Dundee 1-2 Hibernian: What Gray said
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Daily Record
8 minutes ago
- Daily Record
Jordan Smith relishing Hibs chance at history he thought would never come after elite Euro upbringing
The former Nottingham Forest youngster preparing to face FK partizan as David Gray does things differently Jordan Smith grew up at a club absolutely steeped in European pedigree. Now he's just grateful for the chance to play on the continent himself after thinking his chance had gone. The Hibs keeper has already had his first taste of Euro action, playing both legs of the Hibees Europa League second round qualifier against FC Midtjylland which ended in spectacular yet heartbreaking fashion. Now the Hibees are in Belgrade to take on FK Partizan in the third round of the Conference League qualifiers. The Serbs may be playing second fiddle to bitter city rivals Crvena Zvezda - Red Star Belgrade in old money, who finished on 100 points and 27 clear of Partizan last season - but they remain amongst the more recognisable names of European football. Smith learned his trade as a goalkeeper at twice European Cup winners Nottingham Forest. He might not be about to continue the tradition by lifting a European trophy, but that doesn't mean he can't help Hibs make their own history. 'I grew up as a youngster at Forest, where the older gentlemen around the place spoke with smiles on their faces about the great days when they won two European Cups,' he said. 'Those successes created so many great memories for everyone at that club and that's what we want for Hibs. The gaffer challenges us to make our own history and that's what we've given ourselves the chance to do. 'All the fans who travelled to Denmark with us last time were fantastic, it was special for them and for us. I've seen a few of them since and they're so proud to be following us in Europe again. 'We want to give them a result that makes them even prouder. We want them to come away with memories that get passed down through the years. 'At Forest, the photos and all the other reminders are everywhere, at the stadium and the training ground – and to be honest, it's quite hard to live up to that. As soon as new signings walk in the door, the first thing they show them is the replica of the European Cup. Then there's the two stars on the badge, all that kind of stuff. 'It's something everyone there can be very proud of and I was definitely proud to have worn that crest, to have represented them. I'm so glad they're back at the top level again. 'In all honesty, I thought at 30 my chance of playing in Europe had gone. 'I'd kind of got lost in the English system and spent a long time wondering what my level was going to end up as. 'The gaffer's spoken a lot about Dwight Gayle and what a career he's had, but playing at this level is something he never got to do, so you never take it for granted. 'We actually hoped the chance of European football might have tempted him back, but it didn't quite work. 'For me, though, as a 30-year-old, would I have expected it? No. So it's testament to all of us here that we've earned the right to represent Hibs here. 'I hadn't played first team football for a long time before getting my chance here and there's no doubt that doubts begin to creep in. You have to work hard to maintain confidence in yourself, so I can't sing the gaffer's praises enough for having that confidence, for sticking with me. 'I'd like to think I've repaid his faith with my performance since coming into the team at the end of last October – I'm quite proud of myself, I give myself a little pat on the back, but never forgetting that the attention's always on the next game and being at your best again. 'My game's changed massively since the gaffer brought me in. 'There's no pretending that when I came in the team wasn't in a dark place, so it was all about trying hard not to make mistakes that would make things worse. 'But since then we've been on a great run, so we all feel a bit better about ourselves and it means I can work on helping the defenders in front of me more, taking some of the pressure off them.' Hibs' preparations for their trip to Denmark didn't go to plan as major delays in Edinburgh threw them well off schedule. They still left with a 2-2 draw, but David Gray is taking no chances for the trip to Belgrade and they are doing things differently given the logistics of flying to the Serbian capital. "There is the element of that,' he explained. 'You want your flight to be on time. You want to take off at the right time and land at the right time, but sometimes it doesn't quite work like that. "We had a delay going over to Denmark the last time, and sometimes things are out of your control. That could quite easily happen again. "So if we get the work into the players in the morning, training-wise, we know if something was to happen and we didn't arrive until later on at night, we know we're getting there, having done the work, and the players can get a good night's sleep. If they don't go to the stadium, it's not the end of the world. "At least then everything's geared up and ready. They know exactly what they're going into and they can get ready for the next day, so it's about making sure you do everything you can to mitigate risk. "Denmark was a wee bit different with only being an hour and a bit away so we're playing this one slightly differently. There are challenges you need to throw in there."
