Mark O'Hara says St Mirren ruing missed opportunity to beat Rangers again
Mark O'Hara believes the fact that St Mirren players were disappointed with only a point against Rangers shows how far the club have come. The 2-2 draw in Paisley on Saturday saw the Buddies twice come from behind to earn a Premiership point. However, O'Hara — whose equaliser cancelled out Cyriel Dessers' opener before Nico Raskin made it 2-1 which Conor McMenamin levelled — admits the performance of his side and the chances created means the draw felt like a missed opportunity. The 30-year-old Saints captain insisted: 'I think, this season, we've just been getting stronger and stronger — and the whole squad is obviously back to full fitness now. 'There's no injuries and everyone is really pushing each other. The performance against Rangers shows how far the club have come. We obviously wanted a win against them — that was our target — but again we've shown once again that we're a good side. 'The feeling after the game is that we were definitely disappointed because we could have won that — but it was a really positive performance. 'We've shown this season — and even over the last season — that we can beat anyone on our day and we have come a long way but we're wanting more now.' Saints have taken seven points from four clashes against Rangers this season — which included wins at both the SMiSA and Ibrox — which is one of the best points returns in recent times against the Light Blues. Stephen Robinson's men now sit eight points behind fifth-placed Dundee United, who lost 5-0 to runaway champions Celtic at Tannadice. With 12 points still to play for, O'Hara insists the Paisley men have the Tangerines in their sights. He added: 'Yeah, it's got to be the target, I think there's no pressure on us which is different than previous seasons post-split. We enjoy a challenge, we enjoy causing an upset and we have done that a number of times in the last few years. 'So, I don't think anyone would give us a chance [of overtaking Dundee United in the table] and it would be nice to prove people wrong and do that.' The return of McMenamin could be key to achieving that goal and O'Hara admits he's delighted to see the Northern Ireland international back. The Saints skipper commented: 'He's been unlucky with injuries but I think you can see last week and this week's quality when it comes on and scores the equaliser. 'He's going to be an asset in the last couple of games and I'm looking forward to seeing more of him again next season.' Don't miss the latest Renfrewshire headlines – you can sign up to our free daily newsletter here
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Telegraph
33 minutes ago
- Telegraph
Why I totally underestimated Leicester Tigers
Some aspects of this domestic campaign have been difficult to rationalise, but we know one thing for sure: Premiership coaches take heed of this website. In the wake of his side's loss to Bath on Friday night, Pat Lam suggested that Bristol Bears had overachieved because 'everyone predicted we'd be eighth this season'. Less than 24 hours later, Michael Cheika revealed that one of the Leicester Tigers analysts had shown him a headline forecasting Sale Sharks to be in the Premiership final. The combative Australian had also been made aware of a misguided mid-April article speculating that Leicester, who were third at the time, would finish as low as sixth. Well, the attention is flattering and accountability is a good thing. We get a fair bit right. But I am happy to admit that I drastically underestimated this Tigers team. Of four critical Premiership fixtures since the Six Nations, I thought they would lose on the road to Northampton Saints and Bristol as well as in both home games against Sale. They won all of them; the first three handily and the latest, Saturday's semi-final, despite spurning nine points off the tee as well as three more after a skewed drop-goal attempt from Handre Pollard. Leicester have responded remarkably to a truly insipid Champions Cup defeat by Glasgow Warriors on April 5, landing five victories from six to navigate a congested league table and set up a defining date with Bath. No doubt they will relish praise being piled on to their opponents during the build-up, even if it is justified. Tigers thrive with a chip on their shoulder. They are better when a little bitter. In that respect, Cheika has been a fitting figurehead for a resurgent, restorative season. This term was never going to be dull and has not been without turbulence. Matt Everard, a hard-working and well-regarded defence coach, was dismissed abruptly following thrashings by Bristol and Toulouse in the space of a month. Leicester conceded 134 points across those two grisly games. Off the field, Cheika opted not to extend his contract and the search for his successor was not easy. Recruiting a fly-half to replace Pollard, a hunt that brought them to James O'Connor, became trickier as a result. Perhaps that uncertainty made it easier to forget that the current Tigers roster still represented a potent blend of youth and experience; a squad pressing up against the ceiling of the salary cap that has