Miller on Shinnie
Captain Graeme Shinnie impressed at left-back in the Scottish Cup quarter-final but he still has much to offer in midfield, says Aberdeen legend Willie Miller. (Press & Journal)Read the rest of Wednesday's gossip.
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Scotsman
3 hours ago
- Scotsman
Craig Gordon calls on Hearts to embrace 'new era' as he recalls Sunderland memories and famous save
The Hearts goalkeeper believes Derek McInnes can breath new life into Tynecastle. 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... Craig Gordon believes new Hearts head coach Derek McInnes will breathe new life into Tynecastle next season, heralding his arrival as an 'exciting new era' for the club. The 42-year-old goalkeeper is entering his 20th year as a professional after he agreed a one year extension with at Tynecastle last month, but admits he won't do much resting this summer as he gears up for the return of the competitive football, starting with a Premier Sports Cup tie against Dunfermline Athletic on July 12. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad 'I'm very proud and privileged to have had such a long career,' said Gordon. 'So many highs along the way. Making my debut at Hearts, joining the club as a youngster. It was 1999 the first year I came in here, right through to winning the Scottish Cup to leaving to go to Sunderland and playing in the Premier League, and testing yourself against the best players, then coming back to - first of all Celtic - Hearts. It has been some journey. Craig Gordon thwarts then-Manchester United striker Carlos Tevez during his time at Sunderland. | AFP via Getty Images 'I don't think I'll be relaxing too much on holiday. Next season is already on my mind. I'm still doing plenty of work during the summer to make sure I come back as ready as I can be, and to fight to get as many appearances as I can again. I'm really looking forward to pre-season, it's an exciting period, we are right at the new era of Hearts.' The veteran Scotland stopper has been awarded a testimonial at Tynecastle this season, with the club announcing that a pre-season friendly clash with Gordon's former club Sunderland will kick-off a series of events aimed at celebrating the Hearts icon's impressive career. Once the most expensive goalkeeper in the history of British football, Gordon still remembers the time he first left Gorgie in order to complete a £9million transfer to Sunderland. Signing for the Black Cats in the summer of 2007, he still heralded on Wearside for a jaw-dropping reaction save against Bolton Wanderers that was voted the English Premier League's greatest of all time. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad His testimonial game against the Black Cats now just around the corner, Gordon admits his time his big money move to England was far from easy. Detailing the pressures that came with his record-breaking at the age of just 24, he admits his famous save against the Trotters is one he looks back on fondly. 'That was my first move,' said Gordon. 'I'd been here [Hearts] since I was 12, I had came through the youth system. Seven or eight seasons on from going through the under-18s, the first-team, I'd always been at once place. Now I'm a couple of hours down the road, everything is different, the training ground is different. People are different. 'The travel to away grounds is much further. Everything changed in a matter of days, that is going to take some getting used to, whether you're coming from the other side of the world or a couple of hours away. It probably took me a little while to get used to everything, and the club. Once I did though, it was somewhere I really felt at home. 'Yeah, it was a fantastic save [vs Bolton]. At the time, I'm probably not entirely sure how I've managed to make it. I remember the corner going to the back post - I've obviously watched it a few times since. It gets knocked back into the six yard line, my initial reaction was 'oh, this is a goal', but I need to make an effort and show that I am trying to keep this out. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad 'As I turned and made my dive, I've realised it is still within my reach. I've swung my left hand at it, and luckily for me it sort of rolled up my left thumb, I got some spin on the ball which managed to take it up and over the bar from almost on the goal line. I'm not entirely sure how I managed to do that, but sometimes you get a little bit of luck along with a great reaction. It is something I am still very proud of.' Craig Gordon is entering his 20th season as a professional at Tynecastle this coming season. | SNS Group The 42-year-old still holds affection for the Wearsiders, having spent five seasons at the Stadium of Light, and was delighted to see them win promotion back to the English Premier League last month. While it was Tommy Watson's 95th minute goal that sealed their 2-1 win over Sheffield United in the EFL Championship playoff final, Gordon reserved his praise for Sunderland goalkeeper Anthony Patterson ahead his two crucial saves at Wembley.
