The 2018/19 season was set to be a great one when Scottish football returned to the box office as legendary Liverpool player Steven Gerrard took on former manager Brendan Rodgers in the Premiership.

However, as well as dominating the back pages while Rangers attempted to wrestle the title from Rodgers' 7-in-a-row champions, it also often found itself plastered across the front pages for all the wrong reasons.

Our national game, which has a long history of sectarianism and violence attached to it, has had a broad range of anti-social behaviour to contend with during the last eight months.

From supporters being stabbed, bottles, seats and coins being thrown at players, managers and rival fans, death threats to referees and pundits, street brawls, stadium vandalism, racist abuse, offensive songs and banners and of course, the sectarian chants that have been a scourge of the game for decades, have made an unwelcome return.

Even the news of Brendan Rodgers' shock departure from Celtic last month could not take attention away from what now seems like a weekly occurrence.

It also at times seems like there is no step too far for some fans who seem increasingly intent on offending as many people as possible.

Sick chants targeting disabled children, dead relatives of players, murder victims, deadly disasters, child abuse, terrorist attacks and famine have all been sung by Scottish football fans in recent times.

STV News takes a look at some of the worst incidents to shame the game this season and ask what, if anything, can be done to change it.

One of the most worrying aspects of this season's rise in anti-social behaviour is an apparent increase of missiles been thrown at rival fans, players and managers.

The first incident took place at Pittodrie on the very first day of the season when a 12-year-old boy was injured by a bottle thrown from the away end after a late Aberdeen equaliser against Rangers.

Then later that month another young girl was injured by a thrown bottle while supporting St Mirren against Rangers at Ibrox.

A linesman was then left with a nasty looking cut on his head after being struck by an object thrown from the away end during Livingston's 1-0 win over Rangers at the Toni Macaroni stadium.

Then in October Hibernian manager Neil Lennon was hit by a coin during a fiery Edinburgh derby at Tynecastle that also seen Hearts goalkeeper Zdenek Zlamal assaulted by a fan.

Kilmarnock forward Kris Boyd then had a coin thrown at him during his side's 1-0 defeat to Celtic at Rugby Park.

As recently as this weekend, a glass Buckfast bottle was launched at Celtic forward Scott Sinclair as he went to take a corner during a 2-0 Scottish Cup victory over Hibs at Easter Road.

The incident was caught by TV cameras which also seen a coin narrowly miss the English winger.

After the game Hibernian launched an investigation into reports a bottle was also thrown from the away end during the game.

The most notable act of violence came in the summer when Rangers played Croatian side Osijek in a Europa League Qualifier in August.

Two visiting Croatian fans were stabbed amid violent clashes in Glasgow ahead of the 1-1 draw at Ibrox.

The victims, two men aged 24 and 40, were taken to the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital after the attack.

Footage also surfaced online showing around 60 fans involved in a mass street brawl near the stadium.

One clip showed a man being punched and kicked as he lay on the ground.

Violence among fans is becoming a common occurrence again this season with clashes stealing headlines in an otherwise fascinating football season.

The season's first Old Firm game of the season on September 2 was marred with violent incidents throughout the country.

A Celtic fan from Ireland was left with a broken eye socket after being assaulted outside a chip-shop and a Rangers fan suffered stab wounds after being attacked in Glasgow city centre in an incident that also seen his father knocked unconscious.

This violence has not just been contained in Scotland with both Old Firm clubs involved in controversies during their trips out the country.

Eight fans were arrested during a brawl in Berlin the night before Celtic played RB Leipzig in the city and Hoops supporters were also involved in clashes with Spanish police before their Europa League against Valencia last month.

Meanwhile a video surfaced online of Rangers fans racially abusing young children in Macedonia before their game against FK Shkupi.

Rangers fans were also involved in skirmishes with Slovenian police when they travelled to play Maribor and a flight taking fans to Vienna had to be delayed for three hours in Glasgow after a group of drunken supporters caused a disturbance and had to be removed.

Scottish football has been no stranger to offensive and unsavoury chants since the rise of the game.

Support for the IRA against fantasies of wallowing in "F***** blood" have long been a stain on Scottish society as well its national sport.

In recent seasons songs targeting people like murdered soldier Lee Rigby, young Celtic superfan Jay Beatty, dead players including Tommy Burns and Davie Cooper, Celtic captain Scott Brown's sister who died from cancer have been heard as well as chants mocking child abuse, the Ibrox disaster and the Irish famine.

After Brendan Rodgers move to Leicester City had been confirmed a group of Celtic fans were filmed in a pub singing about him "dying his sleep" after being shot by "the IRA".

The chant is a new take on a similar song aimed at former Rangers player Nacho Novo.

Celtic forward Leigh Griffiths has also been targeted with chants saying "you won't be playing football anymore" after taking some time out of the game to deal with personal issues.

Referee John Beaton was forced to call in police after he was subjected to death threats in the wake of December's Old Firm clash.

The whistler had his personal contact details leaked online following the heated derby that Rangers won 1-0 and had to have a police escort to his next game.

Pundit and former Celtic striker Chris Sutton was then also dealt a sinister death threat shortly after the news of Beaton's threat broke.

Then after a fiery Hearts vs Hibernian clash at Tynecastle, graffiti saying "hang Neil Lennon" was daubed outside the stadium in Edinburgh.

Scottish football has had to work under the shadow of the country's significant problem with sectarianism, with both seeming to go hand in hand with one another.

During his time as both a Celtic player and manager Neil Lennon's career was tainted with verbal abuse, death threats and assaults.

The Northern-Irishman was not only assaulted in the street and on the touchline but had explosive devices and bullets sent to his home address during a long campaign of abuse.

Earlier this season, when he was still Hibs manager, he spoke out against the abuse, that he seen as both sectarian and racist in its nature, after he was struck by a coin and subjected to abuse during a 0-0 draw vs Hearts.

After the sinister "hang Neil Lennon" graffiti appeared, Lennon said Scottish football had a big problem with sectarianism and anti-Irish racism.

Kilmarnock forward Kris Boyd then also hit-out at the mindless abuse after he was targeted by Celtic fans with chants of "fat orange b*stard" during a 1-0 defeat in February in which he was also hit by a coin thrown from the away end.

Boyd's manager Steve Clarke then became the third high profile name to speak out against the problem after "cheer up F***** b******" chants were aimed at him during a defeat to Rangers.

In an emotional press-conference after the game Clarke publicly thanked Chelsea for taking him and his family away from the "toxic" sectarianism of the West of Scotland.

Since his move to Celtic three years ago Scott Sinclair's excellent career has been somewhat overshadowed by some of the sickening racist abuse he has had to put with.

During his first season a Rangers fan was caught on camera taunting with monkey chants after a penalty goal at Ibrox, a second man then filmed himself walking through an Irish bar calling Sinclair a "F***** f****** n*****".

During this season's League Cup Final a fan in the Aberdeen end was heard calling the English winger a "F****** black b******" after he missed a penalty in Celtic's 1-0 victory.

Sinclair then hit out at the "ignorant and uneducated" fan.

He said: "Just seen the video from Sunday's game, absolute disgrace for ignorance of the uneducated fan shouting racial abuse."

Just a few weeks after the Sinclair incident, Hearts defender Clevid Dikamona was also the victim of an alleged racial slur as the Edinburgh derby was again overshadowed by an ugly incident.

A 65-year-old Hibs fan was arrested after TV images appeared to show him hurling abuse at the player.