Saints have 'nothing to lose'
Barry Douglas, 35, says St Johnstone are adopting a "nothing to lose" attitude in their fight against relegation. (Courier - subscription required), externalRead Saturday's Scottish gossip
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Scottish Sun
6 hours ago
- Scottish Sun
WIN a FREE pair of tickets to the Scottish Open to see Rory McIlroy, Scottie Schefflier and Robert MacIntyre in action
How well do you know your golf? HOLE IN ONE WIN a FREE pair of tickets to the Scottish Open to see Rory McIlroy, Scottie Schefflier and Robert MacIntyre in action THE best golfers in the world return to Scotland for the Genesis Scottish Open, and The Scottish Sun has partnered with premium car brand Genesis to offer golf fans the opportunity to win tickets to this year's tournament at The Renaissance Club from 10-13 July. Reigning champion, and Scottish number one, Robert MacIntyre, will be joined by a world-class field including Rory McIlroy and Scottie Scheffler. Sign up for Scottish Sun newsletter Sign up 3 Reigning Scottish Open champion Bob MacIntyre and the Genesis GV70 3 Rory McIlroy won the title back in 2023 and is this year's Masters champion Credit: PA 3 Scottie Scheffler is returning to North Berwick this summer too Credit: Getty The first player to score a hole in one on the 17th hole during the tournament will win an Electrified GV70, a dynamic and versatile premium SUV, for himself, and a GV60 for his caddie, and will follow in the footsteps of Jordan Smith who aced the 17th during the second-round in 2022. Since the brand's inception in 2015, Genesis has been a strong supporter of golf, having sponsored tournaments both globally and in Korea. This 'Audacious Commitment' to the sport stems from the shared ideals of respect, integrity and excellence and has served as the foundation of the brand's global golf platform. The Genesis Scottish Open is co-sanctioned by the DP World Tour and PGA Tour, counting on both the Race to Dubai Rankings and the FedExCup. Globally, Genesis is also the title-sponsor of The Genesis Invitational at Torrey Pines on the PGA TOUR and the Genesis Championship tournament in Korea on the DP World Tour. The Scottish Sun have teamed up with the Scottish Open to offer five lucky winners the chance to win a FREE pair of tickets. If you would like to be in with a chance of winning all you have to do is answer the following question: Reigning champion Robert MacIntyre was born in which Scottish town? HOW TO ENTER Email your answer, name, address and daytime contact number to win@ Please put "GENESIS SCOTTISH OPEN" in the email subject header. Competition closes at Midnight 29 June, 2025. UK residents only, excluding any Genesis Scottish Open or Scottish Sun employees and their families or anyone professionally connected with this promotion. One entry per person. Five winners each receiving a pair of tickets to attend the Genesis Scottish Open at The Renaissance Club running on 10-13 July. Tickets must be accepted as offered and are not transferable and not refundable. No cash alternative will be offered. Entrants must be aged 18 or over. The Scottish Sun are under no liability whatsoever in connection with any loss, damage or injury which is suffered as a direct or indirect result of the prize . Usual Scottish Sun rules apply. Editor's decision is final. Keep up to date with ALL the latest news and transfers at the Scottish Sun football page
Scotsman
7 hours ago
- Scotsman
New Hearts signings join a 'huge operation'
Derek McInnes is preparing for season 2025/26 in the Scottish Premiership Sign up to our Hearts newsletter Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to Edinburgh News, 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... Six new signings so far with more to come. It has been a busy and productive summer transfer window at Hearts, who depart for a week-long pre-season training camp in Spain on Saturday. Head coach Derek McInnes has welcomed recruits from across Europe, with various new accents heard echoing along Riccarton's corridors. Importantly, they all speak English and are being integrated into Edinburgh life as part of Hearts' operation. That operation is a sizeable one, McInnes noted. He is still familiarising himself with new work colleagues a month after leaving Kilmarnock. He will take 28 players to Spain and all six new signings are due to travel - Norwegian right-back Christian Borchgrevink, Greek winger Alexandros Kyziridis, Belgian striker Elton Kabangu, Irish midfielder Oisin McEntee, Portuguese striker Claudio Braga and Scottish centre-back Stuart Findlay. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Kazakhstan international winger Islam Chesnokov has agreed a pre-contract with Hearts and the Edinburgh club would like to sign him in a permanent transfer before the summer window closes. There may be one or two additional signings thereafter, but that could depend on which players leave. McInnes took charge of a 31-man first-team squad at the start of pre-season, including the new arrivals. 'Everyone has settled in well, they all speak good English and are interacting brilliantly,' said the manager. 'The communication is vital, especially in key positions on the pitch. From a recruitment perspective, it's something we spoke about and from a Hearts point of view it's something we wanted to be a key part of it with the players we signed from outside the UK. 'Footballers are footballers, they're normally good lads who enjoy being about their team-mates. They set about their training with enthusiasm and vigour. Each and every one of them has brought something different. Like every dressing-room, some are brighter and bubblier than others but everyone has settled well. Banking and housing for new signings as the Scottish football season 2025/26 nears 'The club has been brilliant helping them settle, helping them with their accommodation, bank accounts, helping them with their families and that sort of stuff. It's a time where players have to be really selfish and focused on getting fit. They have to be single-minded but the club is great at taking care of the other stuff. We are just accelerating their work, putting demands on them, so that integration is essential.' Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Hearts' expansion in recent years involves greater staff numbers at Riccarton, but McInnes is aware of the club's ultimate priority. 'This club is a big operation,' he added. 'We are part of it here at Oriam. There's the women's team, there's the academy, there's under-18s, there's the B team, it's a huge organisation. Everyone's job is better at Hearts, everyone's life is easier if the first team is winning so we need to make sure we get a winning team on the pitch. I am not surprised by the stature of Hearts, it's what I expected.'
