a winning kind of weakness.

And chasing them are Arsenal. With their pretty as a picture aesthetics too often rendering neutrals as blind to their soft, crumbly core as their manager seems to be.

Makes for no little drama though.

Manchester City, Chelsea and Tottenham are fighting it out for the two remaining Champion's League spots with Liverpool, despite the increasingly balming presence of Kenny Dalglish, looking like they might miss out on Europe altogether.

Uncertainty at the bottom as well. Wigan currently sit bottom of the pile. But only ten points separate them from Sunderland in eighth. There's still time for some established teams to be pulled into a dogfight they really don't want.

It's certainly compelling. And a perfect time to welcome back Mark Briggs to give us his thoughts on what's been going down, down south:

So if anyone wants an English Premier League title there is currently one up for grabs.

Chelsea were the first casualties of the laissez faire attitude to winning this year’s trophy. The first months of the season saw them blitzkrieg their way through the opposition with an orgy of goals, speed and skill, then December hit and they slipped into free fall.

Manchester United, despite people suggesting they weren’t all that good, made it into the new year unbeaten, building up a healthy lead, then lost some very high profile games this month, drawing everyone’s eyes to their midfield or lack thereof.

The team trailing (seemingly perpetually), Arsenal, conspire to drop points every time United do, meaning that they currently sit second. They could have, and should have, overtaken the Red Devils. But results that entail giving up a four goal lead tend to hold you back.

Arsenal also could have, and perhaps should have, beaten Birmingham in the League Cup.

Congratulations to the Blues who have had to hang on since the 1950s without any meaningful silverware, but the trophy should have been the removal of a mental barrier for Arsene Wenger and his team.

This summer (I know the season hasn’t finished yet) both Arsenal and Manchester United need some midfield reinforcement. Arsenal need some natural width, so they can push Nasri into the middle (especially if Fabregas departs). Diaby and Rosicky have appeared mere passengers in the last few games. However Jack Wilshere continues to impress.

Manchester United also need some new blood in the middle of midfield, Giggs and Scholes will not last forever.

Who's out there? I'm not entirely sure. Jack Rodwell seems to be a natural choice, but hasn’t enjoyed the same form as last year, although he has been held back by injuries and Everton’s general bad form.

Manchester City, Liverpool, Chelsea, Tottenham. Two of these will head into the Champion's League with Arsenal and Manchester United. One will go into the Europa League, one will miss out entirely on European Football. Nervous times heading into the spring fixtures.

A couple of years ago Alan Hansen proclaimed “you need to be a great team to win the Premiership.” This is no longer the case. All the teams have some serious flaws, but the league is still so exciting because Wolves can take points off all of the teams chasing Europe and still find themselves in the relegation zone.

Birmingham have a trophy and European football guaranteed next season, but will they be in the top flight?

West Ham are semi resurgent and look set to run head long into West Brom and Blackpool who are heading the other way.

To this end West Brom have appointed Roy Hodgson as their new manager. After what he did at Liverpool, this doesn’t look a great call, but after what he did with Fulham there is surely hope for the Baggies.

Hodgson likes his teams to work hard and plan ahead. His Liverpool team lacked the passion Anfield craves and which Kenny Dalglish is helping to restore. But his tactics made the Fulham players better. The team also became more than the sum of their improved parts. Even this took time however, so will he have enough left to save West Brom?

A run either way can really help. One team will no doubt go on a good run and pull away before it gets to squeaky bum and ‘where have my fingernails gone?’ time. My bet for the team to do this is Birmingham. Once they get over the hangover of winning a trophy they have a good enough defence that they will be hard to beat.

Watch out for West Ham though, they have an unpredictability up front that will infuriate but could also steal them some crucial points.

Rangers v PSV Eindhoven: Home Comforts?

Ibrox welcomes PSV Eindhoven tomorrow night.

An odd feeling for Rangers. So often reliant on their ability to snatch results in the second leg away from home, Walter Smith’s team need to be on guard against that happening to them tonight.

Can Eindhoven do “a Rangers” on Rangers?

There is, as ever, some debate about what risks Smith will take in a home tie. The answer, as ever, seems to be not too many. A more attack minded 5-4-1 but still likely a fairly defensive 5-4-1.

