'Dundee recruitment scramble can't happen again'
Dundee lost their Premiership opener at home to Hibs on Sunday and failed to progress from their League Cup group, with Pressley describing the number of contracts expiring, along with loans last term as a "perfect storm", with "nobody to blame".A shaky start to his first managerial appointment in six years has brought flak from the stands and pundits but Pressley insists: "I don't listen to the outside noise."The 51-year-old, who takes his side to Ibrox on Saturday, explained: "During my pro licence, [Dundee technical director] Gordon [Strachan] talked about living in your own little bubble as a head coach."I took that on board and I have never looked at social media, I never read any newspapers, nothing like that, because we are all vulnerable."Everybody wants to be liked, everybody wants to hear 'yes, he's the greatest manager in the world' but you have to accept that that is not always going to be the case."Fans turn up every Saturday no matter what the club, expecting their team to win, but when you are at a club like Dundee it is harder to win than at a club like Rangers so we have to expect more criticism at times. That is the reality of the job."
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Telegraph
a minute ago
- Telegraph
Sir Jim Ratcliffe is at least doing something at Man Utd
The four new signings of Manchester United's £200m summer so far were sent out to receive the blessing of Old Trafford before kick-off, although presumably someone has explained to Benjamin Sesko and the rest that the real reckoning will come next week. It is on Sunday against Arsenal that further protests are planned against the United ownership, although on this occasion with a greater focus on Sir Jim Ratcliffe, Ineos' minority-share, majority-influence shareholder. The first home game of the season is usually when optimism peaks – and the extensive statement from The 1958 group certainly spelt out that not everyone feels that way. The 'Jim Can't Fix This' banners could yet be dropped on grounds of taste but the sentiment of the original missive has remained. Nevertheless, since that edict was launched, United have signed Sesko and taken the year's spending on fees to £243m. At €85m [£73.7m] he has been another significant investment and during Saturday's presentations before the 1-1 draw with Fiorentina, he came out last from the Old Trafford tunnel – as if this were the main gift under the Christmas tree. For now, at least, the rest will be over to Amorim and the players. Perhaps the season-ticket holders who have been moved from their seats in the South Stand and other disgruntled parties will unleash their fury on Ratcliffe regardless. Although whatever the mediocrity of a 1-1 draw with Fiorentina, that was not the prevailing mood among a crowd of 65,103 for the last pre-season game, many of them attracted by the discount tickets and not Old Trafford regulars. Sesko will surely have to be ready for the Arsenal game and United will need him to hit the ground running. Indeed, the same can be said for Bryan Mbeumo and Matheus Cunha, the other two senior signings of the new quartet. Ratcliffe and Ineos have delivered the budget for a new attack. They opened the new £50m Carrington training ground on Friday, delivered on budget and on time. They have not solved every problem but, after a shaky 18 months, they have at least made a start. The Glazers had 20 years to rebuild Carrington, as it was overtaken in the 2000s by developments at Chelsea, and later Manchester City, Liverpool, Tottenham Hotspur and Leicester City. Ineos can say, at the very least, it has delivered swiftly on that promise. Ratcliffe's attendance or otherwise at the game always tends to be a late decision from the British billionaire, thus there is no guarantee he will be in his seat on Sunday. He may feel that his response thus far this summer to those who might question the commitment has already been made. There will be those fans who will be steadfast in their belief that Ratcliffe had to remove the Glazers entirely to gain their full support. But there will be many in the crowd who will see that some serious investment has been made. Come Sunday against Arsenal, Amorim's players will need to demonstrate that they have come together effectively over a full week of training. Sesko, once Mikel Arteta's preferred choice to be his No 9, will surely start. Amorim began this game with Mason Mount as a false nine between Mbeumo and Cunha. Once again he overlooked Rasmus Hojlund, the attacking signing of two years ago, and later did not even seem to consider him an option in his analysis of the game. 'We struggle without a reference as a striker,' Amorim said. 'We have a new player [Sesko] so we will see.' There was, once again, a strong corporate feel to the afternoon. The front-of-shirt sponsor Snapdragon had provided a trophy for the day so, as well as the corporate guests taking penalties at half-time, they also demanded the players do so after the game finished 1-1. United had conceded a soft goal early on, scored by the Swiss midfielder Simon Sohm. The equaliser was an own goal from the German Robin Gosens. For much of the afternoon, Mbeumo looked United's best player. His left-footed crosses from the right are delivered with dip and pace. That said, it would be hard to argue that there was much cohesiveness about United. They continue to look vulnerable in defence and one assumes that, if Casemiro starts against Arsenal, he will struggle against their midfield. United did at least convert all their penalties, with substitute Kobbie Mainoo scoring the fifth after Fabiano Parisi had his saved. Amorim has a clear week of training left and says that he has still not decided on his team for the Arsenal game. Although it is hard to imagine one that does not feature Sesko, Mbeumo and Cunha – with the hope that they can carry whatever goodwill there is for as long as possible.
