Scottish Premiership returns with McInnes adding new twist to Old Firm rivalry

Derek McInnes has a score to settle with Celtic after swapping Hearts for Rangers, while Motherwell could impress again

Only residents of cloud cuckoo land can hold the firm belief of Scottish football emerging promptly from a summer of discontent. The onset of a new domestic season, ordinarily a cause for excitement, instead gives reason to ponder the grim realities of what came before.

That it is unsurprising there has been no detailed explanation or plan from the Scottish Football Association following a lamentable World Cup does not prevent the scenario from being so deflating. Mike Mulraney, the president, was last seen peeking out from the crowd behind Gianni Infantino and the US president at Trump Tower. Ian Maxwell, the Scottish FA’s chief executive, bemoaned “hysterical commentary” around his country’s World Cup performance during a brief media appearance after Steve Clarke had resigned. These executives had all-but spurted with laughter when it was suggested handing Clarke a four-year contract immediately before Scotland set sail for the United States was perhaps a needless dalliance with risk.

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