It's unfair to enforce seasonal change and play during summer when most of the Irish League is part-time: Chris Shields
Speaking during Linfield's European odyssey in the summer of 2025, Shields has reiterated his caution about any change to the Premiership fixtures calendar.
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Daily Record
2 hours ago
- Daily Record
Rangers goal was the best of Dundee star's career but he reveals he's haunted by the chance he didn't take
Ryan Astley netted the goal of his life at Ibrox - but was devastated he didn't bag a famous winner for the Dark Blues Ryan Astley scored the goal of his life at Ibrox - but was still devastated he didn't bag a winner for Dundee. The Welsh defender was outstanding in their 1-1 draw with Rangers on Saturday and gave Steven Pressley's side a shock lead with a second-half header. Astley hailed it as the best goal of his career so far and was able to celebrate it with family in the Dark Blues away end. But after James Tavernier had levelled for Gers with a late penalty, incredibly, Astley had a golden opportunity to grab victory for the Dens Park side. His effort flashed wide at the death and the 23-year-old admits he was gutted not to seal a memorable three points for Dundee. Afterwards, he said: 'I know, I had the chance to win it. I'm going to watch that back - I still feel I should have scored so it's quite disappointing. 'The goal was definitely the best of my career so far. It felt so good because when I scored, I could see all my family who were here today. 'It was a special moment, I enjoyed it. They were stood right at the back of the Dundee end, so I'll always cherish that one. 'It was a tough game and we needed everyone to put a shift in. 'But it says a lot that we're slightly disappointed with the draw. 'When you come to Ibrox, everyone needs to work hard - do a job and a half - and I think we did that. 'I'm proud of everyone in that changing room because it was a real team performance. 'Are we disappointed not to win? Look, that's football and decisions like that happen, where you can't help it. 'But overall, we're really happy with the team performance.' It was an outstanding defensive display from Dundee, led superbly by Astley and skipper Clark Robertson at the back. Pressley's appointment at Dens was met with derision from the Dark Blues' support and they got off to a nightmare start - being knocked out of the Premier Sports Cup and losing to Hibs on the opening day of the Premiership season. But the draw at Ibrox with Rangers - their first point in Govan since 2001 - should give them encouragement for the season and Astley insists his gaffer is the right man to lead them. He said: 'Saturday was down to the work we put in on the training ground as the gaffer's drilled us really well. 'We knew we weren't going to have much of the ball against Rangers so it was all about concentration and sticking together. 'When it feels like everyone's on top of you, you defend well and stay focused. 'We're a threat from set-pieces because we work on them and one came off for us on Saturday. 'Hopefully we can keep progressing now and win our next game. 'From day one when the manager came in, all of the players bought into it straight away. 'We knew what he wanted us to do and we believed in it. Eventually, I'm sure you'll start to see positive results.'
Scottish Sun
2 hours ago
- Scottish Sun
Scottish Cup loss to poor Aberdeen side is still eating away at Celtic, writes Bill Leckie
BRENDAN RODGERS should have sat his players down in the Pittodrie dressing room today and congratulated them on a job well done. Then followed up by asking the question that's been on countless lips since back in May. 3 Aberdeen lifted the Scottish Cup when they beat Celtic at Hampden in May Credit: PA 3 The Hoops beat the Dons comfortably in league action this weekend Credit: Kenny Ramsay 3 Bill Leckie believes Brendan Rodgers' men are still struggling to get over the slip-up Credit: SNS Group How the hell did you blow the Treble to THAT lot? Every single Celtic fan is desperate for the answer. Ditto everyone connected with Hibs, seeing as covered their road to Europe with broken glass and potholes. In fact, for all that they still haven't stopped celebrating an incredible achievement, I'm guessing there will even still be Aberdeen diehards who can't quite believe they got away with it that bizarre day. In writing this, I mean no disrespect to Jimmy Thelin, his players or anyone else who loves the Dons. As a lover of the underdog, you'll never hear me downplay a win for anyone over either of our big two. But let's look at the bare facts. Which tell us that, either side of the Scottish Cup Final, they've now lost six competitive games on the spin – two of them TO Celtic, by an aggregate score of 7-1. Let's remember that, since losing 6-0 to the Hoops in the League Cup semis last October, they've only won SEVEN of THIRTY games against Premiership opposition. So it must have eaten away all summer at Rodgers and his players that one of those wins came on a day that even as-yet undiscovered tribes in the Amazon Basin believed would end with them completing a clean sweep of domestic trophies. I was talking to a couple of Hibs fans in Belgrade during the week who were cursing Celtic upside down for what happened that day, for what they described as them – them for losing, not Aberdeen for winning – robbing David Gray and his players of the chance to join the Europa League at the play-off stage and at worst be guaranteed Conference League group football. You can understand why it continues to p**s them off this badly, because right now, I'd say the Hibees are far more ready for that level of competition than an Aberdeen side who have offered next to nothing in their latest losses to Hearts on Monday night and Celtic. The way Gray has improved the players he inherited, the levels of confidence he's instilled and the maturity they showed in that 2-0 win away to Partizan Belgrade on Thursday night are all hugely impressive. FOUR new Celtic signings could be on the way but 'waiting game' could risk it all Then you look at Thelin and the Dons. And I'm afraid it starts to look more and more as if that incredible run of 15 wins and a draw after he took over last season really was a freak – because since then they've only once managed as many as three victories in a row. Or, as my colleague Robert Thomson reminded the world at full time, they won as many games between August 5 and September 14 last year as they have in the whole of 2025 so far. Considering all the investment sugardaddy Dave Cormack's piled in, considering the constant turnover of players, considering the levels of expectation flooding through their fanbase from the moment Graeme Shinnie lifted that trophy towards the Mount Florida skies, those are hugely worrying statistics. On