United 'reactionary' in their 'hunger to win'
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Daily Record
29 minutes ago
- Daily Record
Rangers spy delivers Club Brugge intel as specific threats to Champions League objective must be eliminated
There's a spot in the £40m league phase resting on the double header and Thomas Buffel reckons it's a tough one to call. Thomas Buffel will be back in Glasgow to catch up with some old team mates as Rangers tackle Club Brugge on Tuesday. He'll likely meet up with Barry Ferguson, Nacho Novo and Alex Rae amongst others ahead of sitting down for the first leg of the pressure pot play-off for a spot in the Champions League. Together the quartet were a key part of the Gers side that stormed to the last 16 of the competition under Alex McLeish 20 years ago - agonisingly crashing out to the La Liga side on away goals after a 2-2 draw at Ibrox was followed by a 1-1 draw in Spain. That run remains one of Buffel's career highlights. But times have changed, the competition has changed, and these days Rangers are doing well just to reach the main stage never mind the knockouts. A place in that league phase, worth £40m, is the prize on offer as Russell Martin's side take on Buffel's hometown club over the next 10 days. And while the 44-year-old might be born and bred in the Belgian town, a part of his heart still remains in Govan where he spent four seasons, winning a league and cup double in 2005. For that reason - or maybe it's more to do with his two spells at rivals Cercle Brugge - Buffel had no problem lifting the lid on the threat that faces Rangers come 8pm on Tuesday. He reckons the tie is too tight to call. But one thing is for sure - Rangers will need to be on their mettle in the wide areas. He told MailSport: 'I've not seen enough of Rangers this season under the new manager to say who I think will win. But it will be a close one I'm sure. 'I've seen more of Brugge. I saw the games against Genk and Salzburg, 'They like to play attacking football. They try to have a clear build-up with the wing-backs going high to pin the defence of the other team. 'Then they have the wingers coming inside between the lines. They have three midfielders with a lot of rotation to drive the ball and go deep. 'It's sometimes difficult to have a good press on them. If you are scared from the wing-backs going high and you go back with your own wingers, then they are going to sit deep also. 'If you don't have a good transition game then it's difficult to play against them.' The hype surrounding Brugge's Portuguese wide man Carlos Forbs hit new levels this week when captain Hans Vanaken claimed he's 'practically impossible to defend against'. That duo both netted in the last seven minutes as Brugge dramatically dumped RB Salzburg 4-2 on aggregate to set up the do-or-die double header with Rangers. And Buffel - who worked directly with striker Romero Vermont while Belgium U21 coach - said: 'The winger Forbs is a new player who has come from Ajax. 'He did quite a good job against Salzburg. He was fast but also without the ball he runs and you have Vanaken who can pass it through. 'They also have Christos Tzolis on the other side who has a good shot coming inside and dribbling and trying to find the far corner. You have to make sure you can block that. 'Then they have the striker Vermont, a young lad. 'I had him with my U21 team. He is a guy who works a lot and gives a lot of pressure. 'He can hold off a ball. He is not the one who is going to make a dribble on you but he can be clinical with a one touch finish. He is ruthless in that. 'He can come in front of his men and try to score. He is dangerous also. 'Brugge certainly have a lot of young talent throughout their squad. 'Of course the media will speak about the atmosphere of Ibrox and Scottish football. 'But actually if you have to compare a team in Belgium who also have these fanatic supporters and home crowds, it is also Brugge. 'Ibrox is still maybe a step higher but still I think they will not really be influenced by that I think. 'I'm actually coming over to watch the game. I'll hopefully see some friends, Nacho Novo, sometimes Barry is there and Alex Rae. 'I know the two sides drew 2-2 in a pre-season friendly. But I don't think too much can be read into that because both teams have changed quite a lot since.' Buffel left his position as manager of Jong Genk earlier this year and is looking for his next opportunity in coaching. But turning the clock back, he has fond memories of his playing days in Glasgow after signing from Feyenoord in 2005. He said: 'The Champions League qualification when I scored against Famagusta to qualify is one of my favourite memories. 'We reached the last 16, qualifying from a group that had Inter Milan and Porto and even against Villarreal in the last 16 we had chances to go further. We were so unlucky. 'But that year had magical nights at Ibrox and again when we saw the number of fans travelling to support the team. 'Also getting to the final of the UEFA Cup in 2008, that was great, although I didn't play too much because I was coming back from a double knee injury. 'I loved my time in Glasgow. That's why I like to go back and watch these big games.'
