Rangers' Oscar Cortes & Danilo must do more, says Barry Ferguson
Rangers manager Barry Ferguson says Oscar Cortes and Danilo need to do more to get more first team minutes. (Herald - subscription required), external
Ex-Ibrox forward Peter Lovenkrands would not expect Rangers' prospective new owners to spend big straight away, should they complete their expected takeover this summer. (Record), external
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Daily Record
33 minutes ago
- Daily Record
Neil Lennon challenges Rangers, Hearts, Hibs and Aberdeen to raise standards after 'drop off' in quality
Lennon reckons the football - outwith his old club Celtic - is not as exciting as it used to be and hopes to see an improvement in the coming season Neil Lennon says it's time the chasing pack in the Scottish Premiership raised their game. The Dunfermline boss reckons there's been a marked drop in quality outwith Celtic in recent seasons - and the football isn't as exciting as it once was. Rangers and Hearts have been boosted with fresh investment and new management ahead of the new campaign as they look to mount a challenge for silverware. Scottish Cup winners Aberdeen can also look forward to another Euro windfall after clinching guaranteed group stage football while Hibs have welcomed the input of Bill Foley's Black Knights for the past year. Now Lennon, whose Pars side have also benefited from a cash injection from new owners, hopes the positive vibes in boardrooms at our top clubs can be reflected on the park too. Russell Martin and Derek McInnes are set to bring in new eras at Rangers and Hearts and Lennon reckons the challenge is there for them and others to lift their levels. Asked if the fresh investment in the game is exciting, he said: 'I hope so. I've not been overly impressed with the levels in the last couple of years. 'So I'm hoping there's going to be an improvement in the consistency of performance and quality from the teams. 'Not just domestically, but in Europe as well. I think there's been a drop-off. I don't know if it's over-coaching or over-analysis. It's not just in Scottish football. 'It's just a view I have of the game overall. I don't think it's as good as it was maybe a decade ago. Not as exciting or teams aren't as consistent as they used to be. 'I'll give an example. My first year back in the Premiership at Hibs we got 67 points and finished fourth. I don't know what fourth place got you this year, 53. 'Take Celtic out the equation and for the rest of the teams, the big clubs, I'm thinking there has to be more consistency there to give the other teams a bloody nose. 'Is outside investment what's been needed? I don't know. We've had outside investment before.' Analytics is the buzzword across Scottish football these days with Hearts benefiting from Brighton owner Tony Bloom's Jamestown tool and Hibs well down the road using Foley's Black Knights model. It's coming into play at Dunfermline too under new owners James Bord and Evan Sofer. Bord is a former poker champion who founded the sports data company Short Circuit Science. The US-based businessman even spent time working for Hearts' new investor Bloom earlier in his career. Jeremiah Chilokoa-Mullen, Connor Young and Tashan Oakley-Boothe have already been signed with the help of analytics. And Lennon admits it's about who does data best. He said: 'Yeah, probably. Brighton are the classic example, Brentford as well. The improvement in those two clubs has been fantastic and their recruitment is fantastic. 'It's all about that, it is 80 percent of my job, that will help me bring success to the football club. It's not set in stone, if I like a player and say I think we should go for him then he (Bord) would have no qualms about doing that. 'But he does bring a different variation on how you recruit a player, what to look at. You need the evidence and already with Mullen, with Young and with Oakley-Boothe we are seeing evidence that can be successful. 'Management is a really different now. A lot of clubs have a structure where if the appointment of a head coach doesn't work out they take him out and put someone else in but the structure remains. 'That was not the case when I started managing 15 years ago. A lot of clubs have that template. We don't as yet but I think it is something James wants to bring to the club.'
The National
41 minutes ago
- The National
Iceland keeper tells Scotland rookie how to bounce back from errors
The 22-year-old wasn't even meant to be number two to Angus Gunn, but Robby McCrorie's warm-up knock, combined with Gunn's injury six minutes in against Iceland, meant the rookie was thrust in for his senior international bow. And it is difficult to think of many other Scotland debuts that have gone worse. Read more: Seconds after coming on, Slicker gave the ball away while playing out from the back. It eventually came to Andri Gudjohnsen, who curved it into the top corner for Iceland's opener. The stopper then could, and probably should, have done better for the visitors' second and third goals. Elias Olafsson, who watched his fellow keeper's nightmarish evening from between the Iceland sticks, couldn't hide his solace. "It's always tough, especially when you come into the game cold off the bench," he said. "Then, when you come in and make some mistakes, it's hard to get back into the game. I feel empathy for him. "It's not the preparation you want for your debut, to not know you're coming in this early in the game as well. It's difficult. To come into the game and know you're going to play, that's 100% the best thing, in my opinion. It's just about now to go to the hotel, forget about this and move on. "It's not going to be the most fun of nights, but it's about keeping your head up. That's how it is. People see the mistakes. You have to be strong mentally for that. Of course, you hope you make them in training, not in the games. But you can't always. It was not his day today. That's how it is. It was a hard game to come into. I feel it's hard making any debut, coming in when you don't expect to come in. That's how it is when you're a goalkeeper. It's a lonely position, it really is. You can either be a hero or nothing." Friday marked Olafsson's seventh appearance for his country. He plays his