Warriors must 'stay in the fight' against Leinster
Glasgow Warriors must "stay in the fight" and use the pressure of the occasion to overcome Leinster in the URC semi-finals, according to the club's former scrum-half Colin Gregor.Franco Smith's side travel to Dublin for Saturday's match seeking a first away win over Leinster in six years.However, Gregor believes there is a mental fragility to Leinster that could benefit defending champions Glasgow."They seem to have a bit of a wobble at the latter stages," Gregor told BBC Scotland. "Three European Cup finals they lost, they lost at home this season in the semi-final of the European Cup, and at home last season in the URC semi-final."There's question marks around the mental resilience, their decision-making under pressure. Maybe they are missing the experience Johnny Sexton provided for a number of years. They had a bit of a wobble, but got through last week in the quarter-finals against Scarlets."For Glasgow, it's about staying in the fight and making it really difficult for Leinster. Keep the game as close as possible and see if that home crowd get on the backs of the Leinster players who are desperate for a victory. The longer they go without it, the more the pressure builds."Glasgow can take real heart from how they dispatched Stormers last week, but also last season when they went over to Munster in the semi-finals."Smith is a very astute coach. He'll have the team ready to go. He'll know what he's doing with picking Adam Hastings and having six forwards on the bench."
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The National
6 hours ago
- The National
What Lennon Miller said after making his Scotland debut
That doesn't take away from the pride Miller had in himself after fulfilling a lifelong ambition. "It's obviously a very proud moment, not just for me but my family as well," he said. "They were in the stands. It's never nice to be making your debut in those circumstances - you want to be winning the game. We know we weren't good enough today. But personally, it's a proud moment. Read more: "This is probably right up there with the best things you can achieve as a player. Representing your country at the highest level. I've done that now, hopefully there's a few more [caps]." Scotland were slow, pedestrian and ever-predictable in a concerning defeat to the country ranked 74th in the world by FIFA. Miller was one of the few, if any, players wearing dark blue who caught the eye. The midfielder refused to hide despite his team's plight and wasn't afraid to get involved. "Listen, that's my game, trying to get on the ball. No matter what the score is. No matter what the occasion is, I want to get on the ball and show what I can do. "You try and build yourself into the game, then when you've found your first few passes, you can try and get a bit more adventurous. I had a few nice ones, but also a few that got cut out; that's just about getting used to the level. "Obviously, you want to play no matter when you get called up. Last time, I was trying to take everything in and take that back to Motherwell to try and win another call-up and get here to make my debut. Thankfully, I did that." A trip to face eastern European minnows, Liechtenstein, now awaits Steve Clarke's side. A friendly against the 204th-best team in the world is probably the last thing the likes of Scott McTominay and Andy Robertson will want after an abnormally long and arduous campaign. In Miller's eyes, it is the perfect opportunity to get the nod and assert himself in the team. "That's the plan. You want to get your first cap then you want to get a second as quick as you can. That'll be the plan, to maybe get a wee start. "The manager has said just to get on the ball and show what I can do. What I do at Motherwell is why I'm here." Making his debut alongside Miller on Friday was young goalkeeper Cieran Slicker. The Ipswich Town man wasn't even meant to be number two to Angus Gunn until Robby McCrorie was injured in the warm-up. As is the unpredictable nature of the beautiful game, he was then thrust into action just six minutes into the match after Gunn took a knock to his right leg. It ultimately turned out to be a nightmarish bow for Slicker, who could undoubtedly have done better for all three of Iceland's goals. Clarke later admitted he wasn't ready to play for his country at the senior level and that a new keeper could be drafted in for Monday's trip to face the Liechtensteiners. Miller played with the stopper at the under-21 level and has no hesitation that he will bounce back. "It's Cieran's first cap, a proud moment. Obviously, you don't want to concede three goals. Listen, there's experienced players in there who will get right behind him and who others like myself who have been with Cieran in a few camps now and who will support him. He's a good goalkeeper, he's shown that all week in training. He just needs to get his head up. "I've played with him three or four times. Tonight he has made a few mistakes, but that's the life of a goalie, you are going to make mistakes and they will be highlighted. He will bounce back. He has a brilliant mentality. All goalies need to, to be honest. Cieran will be fine. He will be back stronger. He's not gone out there and chucked three goals in. It's mistakes. These things happen as a player. It just gets noticed more as a goalie. "I've had loads of those experiences. As a midfielder, you get away with it a bit more. It's not as obvious as what Cieran's is. But he will be fine. He will bounce back." With just four wins in 21 matches and back-to-back home defeats across which six goals have been conceded, Scotland supporters are rightly concerned as mammoth World Cup qualifiers loom. Denmark, Greece, and Belarus stand in the way of the national team's place in the 48-team tournament that will take place across the Americas next summer. Clarke's team are in anything but fine fettle with their campaign beginning in September. While a victory over Liechtenstein will raise the mood, the warning signs have arguably been there for some time. The recent defeat to the Icelanders was Scotland's fifth in nine games since that fateful night in Stuttgart against Hungary almost a year ago. "Yeah, it's disappointing. Listen, we know we weren't good enough. We knew Iceland were a good side and they showed that. We know we have levels to get up to, but we weren't at our best, that's fair to say."