The Guardian
an hour ago
- The Guardian
Rodrigo Muniz's last-gasp strike rescues point for Fulham at Brighton
A season opener with rustiness abounding was heading Brighton's way. Then came echoes of last season, when 22 points were conceded from winning positions. Once Matt O'Riley had slotted a penalty after Sander Berge's ill-judged challenge, Fulham had to wait for the 95th minute for a genuine chance. Volleyed wide by an aghast Kenny Tete it would not be the last, Rodrigo Muniz smashing in a Harry Wilson corner to equalise. The ball had been allowed to travel to the second-half sub on the back post. Muniz, one of many strikers linked with Newcastle, and this week linked with Atalanta and Champions League football, chested down to crash home. The delighted away fans implored the Brazilian to stay. 'He's very strong,' said Marco Silva, the Fulham manager. 'Rodrigo created something with the fans that is not easy to do.' For transfer devotees, the other major news had been Carlos Baleba starting in Brighton's midfield; the expectation is he stays, give or take a steeple-high offer Tony Bloom cannot refuse. Within an aggressive midfield battle, Baleba's quality was often a cut above. His defensive work was missed once subbed off in the second half. 'Good against the ball, he needs to be better in possession,' was Fabian Hürzeler's verdict. 'We are very pleased he is a Brighton player, we want to go with him to the next step, he can be very important for us this season.' While the Premier League's upper class lavish huge sums, there was just one new signing in either of these two members of the squeezed middle's starting teams. Maxim De Cuyper, the left-back signed via Brighton's regular Belgian trade route, completed the 90. 'Very mature,' said Hürzeler of the new man. For Fulham where only the reserve goalkeeper, Benjamin Lecomte, was a new face, novelty was offered by Josh King, 18, showing high promise. 'A very good performance,' said Silva. 'He's a top talent player, I didn't have any reservations on picking him.' The teenager showed off impressive ball-carrying chops while both teams were otherwise rushed in attempting to create opportunities. The best chance of the first half came when O'Riley whipped the ball for Kaoru Mitoma to head over, the type of chance a centre-forward like Danny Welbeck, on the bench, might gobble up. Georgino Rutter was playing the role vacated by João Pedro's sale, with O'Riley assuming penalty duties. On the sidelines, Silva kept his usual morose vigil while Hürzeler anxiously split his time between bench and technical area. Hürzeler is 32 but is a young man in a hurry, his summer pursuits including Spanish lessons. 'For sure it feels painful,' he said, happy enough with his team's performance until those fateful final seconds. 'It's really important to take the positives away. We played well and defended good. We should score the second goal and I think the game would be over. That's football.' Silva is in the final year of his Fulham contract with barely concealed irritation at the 'passive', to use his word, lack of arrivals, but was happy enough with the team he fights on with. 'I think it's a fair result,' he said. 'The only difference before we came back again was the penalty.' Sign up to Football Daily Kick off your evenings with the Guardian's take on the world of football after newsletter promotion Brighton broke the deadlock after Rutter was allowed far too much space to surge into the box; Berge was unduly clumsy. O'Riley swept low and left, Bernd Leno offered no answer to a player linked with Juventus. As Brighton increasingly looked to the counter, Silva was in the process of throwing on three changes, including Muniz, when Yankuba Minteh blazed over a chance, created by Mitoma's speed, that might have clinched victory. That hastened Brighton's changes, Baleba off for Diego Gómez. The Paraguayan showed considerable attacking prowess while struggling to meet the defensive detail. James Milner, who hits 40 in January, also arrived, and was unable to stem the Fulham flow. Silva threw on Emile Smith Rowe for King, departing to an ovation. It was Smith Rowe who forced the corner from which his team equalised. As 90 minutes arrived, another sub, Brajan Gruda, blew the latest decent Brighton chance, caught in two minds, a familiar moment they would come to regret.
BBC News
an hour ago
- BBC News
Baggies loss shows quality of Championship
George Dobson feels Wrexham have been fully exposed to the ruthless nature of the Championship having suffered back-to-back defeats in the division at the start of the 2025-26 Parkinson's side were beaten 3-2 by West Bromwich Albion at the Stok Cae Ras to ensure they remain without a point having fallen to a 2-1 loss to Southampton a week after Parkinson criticised the "soft" goals his side conceded against the Baggies, Dobson admitted Wrexham are being emphatically punished for small mistakes in the second tier."It just showed the quality of the level - if you don't take your chances, you do get punished," said the midfielder."It's definitely not a panic stations type situation but we know there's a couple of things we need to be a bit better at. "It's definitely the fine margins of being punished. Any sort of mistake or not doing your job quite right seems to get punished."As they were at Southampton in the season opener, Wrexham were competitive for the majority of the contest with Ryan Mason's while they lost for the second league fixture running, Dobson feels Wrexham can pick up positive results if they improve defensively given their attacking talents."I'm not sure how many shots we had but I feel like we looked like scoring," added Dobson."We've just got to get the solid base back of getting clean sheets and not conceding too many chances and I'm sure the results will turn because the character of the group is so strong."It's a great learning curve for us."
