Bangor stun Glentoran in Irish Cup quarter-final
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Daily Record
35 minutes ago
- Daily Record
Russell Martin branded a liability' by Rangers diehards as Hotliners fear boss
Anthony Evans took your calls as the Gers manager was in the spotlight It's been a mixed bag of a start for Russell Martin at Rangers, who despite securing progress to the Champions League play-off has yet to get his first victory on the domestic front. Pundits and ex-players of an Ibrox persuasion are calling for patience to allow Martin and his new-look team to bed-in but one Hotline caller has had enough already, branding the former Southampton boss as a 'liability'. Russell Black, Banchory, who also fears Gers could be on the end of a mega upset in the Premier Sports Cup this weekend, called to say: "Russell Martin is a total liability, his philosophy and tactics never worked before when he had better players than he has now. "All the managers in the Premiership are rubbing their hands in glee. If he continues in this fashion Rangers will be lucky to finish sixth, I wouldn't be at all surprised if Alloa didn't beat us at the weekend. "We would have been far better off with Barry Ferguson and Neil McCann. Neil can read a game and can see very quickly what needs to be changed to counterattack what the opposition is doing. Martin doesn't have a clue. That's us in the doldrums for yet another season." Andrew Adams, Kirkcaldy, also shares similar concerns about Martin's credentials to handle the cauldron that is the Rangers managerial job. He added: "Can Russell Martin really handle the pressure he undoubtedly under? His coaching staff also, they've never worked under this scrutiny or expectations before, and it will probably get worse before it gets better, can they work properly under these conditions? "We keep hearing he needs time, but going on what we're seeing now, it's a miracle he needs, not time." However, one Light Blues punter is convinced that his team are destined to reign as top dogs in Scotland again, with or without Martin at the helm. Replying to fellow Hotline caller Scott MacAdam, Alan Flett said: "If I know nothing about football, then what does that say about yourself and all the other deluded Celtic fans who continually spout rubbish on the Hotline? "You lot should be embarrassed that your club has zero ambition. Russell Martin may or may not be the man who takes us back to the top, but we WILL get there! We're on course for the CL and have nothing to worry about domestically. "Celtic will always be bang average and Hearts' good early season form won't last. The only team who can beat us are ourselves!" Brendan Rodgers and Hoops' skipper Callum McGregor have also came under fire from one of their own for pointing out the 3,536 mile trek to Kazakhstan in their own Champions League play-off. Joe Hailey, Baillieston, wrote: "Come on Celtic, Rodgers and McGregor complaining about the round trip to Kazakhstan. Last I heard, Kairat Almaty need to make the same trip to Glasgow! "Just get on with it and stop moaning. I'm more concerned that we've been a shambles in the transfers market!!" One furious Parkhead caller has also vowed to take a stand if they fail to get by Kairat. John Maclean, Glasgow, stated: "If Celtic get eliminated by Kairat in next round through lack of transfer funds, l will not be renewing my season ticket. l spend my hard earn cash to support my team, not the board." Stephen Mulhern, Dumbarton, is also concerned about Celtic's options at the top end of the pitch going into the crunch clash. He called to say: "With one time Celtic's main striking option to replace Kyogo in David Sterlec not finding the goals for Bratislava to knock out Kairat Almaty over the two legs I fear if Adam idah who continues to struggle even at domestic level starts a nil nil first leg result could be on the cards. "Failure to not start Maeda through the middle on Celtic's most important match so far should be a no-brainer for Rodgers." And finally, Steven Naismith's return to Steve Clarke's Scotland backroom team following his stint as Hearts manager has left one punter unconvinced. Kevin Lord, Drylaw, wrote: "What a resounding appointment.. 'Nae (success as a coach) Smith'. Gets the Tartan Army well revved up eh??"
