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Scottish Sun
18 minutes ago
- Scottish Sun
Departing Rangers star bids emotional farewell after 16 years following transfer exit as he says ‘I fulfilled my dream'
Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) ROBBIE FRASER says he lived out his childhood dreams at Rangers after sealing a transfer exit. The 22-year old brought an end to a 16-year spell at Ibrox just a few days ago. 3 Robbie Fraser's time at Rangers has come to an end Credit: Willie Vass 3 He helped Livingston seal promotion last season Credit: Kenny Ramsay 3 Fraser (left) was back in the Rangers fold during pre-season Credit: Willie Vass Fraser enjoyed a successful youth career at Rangers, having joined as a seven-year old in 2010. The defender worked his way through the academy ranks and became the B team's captain. Fraser was handed his first team debut in a 5-2 victory over Dundee at Ibrox in May last year and signed a contract extension the very next day. He went on to make five first team appearances for the Gers in all competitions, including an appearance against Tottenham in the Europa League last season. Fraser spent the second half of last season on loan at Livingston and played 23 times across all competitions. He was a key figure as Livi sealed an instant return to the Scottish Premiership by winning the play-offs. Fraser returned to Ibrox at the end of his loan spell and was in and around the first team during pre-season, and was also named in the Gers' initial Champions League qualifying squad. But he's now heading back to the Championship after sealing a move to Dunfermline Athletic on Friday. This time, the move is a permanent one. After linking-up with Neil Lennon's side, Fraser said he felt it was now time to play regular football and "show that I'm more than capable of holding my own." Billy Dodds on turning down Celtic for Rangers and surviving relegation scare with Aberdeen Now that the dust has settled, Fraser has taken to social media to reflect on a 16-year spell at Rangers. In an emotional Instagram post, Fraser said he's "proud" of everything he achieved and says he lived out his dream of playing for his boyhood club. Fraser said: "Almost 16 years at the club. A club I grew up dreaming and believing I could play for every single day as a young kid. "To say I have went onto achieve this makes me so proud. "From the age of seven at the very start of the academy all the way to now, I've given absolutely everything I could possibly give everyday to the football club. "I've experienced some amazing highs but some tough lows but I've always kept the same attitude no matter what. "I want to say a massive thank you to all of the staff in the academy, first team and behind the scenes who I have worked with and under. "You have worked tirelessly with me over the years to help me become a better player and person. "Secondly a thank you to all of the teammates I shared the changing room and pitch with. "You all pushed me to the maximum to help me become better. I've made friends for life because of this. "And of course a big thank you to the fans of Rangers. Thank you for all your support. I'll always be very grateful. "The club has been almost my whole life so a very long journey with many highs and lows but I leave very proud of what I achieved and with my head held high. "I fulfilled my dream of playing for the club I grew up supporting and watching from the stands. "I wish the club the very best in future. "Thank you Rangers Football Club." Fraser left Rangers despite the club's glaring need for left-back cover. Jefte looks set to return to Brazil with Palmeiras, while Ridvan Yilmaz has been frozen out under Russell Martin. A reinforcement has now arrived, however, with the Gers sealing a loan deal for Jayden Meghoma. The 19-year old has joined the Light Blues from Brentford for the season. Meghoma previously worked under Russell Martin at Southampton before moving to the Bees in a £10million last year. Keep up to date with ALL the latest news and transfers at the Scottish Sun football page
Daily Mirror
an hour ago
- Daily Mirror
Nottingham Forest coach needs stitches in head after injury celebrating Chris Wood goal
Nottingham Forest's goalkeeper coach was overly enthusiastic celebrating his side's opening goal on Sunday and smashed his head on the dugout, requiring stitches Nottingham Forest's goalkeeper coach needed medical attention after being too enthusiastic with his celebration, resulting in him smacking his head and requiring stitches. Nuno Espirito Santo 's side began the season in ideal fashion on Sunday as they saw off Brentford at the City Ground. Last season's top scorer Chris Wood kept up his scoring habit and needed just five minutes to find the opener. But coach Rui Barbosa was clearly very excitable and smacked his head on the top of the dugout as he celebrated. It resulted in him needing six stitches to patch up the injury with Nuno admitting he later felt dizzy. He said: "He has six stitches! It was a nasty one. A bad one. He was dizzy." Forest were 3-0 up by half-time, all but wrapping up the game as they begun the year in impressive fashion. Wood grabbed another in first-half stoppage time with Dan Ndoye also getting in on the act as they look to prove that last year's success was not a one off. Nuno said: 'I am delighted. The way we started the game was amazing. We played good, we dominated, we controlled … the goal in the first five minutes settled the team and the energy of the stadium. With the exception of a moment before the third goal, we did not allow Brentford too many things.' Another massive plus for Forest was the confirmation of two new signings, who were showcased to the City Ground before kick-off. Omari Hutchinson joins from Ipswich Town after the club saw several offers rejected, before eventually striking a deal for the winger. Manchester City playmaker James McAtee has also joined but both men were signed too late to play in Sunday's opening game. Forest will play in Europe this year, taking a place in the Europa League after Crystal Palace's demise, and Nuno had wanted to land more new faces. Ndoye was one of those and the Nottingham boss was full of praise for how he performed on his debut. He said: 'Today we couldn't have asked for anymore, the City Ground was loud and bouncing, it was a beautiful day for us. Dan (Ndoye) played well today, he stuck to his defensive tasks which is always important, but he is so talented and honestly, I think he has much more to give.'
