Looking beyond this season would be 'naive'
Luke Williams says it would be "naive" of Swansea City to look beyond the current campaign as they bid to halt their alarming run of poor form.The Swans had been within striking distance of the Championship play-off places following back-to-back wins against Queens Park Rangers and Luton Town after Christmas.But they have plummeted to 17th in the table and are now just six points above the bottom three having picked up only one point from the last 18 on offer.And Williams says his side's recent results have ensured the club has forgotten the "positive feelings" they had earlier on in the campaign."What we have got to do is get the group supported and in the best place to play as well as they possibly can," explained Williams."We know this group of players can win enough games but looking further than that in terms of this season would just be naive of us."People want to see that we are going in the right direction. At times this season it has felt like that."Then we have had a bad run, we have lost the captain and the window hasn't gone the way [we wanted it to]."Then people, me included, forget a lot of the positive feelings and performances we had."Bristol City have earned 16 of the 18 points on offer from their past six league matches at Ashton Gate and sit on the cusp of the top six going into the contest with Swansea."They are a good team. We had a really tough game against them earlier in the season, with two teams who were quite evenly matched," added Williams."They will be well supported, a good atmosphere, but our players want to play. They have to make a performance if we are going to have a chance in this game."
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The Herald Scotland
an hour ago
- The Herald Scotland
'Snobbery' over Scottish talent has left national game at crisis point
'We're always looking ahead. We're involved in Olympic sports and we look four years, eight years, even 12 years down the line. We look at pathways and what we've got coming through.' Does Ferguson think that this country's leading football clubs have the same forward-thinking attitude? Does he believe their chairmen, managers, owners, chief executives and sporting directors are safeguarding the future of our national game? Is he hopeful that Scotland will flourish as a result of the farsighted groundwork they are laying now? The posts about the number of homegrown and under-21 players who were involved in the Premiership last season which he fired up on the X (formerly Twitter) social media platform last week suggested that he very much does not. Read more: The statistics which he personally collated were highly concerning. But here are two of the most startling. He showed that the overall percentage of Scots to start top flight games during the 2024/25 campaign was just 31.46 per cent. That was down from 45 per cent three years ago. In addition, he highlighted that, on average, just four out of the 132 players who kicked games off in the elite division every weekend were under the age of 21 and originally hailed from these shores. He can foresee major issues arising in the future as a consequence. 'I started doing this back in around 2018 or 2019,' said Ferguson. 'I went back to the 1980s and 1990s and looked at the trend of more non-Scots coming into the Scottish game. I tracked the summer and winter signings and looked at the team sheets every week. It worried me back then, but it's getting worse every year. 'When I started doing this, the number of Scots who were starting every week on average was at about 48 to 49 per cent. Now it is down in the low 30s. I think it is a major problem already. And it is only going to get worse and worse. There needs to be an intervention before it becomes an even bigger problem. 'It's not just the Premiership where it's a problem now, it's feeding down into the lower divisions as well. When you look at a line-up of a Championship team, there are often a lot of non-Scots in there. We are reaching a crisis point. We can be producing far more players than we are.' (Image: SNS Group) So what, if anything, does Ferguson feel can be done to turn things around? The man who has just helped Stenhousemuir to secure a play-off place in their first season up in League One admits that he is puzzled by the Premiership clubs' reliance on overseas players. He has long been convinced they would be better off shopping local. 'I have always felt, going right back to my own playing days, that Scottish players and probably Scottish staff don't get the recognition that they were due when they were playing at a lower level,' he said. 'They were never picked up. 'There have been so many examples of that over the years. But Lawrence Shankland is the one really jumped out to me. I can remember watching him when I was the manager at Stenhousemuir and we played Ayr United. He was the difference in the game. 'I went and spoke to Hearts about him. I got told, 'Yeah, we've had him watched, but we don't think he's quick enough, we don't think he's strong enough'. They had so many reasons for not signing him. 'But they went straight out and signed David Vanecek from a club in the second tier in the Czech Republic. He lasted five or six months and then he was gone. I looked at that and thought, 'Why not look at the best players in the leagues below here?'