Scotsman
2 hours ago
- Scotsman
Predicted Hibs XI vs Partizan Belgrade as three changes made
Hibs are looking for continental progress on Thursday night when they take on Partizan Belgrade in the second leg of their UEFA Conference League third round qualifier. David Gray's side hold a 2-0 lead over the Serbian side after a famous victory away from last week. They now look to finish the job in front of a packed Easter Road for a chance to contest a play-off battle against either AEK Larnaca or Legia Warsaw, in which the winner will enter the league phase of this competition. Gray said: 'I think that's the message for me, the mindset. We spoke about it at length this morning, about how this is half time in the tie. Nothing's been achieved yet other than we're in a brilliant position, but it's 0-0 in this game. 'It's 0-0 starting the game but you go into every single game trying to win the game. It will be no different tomorrow night, going in with that mindset because I think if you try and hold on and you try and protect and protect and protect then you leave yourself exposed. So we will definitely be approaching the game as if it's 0-0, with all to play for, because we know the threat and danger that Partizan possess.' With three changes from the team that drew 2-2 with Kilmarnock in the Premiership last time out, here's who we think starts for Hibs. 1 . GK: Jordan Smith Number one keeps his place. | SNS Group Photo Sales 2 . RCB: Warren O'Hora Irishman stays on right of the back three. | SNS Group Photo Sales 3 . CB: Rocky Bushiri Another huge night needed from the powerful defender. | SNS Group Photo Sales 4 . LCB: Jack Iredale First change, in place of Grant Hanley. | SNS Group Photo Sales
Scotsman
4 hours ago
- Scotsman
Rangers address team news leak, Mikey Moore issues, injuries and confirm no bid for 22y
Martin not concerned about mole in dressing-room after starting XI revealed to public Sign up to our Football newsletter Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to The Scotsman, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... Rangers head coach Russell Martin says he will not 'lose sleep' over leaked team news after his starting line-up for Tuesday's Champions League win over Viktoria Plzen was revealed hours before kick-off. Martin had decided to drop captain James Tavernier, midfielder Nicolas Raskin, wide midfielder Kieran Dowell and striker Danilo for the first leg of the third qualifier at Ibrox, while winger Oliver Antman was given his debut and played a starring role in the 3-0 win. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad The leak did not affect the side's performance and speaking ahead of Saturday's Premiership match with Dundee at Ibrox, Martin said: 'I was told when I turned up to the stadium because I'm not on any social media. I can't really control any of that. It has become more common in the modern game. Russell Martin says he is not affected by team news getting out early at Rangers. | SNS Group 'I don't think anyone would do it from inside this building to intentionally hurt us. I always name the team really early as a coach or manager. It means people don't waste time or energy wondering if they're in the team and we can work on certain things. 'But it's the modern game. People are left out, they tell their agents, friends and family – then somehow it gets to the media quickly. But I trust that no one does it to try and hurt us intentionally. I've said to the guys, it's not ideal. But I'm also not going to lose sleep over it. 'I'm not sure it changes the opposition's plan eight hours before a game as they'll have done pretty much all of their work by then I presume. There's enough stuff in this job to be concerned about and to focus on all the time. So I'm not going to overly stress about the team being leaked.' Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Trio remain missing for Rangers Martin will again be without Mikey Moore, Thelo Aasgaard and Hamza Igamane for the visit of Dundee. Moore – a 17-year-old loanee from Tottenham – is still waiting on international clearance, while Aasgaard and Igamane are working their way back to full fitness. Martin is hoping to have Moore available for the trip to the Czech Republic on Tuesday, adding: 'We're still not quite there with Mikey which is frustrating for him and for us. Because he's deemed a minor by FIFA (he turns 18 on Monday) there's a lot of protocol to go through and we aren't there yet. 'It can take a while. He's 18 soon so he'd be available then for us. We might have to wait until then. But hopefully we'll get him ready for Tuesday.' Mikey Moore remains sidelined for Rangers. | SNS Group On Aasgaard and Igamane, Martin continued: 'They've both made good steps in the last few days. They're working hard with the rehab guys but not ready to be involved with the squad. Hamza missed two weeks because of the Visa thing (problem) so was behind the group. We've tried to speed up the process so that he's ready to train. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad 'But he played his first minutes and picked up an injury because the intensity was different. So now we have to get him really ready to perform and not risk being injured again.
