For the first time since the revamp of the Champions League and UEFA Cup, and the demise of the Cup Winners' Cup, Scotland has three teams involved in the second stage of the two UEFA competitions for clubs.

The biggest feat came from modest Aberdeen who had not experienced European football in the New Year for more than a decade.

The 4-0 thumping of FC Copenhagen at Pittodrie (Smith 2, Artonsson og, Foster) sent the Dons in raptures as they finished third in Group B to qualify.

Rangers joined Aberdeen in the same competition after their exit from the Champions League. They placed third in Group E.

The Gers' 0-3 upset at home to Lyon shattered their chances of progressing to the last 16 of the Champions League.

Celtic, meanwhile, have attained a place in the Champions League first KO phase as they did last year. In 2006-07, Celtic went out to eventual winners Milan.

This season, Celtic finished second behind the same Milan and will have another hard nut to crack in their duel with Barcelona.

The unexpected death of Phil O'Donnell, who collapsed during Motherwell's match against Dundee United late last month, stunned the world of football.

The 35-year-old Motherwell skipper was carried away on a stretcher in the closing stages of the Scottish Premier League match.

O'Donnell, who started his career at Motherwell and also enjoyed stints with Celtic and Sheffield Wednesday, was about to be substituted at Fir Park against Dundee United but collapsed before he could leave the field.

National team

Scotland's national side was doing well until their home upset against Italy which ended their chances of reaching the Euro 2008 finals.

Yet, what really stunned the neutral fan was how the top job in Scotland, that of managing the national team, had been left vacant first by Walter Smith and then by his successor Alex McLeish, who joined Birmingham City.

The fans felt that two of the most respected managers in the game had shown a disregard for national pride by leaving the Scotland post to return to club football.

On the pitch, Celtic and Rangers are once again dominating the championship race with Motherwell far behind in third place.

The last time one of the Old-Firm rivals did not finish on top of the tree was way back in 1984-85 when, for the second year running, Aberdeen had won the title.

Gordon Strachan is again doing well as Celtic are in the running to retain the league title but his side were eliminated by Hearts in the quarter-finals of the League Cup.

Celtic have scored most goals in the Scottish Premier league but their rearguard has become a worry for Strachan.

Some of the fans are experiencing jitters whenever the opponents attack, particularly when Celtic are on the away front.

The return of Bobo Balde, who had been out injured for the last two years, was welcomed by the coaching staff.

To boost his ailing defence, Strachan swooped for German defender Andreas Hinkel from Spanish side Sevilla for a fee in the region of £2m.

As ever, Rangers will challenge Celtic all the way and are also in the last four of the League Cup.

Smith's side have been erratic on their travels in the league. If Rangers do not address this weakness, they could find themselves ruing their away mishaps if the title goes elsewhere.

Since his return as Rangers coach last season, Smith's main target has been to wrest the crown from the hands of Glaswegian rivals Celtic.

Rangers are still in four competitions. They are in the running for the title, as well as the League Cup, Scottish Cup and UEFA Cup.

Hearts have been the negative surprise of the championship so far. Last season, they finished fourth but they are now lurking in the bottom four.

The management duo of Stephen Frail and Anatoly Korobochka will make way for a new manager.

However, Frail does not want to step down and lately, he bore the brunt of the fans' outrage. He has no explanation for the bad results and bizarre team selections. Frail has his hands bound and that does not help matters.

The fans should know that Frail is restricted by working under the tight reins of Vladimir Romanov.

Meanwhile, four sides are fighting it out for third place. These are Motherwell, Aberdeen, Dundee United and Falkirk. Inverness are seventh, one point behind Falkirk.

Gretna look doomed to return to First Division football after only one season in the top flight.