Monday night and again this weekend, they looked utterly punchless going forward. Summer signing Kusini Yengi – not a single goal for Portsmouth last season – was a lost soul in both games, his touch awful and his finishing worse. Just about the only time they opened Celtic up, he managed to get in the way of his own team-mate's shot. Which just about summed up the lack of cohesion in their ranks. At Tynecastle, new Hearts boss Derek McInnes was constantly proactive in the way he tinkered with his shape and tactics. Thelin, meanwhile, just seemed to react to that the guy in the other dugout did - and he was no more aggressive in his decision-making against a Celtic side who were miles below what they should be capable of. Take away a quite wonderful second goal from Reo Hatate, one touch to take the ball out of his feet and the second smashing a shot than curved round Shinnie and in off the underside of the bar, and it was all very ho-hum, an exercise in ticking off the kind of wins they know they SHOULD be ticking off. Sure, Rodgers keeps making the point to anyone who'll listen the board's failure to sign the level of quality he demands is forcing him to operate with one hand behind his back. But that's an argument for when they start fighting for a place in the Champions League. On days like today? I'm afraid it's a red herring, because he already has the strongest squad in the land and he should be getting more out of them than he did in last week's last-gasp win over St Mirren or in this often-pedestrian display. Which is why I really do wonder how much that cup final collapse took out of them mentally and how much the manager himself has allowed the experience to live rent-free in his head. Going on their holidays as Treble-winners would have brought them all back in for pre-season feeling magnificent about themselves. Instead, they slunk away on a downer from which – six points out of six or not – it still doesn't seem they've fully emerged. And I'm not sure Rodgers constantly reminding them that he doesn't think they're good enough for where he wants to be is helping their mood. Keep up to date with ALL the latest news and transfers at the Scottish Sun football page
Daily Mail
2 hours ago
- Daily Mail
Billy 'The Kid' Loughnane shows why he can be the new face of racing as he triumphs in the Grosser Preis von Berlin - with the 19-year-old looking to follow in Frankie Dettori's footsteps
The first of what will be many arrived with the shake of his head, a handshake and disbelieving scream. Billy Loughnane had just guided Rebel's Romance, that fantastic globetrotting gelding who has amassed career earnings close to £11million, to a gutsy victory in the Grosser Preis von Berlin, one of the most important races of the European flat racing summer. Odds of 1/5 suggested it was a formality - the prohibitive numbers, however, did nothing to explain the scale of the achievement that was immediately acknowledged by Rene Piechulek, the man who he had edged out in a driving finish at Hoppergarten Racecourse. Loughnane is known as 'Billy The Kid' and he rides with a gunslinger's cool. He is only 19 and this represented a colossal moment in his upwardly mobile career, a breakthrough at Group One level wearing the distinctive Royal Blue silks that were once Frankie Dettori 's uniform. This is the environment in which all jockeys strive to operate but only few get the opportunity. That Loughnane was entrusted for this mission by Charlie Appleby, the trainer of racing's biggest owners Godolphin, underlined how highly he is regarded. Daily Mail Sport last week published a feature about the hottest young athletes in the world and there can be little question that Loughnane deserves a place in that category - his career is climbing as steeply, and shining as brightly as one of those rockets you fire from your garden on Bonfire Night. 'It's a feeling I can't describe, a feeling of ecstasy,' Loughnane gasped. 'What a star of a horse. I'm very lucky to be riding in these colours and to have the opportunity to sit on a horse like this. He's a star of a horse. Big thanks to Will (Buick, Godolphin's number one rider). I spoke to him last night and he told me exactly what to do.' Loughnane's father Mark was at Wolverhampton, where he said on Sky Sports Racing: 'It's something he's dreamt of all his life. I had an even-money favourite in the first race (Rock N It, which finished third) but I was more watching my phone and watching Billy. As a dad I'm proud as punch.' So he should be. His son has the charisma, talent and ability to be the face of racing for a new generation. He is dedicated to his profession, with those close to him constantly impressed by his determination to spend time watching video analysis of his rides and tapping into more experienced weighing room colleagues for advice. 'We take people in all the time but he just stood out at 16, even before he had got on a horse,' says Newmarket trainer George Boughey, who retains Loughnane as his stable jockey. He stood out as a person. He is a charming, well-mannered young guy and he will speak as easily with my highest owner as any of the staff in the yard. 'It took him something like 30 rides to win for me but he always had belief that it was going to happen for him: we have tried to create a positive environment because if you are working in a place where you feel wanted, you want to give your best all the time. If you don't feel wanted, how can you feel comfortable? Together Boughey and Loughnane are going to places and that was proven last year when the pair were successful with Soprano in the Sandringham Stakes at Royal Ascot. 'Ascot was a big moment,' agrees. 'As a trainer, if something goes wrong, it's your fault. The jockey can make a mistake in the race but you are the one who has to face the owner. Danny Tudhope had originally been booked to ride Soprano but Billy is my stable jockey and I wanted him to ride her. I remember being in the paddock and giving my spiel to the Highclere syndicate about how the race would unfold. Billy came from the weighing room, with his chest puffed out, and spoke to everyone with total assurance. There were some important people in that group but he didn't flinch. And he rode the filly absolutely perfectly.' As he rode Rebel's Romance. It had been a profitable weekend for Loughnane, who had ridden another big winner for Appleby on Saturday at Newmarket, but this, you feel, is the point in which the accelerator has been applied in his trajectory. 'The relationship with Charlie is building,' Boughey said. 'He has given him a lot of chances and most of them have won. They asked him to go in and ride Rebel's Romance last week. If that would have been me at 19, I'd have been thinking it was the biggest day of my life and wouldn't have slept but it didn't phase him one bit. It's what he is meant to do.'
