Revealed - the favourites to win Premier League's final-day Champions League shootout, the one thing Newcastle must do this summer and Arsenal's fatal flaw: Things we learned
The title winner and relegated trio may have been decided long ago but at least we head into the final week of the season with a sense of jeopardy.
Champions League qualification remains up in the air for a number of teams, with all eyes now diverting to midweek as beaten FA Cup finalists look to wrestle back some control against on Tuesday.
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South Wales Guardian
39 minutes ago
- South Wales Guardian
Rangers appoint new boss Russell Martin on three-year contract
The 39-year-old former MK Dons, Swansea and Southampton boss has signed a three-year contract. He will be joined at Ibrox by assistant head coach Matt Gill and performance coach Rhys Owen. ✍️ Our new Head Coach, Russell Martin. — Rangers Football Club (@RangersFC) June 5, 2025 Martin guided Southampton to promotion to the Premier League last year but was sacked in December following one win from their first 16 games. Rangers finished last season under the caretaker management of former captain Barry Ferguson, having dismissed Philippe Clement in February. Ex-Scotland defender Martin, who had a short loan spell as a player at Rangers in 2018, is tasked with wrestling power back from the other side of Glasgow after Celtic's stranglehold on Scottish football continued with a 13th William Hill Premiership title in 14 seasons. 'From my time here, I had a taste of how special this club is, the expectation, the passion and the history,' he told the club's website. 'Now, as I return, I'm determined to bring success back, for the supporters, the players, and everyone inside this club. 'There's a lot to be done, but the goal is clear: win matches, win trophies and give Rangers fans a team that they can be proud of.' ✍️ We are delighted to confirm the appointment of Russell Martin as Head Coach of our men's first team on a three-year deal. Full Details ⬇️ — Rangers Football Club (@RangersFC) June 5, 2025 Martin's arrival is the latest in a series of major changes at the club. An American consortium led by Andrew Cavenagh and 49ers Enterprises secured a majority shareholding on Friday, while new sporting director Kevin Thelwell officially began work on Monday. Rangers chief executive Patrick Stewart, who led the recruitment process alongside Thelwell, said: 'Our criteria for our next coach were clear: we wanted a coach who will excel in terms of how we want to play, improve our culture, develop our squad, and ultimately win matches. Russell was the standout candidate.'
STV News
40 minutes ago
- STV News
'We need to win early': Russell Martin sets out plan for Rangers
Rangers' new head coach Russell Martin accepts his side will have to deliver results early in his time in charge, even as he looks to impose his style of play on a revamped squad. Martin was appointed on a three-year deal as the Ibrox club unveiled the permanent successor to Philippe Clement, and the first head coach under the new regime at Rangers following the American consortium's takeover. The former MK Dons, Swansea and Southampton manager has been tasked with turning around the team's fortunes and delivering domestic success as well as progress in Europe. In what's going to be a busy summer, the new head coach will be trying to communicate his ideas to the players, as well as welcoming new faces, with his first competitive game in charge being a crucial Champions League qualifier on July 22/23. Martin says the team needs to be delivering results from the start even as he works to improve. And with his own appointment being met with negativity from some of the Rangers support, he says winning from the start will help bring everyone together. 'I can't wait to get time on the training pitch on the players, but in terms of that, we need to win early and we need to find a way to win whilst we are developing,' Martin said. 'I think it's really important. We had to do that at Southampton and we had to win in amongst a lot of change. 'Winning helps you convince people: players, staff, supporters. 'So I can't say it'll take two years to build something, it's not like why we're here. 'I want us to keep improving and developing. The end product might not click completely overnight but we have to find a way of winning while building that and developing that. 'It's a challenge we accepted at the Saints and we will do that here as well.' Addressing the scepticism and lack of enthusiasm about his appointment from some fans, Martin was confident he could win them around. 'I have to be,' he said. 'I have a lot to prove but I have done my whole career. 'My whole career has been based on proving people wrong, really. 'At every level, I got questioned. I got to the Premier League as a player and I wasn't convinced I could do it but managed to establish myself there and played four or five seasons. Played international football and I'm incredibly proud of that. 'It's the same as a manager and I've had to prove people wrong at every opportunity. 'There's always some names in football management that are more exciting than others, of course. 'But I feel after five-and-a-half years of being a manager, a coach and a leader in that environment, I love doing it. And I'm going to be all-in here with my energy and love for it and passion. 'Hopefully that will be reflected on the pitch and people will see that and at some point enjoy it. Ultimately I just want to win and if we're winning, they will be happy.' Asked if he could put together a title-winning team this summer, the new head coach refused to make promises but believes he can deliver real improvement. He said: 'I think we're confident we can have a team that's better, gets more points, wins more games and really competes to win trophies.' But his ultimate aim is clear and he says the focus will be on his side, how they play, and what they want to achieve. 'It's to win trophies,' Martin said. 'It's to build a culture that we are proud, that we can feel, and the ownership feel when they come into the building. 'An environment of hard work, honesty and openness inside and outside of the building and to see a team that doesn't look different every week and is always trying to improve and develop in our own way and not focused on the opposition too much, or what other people are doing. 'We're going to do it in our way and we'll all be on the same page.' The 39-year-old shared his delight at being appointed as head coach, having come out on top after a long recruitment process that had seen former Real Madrid coach Davide Ancelotti under serious consideration, and other names including former Rangers manager Steven Gerrard in the frame. 'It's an incredible feeling,' Martin said. 'Firstly, I'm really grateful to everyone for their trust and faith in me. 'It's been a really tough and rigorous process. It's taken some time, but that's what you expect when you want to be a manager of this football club, to put the club of this stature in size and expectation. 'So I'm delighted it's ended up with me being in this chair, and I'm extremely grateful for that as well. And now I'm just desperate to get started and excited about what's to come and what we can really get building here.' Martin revealed that he had received other offers and opportunities since leaving Southampton last year but that the Rangers job had an appeal that other positions didn't. And he admitted that after a disappointing short loan spell as a player at Ibrox, he felt he had unfinished business in Glasgow. 'When this one was first suggested, and even with a couple of other opportunities on the horizon in this last few weeks, this was the one I really wanted,' he explained. 'One, because of the expectation and the size of it, what it means to so many people, the opportunity to come here and experience something completely different to anything in football, I think, really. 'That's what I felt when I played here for a really short period. That also comes into my mind, probably when I look back on my career as a player. 'It's the one thing that hurt me a lot was that it didn't go very well here, because I wasn't quite in the right place physically to do as well as I possibly could, and it was a difficult time for the club. 'So also that comes into the equation as well, I have to be really honest. 'I'm desperate to show a different version of myself here than I did previously. 'And just everything, the fresh start, how these guys have been in the process, the owners, it's just really exciting, the whole thing.' Get all the latest news from around the country Follow STV News Scan the QR code on your mobile device for all the latest news from around the country
The Independent
43 minutes ago
- The Independent
England cricket welcomes returning stars for India Test series
Gus Atkinson is out of the first Test against India due to a hamstring injury, leading to Jamie Overton 's recall. Jamie Overton, who played his only Test in June 2022, is a fitness doubt after breaking a finger. Brydon Carse has impressed in shorter formats, while Chris Woakes is expected to play for the England Lions to build his workload. Jacob Bethell 's return from the IPL creates a selection dilemma in the top order, with Duckett, Crawley, and Pope also in contention. The first Test begins on June 20 at Headingley; Shubman Gill captains India following Rohit Sharma 's retirement, and Virat Kohli has stepped away from red-ball cricket.
