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Several top Football League clubs chase former Cliftonville goalscoring ace

Several top Football League clubs chase former Cliftonville goalscoring ace

The talented forward has scored 15 goals for Scottish Premiership side Ross County this term, after his memorable Irish Cup Final double for the Reds against Linfield last May earned him a cross-channel move.
The 26 year-old netted a crucial late penalty in Wednesday night's draw with fellow strugglers Dundee, as the Staggies battle to save their top-flight status.
Luton Town, Reading and Wigan Athletic are all keen to snap of the striker who was called into the Northern Ireland squad for the first team in March.
Bolton Wanderers, Derby County, Peterborough, Portsmouth and Wrexham are also monitoring the situation, with Ross County expected to cash in on their top goalscorer this summer.
Hale has taken the scenic route to the top of the game. The highly-rated teenager earned a long-term contract with Birmingham City, but returned to Ireland to play for Derry City, Crusaders, St Patrick's Athletic and Larne, before becoming a club legend at Solitude.
At international level the Belfast man represented the Republic of Ireland at both Under 19 and Under 21 before switching back to Northern Ireland earlier this year.

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Where are Motherwell in manager hunt? And is Neilson a contender?
Where are Motherwell in manager hunt? And is Neilson a contender?

BBC News

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  • BBC News

Where are Motherwell in manager hunt? And is Neilson a contender?

Michael Wimmer's final game as Motherwell manager was on Sunday, 18 May. He then headed home to Germany before surprisingly informing officials at the Scottish Premiership club a few days later that he wouldn't be returning after just a dozen matches in weeks have passed and we are now well into June. There is still no sign of an appointment and the players are due back from their holidays to start pre-season training on or around 18 June. So what is happening at the Fir Park club? What's the process & who is making decisions? A three-man sub-committee of Motherwell's executive board will draw up a shortlist, conduct interviews and make their managerial recommendation. That is much the same process that brought in Wimmer after Stuart Kettlewell's departure earlier in the main man at the helm, and the driving force behind the scenes at Fir Park, is chairman Kyrk Macmillan. The fashion businessman, whose father-in-law is on the board of Hertha Berlin, is originally from East Kilbride and has watched games at Fir Park with his own father and grandfather for the past 30 will be assisted in the hunt by chief executive Brian Caldwell and digital marketing chief executive Greg Anderson, who is also one of the key figures in the Well Society, the majority shareholding group who own the club. What are they looking for? The board sub-committee will follow the same procedure that led them to Wimmer, using data and metrics to judge how candidates align with the club's values, such as youth there is no reason for them not to do that. After all, Wimmer's shock exit was not down to results or were looking promising under the ex-Austria Vienna boss, who spent eight years working in Nurnberg's academy and three years working at Bundesliga level with Stuttgart, including an impressive interim spell in charge of the first the board land on a manager with a similar CV, they will be doing well. But they badly need some stability, given this is their fourth search for a manager in just three years. So who is in the running? Former Hearts and Dundee United manager Robbie Neilson's CV is among those to have dropped on Macmillan's last job was with the Tampa Bay Rowdies in the USL, America's second tier, and it is understood a return to the Scottish game would be very much appeal following successful spells at Tynecastle and Tannadice. After guiding Hearts to third place in the top flight in 2015-16, Neilson moved to MK Dons before being appointed United manager. He guided them to promotion in the Covid-curtailed 2019-20 season, before leading Hearts to another top-flight promotion and third-placed Premiership finish in a second spell at Tynecastle. But there are a number of candidates who could stand out to the Fir Park club. Some are currently in employment and would potentially cost a compensation fee. Others, such as Neilson, are between clubs. Take Tony Docherty. Until very, very recently, he was the Dundee manager. After steering them to a top-six finish, he was sacked at the end of his second season after only securing their Premiership status on the final day of the side were very good going forward, but very porous defensively. Consistency was a problem, but their attacking flair, allied to Docherty's fine first season, may tempt Motherwell to consider familiar face is Scott Brown - but could Motherwell tempt the Ayr United boss into his first crack at the Premiership as a manager? Seen as upwardly mobile in coaching circles, Brown made his disappointment at failing to get Ayr promoted from the second tier clear. His experience as a player, added to his contacts, plus his coaching credentials with Fleetwood and in the Championship, might fit if Motherwell are looking for a young, Scottish what about Temur Ketsbaia?The Georgian impressed when interviewed after Kettlewell's departure but was ultimately passed over in favour of Wimmer. Most recently coach of the Cypriot national team, Ketsbaia also coached his own national side and has led both AEK Athens and Olympiacos. His wide experience of the European game and his contacts book would make him an attractive proposition, as would his knowledge of the British game, having played for Newcastle United, Wolverhampton Wanderers and Dundee. Have your say Motherwell fans, what do you think?Is the delay in naming a replacement for Wimmer a concern? And who would you like to see take charge?Let us know here

