New Larne recruit on why he's ready to impress after his long road to the top flight
The 22-year-old attacking midfielder joined the Invermen in January along with his H&W Welders team-mate Tiarnan O'Connor and while the striker linked up with the European history makers, Kee remained at the Blanchflower Stadium on loan until the campaign ended.
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Edinburgh Reporter
an hour ago
- Edinburgh Reporter
Darren McGregor focused on European journey with Hibs youngsters
Hibs Under-18 Head Coach Darren McGregor believes that his squad of league champions have the potential to star for the First Team but he will remain focused on an exciting European journey while attempting to retain their league crown. The former Hibs centre-back oversaw an exceptional league campaign which included a 16-game unbeaten run to end the season. 'We're immensely proud,' McGregor told 'I'm obviously helped throughout the season by Boozy (Guillaume Beuzelin), Gareth (Evans), Big Scotty (Ross), all the backroom team, the sports scientists who keep people fit. 'To win any league, whether it's a youth or professional league, it takes consistency and diligence throughout the season. It takes looking after your body and doing all the things you need to do right, and I think the lads have done that. 'In football you're measured by what you win, whether that's right or wrong in academy football, but I think winning is developing the lads as well. I'm very conscious this is one step before the First Team, so getting them into good habits is basically my job. 'I'm just really proud of them for the start of the season to where they are now. Each individual, I think, in my eyes has definitely progressed and got better, so that's the main aim of the academy is to make players better and if I can get them winning games of football and winning leagues as well then that's even better.' Starting off at Cowdenbeath and playing junior football with Arniston Rangers before making his first topflight appearance with St Mirren aged 25, the 39-year-old is able to bring a different view to academy football when it comes to discipline, drive and consistency. 'All the lads are talented in their own right, that's why they're at Hibs, they're in a professional academy and a lot of them have been there for many years, so they have the talent, but obviously talent alone will get you so far. 'To actually walk through the (First Team) door and stay in there, you need a really good work ethic and you need to be consistent and you need to deal with adversity and you need to deal with obstacles in the right manner and overcome them. 'I've had quite a mixed career in terms of how I managed to get into professional football and it's a lot different for these lads, so I'm just trying to use my experiences, along with others, to help everybody else become the best versions of themselves. 'I can remember our last (UEFA Youth League appearance), in many ways we exceeded expectations in getting to the third round. I remember every game, it was such a great experience for the 2004 group. 'I think Dean (Cleland) and others were amongst the squad a couple of times, so a couple in the squad have had a tiny taste of it. It's such a great experience and it's tremendous to play in Europe at such a young age. The lads fully deserve it. It's going to be hard and a challenge, but we look forward to it. 'I believe we've got a really, really strong group. I think these lads can go up against anybody to be honest, so it will be a great experience and, obviously, if we can win and get through to the next rounds then even better.' McGregor is excited by the season ahead: 'As coaches you want to get the lads in, you want to come up with a programme to develop the players, because for a lot of them this will be what they've dreamt of since we came into the academy. 'We've got a good batch of new intakes, so that's in a sense a wee bit of a dream come true for a lot of these lads, so we just need to make sure that we instill the character traits that we think are required to become a professional football player. A lot of the players have got them, but we just need to polish them up and make them even better.' Like this: Like Related
Daily Mirror
an hour ago
- Daily Mirror
‘Ruben Amorim backed himself into a corner - but can make Man Utd mistake right'
Ruben Amorim was appointed as Manchester United manager in November, but has struggled since, with the club finishing 15th in the Premier League and losing the Europa League final Former Manchester United coach Rene Meulensteen has slammed Ruben Amorim for his unwavering commitment to his favoured 3-4-3 formation, despite results not going United's way since he took over at Old Trafford. After taking the reins in November, following an impressive stint at Sporting CP, Amorim struggled to hit the ground running with the Red Devils. He ultimately steered them to a 15th place finish in the league and defeat to Tottenham Hotspur in the Europa League final. Amorim, 40, managed a meagre seven wins out of 27 league games and subsequently missed out on European football qualification. Now, his relentless use of his preferred system has drawn criticism from Meulensteen. 'I find it, in my personal opinion, a bit short-sighted in that respect,' Meulensteen said on the High Performance podcast. 