Park heads up St Mirren recruitment as Foyle departs
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Daily Mail
a minute ago
- Daily Mail
Martin hopes to seal loan deal for Brentford left-back Meghoma - but insists returning striker Igamane isn't ready for Champions League duty
RANGERS head coach Russell Martin has reported himself hopeful of tying up a loan deal for Brentford left-back Jayden Meghoma – as he told striker Hamza Igamane to forget about starting against Club Brugge on Champions League duty. Martin worked with 19-year-old Meghoma during his time at Southampton and saw him move to Brentford for £10million in 2024 before going to Preston North End on loan in the second half of last term. With Jefte set to join Brazilians Palmeiras in a deal worth up to £6m and Ridvan Yilmaz tipped to go back to Turkey, Martin started yesterday's 4-2 Premier Sports Cup win over Alloa with Bailey Rice at left-back and is keen to have Meghoma in for the qualifying round play-off with Brugge. However, he has told Igamane that a decent showing as a second-half substitute against the Wasps will not be enough to grant him a place in the team for that £40m-plus shoot-out with the Belgians. Asked if the Moroccan, who replaced an ineffective Danilo, was ready to start with Cyriel Dessers still battling injury, Martin replied: 'No. I think we have to look at his physical condition. He's literally just come back. He played half-an-hour. It's a very different game. 'I'm not sure how long we would get from him from the start, so we have to utilise him and Thelo (Aasgaard) in the right way. 'I really liked Hamza's energy when he came on. He can do things that other players can't. 'Sometimes he looks a bit mad, but, if we can get him to make decisions a bit more consistently, I think he'll really help us. 'He wants to express himself, he wants to play. There's never a problem making a mistake as long as the reaction is really, really good.' On Meghoma, Martin, who worked with him during the 2023-24 as manager at Southampton, added: 'Jefte was in yesterday, and, by yesterday evening, he's maybe not going to be here moving forward because it's a good deal for him and the club. 'We'll see what happens over the next couple of days with that. And so, we have to be ready to replace him, and we always have been ready. So Jay is a player we know from Southampton, spent a year with us as a young boy, training every day, understands the work, top talent, plays for England at all the youth levels. 'Brentford signed him for a lot of money for a teenager, and he went on loan last year and to the Championship did really well, so he's a player we know and like. 'Hopefully, at some point, he'll be a Rangers player and you'll know that when he is.' Martin,though, admitted there were elements of his side's win over Alloa – goals from Nedim Bajrami, Manny Fernandez, James Tavernier and Findlay Curtis overcoming an own goal from Joe Rothwell and a Scott Taggart effort that made it 3-2 with 10 minutes to play – that left him unhappy. 'I saw some really good bits and some stuff that I didn't like, but I don't think I expected anything different,' he said. 'With guys that just haven't played very much, when you make 10 changes to the team, it's going to disrupt something. 'In the first half, after the first 15 minutes, when you can't quite sustain the same level of intensity, they caused some problems - which shouldn't happen. 'The most important bit was I wanted to see some intent to really run in the final third. And in moments we had that, we just couldn't sustain it for long enough. 'I think we've made a lot of changes by the second goal. When the guys are coming on the pitch, they have to really listen to what they're doing. There were actually two players who are just not in the position they should be, which will probably help us a lot. 'That's about being really ready when you come on, so that's the frustration. With the first goal, I feel for Liam (Kelly). We let a boy in on the inside in the first place. He just skips by, and then there's moments we have four or five bodies, and I think it's an own goal in the end. 'So, yeah, it's frustrating, but I don't think I expected today to look perfect and fluid and beautiful. There's so many players on the pitch who just haven't played any minutes yet, and it's been so full-on.' Mikey Moore, on loan from Spurs, was handed a debut and Martin was equally delighted to see Thelo Aasgaard recover from thigh trouble to appear in the second half. 'Mikey showed glimpses. You saw some moments, and you also saw some moments where he's a young boy sometimes,' said Martin. 'But we have to keep him free and let him express himself. It's not always going to come off, but I loved his intent with the ball. We need more of that for sure. 'He'll keep getting better, so I'm really pleased with that. And Thelo, I think you can see what he'll bring - the physical profile, the way he takes the ball, the way he moves. 'There's loads to come from this group.' Alloa player-boss Andy Graham added: 'My overriding emotion is pride.
BBC News
a minute ago
- BBC News
Can Yengi's first goal ignite his Aberdeen career?