. Hearts eventually signed Lawrence, but they could have had him years earlier if they had just taken a chance.' Read more: Ferguson is optimistic that Scottish clubs will look at the success which Falkirk have enjoyed under John McGlynn in the past couple of years – they have won League One and the Championship in successive seasons – and realise that promoting promising talent from the lower leagues can yield impressive results. 'Falkirk have been a breath of fresh air for me,' he said. 'They've taken players up from the Lowland League, they've even looked at the East of Scotland League. Those players have made big jumps up. 'Not all of them will be able to step up. But a lot of them have and are progressing. They have had an unbelievable couple of seasons. For me, John should be getting far more recognition for what he has done.' Ferguson continued, 'I just think there's snobbery across the Scottish game. There are a lot of good players in Scotland, but the pathway is not there for them. The opportunities for them to play at the top are so limited it's incredible. 'There has been talk about a Scottish goalkeeping crisis recently. For me, there is a bit of snobbery there too. Nicky Hogarth at Falkirk is a far better goalkeeper than the lad Cieran Slicker at Ipswich Town. Now, that might not be the case in the future. But at this moment in time Hogarth has won back-to-back league titles and is a better player. (Image: Craig Williamson - SNS Group) 'Hogarth has been at Rangers and Nottingham Forest as a young player, Slicker has been at Manchester City and Ipswich Town. So they both have a good grounding. But Slicker, a player who has never played a league game, gets selected for the national squad. For me, that kind of belittles playing for your country. Why not give Hogarth a chance? 'I think there are players there now who could easily make the step up to the Premiership. Not every player is going to make the grade, that's just never going to happen. But there are a lot of players who will get recruited from other countries who will come and go in the blink of an eye. Fans will forget about them in a couple of weeks. 'But I don't think the fanbase helps things ether if I am being honest. People don't get as excited about signing a player or a manager from the Championship as they do about bringing in a foreign player or manager. The media is exactly the same.' Ferguson has also witnessed first hand a reluctance to field the best kids who are coming through the youth ranks at Premiership clubs despite the obvious ability they possess and the success which those who have, often because his manager has had no other choice, been promoted have enjoyed. 'There are also young players within academies who are good enough,' he said. 'I have worked at Rangers and seen players who could step up and play first team football far sooner. There are kids out there who aren't getting anywhere close first team football at the age of 19, 20, 21. I don't understand that. 'If Callum McGregor was a youth coming through at Celtic now I don't think he would be given an opportunity. When he broke through Rangers were in the lower reaches of Scottish football and they could maybe afford to take a risk with him. Would they play him now? 'Scott Brown, who is Celtic's second most successful captain, only got his chance at Hibs when his manager Bobby Williamson was told that he needed to play youngsters. All of a sudden, they brought through a handful and they all went on to have really, really good careers. Would they have flourished if there wasn't a crisis? 'There are lots of those kind of examples. Adam Forrester got thrown in at Hearts when they had a right-back crisis and he has now played 30 odd games. He's not a youngster either, he is 20. James Wilson only got his chance because Lawrence Shankland was injured. They had to throw him in. They had no option. 'Do I think he would be in that team if Hearts had four strikers? No, I don't. Do I think he would be in the Scotland squad? No, I don't. I am delighted he is now in the national set-up. But there are not enough of these kind of players.' Read more: Ferguson continued, 'Another issue is that there are so many players on the bench now. What used to happen when three substitutes were allowed was there would be 14 players stripped, two in the stand and the rest would be playing somewhere else, in a reserve match or whatever. 'Now you've got 19 to 20 players stripped and another three sitting in the stands. Those players are nowhere near playing in a football match because they've got so many players in front of them. Squads are so swollen now. Even if you are a really good young player you need to get in front of four or five senior players to get in. 'It's difficult for any manager to say. 'I really like this 17-year-old, he's going straight in the team'. He needs to put that kid above three, four, five different senior players. Why would you want to have such a big squad and have a youth academy as well? That doesn't allow kids to progress. There are so many things that happen at the top level that don't make sense to me.' The Cooperation System which the SFA rolled out last week – which will see up to three Scotland qualified players at Premiership and Championship clubs move to lower league outfits freely on loan going forward – makes perfect sense to him. 