logo
The double-edged Celtic sword Rangers must improve upon

The double-edged Celtic sword Rangers must improve upon

The Nationala day ago
In short, McCoist feels his former club's recruitment has been woeful, meanwhile, across at Parkhead, they've more often than not nailed their transfer business.
That's why the ex-Scotland striker insists Russell Martin and the new ownership deserve time to implement the correct model required to match Celtic in order to give them the best possible chance of competing for the league.
"They've got to give him that time," he said on talkSPORT. "Of that there's no doubt. He's got to get his new players in.
"The first thing you've got to say is recruitment. When I say recently, I don't mean under Russell Martin's tenure because it's far too early to judge.
"But recruitment's not been good enough. Recruitment's been shocking, effectively. What's highlighted that is the fact that recruitment across the city has been very, very good.
"Recruitment at Celtic, particularly under Big Ange, you've got a couple of the Japanese lads in. They've been excellent. Terrific.
"So, with a combination of Celtic's recruitment being very good and Rangers' being very poor. You're right up against it.
Read more:
"You must give Russell Martin time. The same way you've just got new owners coming into the club. So, that's going to take a little bit of time as well.
"When they bought Leeds United, they didn't come in and start scattering cash about. They organised things and it takes a little bit of time. I don't mind that at all.
"However, like a lot of Rangers fans, you can't really accept the level of performances against Motherwell and Dundee."
Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Celtic six-time loanee can still be Parkhead success as manager identifies key characteristic
Celtic six-time loanee can still be Parkhead success as manager identifies key characteristic

Scotsman

time8 minutes ago

  • Scotsman

Celtic six-time loanee can still be Parkhead success as manager identifies key characteristic

Mentality of 23-year-old praised after half-time withdrawal 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... For those of a Celtic persuasion, Adam Montgomery might have entered last-chance saloon territory at Parkhead as he embarks on the sixth loan spell of his career. Without a senior appearance since December 2021, it's easy to comprehend why many believe the writing could be on the wall for a player who has always remained on the periphery of the first-team squad for a number of years. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Rated highly by previous Celtic boss Ange Postecoglou, the 23-year-old hasn't had the rub of the green in a Hoops jersey and is now braced for an uncertain future. Celtic's Adam Montgomery has joined Livingston on loan. (Photo by Craig Foy / SNS Group) For the time being, Livingston manager David Martindale was willing to throw the left-sided defender a chance to prove he can cut it in the top-flight and still be a success story in Glasgow's east end. Having spent the second half of last season with Queen's Park in the Championship, Montgomery joined Livi last month and has started all three games since his arrival in West Lothian - answering Martindale's SOS call amid injuries to Cristian Montano and Cammy Kerr. While recognising the scale of the challenge he faces to force his way into Brendan Rodgers' plans, Martindale admits Montgomery hasn't let his lack of game time hinder his aim of salvaging his Celtic career after expressing an immediate hunger to be pitched in at the deep end. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad "That's testament to Adam's mindset," Martindale declared as he spoke of Montgomery's desire to remain on the pitch during Saturday's 3-1 Premiership win over Falkirk, despite sustaining a muscle injury during the first-half. 'Difficult for him at Celtic' "He's been away with Celtic and missed a lot of pre-season with us, so it's about managing his load. He wanted to stay on the park and wanted me to give him another 15 minutes. but we'd already used two stoppages and I said to him that I couldn't take that risk 60 minutes into a game. So I had to make that decision at half-time to take him off, otherwise he would've been on the pitch for longer. Livingston's Adam Montgomery and Kilmarnock's Jamie Brandon in action during a William Hill Premiership match between Kilmarnock and Livingston at the BBSP Rugby Park, on August 02, 2025, in Kilmarnock, Scotland. (Photo by Rob Casey / SNS Group) | SNS Group "Listen, it's really difficult for him (at Celtic). Of course, they do things impeccably well but he was maybe player number 30, 32, I don't know. It's really hard to get game intensity into players that are around the perimeter of the squad. "Adam hadn't played much football. Unfortunately for him, he joined us just as Celtic were entering that period where their game intensity would've increased preparing for the Champions League, at the same time we were preparing for the Premier Sports Cup and had already been through a four, five game stretch. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad "Guys like Scott Pittman and Ryan McGowan probably had about eight games under their belt before Adam came in. He's not had that luxury. So I think it's really important that if you're going to go out and play football then you do it at your earliest opportunity. I think that's shown with Adam.