BBC News
a minute ago
- BBC News
Diogo Jota: Remembering former Liverpool & Portugal forward
Teresa Barbosa was there from the very was the first face Diogo Jota saw when he arrived aged 16 at Pacos de Ferreira's dormitory from his hometown of cleaning to doing laundry and cooking meals, she did a bit of everything as she took care of players who came from other Portuguese cities and from abroad to join the side based in the town of the same name just outside Porto. They usually joined Pacos' youth teams and then left the dormitory after being promoted to the senior side. Jota was there for three years, one point, he was the only first-team footballer living in the dormitory, despite the club offering him an forward could have left way earlier, but he remained on his own in the room he used to share with right-back Fred Martins until the day he packed his things to join Atletico Madrid in just didn't feel the need to move all, he considered Barbosa to be his family away from home."A lot of other people in my situation would've made a different choice, but there you go, everyone has their own path, and I believe that says a bit about who I am," the former Liverpool player would say to anyone who asked him about who tragically died in a car accident in Spain alongside his brother Andre Silva in early July, embodied that simplicity throughout his CNN pundit Sergio Pires reflected: "He was an ordinary boy living in a world of superstars."And that's how he will be remembered when Liverpool face Crystal Palace in the Community Shield on Sunday in their first competitive match since his Reds fans have vowed to never forget their number same way he never forgot those who helped him along the Jota married his high school sweetheart Rute Cardoso in June, he made sure Barbosa was invited to the ceremony."He went to England and, after all these years, he could've forgotten everything he lived through at Pacos, but no, he never forgot me. He invited me to his big day and sat me with his family," Barbosa revealed to the Jornal de Noticias."There was one moment that really touched me. We were all at the table, and after one of the dances, he walked past me, held my head, kissed me, and went back to his seat." 'He had the biggest smile' Even from afar, the Portugal hero remained deeply connected to his his wedding, he wanted no presents. Instead, guests were encouraged to donate to groups such as the local fire brigade and animal welfare organisations."Jota had the biggest smile - whenever he smiled, everyone around him felt happier," Vasco Seabra, one of his earliest mentors at Pacos and currently in charge of Portuguese top-flight club Arouca, told BBC Sport."Talking about Jota is talking about someone who was always incredibly humble. He had a very close relationship with Dona Teresa, the lady who looked after the dormitory and was a great cook. He felt truly at home there. It shows the kind of person he was - how he looked at people. "He always saw people for who they really were, appreciated those who cared for him and had supported him over the years."The Portugal star left a mark on everyone he much so that Seabra went above and beyond to help him fulfil his dreams, emailing the national under-19 coach with a report detailing why the striker deserved a place. It worked as the head coach came to watch would go on to win a Premier League title and score 65 goals in 182 appearances for Liverpool, but he never lost sight of where he came would regularly send boxes of branded boots to Pacos and ask their kit man to give them to the kids in the youth teams who needed them even more meaningful considering that growing up in Gondomar, on the edge of Porto, his parents couldn't afford to buy boots for him."We were factory workers, earning not much more than the minimum wage, but we never hid our limitations from our children. He never asked us for anything. He never even said he wanted a pair of branded boots. He knew it wasn't possible - he had that kind of awareness," his father Joaquim Silva told Maisfutebol. 