Daily Record
14 hours ago
- Daily Record
Che Adams ends Scotland drought in style as unrecognisable Steve Clarke side dismantles Liechtenstein
Our man Scott Burns was in Liechtenstein as Clarke's much-changed side returned to winning ways Scotland played in the shadows of the Alps and it was hat-trick hero Che Adams who peaked in this much-needed win over Liechtenstein. Yes, it was only a friendly but it put a win on the board and both Clarke's starting frontmen got in on the act. Adams got a treble and George Hirst netted his first for the country. Lennon Miller made his first start and made an immediate impact. He saw a shot blocked and Adams knocked in the rebound in the fourth minute. The Torino star got another in the first half, after Miller pressed, won it and fed the forward who finished with a low reverse shot. Scotland dominated. John McGinn's second half shot came off the post before Anthony Ralston put in a cross and Adams flicked it on to Hirst to score. It was a job done. Clarke was also able to give debuts to Josh Doig, Andy Irving, Connor Barron and Kieron Bowie in the closing stages. Adams claimed the matchball when he netted from a Nathan Patterson cross with the final touch of the game. Okay, the minnows were never going to offer the toughest of challenges but Scotland got the victory and a welcome boost ahead of the World Cup qualifiers - which kick-off in the next international window in September. There will be no room for error against Denmark, Greece and Belarus. This game in the Rheinpark Stadium brought some welcome positivity back after the home defeats to Greece and Iceland. It was only Scotland's second visit to Liechtenstein; the last one was a 2-1 win back in 2010. This one was as straightforward as they come. They got the win they were after. The Scotland players can now rest up after a long, hard season and focus on the real action. The one thing that is certain is that the next team they face in red and white - the Danes - will be a significantly tougher nut to crack. Ross Doohan answers SOS for Scotland debut The Celtic-bound keeper was on holiday in Turkey when he took the call to see if he would make the trip to Liechtenstein. The 27-year-old had been a Scotland under-21 regular but his last action on that front had been five years ago. Doohan had played a number of games for Aberdeen this season and got the nod because he was still training up to the Scottish Cup final. The Tartan Army encouraged his every touch. He probably couldn't have picked a better opponent. He was rarely troubled and spent most of the time as a sweeper rather than keeper. Perfect first start with a cap and a clean sheet. Lennon Miller makes first start The Motherwell youngster came off the bench to make his debut against Iceland. He was handed his full debut in Vaduz. The one thing he always tried to be was positive. He was always looking up and trying to make things happen. He played a part in two of Adams' goals. The first his shot was blocked and it was his pressing that raced Liechtenstein into the mistake for the second. The 18-year-old can be happy with his night's work. It certainly won't be his last Scotland start. Could this be his last act as a Motherwell player? Previous manager, Michael Wimmer, has predicted he would be departing Fir Park this summer. Che Adams breaks Scotland drought in style The striker had done well in his first season in Torino, finishing as his side's top scorer. He had found goals harder to come by in dark blue. In fact, his early goal was his first in over a year, since he netted in the friendly win over Gibraltar. You could see the delight in his face as he finally got back on target for his country. There was no such long, frustrating wait for his next Scotland goal. It took him 22 minutes to make it a double. He made it a treble in the final minute. It is now a more respectable nine goals in 39 appearances. He also pitched in with a neat assist for Hirst. George Hirst opens his Scotland account The Ipswich Town forward got his first start against Iceland last week and Clarke stuck by him for this game. Hirst had made cameo sub appearances. He looked half-decent against Iceland. He was in on the action in the early stages of this game too. He worked hard again and got his moment of glory when he knocked home Adams' header from close range in the 48th minute. Has he staked a claim to start in the World Cup qualifiers? Scotland's terrible friendly record improved Clarke has ordered an improvement from his players going into this double header but the first game ended in disappointment against Iceland. The national coach went into this game with just one win in his last 10 friendly games. Yes, okay a lot of them were against top opposition but there were also a few blots on the copybook, like Northern Ireland and Iceland at home. Scotland's last friendly had been over a year ago when they beat Gibraltar in a warm-up for Euro 2024. The best of the rest had been draws with Finland, Austria and Poland and a number of morale-denting defeats against Turkey, England, France, Netherlands, Northern Ireland and Iceland. It was unlikely Clarke and his team were going to come up short in this one and they didn't! Tune in to Hotline Live every Sunday to Thursday and have your say on the biggest issues in Scottish football and listen to Record Sport's newest podcast, Game On, every Friday for your sporting fix, all in bitesize chunks.
Scottish Sun
17 hours ago
- Scottish Sun
Philippe Clement singles out two Rangers stars ‘who were not good' as he points finger of blame for title bid collapse
He revealed his biggest regret from his time at the club BLAME GAME Philippe Clement singles out two Rangers stars 'who were not good' as he points finger of blame for title bid collapse Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) FORMER Rangers manager Philippe Clement has singled out two of his players at Ibrox for criticism. The Belgian was sacked in February about which he's since said more patience was required from the board. Sign up for the Rangers newsletter Sign up 4 Former Rangers boss Philippe Clement has said two of his players were 'not good' before they left Credit: Willie Vass 4 He didn't name names, but timing would suggest one of them was John Lundstram Credit: PA 4 The other would likely be Borna Barisic Credit: Willie Vass He was replaced by Barry Ferguson in the interim and then last week the permanent role was handed to Russell Martin. Looking back on his time, Clement has suggested some of his player's heads and hearts weren't in it towards the end. Speaking to the BBC, he said: 'There are some stories if you look back. Indeed, in the first season nobody in Scotland expected Rangers to come back in be in a title race when we arrived in October. 'The players did it but in the end we lost the game at Ross County and three days later dropped points at Dundee. 'If I look back, two players who were not good in those two games they left at the end of the season on a free transfer. 'They were at that moment busy also talking with other teams with their agents, about their future and all those things. 'Probably, and maybe, it had an affect on them. Did they not want to become Rangers? For sure not. They wanted to become champions and give everything. 'But the situation to be at the end of the contract at that moment of the season was also not a good one. 'You need to see as a club that it's about stability and consistency that you don't come in these situations too much in the important moments of the season. 'You want everything to be clear so players can focus solely on football and I think it played a part in that end of the season in those two games where the shift was made in the championship." SunSport's Robert Grieve reveals why Rangers are set to sack Philippe Clement as manager Given the timing it would appear the Gers in question are John Lundstram and Borna Barasic, who both switched to Turkish side Trabzonspor at the end of their deals last year. Both were mostly left out of the Scottish Cup final against Celtic that season barring a late cameo for the English midfielder. He continued: 'It's a pity we couldn't win the championship coming out of a situation where nobody thought we could win it. '[My] most proud [moment] - because all that matters is winning things - would be winning the League cup and biggest regret would be being close for the title in that first season and not getting it over the line, and also the two cup finals where were very close.' The 23-24 Rangers side finished the league campaign eight points behind their bitter rivals. 4 The pair moved to Trabzonspor when their contracts expired Credit: Willie Vass Keep up to date with ALL the latest news and transfers at the Scottish Sun football page