ripened. To use the Eddie Jones theory of maturation cycles, they are close to 12 on the clock face and reaching a peak. Nicky Smith, the Wales loosehead prop, always looked an excellent signing last summer and the January addition of electric wing Adam Radwan from Newcastle Falcons has been transformative – a coup for which general manager Richard Wilks deserves praise. Alex Sanderson, the Sale boss, commended Cheika's Tigers for an astute and accurate display on Saturday. Ferocity was a non-negotiable, especially at home, but Leicester were undeniably smart. Crucially, there is a balance to their front-line team now as well. Freddie Steward at full-back is an ideal foil for Radwan and Ollie Hassell-Collins, with the latter enjoying a fine campaign on the left wing. He has plundered 13 tries while growing more assured in defence and as an aerial operator. In the back row, the rangy Hanro Liebenberg and Tommy Reffell complement one another nicely. Nobody could have replicated Jasper Wiese's savagery, though Olly Cracknell has been thunderous at No 8. Solomone Kata's powerful carrying in midfield aids his forwards. Equally, the poise and intelligence of Joseph Woodward at centre has alleviated pressure on Pollard as a playmaker. Another youngster to emerge, Emeka Ilione, is revelling in a defined role; to arrive off the bench and cause carnage at the breakdown. If Cheika has no other lasting legacy in English rugby union, trusting those two will have been worthwhile. His own experience is valuable when stakes are high. Two replacements, Ben Volavola and Izaia Perese, combined for the match-winning try against Sale within seconds of Cheika introducing them. Other moments encapsulated a performance of intuition and subtlety as well as primal commitment. Radwan's first try came from a defence that has been steeled by Kiwi coach Dave Kidwell. Cam Henderson and Liebenberg wrapped up Jean-Luc du Preez at a restart and forced a rushed offload that was coughed up by Raffi Quirke: A dominant scrum ensued, Kata clattered over the gain-line and Jack van Poortvliet spun to feed the speed of Radwan as quickly as possible. Minutes later, George Ford sent Ben Curry through the middle of the Tigers line. Reffell bust a gut to retreat and track Quirke, discouraging an inside pass to the supporting scrum-half that could have yielded seven points. Cracknell eventually snaffled a loose ball: In the second period, after Radwan and Steward had combined to fell Arron Reed, Woodward dropped to the back-field cleverly to claim a Quirke box-kick and call for a mark: Three precious points were eked out when Henderson was alert enough to complete a tackle Joe Carpenter and Reffell bustled in. Bevan Rodd could only clear from the side: Ollie Chessum is another huge asset to Leicester. The sky is the limit for their sole British and Irish Lion of 2025 (so far) should fitness allow and he has won nine of his 10 Premiership appearances this season. Respect for the set piece is a staple of Tigers tradition and with Chessum, Henderson and Liebenberg in a match-day 23, they should always run a polished line-out operation for 80 minutes, securing possession and frustrating rivals with steals. The same applies to the scrum. There are one-two punches at loosehead, with Smith and James Cronin, and at tighthead, with Joe Heyes and Dan Cole. Deputy hookers do not come more reliable and robust than Charlie Clare either and another replacement against Sale was Matt Rogerson, the erstwhile captain of London Irish. George Martin was sitting in the stands and Tigers still fielded an imposing pack. Spearheading it was skipper Julián Montoya, among their departing heroes. A belligerent yet classy competitor, he and Reffell walked directly to the Sale bench to commiserate amid the chaos of Saturday's finale. Montoya's existing relationship with Cheika from their period together at the helm of Argentina has seemed significant. The standing ovation Montoya received from Welford Road as he dragged his battered body over the touchline with 10 minutes remaining in the semi-final was touching and served to reinforce the galvanising force of goodbyes. Pollard, Cole and Ben Youngs are also ending their Tigers careers, as are popular team men like Dan Kelly and James Whitcombe. There is deep familiarity with the final stretch of the Premiership calendar, with several survivors from the 2022 title. While Pollard has not yet won silverware for Leicester, his composure – the Sale aberration notwithstanding – is a big plus. Individuals will grasp for motivation anywhere they can and Cheika is admired for his man management. Van Poortvliet has spoken about his empty feeling at being dropped for the decider against Saracens three years ago. Steward will be burning for further England caps. Collectively, Tigers will feel written off; just the way they like it. And yet, they have the tools to stand firm at Twickenham in key areas: scrum, line-out, breakdown, gain-line and kicking exchanges. Bath are 10-point favourites with the bookies and I am one of many who believe their time has come. By this stage though, Leicester fans almost certainly prefer predictions like that.