World media reacts as Rangers 'cold shower' denies Plzen miracle after Russell Martin 'chased away'
World media reacts as Rangers 'cold shower' denies Plzen miracle after Russell Martin 'chased away'

Daily Record

time8 minutes ago

  • Daily Record

World media reacts as Rangers 'cold shower' denies Plzen miracle after Russell Martin 'chased away'

It wasn't the performance Russell Martin wanted from his team but the end result was progress in Europe There were a few scares on the night – but Rangers sealed their shot at a £40million Champions League jackpot. ‌ It was far from convincing on their travels in Czechia though, losing 2-1 to Viktoria Plzen on the night, . ‌ Martin's side came into the second leg against with a 3-0 advantage - and the relentless hosts ramped up the pressure throughout the 90 minutes. ‌ They ran the Scottish Premiership side ragged - but Rafu Durosinmi's opener was cancelled out by Lyall Cameron, with Svetozar Markhovic's winner with 10 minutes to go proving to be nothing more than a consolation. It's job done though and , what did world media think of the showdown? takes a look. I Sport (Czechia) "The glittering Champions League will not be played in Pilzen this season, but Viktoria showed European strength with a courageous performance in the rematch of the third qualifying round. "They chased away the Scottish Rangers, and with an active performance they tried to make up for the 0:3 loss from the first match. "There was no sporting miracle this time, the final result of 2:1 was accepted even by the loudly supporting fans. The Czech vice-champion played the best match of the season and can look forward to the main stage of the Europa League, where they reached the round of 16 in the spring." ‌ L'Equipe (France) "Although Czech side Plzen won 2-1 at home, Scottish Rangers will qualify for the next stage of Europe's elite club competition after winning 0-3 in the first leg." Plzeňsky (Czechia) "On Tuesday evening, disappointment reigned in Pilsen's Doosan Arena. Although Viktoria Plzeň's players defeated the famous Glasgow Rangers 2:1 in the second leg of the third qualifying round of the Champions League, their dream of participating in the most prestigious club competition was dashed. But the fans quickly recovered and now have a new wish for Pavel Šulc to return to their home stand." Medium (Czechia) "The Scots prepared a cold shower for the home team after the hour mark after dominance from Plzen. ‌ "Rangers can now look forward to advancing to the final qualifying round and extending their unbeaten streak that has been going on since mid-April. The West Bohemians, on the other hand, have confirmed that they are not doing too well defensively, having failed to keep a clean sheet in six home competitive matches in a row." Daily Mail (UK) "Rarely can progress in Europe have felt so hollow. Rarely can a 3-0 lead have looked so fragile. And rarely can a team have inspired such little confidence in being able to see it through. "On a tense and nervy night in Plzen, Rangers took one step closer to Champions League qualification but looked deeply unconvincing in doing so. ‌ "This was not the polished, professional performance that Russell Martin and his players had called for as they aimed to secure their place in the play-off round. "They got the job done in the end, as well as a guaranteeing a windfall of £3.7million being pumped into the coffers, with a tie against Club Brugge to come. ‌ "But Rangers could count their lucky stars that Plzen were so profligate in front of goal. On another night, the Czechs could quite easily have scored another two or three goals." Sporza (Belgium) "Club Brugge now know who they will face in the playoff. But, one thing is clear - they will have to raise their level if they are to progress against the Scots." CTK (Czechia) "The Pilsen players will not play in the main stage of the Champions League. Although the West Bohemians defeated Glasgow Rangers 2:1 in the home match of the 3rd qualifying round, they were unable to turn the two-legged tie around after the opening 0:3 away defeat. "Rafiu Durosinmi gave Viktoria the lead in the 41st minute, and Lyall Cameron equalized after the hour. Of the home team's many other chances, only substitute Svetozar Markovič scored in the 83rd minute. "The Czech team will not advance from the stronger non-championship 'branch' of the qualification this time either. In the millionaire competition in the autumn, only Slavia will appear from the domestic clubs as the reigning champion, Plzeň will play the main part of the Europa League."

BBC Scotland to show Hibernian v Partizan Belgrade
BBC Scotland to show Hibernian v Partizan Belgrade

BBC News

time8 minutes ago

  • BBC News

BBC Scotland to show Hibernian v Partizan Belgrade

Hibernian's second leg at home to Partizan Belgrade in the third round of Conference League qualifying will be shown live on BBC Scotland and iPlayer on Thursday. (20:00 BST kick-off).Hibs hold a 2-0 lead following a Martin Boyle double in the Serbian capital last winners of the tie progress to the play-offs against the losers of the Larnaca v Legia Warsaw encounter in Europa League qualifying, with the Cypriots taking a 4-1 lead to Gray's side, third in the Premiership last season, let a two-goal lead slip at home on Sunday to draw with the same day, Partizan enjoyed a 7-2 victory away to Napredak, making it three wins from three in the Super Liga.

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store