Daily Record
2 hours ago
- Daily Record
Celtic's mixed Champions League play-off history as Brendan Rodgers looks to avoid unwanted curse
Celts have played in the final qualification hurdle in Europe's prestigious competition on 11 occasions Celtic bid to reach the promise land of the Champions League this week when they take on Kairat Almaty of Kazakhstan in the play-off round. And if history is anything to go by, the Hoops' chances of getting past the final qualification hurdle remains firmly in the balance. Brendan Rodgers ' side have automatically entered the group stages of Europe's premier competition in the past three seasons but Scotland's slide down the UEFA co-efficient rankings means that they will have to negotiate a two-legged tie to enter the revamped group stage, which has now been converted into an eight game league format. The Premiership champions welcome Kairat to Parkhead on Wednesday before making the 3,536-mile trek to Asia for the return leg six days later - having previously faced rivals from Kazakhstan at this stage twice before. And while Celtic have seen off rivals from the nation on two occasions, Rodgers won't want to break that streak and create unwanted history. In face, there is plenty of lessons for the boss as Celtic have taken part in the play-off round of the Champions League on 11 occasions down the years and to say they have had some mixed fortunes would be putting it mildly. Record Sport takes a look at the Hoop's history in the fixture as fans once again dream of mixing it with Europe's elite. Astana (Kazakhstan) –2017 Coincidentally, the last time Celtic took part in the Champions League play-off round also came against Kazakhstani opposition. during Rodgers' first stint in Glasgow's East End. After smashing Linfield 6-0 over two legs and edging out Rosenborg of Norway on aggregate in the third qualifying round, Celtic squared off against Astana for a place in the group stages in the 2017/18 season. Celts romped to a 5-0 home victory in the first leg as Scott Sinclair helped himself to a brace before falling to a 4-3 loss in the return fixture that saw them progress 8-4 on aggerate. The Hoops would go onto finish third in a group that featured Paris Saint-Germain and Bayern Munich - infamously losing 7-1 to the former - before dropping into the Europa League, where they were dumped out in the round of 32 by Zenit St Petersburg 3-1 over two legs. Hapoel Be'er Sheva (Israel) –2016 A year earlier, Rodgers' secured Champions League group stage football in his debut season at Parkhead after surviving a bit of a scare against Hapoel Be'er Sheva. The Hoops claimed a 3-2 aggregate win against Astana in the previous round to set up a play-off clash with the Israeli outfit. They scored a comfortable 5-2 victory at Celtic Park - with skipper Scott Brown rounding off the scoring - but were left desperately clinging onto that advantage when Hapoel went 2-0 in the return fixture, requiring just one more goal to knock Celtic out on away goals. Fortunately, Rodgers' side held on and went onto finish bottom in a challenging group that consisted of Barcelona, Manchester City and Borussia Mochengladbach, memorably playing out a 2-2 draw with the Premier League giants under the lights in Glasgow. Malmo (Sweden) –2015 However, that triumph was preceded in the previous campaign by a disappointing showing against Malmo that saw Celtic fall at the final hurdle in Champions League qualifying. Ronny Deila's team made light work of Icelandic minnows Stjarnan before narrowly getting back Qarabag of Azerbaijan to line up against the Swedish side. Despite winning the first leg 3-2 at home, Celtc' were dumped out when they were beaten 2-0 in the reverse fixture, with defender Dedrick Boyata turning the decisive goal into his own net. They didn't fare much better in the Europa League group stages either, failing to win in any of there six games against Molde, Fenerbahce and Ajax to finish rock bottom of the section. Maribor (Slovenia) –2014 Deila's attempt to reach the Champions League promise land had also ended in failure in the first of his two seasons in the dugout. Celtic spanked RK Reykjavik of Iceland 5-0 over two legs and left themselves a mountain to climb by losing 4-1 in Poland to Legia Warsaw in the following round. Deila's side were then initially sent packing with another 2-0 loss at home before being awarded a 3-0 win that saw