The stats from the first leg suggest that Eindhoven failed to score from 15 attempts, six of them on target, and enjoyed the majority of the possession.

Seems a bit of a stretch to imagine Rangers will turn those stats around tomorrow. But if they are to progress they need to make an enemy of profligacy and take whatever chances they can create.

The problem is that Rangers European successes in recent years have come from their unwillingness to be beaten. That might not be enough.

Suddenly it is Rangers who are hostages to the away goal.

An added complication comes in the shape of Sunday’s Old Firm league cup final which Smith has said will influence his selection, notably in the return of Steven Naismith who the manager thinks will be unable to play a full part in both games.

Sunday will also make the idea of ninety minutes plus extra time plus penalties (the goalless route) problematic.

So Rangers need to score. And that will call for at least some attacking intent because you can’t hope to get a goal at home with a lone striker playing 30 yards in front of the midfield or by relying on Madjid Bougherra as one your most potent attacking threats.

And, the penalty option not withstanding, Rangers also need to win. And they don’t actually do that very often in Europe of late, Bursapor this season offering their one victory in 20 efforts.

So the odds would seem stacked against Rangers. That seems to have suited them in some of their European adventures of late.

I wouldn’t bet against them. But nor, I think, would I bet on them.

A low scoring game, with Rangers to go out either by the odd goal or on away goals.

Scottish Cup: Northern Lights

Inverness v Celtic

I feel it's a waste to have written a preview of Inverness v Celtic on Sunday only to have to write another one for this evening.

So I include the full preview below.

Anything to add?

Well, I mentioned the rugby in the original preview. And oddly Scotland came close to parity without relying on the weather.

Why? Because the Scottish team over performed on their season so far and the English team under performed. For periods of the game the season was turned on its head as Scotland discovered their form and England's old weaknesses haunted their play.

A blueprint for Inverness? Possibly. At times Scotland's play made England struggle. They couldn't keep it up for the full 80 minutes though.

It was a big ask for Scotland on Sunday. They came up short. It's a big ask for Inverness tonight. I'll still back Celtic.

Inverness v Celtic - The Original Preview

The second of this afternoon's games. The weather forecast indicates a crappy day if not a game threatening day. Reports from Inverness suggest a deterioration.

But I'm no Michael Fish. An 8am pitch inspection may, or may not, reveal all.

Elsewhere in sport today Scotland travel to face England in the Six Nations. Which makes me wonder if football can be as in thrall to the weather as rugby often is.

Because the sort of day forecast in Inverness, - sleety, rainy, windy - is the kind of day that often grants Scotland parity with England.

Will Terry Butcher be saying a few prayers to the weather gods this morning?

Rain or shine it's a daunting task for an Inverness side who have stuttered of late facing a treble tilting Celtic team.

The home side reached the quarter finals with a functional win over Elgin and a demolition of Morton.

Celtic's campaign began with a 2-0 win at Berwick back in January and continued with two little mentioned games against Rangers.

This is the fourth clash of the season between the two. Celtic have won twice, 1-0 back in August in the SPL and a 6-0 win in the Co-operative Insurance Cup.

At Celtic Park in November Inverness charged back from 2-0 down with twenty minutes left to clinch a 2-2 draw.

At the time the result pointed to the potential of a resurgent Inverness and the brittleness at the heart of Neil Lennon's Celtic.

As things have turned out it seems that was something of a red herring.

But cup shocks, as these teams both know, can happen. And Terry Butcher has been keen to stress that his side will have nothing to lose today.

They will, as they say, be free to have a go.

The problem with "having a go" is that it can often lead to you getting walloped. Especially against a Celtic team carrying a rather potent attacking threat.

It will be interesting to see what, if any, impact the absence of Neil Lennon from the touchline has.

My instinct is to say it will have none. But each manager is different and Lennon's presence in the technical area is a hyper, vocal one. It seems hard to imagine that his players don't know he is there and respond to him in games.

In recent weeks Motherwell have taught us a couple of things about these teams.

Celtic aren't invincible and Inverness haven't completely lost the promise they showed earlier in the season.