Scotsman
8 minutes ago
- Scotsman
Hibs No. 1 grew up on Euro legends at Forest - and can't wait to make own history
Europa Conference League test in Belgrade an opportunity for Easter Road side Sign up to our Hibs football 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... Jordan Smith was raised on tales of European glory. Weaned on the history of a club whose continental exploits remain the stuff of legend. Having waited so long for his first taste of UEFA competition, the 30-year-old goalkeeper is determined to savour every minute of Hibernian's adventure. And to extend the experience for as long as possible. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Smith, who takes no offence at references to his career focusing on the journeyman-like aspects of his travels to date, has come into his own since being dropped into the middle of a full-brown crisis at Easter Road last season. Having shown himself to be a dramatic improvement on Joe Bursik, he's currently seeing off the challenge of new signing Raphael Sallinger. Smith, who actually racked up 50-plus games for Forest before moving on to Barnsley, Mansfield, Huddersfield and Stockport, explained the lure of competing in the Europa Conference League – after being knocked out of the Europa League by Midtjylland – in simple terms. 'I grew up as a youngster at Forest, where the older gentlemen around the place spoke with smiles on their faces about the great days when they won two European Cups,' he said, with a grin. 'Those successes created so many great memories for everyone at that club - and that's what we want for Hibs. The gaffer challenges us to make our own history and that's what we've given ourselves the chance to do. 'All the fans who travelled to Denmark with us last time were fantastic, it was special for them and for us. I've seen a few of them since and they're so proud to be following us in Europe again. We want to give them a result that makes them even prouder. We want them to come away with memories that get passed down through the years. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad 'At Forest, the photos and all the other reminders are everywhere, at the stadium and the training ground – and to be honest, it's quite hard to live up to that. As soon as new signings walk in the door, the first thing they show them is the replica of the European Cup. Then there's the two stars on the badge, all that kind of stuff. 'It's something everyone there can be very proud of, and I was definitely proud to have worn that crest, to have represented them. I'm so glad they're back at the top level again. 'Thought my chance had gone ...' 'In all honesty, I thought at 30 my chance of playing in Europe had gone. I'd kind of got lost in the English system and spent a long time wondering what my level was going to end up as. 'The gaffer's spoken a lot about Dwight Gayle and what a career he's had, but playing at this level is something he never got to do, so you never take it for granted. We actually hoped the chance of European football might have tempted him back, but it didn't quite work! Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad 'For me, though, as a 30-year-old, would I have expected it? No. So it's testament to all of us here that we've earned the right to represent Hibs here.' Smith expects to be put to the test here in Belgrade tonight, with Partizan boasting a young team full of talent. And, of course, the atmosphere is certain to be towards the lively end of uproarious. 'A couple of the boys had a look online at Partizan's games and we know it's going to be a hostile environment,' said the experienced goalie. 'That's one of the great things about Europe, though, the fact that we get to travel to places we wouldn't normally go to, that we get to experience these kinds of atmospheres. 'It'll be different from Midtjylland, that's for sure. But when we were talking at the back end of last season, this is the kind of night it was all about, this is what we were aiming for. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad 'It's another opportunity for to and enjoy that and to try and prove ourselves. You need a strong mindset to thrive in the kind of atmosphere we're expecting to face. You'll definitely get the adrenaline and the nerves, it just depends on how you use them – do you allow them to breed doubt or to fuel the fire. 'For me, there's a real need to concentrate more, something I work on a lot. As I've got older, I've practiced focussing my mind more and more. When you think that Thursday went to extra-time, then you're thinking about the possibility of penalties, then you're having to pick yourself up for a league, then you're back into Europe again, you have to find ways to keep yourself switched on all the time. 'I think that's even more important for a goalkeeper, because while an outfield player might get away with switching off for a split-second and making a mistake, we don't.' Smith still carries the air of a man living some unexpected dream. Signed very much as a back-up to former England Under-21 star Bursik, he deserves enormous credit for taking his chance when it came. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad 'I hadn't played first team football for a long time before getting my chance here and there's no doubt that doubts begin to creep in,' he confessed, adding: 'You have to work hard to maintain confidence in yourself, so I can't sing the gaffer's praises enough for having that confidence, for sticking with me. 'I'd like to think I've repaid his faith with my performance since coming into the team at the end of last October – I'm quite proud of myself, I give myself a little pat on the back, never forgetting that the attention's always on the next game and being at your best again. 'My game's changed massively since the gaffer brought me in. There's no pretending that when I came in the team wasn't in a dark place, so it was all about trying hard not to make mistakes that would make things worse. 'But since then we've been on a great run, so we all feel a bit better about ourselves and it means I can work on helping the defenders in front of me more, taking some of the pressure off them. You're a small part of a big team, someone who just tries to help as best he can. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad 'I've learned a lot about myself these past ten months. In a footballing sense I'm still a student of the game, someone who still watches every frame of footage I can about the opposition. 'And as a person, when I think back to those really testing times, I feel better prepared to deal with the high-pressure moments that lie ahead.'
Times
21 minutes ago
- Times
Darwin Nunez set to leave Liverpool to join Al-Hilal
Darwin Núñez is on the brink of leaving Liverpool after talks over a £46million move to the Saudi Pro League side Al-Hilal. A deal between the clubs is set to be finalised after Núñez indicated he would accept a switch that would bring an end to three fitful years at Anfield. Simone Inzaghi's Al-Hilal and AC Milan had both registered their interest in the Uruguayan, but it is the Saudi club who have pressed ahead with matters. Al-Hilal are at present at a training camp in Germany before their new season and beat TSG Balingen 6-1 in a friendly on Wednesday night. Liverpool expect Núñez will now fly out to undergo a medical and complete the transfer. A three-year contract has been prepared for him. Napoli had been looking to sign Núñez, 26, earlier in the window but Liverpool's asking price was too high for them. The Merseyside club had originally been seeking around the €70million mark (£60.6million), a figure that was rejected following an approach from Al-Nassr at the end of the January window when priority was given to winning the Premier League rather than trimming Arne Slot's squad. However, it is likely that for a deal to be finalised the initial figure will be significantly lower at about €53million. Add-ons would top up the fee. Liverpool paid an initial fee of £64million, that could rise to £85million, for Núñez in the summer of 2022, in a transfer that was pushed by former manager Jürgen Klopp after the player had impressed in two Champions League games for Benfica against the club. Various bonuses were included, but the top-line figure of £85 million would only have been paid if the club had won the Champions League. Despite his popularity in sections of the fan base, Núñez has not proved a reliable asset. There was hope that Slot could bring the best out of the forward when he was appointed last summer, but Núñez scored just seven goals and by the end of the campaign had been pushed onto the periphery of Liverpool's plans. Two of those came away in a late 2-0 win over Brentford back in January which was an important victory in the club's march to the title and, in many respects, summed up why there remained a fondness for him among supporters. The departure of Núñez would continue the overhaul of Slot's squad with Harvey Elliott, who has attracted attention from RB Leipzig, and Federico Chiesa also looking to leave. Luís Diaz, Jarell Quansah, Caoimhin Kelleher, Tyler Morton, Nat Phillips and Trent Alexander-Arnold have already left since the end of last season and a £46million move for Núñez would take player sales to around £190million.