'I love it,' said Ferguson. 'I love the concept of it. I also love that there is a plan there. I've always felt that the loan system, and I understand why this is, is very reactive. What generally happens is a club puts together a squad and then they need to get players in to cover for injuries. 'The Cooperation System is a bit more of a planned approach. It sounds as if loan players will be identified throughout the course of the close season, going into pre-season, when a manager or a recruitment team are building their squad. (Image: SNS Group Alan Harvey) 'I think it's a very, very good piece of work. I don't think managers will build their team around the loan player, it won't be as extreme as that. But I think a player will fit in straight away, They won't be trying to force their way into the team. It is a refreshing concept.' He continued, 'Will a young player who is number 21, 22 or 23 in a first team squad be considered for it? Or will they be kept at their parent club to make up numbers? That would be my concern. Will the guy who is 22 or 23 be allowed to go out and play? If he isn't, he could spend another season not playing. 'Is it best for the club in the long-term to get a player out, to get them experience of playing football, to get their name known, to hopefully have an impact? Massively. It should have a positive impact on the player and of course on the club. 'But a manager might want to hold onto him, just in case. He might have injuries and need to play a kid. That is how Forrester came through and established himself as a Premiership player. But, at the same time, six months could pass and a kid won't play. We will see how it works in practice. 'But we are very much on board with it at Stenhousemuir. We feel as though it's something that could be of value to us. Martin Christie, our head of recruitment, is speaking to clubs at the moment. There are ongoing conversations.' Ferguson is eager to see more Scottish players in the lower leagues getting the chance to show what they can do in the Premiership and more academy kids getting promoted into first teams than is currently the case. He fears the national team will ultimately suffer unless there is a long overdue change in attitudes and the trend he has identified is allowed to continue. 'Generally speaking, the first team manager at a club looks after the first team and that is it,' he said. 'That is the way it should be. But why is he not involved in looking at what the pathway into the first team looks like? 'There is an obvious issue. A coach knows he may not be in a job in four weeks' time if he doesn't get results. So why look four years down the line? The dynamics around football are different to any other sport. That is good and bad at the same time. 'The culture of football, the tribal nature of the sport, the supporters' demand for success in the here and now makes people focus on that. Understandably so. But I do think it is unusual compared to other sports, that failure to develop a strategy which can enable a club to be successful long-term. Don't get me wrong, many clubs will try to do it, but there is a massive disconnect between what they want to achieve and what they actually do.' Ferguson continued, 'We're already seeing a lack of depth when we've got injuries. We have quality players, John McGinn, Scott McTominay, Craig Gordon, Andy Robertson, Kieran Tierney. But quite a few of these players are getting towards the end of their careers, they're in their late 20s or early 30s. 'Could getting five per cent of the Scottish players who are in the Premiership to follow Lewis Ferguson, Billy Gilmour and Scott McTominay and move on to a bigger league in Europe be a target? If it can be then surely five per cent of 100 is better than five per cent of 30. 'My real worry is the talent pool is getting diluted. That is definitely the trend. It is on a decline, a continuous decline. Unless something changes, Scottish players will be making up just 20 per cent of the teams in a few years.'
Daily Mirror
an hour ago
- Daily Mirror
Leeds United get verdict on finishing above Man Utd in Premier League table
Leeds United legend Stuart Dallas has discussed how the club can compete with staunch rivals Manchester United once the 2025/2026 season gets underway, with the club having to get one thing right to do so Leeds United icon Stuart Dallas believes the club can eclipse bitter rivals Manchester United in the Premier League next season - if they get their recruitment right. Leeds will be returning to the English top flight for 2025/26 after stunning the Championship this season. With Daniel Farke at the helm, Leeds lost just four times as they claimed 100 points alongside Burnley. However, the Whites topped the division with a superior goal difference. While 2024/2025 represented a joyous season for Leeds, the same can't be said for the Red Devils. Under Ruben Amorim, United found themselves finishing in 15th place in the Premier League and losing to Tottenham Hotspur in the Europa League final. Dallas, 34, now thinks Leeds can push on and challenge Amorim's team come next season, with reports suggesting that the Whites' owners, 49ers Enterprises, have made around £100 million available for transfers this summer. Speaking exclusively to Mirror Football, at the Leeds American Golf for the #RifeDontMiss putting challenge, he said: "The gap is big. That's common knowledge because promoted teams and how they've done in the last number of seasons. I think it is continuing to grow. "Leeds are in a position where they financially can go and strengthen. You can give me £150m and I can go and spend it. What I'm trying to say is the recruitment has to be right. "I think Leeds have got that in place this season. I think they'll have learned from the past and they have the potential to really do something within the next number of years in the Premier League. But again, for me, the recruitment has to be key, which I'm sure it will be." Dallas, who called time on his career in 2024 after making 248 appearances for Leeds, also touched upon the club's Player of the Year for the 2024/25 season, Daniel James. James played at Old Trafford for three seasons before moving to Elland Road, but Dallas isn't convinced United will be ruing the decision to let the Welsh star go, despite the leaps and bounds made by the 27-year-old. "I think Man Utd have had a number of players, obviously like every club, come and go. Dan has obviously found his feet at Leeds and he's happy. I know his family and that's settled here," Dallas added. "He's been fantastic this season. He started adding goals and assists and numbers to his game, which maybe previously wasn't there. He's always had the talent. "His pace is electrifying and it was just his end product that was missing. He started to produce that this year. I wouldn't say Man Utd will look at him and regret letting him go. But certainly, he's had a really, really good season." Dallas was speaking exclusively to Mirror Football at the second #RifeDontMiss Challenge, celebrating the launch of the new RIFE Black Edition putters. To register for the final qualifier and be in with a chance of winning £50,000, sign up here. Join our new WhatsApp community and receive your daily dose of Mirror Football content. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like. If you're curious, you can read our Privacy Notice.
Daily Mirror
an hour ago
- Daily Mirror
Premier League free agent XI including Kevin De Bruyne, Arsenal star, cult hero
Dozens of Premier League players officially become available for a free transfer on June 30 with plenty set to find new clubs without much trouble as sides search for bargains The released lists have been published, the soon-to-be free agents are searching for new clubs and Premier League sides could find some bargains to fill gaps once July 1 rolls around. And while so much of the focus surrounds the likes of Florian Wirtz's potential arrival at Liverpool in a British record £125m deal or whether Arsenal end up signing Benjamin Sesko or Viktor Gyokeres to finally fulfil the need for a new centre-forward, several familiar names with piles of experience are set to find new destinations. Or maybe they will be able to broker a last-minute deal to remain at their club - such as Thomas Partey and Arsenal. Here is a strong XI of those available without a fee after June 30. Wayne Hennessey - Nottingham Forest Welsh goalkeeper fell out of favour at Nottingham Forest behind Belgium's Matz Sels but there are worse second-choice options. Vladimir Coufal - West Ham Dependable Czech full back lost his starting role to Aaron Wan-Bissaka in the season just passed but can still do a job elsewhere. Victor Lindelof - Manchester United The centre back remains injury prone, the biggest hurdle to him fulfilling a career that offered so much promise when he first arrived at Old Trafford. Next destination remains unclear. Michael Keane - Everton A solid option for those in need of depth at the back. Featured sporadically during final season at Goodison Park. Kyle Walker-Peters - Southampton Endured a season of misery at St Mary's as the club went straight back down to the Championship but he is one of few players in that squad with a genuine claim to remain in the top flight. Pablo Sarabia - Wolves Spanish veteran made twice the number of appearances off the bench as he did starts during final season at Molineux and is being linked with a return to Sevilla. Thomas Partey - Arsenal Gunners remain hopeful that terms can be agreed with the central midfielder, especially after Jorginho confirmed his return to South America, leaving Mikel Arteta short of options in the engine room. Christian Eriksen - Manchester United Dane wants to keep playing despite mobility issues but his experience would still make him an asset to many dressing rooms. Kevin De Bruyne - Manchester City Premier League legend has made his feelings about departure from the Etihad clear and has no doubt he can continue to be decisive at the very top. Napoli have appeared at the front of the queue and a deal could be concluded sooner rather than later. Dominic Calvert-Lewin - Everton Striker heading for exit after talks over an extension stalled. At his best he is very good but consistency has remained an issue. Jamie Vardy - Leicester Bid farewell to the Foxes and has been linked with a switch to upwardly mobile Wrexham in the second tier. The mess around him at Leicester should not undermine fact he might still have a season or two of finding the net left. Free agent XI: Hennessey; Coufal, Lindelof, Keane, Walker-Peters; Sarabia, Partey, Eriksen, De Bruyne; Calvert-Lewin, Vardy. Subs: Olsen, Dawson, Mee, Evans, Reguilon, Antonio, Wilson.
