Larne's Euro odyssey no flash in the pan for Irish League sides, insists defensive ace
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Scotsman
16 minutes ago
- Scotsman
'Use fire in belly the right way' - Luke Donald's Ryder Cup message to Bob MacIntyre
Ryder Cup captain reacts to Scot gesturing to American fan during PGA Tour event Sign up to our daily newsletter – Regular news stories and round-ups from around Scotland direct to your inbox 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... Luke Donald, the European captain, is aiming to get Bob MacIntyre using the fire in his belly in the 'right way' in next month's Ryder Cup at Bethpage Black in New York. During last week's BMW Championship, one of the PGA Tour's FedEx Cup Play-Off events, MacIntyre gestured to someone in the crowd after getting stick as he played in the same group as American Scottie Scheffler. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Bob MacIntyre gestures to someone in the crowd during the third round of the BMW Championship at Caves Valley Golf Club in Owings Mills, Maryland | Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images After holing a putt at the 14th in the third round at Caves Valley in Maryland, the Oban man put a finger to his lips to silence the heckler before pointing in the direction of the culprit with his putter. 'If you give me crap, I'll give you crap back,' said MacIntyre when asked about the incident at the end of the round. 'If they do it outside the shot, it's fair game, but don't do it within the shot that's going to affect myself or Scottie.' On the back of his runner-up finish in the $20 million event, MacIntyre secured one of the automatic spots in the European team that will be defending the Ryder Cup on Long Island on 26-28 September. Speaking at a press conference on the eve of the Betfred British Masters hosted by Sir Nick Faldo at The Belfry, Donald was asked about MacIntyre interacting with the fan last weekend. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad 'I'm going to have obviously all those conversations once the team is set, and I've had conversations with certain players already to just kind of mentally get ready for that cauldron, that atmosphere,' said the Englishman. 'That's something I've been thinking about since day one of the captaincy. That is going to be a major feat how we react to the crowds, and certainly less is more.' Bob MacIntyre was furious after being heckled by a fan during last week's PGA Tour FedEx Cup Play-Off event in Maryland | Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images It was suggested to Donald that MacIntyre having 'fire in his belly' could only be a positive thing as the Europeans bid to land a first win on US soil in the biennial event since the 'Miracle at Medinah' in 2012. 'Just using it the right way,' he said, smiling, in reply to that. MacIntyre was unbeaten in three games on his debut in Rome two years ago, teaming up with Justin Rose to pick up one-and-a-half points from two fourball matches before beating Wyndham Clark, the US Open champion at the time, in the last-day singles. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad 'Yeah, absolutely,' said Donald of how MacIntyre being retained for the second-day fourballs after being carried by Rose on the first day had probably helped him grow in stature as a player over the past two years. 'I think sometimes you see players that play in the Ryder Cup and they are not really ready and it probably has a negative effect on them. I think Bob took a little time to get into it Friday and Saturday. 'He was one of weakest statistically in Rome but is now one of strongest' 'But it helped him adjust and he really grew in confidence with that relationship and held his own on Sunday. For a rookie to get two-and-a-half points was pretty stout. 'I think it just gave him the confidence to know that even though he maybe didn't quite have his best that week he can still compete, and he's gone on to win the Canadian Open and Scottish Open. He's a top, top player. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad 'You look at his stats, out of the 12 guys, statistically in Rome he was one of the weakest, and now he is one of the strongest. He has improved by leaps and bounds.
