Hardie brings 'instincts' Plymouth have missed
Miron Muslic has hailed the goalscoring instinct of Plymouth Argyle striker Ryan Hardie after his goals secured a much-needed victory. The Scot's first-half double was enough to see the Pilgrims beat Norwich City 2-1 and keep their hopes of Championship survival alive. While Argyle are still bottom of the Championship, they cut their gap to safety to four points."When we were missing Hardie for five or six games it cost us a lot because if you can get Hardie in a finishing position that's half of the job," head coach Muslic told BBC Radio Devon."I think he did it brilliant, but that's just the instinct of a proper number nine."Hardie - who scored the winning penalty in Argyle's famous FA Cup win over Liverpool in February - superbly controlled a high ball before calmly finishing for his 24th-minute opener.He then deftly curled in his second five minutes later after the ball had broken to him in the box. "It's a killer instinct for a number nine, clinical, and we missed that so, so many games," added Muslic, who has seen top scorer Hardie sit out seven games since the start of the year due to various injuries."If you want to win a game you need to score a goal and you need to rely then on a goalscorer and reliable goal source, and he's exactly that kind of player for Argyle."It's not coincidence that Ryan Hardie scored those two goals."
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Daily Mail
20 minutes ago
- Daily Mail
Ryan Mason lands first permanent role as manager as ex-Spurs coach is appointed by Championship club
Ryan Mason has left Tottenham to launch his managerial career at West Bromwich Albion, signing a three-year contract at the Hawthorns. Mason spent seven years coaching at Spurs after a playing career which included England honours was ended prematurely due to a serious head injury suffered when playing for Hull City. He quickly impressed and graduated from coaching roles in the academy to the first team, working closely with Jose Mourinho, Antonio Conte and then Ange Postecoglou. Mason twice stepped in to lead Tottenham as interim head coach — in 2021 and 2023 — but, at the age of 33, he has left to fulfil his managerial ambitions. 'Albion is the perfect place for me to be and I can't wait to get started,' said Mason. 'This is a huge club with a fantastic infrastructure and an incredible fan base and I am excited about what we can achieve together.' Former Spurs coaches Nigel Gibbs and Sam Pooley will join Mason at West Brom, who finished ninth in the Championship last season and sacked boss Tony Mowbray in April. Baggies chairman Shilen Patel said: 'We are delighted to welcome Ryan to The Hawthorns as our new Head Coach, along with Nigel and Sam. 'We have undertaken a thoughtful and expansive search and Ryan always stood out to us among an incredibly strong group of candidates. 'We are excited to have someone whose skillset means he has the aptitude to help us further establish elite standards in both preparation and player development for the first team and across all our team programmes. 'His experiences as both a first team player and coach under some of the game's most respected minds, along with his time leading academy sides, will be instrumental as we shape a clear philosophy and unified identity at all levels at the Albion.' Meanwhile, Spurs chairman said: 'Ryan has been an integral part of Tottenham Hotspur for a number of years, both as a player and a coach. 'I'd like to take this opportunity to thank Ryan for all his dedication and hard work over the years, and we wish him every success for the future.' Mason is following the path of Scott Parker and Kieran McKenna, who also progressed to management after coaching in the Spurs academy. It marks another significant exit from the Tottenham camp in what is shaping up to be a summer of great change. The north London club announced on Monday that executive director Donna-Marie Cullen would step down from the board after many years working closely with chairman Levy. Scott Munn is set to be ousted after two years as chief football officer. And Postecoglou is also increasingly likely to be fired despite winning the Europa League, with more clarity expected this week.
