John Souttar and the noble plea for Rangers transfer mercy didn't stop contempt for the fair minded - Hugh Keevins

dailyrecord.co.uk:

On Thursday afternoon I've visited a former Celtic player who is dealing with serious illness. I went in the company of a former Rangers player who has known the family concerned since childhood.

The way ordinary folk do when someone they like would appreciate a bit of support and comfort.No names need to be divulged because the medical issues are nobody’s business other than those family members who are coping with a loved one’s sickness.Craig Levein might have thought he was doing Hearts’ John Souttar a favour by publicly stating the player had to stay in Scotland, and sign for Rangers as a means of doing so, because a family member was seriously ill.

And I have no doubt the former Tynecastle manager was well intentioned while delivering his revelation on a radio programme.But, really, has it come to this?That you’ve got to publicise the most intimate details of a footballer’s private life in the hope of keeping a hostile crowd at bay?Levein clearly thought introducing a human dimension into a professional matter such as the signing of a pre-contract agreement would have a conciliatory effect on a delicate situation.

He knows better now after Souttar was subjected to prolonged and profane abuse during Hearts’ home win over St Johnstone on Tuesday night.