Daily Mail
6 hours ago
- Daily Mail
JEEPERS KEEPERS: Clarke is in a pickle after Slicker's debut disaster... but maybe throwing the young goalie back in for Liechtenstein game could still be the best way forward?
ON a night in which the position of goalkeeper really did look like the loneliest one of all, words of consolation for Cieran Slicker echoed loud and clear across Hampden Park from the opposite dressing room. Iceland No 1 Elias Rafn Olafsson knows what it is like to be castigated for an absolute howler. In a Europa League group fixture away to Steaua Bucharest with his Danish club side FC Midtyjlland in November, he took a pass from kick-off at the start of the second half 35 yards from goal, whacked an attempted ball forward off opposing forward Daniel Birligea and watched it loop right back over his head towards goal. Birligea won the race to nod it in. Steaua won 2-0. Olafsson's rush of blood to the head went viral. It takes a strong constitution to shake that off and a heart of stone not to see another keeper going through similar agonies and not feel the urge to show some empathy. Olafsson did that on Friday night all right. However, he's not the guy picking the Scotland team for a friendly against Liechtenstein tomorrow evening. And the guy who is, Steve Clarke, didn't exactly offer resounding words of confidence in Slicker's readiness to be thrown back between the sticks in the wake of an absolute nightmare of a Scotland debut in which he was to blame for all three goals in Iceland's 3-1 win. Clarke did explain he will talk to Slicker back at base camp. He did not rule out the idea of him playing in Vaduz. After all, Robby McCrorie was hurt in the warm-up at Hampden, leaving the Ipswich Town keeper as the only remaining option when Angus Gunn went down injured early on. But his comments on Slicker, who had nine minutes of football all season behind him and has never played in an adult league game, not being 'quite ready for it' stood out and made you wonder why he was part of the squad at all. 'This was probably an opportunity that came a little bit too early for Cieran, but we'll be there to support him and help him,' said the national coach. Clarke has been hunting around for another keeper who hasn't disappeared on holiday and looks like he has settled on Ross Doohan. There certainly weren't many outstanding candidates. Scott Bain left Celtic for Falkirk after a spell as third-choice, but he has made only three appearances in two campaigns and didn't play at all last season. Doohan filled in for Aberdeen when Dimitar Mitov was injured, but his ambition has extended to little more than going back to former club Celtic to be the next Scott Bain. Former Rangers keeper Jon McLaughlin played only once for Swansea after going there last summer. Jon McCracken lost his place at Dundee. Zander Clark, Liam Kelly and Craig Gordon are all injured. Part of the problem is that Slicker's body language on Friday night was not good. He looked haunted from the moment Iceland's first goal went in. And if he is to convince Clarke he deserves a chance at wiping the slate clean, this is where Olafsson is unyielding. Slicker has to look the Scotland boss in the eyes and make it evident to him that he has the character to bounce back — because getting back out there on the field and showing what he can really do will be the best way to put Friday's calamities to bed. 'Playing again as soon as possible is 100 per cent the best thing, in my opinion,' said 25-year-old Olafsson, who earned just his seventh full cap at Hampden. 'To come into the game and know you're going to play. It's just about going to the hotel, then forgetting about (Friday) and moving on. 'I had one of those in that Europa League game. It was a pretty big mistake from kick-off, but that's how it is. 'To get over it, you just have to be honest and forget about it. It's a mistake by you. But it's a part of the game. 'When we make mistakes, it's very obvious — it leads to a goal. That's why it is a different position to the outfield players. 'Goalkeeper is definitely the loneliest position in the team. People see the mistakes. That's how it is. You have to be strong mentally for that. I feel empathy with him (Slicker). 'It's always tough, especially when you come into the game cold off the bench. When you come in and make some mistakes, it's hard to get back into the game. 'I feel it's hard making any debut, coming in when you don't expect to come in as a goalkeeper off the bench. 'International football is a different game as well. It's a little bit like European football. 'If you make mistakes, you get hit in the face. It's a different kind of football from the club level.' It's a tough one for Clarke. He needs to see in his weekend discussions that Slicker has been capable of putting that night from hell behind him. Let's face it, the fellow is in the wrong game if he hasn't. There's also the prospect of further damage at an early stage in his career if he fouls up again. However, it is Liechtenstein. It's a game Scotland should dominate. It's a chance for the bloke to get back on the bike, be part of a winning team and do a bit of damage limitation. Bournemouth's Callan McKenna, at 18, is too young to play and Doohan is surely so far down the pecking order that he is unlikely to have any realistic hope of an international future. If Clarke and his coaching staff really do believe Slicker can develop into someone of worth for the longer-term future — and see the right signs in him over the next 24 hours — maybe thinking the unthinkable and throwing him in again could be the biggest show of support of all.
Daily Mail
6 hours ago
- Daily Mail
Rangers don't need to cash-in on best players ahead of summer rebuild, insists new boss Martin
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