football for Danish top-flight outfit FC Midtjylland, and has done so since 2018. Prior to his Hampden visit, the 25-year-old had only won two games when starting for Iceland, both of which came against Liechtenstein, the nation currently ranked 204th in the world by FIFA. The rarity of a victory, therefore, made his trip to Glasgow's southside all the sweeter, even though he expected more from Scotland. "It's a really big one [win], especially with the new things we're trying to build. It worked out pretty well. Apart from the last 20 minutes, where we fell back a little bit trying to keep the ball a little bit, it went well. "It was really nice to play in front of the Scottish fans as well. It was a nice experience. Coming into the game, I felt like we were going to be under more pressure. I think we handled it well, their pressure. We could play out of it. It's nice to be a part of a win and feel like you brought something to the team. It's a fantastic feeling." Part of Olafsson's sympathy for Slicker comes from the fact that he himself once made a high-profile error, albeit not for his country. When Midtjylland travelled to face FCSB in Europa League action last season, he gave the ball straight to the feet of Daniel Birligea almost immediately after the second-half restart. His team lost the game 2-0, yet that's life as a goalkeeper. "I had one [error] in a Europa League game. It's a pretty big mistake from kick-off, but that's how it is. You just have to be honest. It's a mistake by you. 'You just have to be honest and forget about it. It's a part of the game. When we make mistakes, it's very obvious — it leads to a goal. It's a bit of a different position to the outfield players." Next up for Iceland after their eye-catching Scotland victory is another friendly, this time across the water against Northern Ireland in Belfast. Azerbaijan, France and Ukraine then stand in their way of making it to what would only be a second World Cup next year. While an arduous qualifying campaign lies ahead, Olafsson relishes the international scene and the refreshing dynamic it provides in comparison to club football. "It's a different game. It's a little bit like European football. If you make mistakes, you get it in the face. It's a different kind of football from the club level." Slicker will undoubtedly have been down in the dumps after Friday. He had only played one senior match in the entirety of the recent 2024/25 campaign, and it showed. The stopper didn't look sharp, yet going forward, things can surely only improve. His teammates will rally around him, even if Olafsson didn't get the chance to express his sympathy in person. "No," he replied when asked if he spoke to Slicker post-match. "Unfortunately, I was too high. It's a big night for me as well. It's a nice feeling." Scotland travel to Liechtenstein on Monday for the final game before their World Cup qualification quest commences. Whether Clarke will rotate his team after the Iceland loss remains to be seen, although one thing is for sure: victory is a must, or the mood music surrounding the national team will enter into a state of crisis, if it isn't already.
Scottish Sun
42 minutes ago
- Scottish Sun
Russell Martin wants to reunite with Southampton star at Rangers as boss eyes swoop – with EPL left-back also interested
The manager was quizzed on James Tavernier's future FLYING FLYNN Russell Martin wants to reunite with Southampton star at Rangers as boss eyes swoop – with EPL left-back also interested NEW Rangers boss Russell Martin wants to raid old club Southampton for highly-rated Flynn Downes. But he could be priced out of a move, with relegated Saints demanding at least £10million for the classy playmaker. Advertisement 3 The clock is already ticking for Russell Martin to get his transfer business done Credit: Willie Vass 3 Flynn Downes is on his radar Credit: Getty Martin took Downes to St Mary's from West Ham, having also managed him at Swansea. The 26-year-old could fancy a crack at the Premiership instead of a return to England's second tier with Saints. But Martin will get no favours from his old club over the fee. He will be busy in the transfer market after being handed £20m to overhaul the squad. Advertisement Left-back Harry Toffolo is set to quit Nottingham Forest and is interested in a switch to Ibrox after playing only a handful of games late last season. Martin will inherit Jefte and Ridvan Yilmaz as left-backs, but the Turk has been heavily linked with a return home. Veteran Leicester City defender Conor Coady is also on Gers' radar. Meanwhile, Gers boss Martin insists he has no plans to strip James Tavernier of the Rangers captaincy. Advertisement He said: 'He's been the captain for a very long time. If he's playing, I don't see any reason to change that. And if he's not playing, it will force someone else. 'First and foremost, I want to speak to him to explain to me and have a discussion about the last two years, his thoughts on the team. SunSport reporters clash over Russell Martin as he's revealed as new Rangers boss 'His thoughts on what we're going to bring and how the players will feel about that. 'To play here as long as he has, to be captain as long as he has, takes a lot of energy. It's not easy. Advertisement 'I've been at a club where sometimes the one that's been there longest ends up getting criticised a lot because you've been there the longest. 'Then how much he gets used on the pitch will be down to Tav and how he trains and how he plays, the same as every player. 'But he's going to be hugely important in the culture here. 3 Advertisement 'I know what he's like as a person behind the scenes and he's fantastic. 'He was when I played with him and hopefully it hasn't beaten him up too much. It doesn't seem like it has. 'He still seems like he plays with a big smile and a lot of enthusiasm. 'It does carry a big weight to be captain of a club this size. He's done it incredibly well. Advertisement 'How much he plays on the pitch, I can't sit here and tell you he's going to play 50 games, 20 games, whatever. 'It will be down to him in the way he performs and the way he buys into it, which I'm pretty sure he will.' Keep up to date with ALL the latest news and transfers at the Scottish Sun football page
