Cliftonville stars are fighting for contracts as well as place on European stage, warns Rory Hale
Cliftonville captain Rory Hale insists players are playing for contracts in Sunday's European Play-Off Final against Coleraine.
It's a winner-takes-all contest, with the victors claiming a lucrative place in the 2025/26 UEFA Conference League.
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Belfast Telegraph
a day ago
- Belfast Telegraph
NI confirm captain for Denmark friendly as Michael O'Neill continues to share armband
The 23-year-old captained his country for the first time against Luxembourg and Bulgaria in the Nations League last September as part of a committee approach since the retirement of Jonny Evans. O'Neill has also handed the armband to Conor Bradley, Shea Charles and Paddy McNair in recent windows, with Charles and now Hume the only two to have captained the side in multiple international windows. It caps a remarkable few weeks for Hume, who recently helped Sunderland earn promotion to the Premier League by beating Sheffield United in the Championship Play-Off Final at Wembley. The former Linfield and Ballymena United man has also been the subject of recent speculation over his future, with Everton and Wolves reportedly interested, as are several La Liga clubs. The defender has also emerged as a vital cog in O'Neill's squad as they bid to try and return to a major tournament, Hume having made 20 appearances for his country despite his young age.
Belfast Telegraph
2 days ago
- Belfast Telegraph
Trai Hume expects in-demand Ronan Hale to shine on the international stage
Former Cliftonville hero Hale can reflect on a strong season with Ross County even though his side lost their Scottish Premiership status. Clubs in England and Scotland are now competing for the 26-year-old's signature after an impressive debut season with the Staggies. The Belfast Telegraph disclosed that League One sides Wigan Athletic, Luton Town and Port Vale are keen on the striker, while he is also a target for Scottish Premiership teams Aberdeen and Dundee. Hale is with the Northern Ireland squad preparing for Saturday's friendly in Denmark and he hopes to make his senior international bow over this June double header. Michael O'Neill's side face Iceland at Windsor Park next Tuesday after taking on the Danes. Dangerman Hale was disappointed not to play in the March friendlies, after going through a protracted Fifa process to complete an international transfer from the Republic of Ireland, however this could be the perfect time to showcase his talent with a potential summer switch on the horizon. Hale hit a hugely impressive 18 goals for Ross County in the 2024/25 campaign following last summer's move from Cliftonville. Despite his heroics, which included netting twice in the end-of-season promotion/relegation Play-Off against Livingston, County still went down. The Staggies will be aware they won't be able to keep their top marksman and will look for a healthy fee for a player who signed a three-year deal in 2024. The Belfast man has proved he can deliver in the Scottish Premiership and Sunderland star Hume believes the former Larne, Crusaders and Derry City striker can fire in this international window. 'Yeah, definitely,' said Hume when asked if this was a perfect opportunity for Hale to show what he can do. 'Ronan has done very well with County. His club were relegated but it was a great season for him personally. 'He has scored a lot of goals and hopefully he can get his debut — that is a call for Michael and his coaching staff. 'I have no doubt that if he does get his chance, he will take it with both hands and do well. Ronan is a great player and goal scorer.' While Hale's immediate future is up in the air, Hume has moved to allay the fears of Sunderland fans that he may be about to jump ship. The former Linfield defender has seen his name linked with Everton and Wolves, and speculation over his future is a familiar tale for the 23-year-old. While interest in the player is to be expected, what hasn't changed is Hume's affection for the Black Cats. That relationship is closer than ever after Hume and his international comrade Daniel Ballard helped Sunderland earn promotion in dramatic fashion. Ballard scored a 122nd-minute winner in the second leg of their Play-Off semi-final against Coventry City before Tommy Watson's stoppage-time goal completed a come-from-behind win over Sheffield United at Wembley. Hume and Ballard spoke during a training camp in Marbella this week, with both men sporting winning smiles. The dynamic duo will join Liverpool's Conor Bradley and Crystal Palace FA Cup winner Justin Devenny in the top flight, while Tottenham's Jamie Donley has returned from his loan at Leyton Orient. O'Neill has spoken of the importance of his players competing at a high level and Hume, who joined Sunderland from Linfield in 2022, is convinced his country will reap the benefits. 'It's not in any doubt that when you are exposing yourself to the best League in the world, it will help you,' said Hume. 'You want to try your best to do well there. You can become a better player because of it. "Myself and Dan are still young. Conor and Justin are still young and hopefully we can have many years in the Premier League and that will benefit ourselves and Northern Ireland going forward. 