'This was someone who knew his origins' No matter the distance, Jota was always within reach."He never changed his phone number after leaving Pacos. He didn't need to. He always answered when people called," said former club president Paulo Meneses."Sometimes, tragic circumstances like his can make us overly generous in the way we speak about those who've passed. But that wasn't the case with him. He truly had two qualities that are essential in a person - humility and gratitude - and in him, they were undeniable."The last time we were promoted to the top flight in 2018-19, he sent me a message, humbly asking if he could come and watch. Then, on the day we won the league title, he sent me a message five seconds after the game had finished, saying, 'we've done it again'. This was someone who knew his origins."None of this will come as a surprise to those who shared a dressing room with Liverpool and now Brentford goalkeeper Caoimhin Kelleher recalled how they would get together to follow Portuguese lower tiers."You became one of my closest friends in football. We bonded over everything sports-related, watching any football match we could find - often your brother Andre's games on your iPad," Kelleher wrote on social seems almost contradictory that someone so deeply connected to his upbringing could still adapt so seamlessly to wherever he went - whether it was Gondomar, Pacos, Porto, Wolverhampton or Liverpool."He was the most British foreign player I've ever met," said Liverpool's left-back Andy Robertson. "We used to joke he was really Irish... I'd try to claim him as Scottish, obviously. I even called him Diogo MacJota."We'd watch the darts together, enjoy the horse racing. Going to Cheltenham this season was a highlight - one of the best times we had."It didn't matter to Jota that he had an academy named after him back home. Nor that a stand was built thanks to his transfer. Or even that he was scoring goals in the Champions was still the same guy who had overcome the odds to become a footballer."He was an incredible young man - strong personality, great character, and hugely competitive, always with a burning desire to win. But more than anything, he valued honesty, respected people who were straight with him, and had little time for those who beat around the bush," said was a football superstar who knew that he would not have made it to the heights he achieved were it not for the help of the Teresas along the way.
The Guardian
a minute ago
- The Guardian
Community Shield buildup to Liverpool v Crystal Palace and more
Update: Date: 2025-08-10T07:22:43.000Z Title: Let's start with that Rangers reaction … Content: Russell Martin has told frustrated Grs fans there is 'no quick fix' after his side dropped another two points with a 1-1 home draw against Dundee – which was secured via a James Tavernier penalty in added time. Martin said: 'Every club I have been at, it's a bit of pain and when you get through that pain, it's so worth it. I don't think I expected anything less coming here, it's not going to be a quick fix. This club has not had success for a long, long time. I've been asked about the supporters' reaction and I just don't have a problem because I understand it.' Read more via the link below. Update: Date: 2025-08-10T07:17:28.000Z Title: Preamble Content: I guess we're now officially back? The Championship season is under way, we've already had a couple of weeks of the EFL and today's Community Shield between Liverpool and Crystal Palace will confirm that we are, indeed, so back. Bristol City's drubbing of Sheffield United and Southampton's late surge to stun Wrexham were the highlights of the second tier stuff yesterday, with attention now turning the other (far more) beleaguered Steel City club. Sheffield Wednesday travel to recently-relegated Leicester later, just glad they have a fixture to play and a team to play it. There's also Scottish Premiership action today and we'll have some reaction to Rangers' second successive league draw under new boss Russell Martin. Celtic go to Aberdeen in the Sunday lunchtime kickoff. As always on these Matchday Live blogs, we encourage you to get in touch with your thoughts, previews and predictions plus we'll have some insight from our team of intrepid reporters bringing you the latest from Football Land, now that we've landed once more.