Kusini Yengi has endured a tough introduction to Scottish football. More stumbling start than hitting the ground in a dominant Aberdeen performance that dispatched Greenock Morton to reach the last eight of the Premier Sports Cup, the Australia striker looked like he might just be starting to find his first goal for the club earned the Dons a maiden victory of the season. Can it ignite his Pittodrie career as Jimmy Thelin's men turn their attention to the Europa League play-off against FCSB? 'He looked better & better' Yengi was brought to the club from Portsmouth in the summer when loan strikers Kevin Nisbet and Oday Dabbagh both departed after helping Aberdeen end a 35-year wait for Scottish Cup pair left a sizeable void, but Yengi had a torrid time on his league debut against Hearts in the Premiership opener. The 26-year-old looked off the pace and offered little to the Aberdeen quickly followed and he fared little better in the defeat to Celtic. Given he was injured for most of last season, some of the harsh judgments appeared against Morton – admittedly lesser opposition – Yengi showed promising signs which eased the heat on him, fair or used his towering frame to good effect, winning aerial duels, holding the ball up and bringing others into the his touch and control often looked clumsy in those opening two matches, at Cappielow he played some clever balls to link-up with team-mates who seemed to be more on his while his goal was an easy finish into an unguarded net, getting off the mark is vital for any striker at a new club."How he was as a target player was really good," Aberdeen manager Jimmy Thelin told BBC Scotland."I'm also happy for him to score the goal today. He was in the right place and he looked better and better."When new players arrive, sometimes it's really quick, sometimes it's six or 12 months [to settle]. But it was nice to see his timing with his team-mates and also that the team-mates start putting the ball into the box."We arrived with more opportunities than we did in other games. It was more directness in our game." Dons primed for 'dream' tie From a player who appeared completely devoid of confidence, Yengi looked a different proposition, and as well as the improvement in his attacking play, he also put a shift in for his side."I'm really happy with his work for the team," said Sivert Heltne Nilsen, who set the Dons on their way with the opening goal."He did really well in the pressing and hard work. If everyone is doing like Kusini did, the goals and the results will come for the whole team."He did a really professional performance and I'm so happy for him to also get a goal."Of course one good performance against a Championship side who, as their manager Dougie Imrie admitted, showed far too much respect to Aberdeen is not enough to convince that the Scottish Cup holders have turned the corner, it is at least a step in the right direction."I'm happy how we attacked them today," Thelin added."It was more clear. I think the players got better and better timing with each other. And when the timing is there, it's easier to play football."The acid test of Yengi - and the Dons - will come against FCSB, formerly known as Steaua Bucharest, in the looming double-header. The Romanians head to Pittodrie on Thursday and Aberdeen have postponed next weekend's league game with Dundee United before the return side are guaranteed European football but the prestige and money of the Europa League trumps the Conference League, where they will parachute into if beaten by FCSB. "Now I can switch my head all over to Steaua Bucharest," Nilsen said."It's going to be amazing to play a European game at Pittodrie. It's like a dream come true to play in a Europa League play-off."I think we have a good chance and we'll do everything to get into the Europa League."