Glasgow Times
8 hours ago
- Glasgow Times
Celtic should fear Hearts more than Rangers with Tony Bloom on board
Chairperson Ann Budge expressed hope the gap between her home town heroes and the two biggest clubs in the country could be reduced if a smart strategy was put in place and some shrewd signings made after Bidco 1874 had assumed control in 2014 and the calamitous reign of Vladimir Romanov finally brought to end. A few years later, Stuart Wallace, the then chairman of the Foundation of Hearts fan ownership group, echoed her sentiments. 'We split the Old Firm in 1998 and that's the next step,' he said. 'Can we split them again? There is a next level and the job of the foundation is to help us find it.' Alas, since Wallace's bold pronouncement the Gorgie outfit have finished fifth, sixth, sixth, twelfth, third, fourth, third and seventh in the top flight. Several semi-finals and finals have been reached, but no major silverware has been lifted. Realising their vast potential, never mind punching above their weight, has often proved problematic for a variety of reasons. Read more: Poor recruitment, bad managerial appointments, the Covid-19 pandemic and draining European campaigns have all impacted on their domestic efforts. An extraordinarily hard-to-please fanbase has not exactly been slow to voice its displeasure when standards on the park have fallen short of what has been expected either. So it was maybe no great surprise when seasoned observers of the game in this country were unperturbed when Tony Bloom pledged to try and 'disrupt the pattern of domination of Scottish football which has been in place for far too long' when his £9.86m investment in Hearts was completed earlier this week. They have heard it all before and such fighting talk has never amounted to very much. But there are reasons why things may be different this time around with Bloom, the professional gambler, poker player and entrepreneur who has received a 29 per cent stake in non-voting shares in the Tynecastle club in return for his welcome cash injection, involved. He has, to borrow a phrase made infamous by former manager Craig Levein following an Edinburgh derby win over Hibernian at Tynecastle in 2018, upset the 'natural order' before elsewhere on more than one occasion. It is 65 years now since Hearts lifted the Scottish title for the fourth time in their history. It is four decades since a club other than Celtic or Rangers were crowned champions. But back in May the Royal Union Saint-Gilloise side which the Englishman had revitalised after becoming their majority shareholder in 2018 won the Pro League in Belgium for the first time in no fewer than 90 years. (Image: Steven Paston) RUSG, as they are known for short, have a smaller transfer budget, player wage bill and average home attendance than those of Anderlecht, Club Brugge and Standard Liege, or The Big Three. Genk, Gent and Royal Antwerp should also by rights be finishing above them given their economic advantages. But the data-led approach to player recruitment that Bloom instigated when he first got involved has transformed the unfashionable Brussels club into the dominant force in their homeland as well as formidable rivals in European competition. The London-based betting consultancy Starlizard has provided the gen which has underpinned their success. An army of analysts, statisticians and researchers supply information on every facet of the game in an attempt to gain a competitive edge. The decibel levels of the crowd when a particular player is on the ball is even considered when a potential transfer is being weighed up. Bloom reduced his stake when both they and Brighton, where he is majority shareholder and chairman, both qualified for the Europa League two years ago in order to avoid breaching strict UEFA multi-club ownership rules. He has, however, very much been involved in their inexplicable and unexpected rise. The billionaire has, too, worked wonders at his home town team by investing heavily in their infrastructure, fostering a positive environment for staff to work in and prioritising the development of young players. Kieran Maguire, host of the Price of Football podcast and a Seagulls season ticket holder, this week described him as the smartest man he has ever met. Read more: Jamestown Analytics, a company that is closely linked to Starlizard, have been working with Hearts for some time now and it has by no means revived their ailing fortunes. Quite the opposite, in fact, has been the case. They were instrumental in the ill-advised appointment of Neil Critchley as manager. However, it took three years for RUSG to win promotion back to the top flight on his watch, four years to qualify for Europe and seven years to win the title. Progress is never made overnight, a long-term strategic approach which will yield results in due course is always taken. Strong foundations are laid, quick fixes are avoided. Scepticism has been expressed about how Critchley's replacement Derek McInnes will cope with Bloom's way of working since the former St Johnstone, Aberdeen and Kilmarnock man was brought in back in May. Such cynicism does one of the sharpest, most progressive and experienced coaches in the Scottish game a gross disservice. Can Hearts challenge defending champions Celtic and Rangers for the Premiership in the 2025/26 campaign? Probably not. Can they do so in the future? It would be a major surprise if they were able to end the Old Firm duopoly. But the Ibrox and Parkhead hierarchies should look out for The Lizard, as he is known on the professional poker circuit. Only a fool would bet against him achieving his ambitious objective.
