St Mirren 'want a special cup run' insists O'Hara
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Daily Mirror
an hour ago
- Daily Mirror
Ryan Reynolds won't want Wrexham signing to replicate fans incident he had to apologise for
Wrexham will be hoping Josh Windass has learned from past mistakes after signing the ex-Sheffield Wednesday star on a free transfer ahead of their Championship campaign Wrexham secured a big coup this week by signing former Sheffield Wednesday man Josh Windass. The attacking midfielder boasts some impressive numbers after scoring 53 goals for the Owls in 182 appearances. The Welsh side didn't even have to fork out a single penny on a transfer fee for the 31-year-old after he left Hillsborough last week by mutual agreement following issues with delayed wage payments. Wrexham have had a busy summer transfer window following their promotion to the Championship at the end of last season, with manager Phil Parkinson bringing in five new players so far. The arrival of Windass will have come as music to the ears of the club's Hollywood owners Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney. However, his career has not been without controversy and the two actors will be hoping he doesn't show their team in a bad light by repeating past mistakes. One notable incident occurred while was playing for Scottish giants Rangers in February 2018. Windass was forced to apologise after a controversial goal celebration during a 2-0 win over Partick Thistle. Then aged 24, he infuriated his own supporters by putting a finger to his lips in front of them after scoring the opening goal. Windass later said sorry to the Rangers faithful after seemingly getting frustrated by criticism of his performances from some sections of the fanbase. Speaking at the time, Windass told Sky Sports News: "There was no real reason or malice in the celebration, it was just a bit of instinct after I'd scored. It was just a little bit of frustration. "It was nothing to do with social media, it was just how I was playing in the game up to that point, I was a bit frustrated. I've just reacted in maybe the wrong way, but it's what happens sometimes in football. You just go for emotion." He added: "I'd forgot about it straight away, it's just other people bringing it up to me, I'll just let them talk about it and I'll just concentrate on myself." His outspoken nature landed him in hot water as recently as May this year. It came after Windass levelled scathing criticism towards a former Wednesday youth team player. He labelled defender Joey Phuthi 'p**h' after claiming the 20-year-old had compared himself to Lionel Messi. Windass made his remarks during a discussion about fitness and running stats on the Open Goal podcast. "We've got a young lad called Joey - I think he's been released. He's p**h anyway," said Windass "I was speaking to him in the canteen at football and one of our coaches said to me, 'have a word with Joey, he never runs more than 9k in a game ever'. "So I was speaking to him and I was like, 'how much do you run in a game' and he said '9km - Messi don't run'. A kid at 17, I didn't say anything to him but I was thinking, 'you're the worst player ever and you're talking about Messi - run around." Phuthi later described the criticism from Windass as 'disappointing' and claimed his comments were taken out of context. The full-back also said the row had made a tough period for him even harder. Posting on X, he said: "Not being offered a new contract at Sheffield Wednesday has been difficult to process and the last thing I expected was to be dragged into something like this. For clarity, the conversation has been completely flipped out of context." Windass is the son of former Premier League striker Dean Windass, who played for the likes of Hull, Middlesbrough and Bradford. His dad was diagnosed with dementia earlier this year, leading to an outpouring of support from the football community. Josh joins Wrexham as they prepare to play in the Championship for the first time in 43 years next season. The Red Dragons have been handed a tough start as they face Southampton away in their opening fixture on August 9. 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. Sign up to our newsletter! Wrexham is the Game is great new way to get top-class coverage Wrexham AFC is the arguably the fastest-growing club in the world at the moment thanks to a certain Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney. The Dragons have achieved two consecutive promotions and are cheered on by crowds from not only North Wales but also from all over the globe, thanks to the success of the Disney+ documentary 'Welcome to Wrexham'. But does it have a dedicated, quality source of information piped through to your inbox each week, free of ads but packed with informed opinion, analysis and even a little bit of fun each week? That's where Wrexham is the Game steps in... Available every Wednesday, it provides all the insights you need to be a top red. And for a limited time, a subscription to 'Wrexham is the Game' will cost fans just £15 for the first year.
