When it comes to the strange little world of Scottish football, we tend to get carried away with its importance.
But of course, there are times when the outcome of a football match is put very firmly into perspective, moments when its insignificance is shown up against the grander scale of life’s more pressing concerns. Michael Beale had one such moment a couple of days before what was the biggest date in his fledgling managerial career.
While preparing for last week’s Viaplay Cup final clash with Celtic, the Rangers boss and his wife Roxanne were handed the devastating news that their cherished niece Poppy had suffered a relapse of the blood cancer she thought she had beaten only a couple of months before.