Daily Mail
a minute ago
- Daily Mail
TONY HETHERINGTON: I warned whisky firm would cause a hangover
Tony Hetherington is Financial Mail on Sunday's ace investigator, fighting readers corners, revealing the truth that lies behind closed doors and winning victories for those who have been left out-of-pocket. Find out how to contact him below. Ms N.P. writes: I bought bonds in beverage company Linc Drinks Ltd and casks of whisky from Whisky&Co Ltd, both promoted by the same sales firm. However, I've just seen that Whisky&Co has gone into liquidation. Now I'm worried about my investments – do you think there is any chance that I'll get my money back? Tony Hetherington replies: I am afraid the picture does not look good. The two companies were promoted by Nicholas James Finance Ltd, based in Canary Wharf, in London. But this firm has never been authorised by the Financial Conduct Authority to sell investments to the general public. It exploited a legal loophole which let it sell bonds to people who are wealthy enough or experienced enough to take serious risks – and I warned in January that it was not checking that investors would fit the bill before selling them high-risk IOUs issued by Linc Drinks. Linc Drinks wanted to borrow £3 million from investors, predicting it would be worth £150 million by the end of last year and become a takeover target for Diageo, the owner of Guinness. This was total rubbish, and I said so. Whisky&Co sold casks of whisky as investments, claiming that they would be stored at HMRC-approved distilleries in Scotland. In fact, the casks held Irish whiskey, stored in Ireland, where HMRC has no jurisdiction. Nicholas James Finance told investors to expect annual gains of up to 12 per cent, claiming it had a close relationship with top auctioneers Bonhams, but I also reported that Bonhams denied this completely. Now to bring things up to date. Companies House has begun proceedings to strike off Linc Drinks after it failed to file legally due details revealing who owns it. Whisky&Co put itself into liquidation on August 5, and Nicholas James Finance applied on July 22 to Companies House to be struck off and dissolved. Where does this leave investors? The man behind Nicholas James Finance and Whisky&Co is Ashley Wilkinson. I invited him to offer reassurance to his investors, but he has failed to respond. On paper, the director of Linc Drinks is ex-Aston Villa footballer Sam Williams, but he could not be contacted at the business's serviced office address in London and its phone number appears dead. Mail for Linc Drinks now goes to Companies House in Cardiff. The Mail on Sunday passed its evidence on all three companies to the Financial Conduct Authority in January. The regulator rarely comments on active investigations, but it confirmed it had begun enquiries. With all three firms folding, it would be no great surprise to see news of official action very soon. Five in the dock as savers lose £75m in pension pots Thursday will see the appearance at Westminster Magistrates' Court of five individuals charged over an investment scheme involving the sale of storage units. The charges follow an eight-year investigation by the Serious Fraud Office (SFO), which says more than 1,900 investors transferred £75 million from their pension savings into the scheme, run by Store First, near Burnley, Lancashire. The company's boss, Toby Whittaker, and Stephen Talbot, Stuart Grehan, Terence Wright and Emma Hawkins face charges of conspiracy to defraud. Talbot and Grehan have also been charged with perjury and – alongside an unnamed sixth defendant – the pair are also charged with money laundering. I reported on Store First in 2013 and after that. Legal restrictions now apply to what can be published. The SFO alleges that misrepresentations were made, including that investors would receive a guaranteed return from renting out units. We're watching you 2 A solicitor closely connected to will writing company Town & Country Law has been suspended from practising law for one month after an investigation by the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) found his firm – Scunthorpe-based Tyto Law – employed a legal assistant who had been banned from the profession over previous misconduct. Tyto Law boss Oliver Saxon was granted permission to employ Ben Moore only after assuring the regulator that Moore would work from the firm's offices and that Saxon himself would supervise him. Moore was barred from having direct contact with clients. All these conditions were breached, and Moore was in close contact with Town & Country Law, preparing its clients' wills. When this was discovered, the SRA cancelled its permission for Moore to be employed by Tyto Law. Town & Country Law is not regulated by the SRA, as preparing wills can be done by anyone with no qualifications needed. If work has to be done by a solicitor, it instructs Tyto Law, whose owner Oliver Saxon runs an offshoot called Town & Country Law (Two Roses) Ltd. In 2022 I revealed that Town & Country Law's owner James Scotney obtained a credit licence from the Financial Conduct Authority after failing to declare he served a prison sentence for drug dealing. And in 2024 I warned that Scotney employed ex-solicitor Jonathan De Vita, who was struck off after his firm massively overcharged clients, falsified records, and used clients' funds without their permission. We're watching you 3 Three fraudsters have been convicted at St Albans Crown Court of running a wine investment scam, following a complex investigation by Trading Standards officials from Hertfordshire County Council. Investigators say victims lost £6 million. Benjamin Cazaly, Greg Assemakis and Dominic D'Sa were behind Imperial Wine & Spirits Merchant Ltd. The wine they supplied had a price mark-up of as much as 400 per cent, making profit impossible for investors. The company's sales team was made up of young people schooled in telemarketing, and the movie The Wolf Of Wall Street was used as a training film. Assemakis was previously a director of a similar wine scam business, European Fine Wines Ltd. I revealed in 2013 that two of that company's bosses were forced to quit after being banned as directors for operating rip-off land investment firms. It went into liquidation in 2014, with customers' claims topping £3 million. Claimants finally received 1.4p for every £1 owed to them. If you believe you are the victim of financial wrongdoing, write to Tony Hetherington at Financial Mail, 9 Derry Street, London W8 5HY or email Because of the high volume of enquiries, personal replies cannot be given. Please send only copies of original documents, which we regret cannot be returned.