Daily Mail
an hour ago
- Daily Mail
Andy Farrell has ignored the old adage of 'if ain't broke don't fix it' with his Lions selection for the second Test against Australia, it's hard to justify Bundee Aki's inclusion at the expense of Sione Tuipulotu, writes CHRIS FOY
Amid all the deserved acclaim for Garry Ringrose's honesty about suffering concussion symptoms, a Lions selection gamble was partially hidden, but it was a shock all the same. As word began to circulate in the morning here that both Scotland centres, Sione Tuipulotu and Huw Jones, were being left out and replaced by their Irish counterparts, there was a mood of incredulity and disbelief. Why? It had worked a treat. Tuipulotu scored a try in Brisbane, Jones so nearly scored one of his own and he helped create another. They dovetailed beautifully with compatriot Finn Russell, as usual. Their performances helped the Lions take a 1-0 series lead. Eventually, when the selection for the second Test was officially announced, Jones was in there at 13 again, alongside Bundee Aki. Cue confusion. What was going on? It emerged that head coach Andy Farrell had picked Aki and Ringrose together, until the latter finished training and - following a case of concussion already on this tour - admitted to experiencing a headache. His candour meant he had to be stood down, sensibly, so Jones was reprieved. If he hadn't been, he would have been one of the unluckiest Lions in recent history. The official explanation for the removal of Tuipulotu, the Scotland captain, was that he had a tight hamstring, but it became apparent that he was going to be demoted anyway, as all the rumours had suggested. 'Bundee's well able,' said Farrell. 'That type of combination is something we certainly would have trusted anyway.' So, was it Tuipulotu's tight hamstring which led to the selection change at inside centre? 'No, not initially,' said the head coach - matching Ringrose's honesty. 'It all comes into the equation.' Asked about the midfield combination he has ended up with, Farrell added: 'They'll be good. Bundee and Huw will hit it off exactly like any other type of partnership.' But that is no certainty. The pair have only started together once - against the Reds in Brisbane on July 2. The old adage 'if it ain't broke, don't fix it' has been chased out of town. There is a widespread perception that Farrell wanted to deploy the Aki-Ringrose double-act all along, but circumstances conspired against him, when the latter suffered a head knock against the Brumbies in Canberra on July 9. On balance, it was deemed sensible to reunite the Scots at Suncorp Stadium last weekend and they did their duty well, but the writing was on the wall anyway. There were echoes of the 2013 Lions tour here when team news was being digested and debated this time. Farrell has defaulted to the Irish players he knows - nine of them in the starting XV - just as Warren Gatland went into full-scale Welsh mode for the series decider a dozen years ago. His decision to select 10 players from the Principality for that tour finale in Sydney unleashed a tide of toxic Irish outrage, when the great Brian O'Driscoll was replaced by Jonathan Davies on legitimate form grounds. Some icons of the sport in Ireland accused Gatland of betraying 'the whole ethos of the Lions', before they stormed to a 41-16 victory, to win the series 2-1. This is no betrayal, nothing of the sort, but it is hard to justify the plan to overhaul the heart of the back line, which has left the Lions with a half Irish, half Scottish cut-and-shut job in midfield. Unless his hamstring was troubling him so much that he couldn't be considered, Tuipulotu deserved to play again. There is no room for sentiment in selection, but he duly misses out on an emotional home-coming appearance in front of extended family in Melbourne, where he grew up. If it ain't broke… The Glasgow centre has an innate understanding with Russell and Jones. While the argument is that the Lions have been in camp long enough now to have all grown accustomed to each other, they repeatedly spoke about a lack of training time during the hectic, two-games-per-week phase of this tour. Then all the focus was on the Tuipulotu-Jones alliance being prepared for the series opener after Ringrose's head knock spoiled the plan of deploying him with Aki. These are two of the preferred men. All coaches have them, of course. Ireland head coach Farrell now has nine Irishmen in his XV and it was 10 before Ringrose's honest declaration which forced a late reshuffle. Aki was picked in the match-day squad last week when his familiar midfield partner was unavailable, came on for Tuipulotu with more than a quarter of the game remaining and made very little impact as the Lions lost momentum, but he's in. He is a thunderous carrier and breakdown threat, but he cannot match the attacking repertoire of the Scotland captain; a superior distributor who also has an effective kicking game. Some of the Leinster and Ireland contingent are earning a lot of leeway on this trip, not least James Lowe, who has somehow been retained on the left wing after his erratic performance in Brisbane maintained an extended pattern on this tour. He has a powerful left boot, but no form to speak of. Granted, there are limited options as Mack Hansen - who was on a roll - is still injured and Daly went home early, but Blair Kinghorn could have been worth the risk out wide.
BBC News
an hour ago
- BBC News
St Mirren sign 'Taylor-type' Freckleton from Blades
St Mirren have signed Miguel Freckleton from Sheffield United, with Buddies manager Stephen Robinson suggesting the 21-year-old centre-half is "similar to Richard Taylor", who left for Bolton Wanderers this who had a year of his contract with the Championship club still to run, has signed a two-year contract with St Mirren."Miguel is someone whose career we have watched develop," Robinson said. "We feel that he is someone similar to Richard Taylor. "He's got good attributes and is really quick. He's still got lots to learn, but at 21 he's played nearly 100 games and we'll continue to work with him."Freckleton, who can also play at left-back, came through the youth ranks with local club Bristol Rovers and joined United from Hellenic League Premier Division club Mangotsfield United in he failed to break into the first team, he had loan spells with Wealdstone, Yeovil Town, Chesterfield and, last season, League Two side Swindon made 32 appearances, 29 of them starts, as Swindon finished 12th in the fourth tier."He's someone who will get better with more football and will become a big asset for ourselves," Robinson added.