Scotsman
34 minutes ago
- Scotsman
Rangers target €15m-rated striker amid 'serious' Sunderland link as ex-Ibrox favourite agrees surprise deal
Rangers have been linked with an interest in the 14-goal striker. 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... Rangers are considering a transfer move for highly-rated Croatian forward Matija Frigan this summer, according to reports in his homeland. After confirming the appointment of Russell Martin as their new head coach last week, the Ibrox hierarchy will now turn their attention to the transfer market as they look to bolster their squad ahead of the new Scottish Premiership season, which is scheduled to start in just 53 days. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Linked to Leicester City's Conor Coady, Southampton's Flynn Downes and Maccabi Tel Aviv striker Dor Turgeman over the weekend, the name of Frigan has now reportedly been added to their transfer wish list, as sporting director Kevin Thelwell and new club chairman Andrew Cavenagh look to make their first moves in the transfer market. The 22-year-old is said to have caught interest from the likes of Hamburg and clubs in La Liga after he bagged 14 goals in all competitions for Belgian Pro League side KVC Westerlo last season. Strongly linked with a potential loan-to-buy move to Sunderland during the January transfer window, Frigan admitted the Black Cats held a 'serious' interest in him, with the Stadium of Light side believed to have eyed up a potential €15million deal. Addressing links to Sunderland, who won promotion back to the English Premier League last month via the EFL Championship playoffs, Frigan told Croatian outlet Germanijak: "Yes, it is true that Sunderland is interested, and they are quite serious. I don't want to go into details, but it's nice to know that such a club is following me. The most important thing is that I play as well as possible at Westerlo, and then we'll see what happens next." Moving to Het Kuipje in the summer of 2023 following a prolific stint for HNK Rijeka in the top tier of Croatian football, he signed a five-year deal upon his arrival at the club. However, his form in front of goal has resulted in rising interest in his services, with a departure away from Belgium mooted this summer. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad 'The summer is coming, maybe a opportunity will arrive,' he told Germanijak, adding: 'the most important thing is that I play as well as possible at Westerlo, and then we'll see what happens next.' Elsewhere, former Rangers loan hero Abdallah Sima has agreed a surprise new deal with English Premier League side Brighton, despite having yet to play for the Seagulls since his arrival at the club four years ago. The 23-year-old forward moved to the south coast from Slavia Prague for an undisclosed fee back in the summer of 2021, but has spent each of the last seasons on loan to various clubs, including a impressive spell at Ibrox in the 2023/24 season where he scored 16 goals in 39 appearances. Abdallah Sima had a successful spell on loan at Rangers during the 2023/24 season, scoring 16 goals. | Getty Images
BBC News
35 minutes ago
- BBC News
Possible outs and ins at Rangers
Players linked with moves in and out of Ibrox, teen striker nears Celtic transfer and former Kilmarnock defender linked with Hearts... AEK Athens are interested in Rangers forward Cyriel Dessers, 30. (Record), externalFree agent Kwame Poku, 23, is a possible target for Rangers after most recently playing for Peterborough while fellow wingers Nedim Bajrami and Ross McCausland could be moved out of Ibrox. (Sun), externalFormer Rangers winger Jamie Murphy believes Conor Coady could work well as part of Russell Martin's new Ibrox team. (Record), externalFulham forward Callum Osmand, 19, could become Celtic's next signing. (Sun), externalHearts are closing in on a deal to sign Oxford City and former Kilmarnock defender Stuart Findlay, 29. (Sun), external