Still, hard to see past a Celtic win for me. Despite being Lennon-less, despite the weather, despite what I would expect to be a passionate Inverness performance.

An away win for Celtic at the start of a big week.

Aberdeen v St Mirren

Some Aberdeen fans seemed a tad annoyed by Saturday's display.

Rare dissent in what I take to be a rather benign acceptance of the project Craig Brown is embarking on.

I'm sure St Mirren fans have more reason to be annoyed. Take the lead, weather the storm and then, at the very death, concede the equaliser.

Have St Mirren blown their chance?

I'm a Hibs fan. I've learnt the hard way to accept the only luck you get in the Scottish Cup is bad luck.

But.

Aberdeen labour against Dunfermline in the last round and happily accept a last minute winner courtesy of an own goal.

Aberdeen huff and puff against St Mirren on Saturday and happily accept a last minute equaliser from Rory McArdle.

Eleven years ago Aberdeen drew 1-1 with St Mirren before winning a replay 2-0 and eventually progressing to the final.

I don't believe in much. But I've got a feeling the fates are backing Aberdeen to at least get to the semi final this year.

And, if I was a betting man, I'd back them to win this one 2-0.

SPL Tonight: Dundee United v Hearts

An intriguing clash at Tannadice tonight as Hearts, surely our SPL best of the rest, visit Dundee United, many people's pick to finish fourth.

They served up something of an exciting corker the last time they met with Hearts drawing on all their resilience - and Marian Kello's last gasp penalty heroics - to secure a 2-1 win.

That game might give us some clues about tonight. Hearts relying on their stubborn streak, their admirable team ethic.

That got them through a goalless draw with Aberdeen as well, but it came up short against Kilmarnock in a 2-0 defeat at Tynecastle.

Meanwhile United have been pushing on, undefeated in six, all but securing their top six place and now focused on finishing fourth.

So, although Hearts have produced one of the stories of the season, it seems that United might have more form coming into this one.

The number of games United have had to play might carry its own price with Hearts enjoying a slightly less hectic schedule.

But this one is a home win for me.

Scottish Cup: David Goodwillie Turns On The Style

Enthralling cup tie at Tannadice today with Dundee United twice coming back from a goal down to secure a 2-2 draw.

John Sutton at the double for Motherwell with Jon Daly taking it to a replay.

But the pick of the bunch was this first half equaliser from David Goodwillie.

The replay will, of course, add to United's fixture backlog. Apparently it's set for 29th March.

With Inverness v Celtic postponed and Brechin and St Johnstone and St Mirren and Aberdeen drawing, all eight quarter finalists will be in the pot for tomorrow's semi final draw. A little historical curiosity that, I'm not aware of it having happened before.

SPL Today: Rangers v Kilmarnock

Rangers seem to have had a couple of games in hand since about 1935. This season is in danger of dragging.

They'll use up one of them today against Kilmarnock.

The story remains the same: Celtic are top of the league with a five point cushion. Rangers have two games in hand, six points that could put them a single point clear of Celtic. And then, game on.

This being Scotland, this being the SPL, there is an expectation that this is how the script has been written so this is how the movie of the season will play out.

Can Kilmarnock ad lib enough to make Rangers corpse?

The head to head suggests not. In four games (four!) already this season Rangers have enjoyed a clean sweep.

Rangers won 2-1 at home in August, won 2-0 away in the League Cup, sneaked a Rugby Park belter 3-2 in November and won comfortably at Ibrox in the Scottish Cup.

Fifth time lucky for Kilmarnock?

Ibrox might suit them - they've not beaten Rangers at home since Rugby Park was redeveloped but have won in Govan four times since 1994.

I mean, obviously, a win every four years hardly points to an upset being on the cards this afternoon. But you never know.

Rangers could be suffering from their Europa League exertions in midweek. It's an excuse Walter Smith always likes to mention before the games.

But so far only Celtic have managed to beat them immediately after a European game this season, a draw with Inverness the only other blip.

There are problems for Rangers though. The constant game of catch up with Celtic must be exhausting, there are injuries in a thin squad, there are off field distractions large and small.

Kilmarnock have bounced back from back to back defeat against Hibs and Aberdeen to win against St Mirren and, impressively, last week at Tynecastle.

