THE ONE THAT GOT AWAY

It's not every day a 35-year-old in the prime of his life dies at his work.
It's even rarer when that man is a footballer who was capped by his country, played over 100 games for one half of Scotland's Old Firm, performed in the English Premiership and was the current captain of his club.
Phil O'Donnell's death was significant in so many ways and yet, when I first wrote this, at about 7pm on Saturday night, it had been almost totally ignored by media outlets. The Guardian managed a brief mention, the Telegraph placed it some distance beneath their fans' forum and transfer talk in order of importance. The Times ignored it completely. The Independent, as we all know, will update only when World War Three breaks out.
BBC and the independent TV channels stand condemned in the same way. They caught up on Sunday, but the damage was done.
Is it an indictment of their fragmented and parochial news sense or simply the fact that O'Donnell was a Scot (playing for no-account Motherwell what's more) and considered small potatoes alongside the shock/horror of Manchester United losing at West Ham, Wasps beating Bath or Australia wrapping up a Test win against India?
Judging by Motherwell manager Mark McGhee's dignified and emotionally charged performance outside Fir Park on Sunday at least poor O'Donnell will be guaranteed a more deserving send-off in his own country.