'I have no doubt there are other players in the squad that can get themselves in the Premier League but it is us four at the minute and hopefully we can push the lads and bring them up to the standard that we will set.' O'Neill's side will face Luxembourg, Germany and Slovakia in their bid to reach a first World Cup since 1986. There is a sense of anticipation and excitement around this young team the former Stoke City boss is building. Hume is the new promotion king — after firing Northern Ireland into League B in the Nations League, he helped to steer Sunderland to the Premier League. Team spirit and togetherness matters at club and international level. 'I think it's obviously a wee bit different to a point because you spend basically every day of your life with each other at Sunderland,' he explained. 'You're with each other every day, when you're training and whenever you're outside of football, most of the time you're spending it with your team-mates as well, unless you've got kids. 'But for me, that's what I do, and you get really close with them. International football is kind of different. You've obviously grown up with a lot of people in the squad, so you kind of get that friendship and that bond very early on. 'So it is similar in a way. Obviously, Sunderland have a great togetherness as everyone's around the same age. 'But we have a great togetherness here too and I think that can take you very far no matter where you're playing. So as long as you have that, you're putting yourself in good stead. 'Whenever we do go through tough times or we are enjoying it, we keep a level head and try and stick to the job at hand and stay together.' In March, Northern Ireland drew 1-1 with Switzerland before crashing to a 5-1 loss to Sweden. The former Ballymena United defender played against Switzerland but not the Swedes. O'Neill's side begin their bid to qualify for next year's World Cup in the United States, Canada and Mexico with an away game against Luxembourg in September before travelling to four-time world Champions Germany. A clash in Denmark will shine a light on the team's resilience on the road. Players like Hume and Ballard have developed a big game mentality. 'Yes, I think it will help us deal with the atmosphere a bit better,' continued Hume. 'Obviously, the calibre of players will be a lot different. I think we will try our best to deal with that. 'I think the big games you do play in, you get used to the emotion of it and the challenge of playing in front of the crowd and not getting caught up in the emotion of the game. 'Germany is definitely going to be a lot different than Sheffield United. Like I say, we will just have to try our best to be ready and be focused for it. 'Whenever we were here (Denmark) two years ago, we almost got a point out of it if it wasn't for VAR, so I think we can give Denmark a good challenge here and hopefully we will win the game.'
Metro
2 days ago
- Metro
When are Premier League fixtures announced for the 2025-26 season?
The football season may only just have finished but we don't have long to wait for the Premier League fixtures for the new campaign to be announced. The Premier League season wrapped up on May 25, with the final piece of silverware won for the campaign three days later as Chelsea beat Real Betis to win the UEFA Conference League. There is no real break in the football, though, with international fixtures this week in the Nations League and World Cup qualifiers. Then comes the new-look Club World Cup, which is played over a month in America, featuring 32 teams for the first time. Women's Euro 2025 is also held this summer in Switzerland, running from July 2-27. Wake up to find news on your club in your inbox every morning with Metro's Football Newsletter. Sign up to our newsletter and then select your team in the link so we can send you football news tailored to you. The transfer window will also be keeping football fans entertained, with a number of sagas already up and running and set to continue for weeks to come. Attention will quickly turn to the new Premier League season, though, especially when the fixtures are revealed. There is not long to wait for the Premier League fixtures to be announced, with the 2025/26 schedules revealed on June 18 at 9am. The opening weekend of the new Premier League season is on August 16. The revamped Club World Cup runs from June 14 – July 13 in America. Chelsea and Manchester City are the Premier League representatives. There is an extra transfer window this summer to allow for the Club World Cup, so a registration period is currently open from June 1-10. More Trending The transfer window is then open again from Monday June 16 until Monday September 1. Arsenal Aston Villa Bournemouth Brentford Brighton Burnley Chelsea Crystal Palace Everton Fulham Leeds Liverpool Man City Man Utd Newcastle Nottingham Forest Sunderland Tottenham West Ham Wolves MORE: Mike Maignan and Jamie Gittens' stances on Chelsea transfer moves revealed MORE: Chelsea's Jadon Sancho snub baffles former Liverpool star MORE: Chelsea fans convinced Liam Delap will break curse after picking squad number