Rhyl Journal
an hour ago
- Rhyl Journal
Ryan Mason leaves Tottenham to take over as West Brom head coach
Mason quickly emerged as a leading candidate for the Championship club after they dismissed Tony Mowbray on April 21. Spurs' roller-coaster 2024-25 campaign – in which they secured Europa League success – only ended on May 25 and forced West Brom to bide their time but Mason, after a short holiday, decided to accept their offer and take his first step into management. Introducing our new men's first team Head Coach, Ryan Mason! 💙🤍 — West Bromwich Albion (@WBA) June 2, 2025 'I'm absolutely thrilled to have been appointed head coach of West Bromwich Albion,' Mason told the club's website. 'This is a huge club with a fantastic infrastructure and an incredible fan-base and I am excited about what we can achieve together. 'Having spoken at length to the board and those at the club, I am convinced that Albion is the perfect place for me to be and I can't wait to get started. 'I will bring with me a huge amount of enthusiasm, dedication and ambition and look forward to a positive future together at such a fantastic club.' At the age of 33, Mason becomes the youngest boss in the Championship and this move ends his seven-year coaching career at Tottenham. Mason, who progressed through Spurs' academy to play 70 times for his boyhood team, was forced to cut short his playing career in 2018 after he sustained a fractured skull in a Premier League match for Hull at Chelsea a year earlier. A decade on from earning his solitary England cap against Italy, the London-born coach will embark on his first managerial role in the 2025-26 season. Highly-rated coach Mason held talks with Belgian club Anderlecht in October before a mutual decision was made to remain at Spurs, which enabled him to play his part in the club's first trophy since 2008. After two previous caretaker stints at Tottenham, including leading the club in the 2021 Carabao Cup final, Mason has long been tipped for a future in management. A post shared by Ryan Mason (@ryan8mason) Mason initially started coaching at youth level for Spurs upon his playing retirement before being promoted to Antonio Conte's coaching staff three years later, not long after a seven-game spell as interim boss. Another caretaker role came in 2023 following Conte's departure before Ange Postecoglou kept Mason as part of his backroom team. After a further two years as Tottenham first-team coach, Mason will take over West Brom after they finished ninth in the Championship. Mowbray was dismissed in April after their play-off hopes ended despite only being hired in January to replace Carlos Corberan, who left to take over at Valencia. Mason, whose contract at Spurs was up this month, will be tasked with leading West Brom back into the top flight for the first time since 2021.
Leader Live
an hour ago
- Leader Live
Crystal Palace to meet UEFA officials on Tuesday over multi-club ownership rules
Palace qualified for the Europa League after they stunned Manchester City at Wembley to clinch FA Cup final success on May 17 and in the process secured the first major trophy in the club's history. It booked Palace and their fans a ticket on a European tour, but the Premier League outfit must show UEFA's club financial control body (CFCB) on Tuesday that they do not fall foul of its multi-club ownership rules. 😏 — Crystal Palace F.C. (@CPFC) May 19, 2025 John Textor holds a 43 per cent stake in Palace through his company Eagle Football and he is also the owner of French club Lyon, who qualified for the Europa League with a sixth-placed finish in Ligue 1. No individual is allowed to have a significant say in the running of two clubs competing in the same UEFA competition and the CFCB would have to make a ruling on any potential breach. PA understands Palace are confident no rules have been breached owing to the fact that Textor – through Eagle Football – has only a 25 per cent share of voting rights alongside fellow principal owners Josh Harris, David Blitzer and chairman Steve Parish. Parish is also responsible for the day-to-day running of the club, which has led to past tension with Textor, who had previously tried to sell his shares and take over Everton. Given Palace believe they have no influence over Lyon and Eagle Football does not have decision-making powers at the Premier League outfit because of the voting structure, the club managed by Oliver Glasner are hopeful of being able to compete in Europe. If Palace fail to convince the CFCB that no rules have been breached, Lyon would keep their Europa League spot due to a higher league finish. Meanwhile, Brondby, who Blitzer owns, qualified for the Europa Conference League. A post shared by UEFA Europa League (@europaleague) Palace's failure to compete in the Europa League would see their spot transferred to seventh-placed Nottingham Forest. It would mean Forest's previous Europa Conference League qualification berth would go to the next highest team in the Premier League, which is Brighton in eighth. A UEFA spokesperson said: 'Please be informed that decisions regarding multi-club ownership cases for the 2025-26 season will be announced in due course during June. We do not comment on individual club cases until an official decision has been made.' Last summer, the CFCB cleared Manchester City and Girona, owned by the City Football Group, to take part in the Champions League and INEOS-owned Manchester United and Nice to compete in the Europa League.