There have been wobbles from this plaudit garnering Killie side - and there remains a Sammon shaped hole in attack - but they remain fourth and have the added incentive of trying to fend off Dundee United's challenge in the league.

But this is what Rangers do. They grind out results with grim determination in the bad times and build on those successes in the good times.

And they'll be keen to remind Celtic that they are still very much up for the challenge before next week's Co-operative Insurance Cup final.

No Eremenko for Kilmarnock either.

It might be stuffy. It might even be a touch bad tempered. Kilmarnock will very possibly come close.

But it's a home win for me.

Scottish Cup: Celtic (Fail) To Weather The Storm?

Ah, the joys of March. Spring has sprung. And it looks a lot like winter.

Two Scottish Cup games scheduled today, weather permitting.

EDIT: And the joys of writing a preview in advance. The weather has done for Celtic's trip to Inverness - the pitch is waterlogged. The game will now be played on Tuesday (or Wednesday) evening - so no Celtic v Hibs this midweek. 

Dundee United v Motherwell

It's clash number four for these two in the first of today's quarter finals.

Motherwell lead the head to head 2-1 with back to back victories in the league and League Cup in October and United winning in the SPL in January.

Since the start of February Motherwell have beaten Celtic, Aberdeen, Hamilton and Stranraer. They've lost to Rangers, St Mirren, Kilmarnock and Inverness.

And that is Stuart McCall's conundrum. Where for art thou consistency?

The Stranraer win came in this competition and followed on from a perfunctory 4-0 win over Dundee.

Dundee United kicked off their bid to retain the cup by squeezing past Ross County on penalties after two goalless draws before beating Hamilton in the last round.

Rearranged fixtures and a number of draws have maybe drawn attention away from United's form in 2011.

In 15 games they have lost only to Celtic and Hearts. For a team eyeing up fourth place that's a fairly handy record.

I'm backing a home win today. But which Motherwell will turn up? I suspect that Stuart McCall doesn't know the answer to that.

And that is the major problem he faces.

Inverness v Celtic

The second of this afternoon's games. The weather forecast indicates a crappy day if not a game threatening day. Reports from Inverness suggest a deterioration.

But I'm no Michael Fish. An 8am pitch inspection may, or may not, reveal all.

Elsewhere in sport today Scotland travel to face England in the Six Nations. Which makes me wonder if football can be as in thrall to the weather as rugby often is.

Because the sort of day forecast in Inverness, - sleety, rainy, windy - is the kind of day that often grants Scotland parity with England.

Will Terry Butcher be saying a few prayers to the weather gods this morning?

Rain or shine it's a daunting task for an Inverness side who have stuttered of late facing a treble tilting Celtic team.

The home side reached the quarter finals with a functional win over Elgin and a demolition of Morton.

Celtic's campaign began with a 2-0 win at Berwick back in January and continued with two little mentioned games against Rangers.

This is the fourth clash of the season between the two. Celtic have won twice, 1-0 back in August in the SPL and a 6-0 win in the Co-operative Insurance Cup.

At Celtic Park in November Inverness charged back from 2-0 down with twenty minutes left to clinch a 2-2 draw.

At the time the result pointed to the potential of a resurgent Inverness and the brittleness at the heart of Neil Lennon's Celtic.

As things have turned out it seems that was something of a red herring.

But cup shocks, as these teams both know, can happen. And Terry Butcher has been keen to stress that his side will have nothing to lose today.

They will, as they say, be free to have a go.

The problem with "having a go" is that it can often lead to you getting walloped. Especially against a Celtic team carrying a rather potent attacking threat.

It will be interesting to see what, if any, impact the absence of Neil Lennon from the touchline has.

My instinct is to say it will have none. But each manager is different and Lennon's presence in the technical area is a hyper, vocal one. It seems hard to imagine that his players don't know he is there and respond to him in games.

In recent weeks Motherwell have taught us a couple of things about these teams.

Celtic aren't invincible and Inverness haven't completely lost the promise they showed earlier in the season.

Still, hard to see past a Celtic win for me. Despite being Lennon-less, despite the weather, despite what I would expect to be a passionate Inverness performance.

An away win for Celtic at the start of a big week.