'I think if he worded it differently from the start, he would not have got hunted by it every single day because constantly the media will come back to him. 'You're losing again today, is it because of the system?' "I think he should have said, 'Listen, I prefer a 3-4-3 system. I had a lot of success with it. I know it can work. I'm going to try to make it work at Manchester United. However, I need to have a look at the squad first. I need to look at how I can best use the players and utilise their strengths because that's what you need to do. And I need to get to know the Premier League and the opponents and everything.' "There's so many variables that have an effect on whether that system is going to work or not," Meulensteen continued. "So if he would have done that, he would have been more flexible in getting to grips with the size of the task anyway, never mind losing or winning games. Now, when you win games, things become easier, because you can get your message across easier." Meulensteen, who worked under Sir Alex Ferguson for the last six years of the Scotsman's reign, fears that Amorim's determination to stick to his principles could prove to be an error. However, he has argued that it is not too late for Amorim to change his ways, as per the Manchester Evening News. "It is hard to say what kind of advice you would give him, because if he diverts from that, he sees it as a weakness," Meulensteen added. "So that's why he's been, maybe, stubborn and stuck to it . 'I'm going to make it work, no matter what.' "I don't think it would be a sign of weakness. He comes across a lot of times as very, very honest. Why couldn't you say, 'Listen I know I've said this. However, the experiences I've had over the last few months make me rethink and review. I genuinely believe that it is in the best interests of all of us–the team, the squad–-that I tweak a few things.' "He has tweaked a few things, when he's played Garnacho in that number eight role on the left-hand side. He gave him the leeway to go to the wide areas because that's where Garnacho's strength is, and then run at people and come inside. "I also do think that you never should stick yourself to one particular system, because a system is nothing else than a framework. How you're going to start the game. The moment the whistle goes, a 4-4-2 flows into a 4-3-3, a 2-4-4, however the game pans out. So that is not the most important thing." Regardless of whether Amorim makes a tactical switch or not, United are facing a crucial summer transfer window as they gear up for next season without the prospect of European football. The club have already signed Matheus Cunha from Wolves and are targeting Brentford forward Bryan Mbeumo.
Daily Mirror
3 hours ago
- Daily Mirror
FIFA Club World Cup supercomputer predicts unlikely winner to scoop £97m prize
Manchester City, Real Madrid and PSG are among the favourites to claim the newly revamped Club World Cup but one of their fellow European sides has been tipped to land the trophy A supercomputer has claimed that Benfica will stun Manchester City in the final of FIFA's Club World Cup and secure a surprise triumph this summer. A host of the world's elite clubs will head to the United States for the newly expanded tournament, which has an impressive list of previous winners. Benfica have been tipped to land the award despite not even winning their league this year, nor have they made the semi-finals in the Champions League era. The Portuguese club find themselves in Group C with Boca Juniors, Bayern Munich and Auckland City. Pep Guardiola's side meanwhile, who won the Club World Cup after they claimed Champions League glory in 2023, claim several scalps en route to the final. However they come up short despite beating Real Madrid, who now have Trent Alexander-Arnold in their ranks, and recently beaten finalists Inter Milan. Lionel Messi 's Inter Miami, one of the tournament's biggest draws, will suffer an early exit in the group stages of the tournament, finishing rock bottom in Group A which also contained Al Ahly, Porto and Palmeiras. The latter turn out to be the best performing South American side, making it to the quarter-finals before they narrowly lose to Bayern. One of the major casualties of the tournament is the new European champions PSG. Despite their stellar season Luis Enrique's side fail to even make the last eight. They've been put into a group with Botafogo, Atletico Madrid and the Seattle Sounders. Chelsea, the other representative from England, make the last 16 but that is where their journey ends. They're in a group with Flamengo, LAFC and Tunisian side Esperance de Tunis, but the 2021 Champions League winners failed to make major inroads. The winner of the tournament, which has been expanded for the first time and will take a month to complete, includes a £97million prize pot as FIFA looks to take the competition to the next level. It will feature a host of the world's leading lights including Messi and Kylian Mbappe - but no Barcelona means no Lamine Yamal. The Club World Cup Supercomputer was utilised by BoyleSports. It works based on a probability model with the supercomputer estimating the outcome of each fixture based on a team's factors like league position and form.