them progress on away goals after UEFA ruled that Legia had fielded an ineligible player. But their run would run out in the play-off round, bowing out to Slovenian team Maribor with a 1-0 defeat at Parkhead after claiming a 1-1 draw in the first leg on an away soil. The Europa League would offer something of a reprieve for the Norwegian, with Celtic advancing from the group stages before admirably getting knocked out to Inter Milan in the knockout phase. Shakhter Karagandy (Kazakhstan) –2013 Celtic did emerge victorious in the Champions League play-off 12 months earlier under Neil Lennon, but had to pull off a remarkable comeback to do it. The Hoops found themselves 2-0 down to Kazakh outfit Karagandy going into the return leg at Parkhead after getting back Cliftonville and Elfsborg to reach the play-off. Goals from Kris Commons and Georgios Samaras levelled things up before James Forrest bagged the crucial winner in injury time just as the tie looked to be heading for extra time. Celtic went onto struggle in the group stage, losing five of their six matches in a group of death with AC Milan, Barcelona and Ajax to suffer an early exit. Helsingborgs (Sweden) –2012 Progression to the group stage was a much more straightforward process at the beginning of the 2012/13 campaign. Lennon's men racked up a 4-1 win on aggregate against HJK Helsinki before winning 2-0 in both legs against Helsingborgs of Sweden to earn their place amongst Europe's elite. And that journey proved to be one of the best in recent memory, with a famous 2-1 victory against Barcelona helping them reach the round of 16 where they fell to Turin giants Juventus in two matches that Efe Ambrose will forever be trying to live down. Arsenal (England) –2009 You then have to go back another three years for the next time Celtic appeared in the Champions League play-off when they were dealt a tough hand by being drawn against Arsenal. Celts edged past Dynamo Moscow to set up the clash with the Gunners but Arsene Wengers' side had too much for them, winning 2-0 at Parkhead before finishing the job off with a 3-1 triumph in North London. Spartak Moscow (Russia) –2007 Two years earlier, Celtic's quest to get into the competition was decided by penalty shootout. Consecutive 1-1 draws against Spartak Moscow saw the tie go to spot kicks, with the Parkhead club progressing after scoring four of their five penalties against Spartak's three. And the campaign proved to be a memorable one, with Gordon Strachan scoring impressive home victories against AC Milan and Benfica to secure last 16 place against Barcelona, where Celtic were defeated 4-2 on aggregate. MTK Hungaria (Hungary) –2003 A comprehensive drubbing of MTK Hungaria saw Martin O'Neill's Celtic secure passage from the Champions League play-off in the 20023/04 season. Celtic thumped Lithuanian outfit FBK 5-0 on aggregate to take on the Hungarians and won by the same score line over two legs to reach the group stage. They went onto narrowly miss out on a place in the knockout stage and reached the last eight of the UEFA Cup before falling to Villareal 3-1 on aggregate. Basel (Switzerland) –2002 Celtic were on the end of a Champions play-off exit to Basel in 2002 that was soon followed by the club's epic run to the UEFA Cup final. They squandered a 3-1 advantage at home to go out on away goals with a 2-0 defeat in Switzerland but after dropping down into the second tier competition, went all the way to Seville after claiming imperious victories against Stuttgart, Premier League duo Liverpool and Blackburn and Boavista of Portugal. A staggering 80,000 fans made the trip to Spain to take in the final against Porto but it ended in heartbreak for Celtic, with Jose Mourinho's stellar team lifting the trophy with a 3-2 win after extra time. Ajax (Netherlands) –2001 The Hoops did reach the group stage 12 months earlier after getting by Eredivisie powerhouses Ajax. Celtic claimed a priceless 3-1 victory in the Dutch capital courtesy of goals from Chris Sutton, Didier Agathe and Bobby Petta and progressed from the play-off despite losing 1-0 at home in the reverse leg. O'Neill's men won three of their five group matches - including famous triumphs against Porto and Juventus - but were unfortunate to miss out on the knockout rounds, dropping into the third round of the UEFA Cup were they suffered an agonising exit on penalties to Rafa Benitez's Valencia.
