Lennon plotters jailed while Ticketus abandon Gers bid

Two men who sent sent parcel bombs to Hoops chief Neil Lennon and other high-profile fans of the club were jailed for five years each on Friday, while at Ibrox London investment firm Ticketus pulled out of a deal to buy the club.

Both Trevor Muirhead, 44, of Kilwinning, and Neil McKenzie, 42, of Saltcoats, both Ayrshire, plotted to assault Lennon, former MSP Trish Godman and the late QC Paul McBride, by sending devices they believed were capable of exploding and causing severe injury.

They were sentenced to five years each for the charge at the High Court in Glasgow.

The judge Lord Turnbull had told them he could not "fathom what was in your minds" when they decided to send the packages.

He said: "It is incomprehensible that two such family men, in their forties, would engage in such reckless and serious criminal conduct."

Meanwhile Rangers were dealt a blow as Ticketus, who are owed £27 million by the club, pulled out of the Blue Knights consortium in light of uncertainty over Rangers' future due to the 12-month transfer ban.

In a statement the London-based firm said: "Ticketus ... has withdrawn from the Blue Knights Consortium after it was unable to finalise satisfactory terms of agreement for its investors with the Blue Knights around restructuring its ticket purchase agreement.

"Consequently Ticketus is no longer able to play a role in the consortium's bid for the Rangers Football Club PLC at this stage."

But there was better news for the club as it was revealed that Paul Murray was in discussions with Sale Sharks owner Brian Kennedy to form a joint bid.

Gers boss Ally McCoist also hit the headlines on Friday as he was unapologetic over his demands for transparency from the Scottish Football Association's judicial panel.

McCoist called for the three members to be named after they hit the club with a £160,000 fine and a 12-month embargo on registering players over 17, mainly for bringing the game into disrepute since Craig Whyte's takeover.

Strathclyde Police later confirmed they were investigating alleged threats made against the panel after the SFA said their identities had been "compromised."

The Rangers manager released a statement on Thursday morning defending his calls for transparency, while claiming his remarks were not a signal for fans to engage in threatening behaviour.

And asked yesterday if he had any regrets over his original comments McCoist said: "Not at all. I think a lot of people have misinterpreted my statement as some form of apology."

Finally Celtic Adam Matthews said that the Hoops are determined to avenge their two defeats to Rangers this season by winning the final Glasgow derby of the campaign on Sunday.

"Maybe that is an extra incentive but we know every game against Rangers is a massive game," he said.

"The two times we have played at Ibrox this season we haven't done ourselves justice. So we are looking to put that right and get a positive result."