New Rangers boss Russell Martin's chances of league success and beating Celtic rated as bookies reveal odds
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New Rangers boss Russell Martin's chances of league success and beating Celtic rated as bookies reveal odds

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Rocky Bushiri named among Premiership elite as insider warns Hibs that free agent has 'a lot of interest'
Rocky Bushiri named among Premiership elite as insider warns Hibs that free agent has 'a lot of interest'

Daily Record

timean hour ago

  • Daily Record

Rocky Bushiri named among Premiership elite as insider warns Hibs that free agent has 'a lot of interest'

The defender has a big decision to make on his future after the end of Easter Road deal Nick Montgomery reckons Hibs star Rocky Bushiri has established himself as one of the top defenders in the Scottish Premiership. The big DR Congo international is now out-of-contact and European-bound Hibs and several other clubs in England and across Europe are fighting for his signature. ‌ Bushiri came in from the cold and scored a stoppage time leveller against Aberdeen to take the pressure off David Gray. ‌ From there, Hibs and the player went from strength to strength. His former manager said: 'This season, I have watched him closely. At the start, he wasn't really getting selected or involved. 'Hibs had a really difficult first part of the season but that changed when Rocky came into the team. To see him score that goal against Aberdeen, which changed Hibs' season and to see him and the club just grow and grow was amazing. 'I am really proud of Rocky for the way he has pushed on. He has really kicked on and has become one of the top defenders in the Scottish Premiership. He won the players' player of the year and there is no higher reward. 'It just shows Rocky's character with the fact he got so little game time at the start of the season. 'For him to step on the way he did has been brilliant. He was big in terms of Hibs finishing third. ‌ 'I wasn't surprised because I knew how good he was and I always believed in him.' Bushiri will make a decision on his future after his international commitments. Montgomery added: "If Hibs could re-sign him it would be fantastic but if he goes on somewhere else then he would be a top signing on a free transfer. ‌ 'I know Rocky has a lot of interest. I am not surprised because he has had such a good season. I am not privy to where he is going but I am pleased that he has put himself in such a strong position because as a player and person he deserves the very best.' Montgomery quickly saw the potential to get Bushiri going at Hibs. He was one of his main players and during that time Hibs turned down a big-money offer from French side Troyes. The Tottenham assistant coach admitted: 'I really believed in him when I took over. I was the first manager to play him regularly because I saw his potential was massive. ‌ 'That is why as a manager, along with the club, we turned down an offer from a French club for him. I was really keen on re-signing him but that never materialised.' It was all very bizarre because Bushiri had been up on loan from Norwich City and Hibs were going to send him back but an administrative blunder meant they missed the deadline and they had to sign him permanently and he failed to nail down a regular top team spot under Shaun Maloney or Lee Johnson Montgomery admitted: 'I was aware of the situation. When I came in I just saw he was a fantastic person, a good human being and he wanted to learn. 'He had all the raw potential and it was a case of somebody putting an arm around him. I did that from the moment I went in. 'We worked a lot on his attributes. I only have good things to say about him.' 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.

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