Daily Record
16 minutes ago
- Daily Record
Kenan Bilalovic could see Aberdeen wildcard door open as Shayden Morris faces Europa League deadline sweat
Thelin has until tonight to make a late change to his squad and Bilalovic could be a late addition Aberdeen boss Jimmy Thelin has a decision to make over Shayden Morris ahead of tonight's Europa League play-off deadline. The winger is struggling with a knock and the Dons manager has to make a call as to whether he will be fit enough for tomorrow's Pittodrie clash with FCSB or next week's trip to Bucharest. If Morris doesn't make it then Thelin can replace him with a wildcard, which is likely to open the door for new signing Kenan Bilalovic Thelin confirmed: 'He (Shayden) has a knock, so let's see if he's full capacity, but maybe still we use him for some minutes and then for the second leg or maybe we use this opportunity to rebalance the squad before the deadline tonight. 'We also have to bear in mind we have two games, so let's see how we decide to do with the last bit of the team. 'Let's see, we have this window to 11 o'clock tonight and how we manage the squad into the last minute, so maybe we use that or maybe we don't.' Fellow new boy Marko Lazetic is more unlikely to come in until the group stages because he is still catching up with his fitness work. Thelin confirmed: 'I think Marko maybe needs some weeks to get fully ready and to compete. 'So we don't do anything stupid there because he just arrived and maybe needs some more training with the teams before he's ready to compete. 'We also want to cause any future problems. He looks good, but we need to wait maybe one, two weeks.' Defender Mats Knoester is back fit and available. Thelin has made it clear that it is all about the Europa League for the Dons. They have the safety net of dropping into the group stages of the Conference League if they lose but their boss wants to remain in Europe's second club competition. He confirmed: 'I think always when you compete you want to be in the best level you can be, so our target is Europa League and that's what we focus on and if you don't think about safety nets or these kinds of things. 'You always want to be in the highest competition and prepare yourself for that one.' Thelin has already identified weakness in the Romanian champions that he believes Aberdeen can exploit. The Swede added:'I think always you have to focus on your own performance and how the game plan is, but also, of course, be aware of their strengths and weaknesses. 'As always, every team has strengths and weaknesses. 'I look forward to the game, and they have some good ideas in their team, but also weaknesses. 'We have to be clear on this and how we attack them. 'So I think it's going to be an exciting two games, but we start at home and look forward to that game.' He is also hoping the Red Army can play their part in giving Aberdeen a first-leg lead. Thelin confirmed: 'We look forward a lot, I know I haven't played any play-offs here before, but I have heard about the atmosphere at Pittodrie. 'There aren't many tickets left for these European nights. 'It's going to be really exciting to win this game, we look forward to the game. We're done with all the preparations and look forward to the game.'
Daily Mirror
an hour ago
- Daily Mirror
Tottenham still face Eberechi Eze wait even though transfer agreement is now 'close'
Tottenham are still working on a deal to sign Eberechi Eze from Crystal Palace and their pursuit could now be aided with their Premier League rivals closing in on a replacement Tottenham and Crystal Palace have still not yet reached an agreement over a transfer fee for Eberechi Eze, who is now likely to feature in the Eagles' opening Europa Conference League fixture on Thursday. Spurs and Palace have been in talks over a deal for Eze, 27, this week with the former stepping up their efforts to land the attacking midfielder after discovering that the injured James Maddison is set for a lengthy spell on the sidelines. However, the two clubs have so far been unable to agree on a payment structure for a proposed £60million deal. Talks are expected to continue over the coming days with Eze keen on the idea of moving across London. But with no agreement in place, the former QPR man is now poised to start in Palace's Europa Conference League play-off first leg against Fredrikstad on Thursday. Oliver Glasner, Crystal Palace's head coach, confirmed as much on Wednesday when he revealed that Eze and Marc Guehi - a target for Liverpool - remain committed to the cause despite interest from elsewhere. "Most of you will be surprised that they will start again tomorrow because of all the rumours," Glasner said in a press conference. "But they are committed here and they will play a crucial part." While Eze is likely to be on the pitch for the start of Crystal Palace's maiden European campaign, it seems likely that the club and Tottenham will reach an agreement for his transfer before September 1. Encouragingly for Tottenham, though, Palace have made progress in their pursuit of a player who could help fill the sizeable void Eze would leave. Bilal El Khannouss of Leicester is one of the targets Palace have identified amid interest in Eze and Sky Sports claim that the FA Cup winners are now 'close' to agreeing a deal worth £32million for the attacking midfielder. El Khannouss, 21, is among a number of options Palace are weighing up during the final two weeks of the transfer window. They also hold an interest in Christos Tzolis of Club Brugge, though it now seems that a deal for El Khannouss is more advanced. The Morocco star contributed two goals and three assists in 32 Premier League appearances for Leicester last season as they were relegated from the top-flight.
