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Newcastle target rising Rangers star Oliver Goodbrand as Magpies close in on Rory Wilson repeat raid

Newcastle target rising Rangers star Oliver Goodbrand as Magpies close in on Rory Wilson repeat raid

Daily Record24-04-2025

Newcastle United are closing in on a deal for Rangers ' rising star Oliver Goodbrand. Record Sport understands the English Premier League side have made the teenage left-back a top summer target for their emerging talent pool. The 16-year-old can sign professional forms with Rangers this season but they look likely to lose him to the Magpies. Newcastle are willing to pay Rangers training compensation for the Scotland youth international if he commits to them this summer. They would then have to take him north on a scholarship deal because he can't sign professional forms in England until he is 17. Rangers have offered Goodbrand professional terms but it is looking likely he will be leaving. Goodbrand is highly-rated at Rangers and also got B team action last season when he was just 15. It would be a blow to the Ibrox side to see another of their academy graduates move south before they have even turned professional. They lost prolific striker Rory Wilson to Aston Villa in similar circumstances back ins 2022. Follow Record Sport on Twitter , Facebook and Instagram for all of the up-to-the minute breaking news, video and audio on the SPFL, the Scotland national team and beyond. You can get all the news you need on our dedicated Rangers and Celtic pages, and sign up to our newsletters to make sure you never miss a beat throughout the season. We're also WhatsApp where we bring all the latest breaking news and transfer gossip directly to you phone. Join our Rangers community here and our Celtic community here . Tune in to Hotline Live every Sunday to Thursday and have your say on the biggest issues in Scottish football and listen to Record Sport's newest podcast, Game On , every Friday for your sporting fix, all in bitesize chunks.

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Steven Davis still harbours Rangers manager dream as fairytale Ibrox reunion rumours set straight
Steven Davis still harbours Rangers manager dream as fairytale Ibrox reunion rumours set straight

Daily Record

time39 minutes ago

  • Daily Record

Steven Davis still harbours Rangers manager dream as fairytale Ibrox reunion rumours set straight

The Northern Ireland number two had a brief stint as Gers interim boss in 2023 Steven Davis has come to terms with the fact he didn't get to wave goodbye to Rangers with his boots on. But the former Light Blues skipper isn't ready to give up yet on his dream of stepping back over the Ibrox threshold one day wearing a pair of managerial brown brogues. ‌ It's two-and-half years since the Northern Irishman kicked his final ball for the club he loves. A freak ACL tear suffered in training just before Christmas 2022 ended what was a glittering playing career for club and country. ‌ Despite the four-time Scottish title winner's best efforts, there was no fairy-tale comeback nor a chance to bid farewell to the Gers support from the pitch he had graced so elegantly over two spells in Glasgow. That might have stung the 40-year-old once upon a time but these days he's accepted the rotten luck that brought the curtain crashing down on his spell as British football's most capped player ever. Now working as an assistant to NornIron boss Michael O'Neill, he's looking to the next stage of his career. He's already had the briefest of tastes of what it would be like to manage Rangers having been drafted in for a two-game stint as Ibrox caretaker in October 2023 in between Michael Beale's sacking and the appointment of Philippe Clement. And that's only fired his desire to get back to Govan and take the acclaim of the Light Blue legions, this time as boss himself. Looking back on the end on the injury that ended his career, Davis said: 'To be honest, I've got over it. 'You try to put a different spin on it. For me, I was very fortunate throughout my career not to have major injuries, and that allowed me to play to the level I did until the age I was. 'Of course, in an ideal world, I would liked to have said my goodbyes in a different way and have that decision being my own. ‌ 'But that was taken away from me. I tried my best to try and get back, but I never felt I would go back to the level I would be happy with. 'So ultimately, the decision was made, and I was kind of at peace with that, but of course it would have been lovely to have a send-off on the pitch rather than do it on the sidelines.' The sidelines is now where he sees his future - and hopes he'll get to perch himself on the whitewash marking off the technical area at Ibrox. The WhatsApp rumours that swept Glasgow last month suggested that dream was set to take a step closer, with Davis apparently lined-up to return as No2 to Steven Gerrard. ‌ The gossip proved false in the end as Russell Martin got the call to replace Clement. But it's undeniably true that Davis sees his future back at Rangers. 'There was never any contact, to be honest,' responded Davis as he was quizzed on the Gerrard whispers. 'Obviously, I was getting a lot of messages and everybody thought it was a foregone conclusion, but that's the rumour mill, isn't it? ‌ 'For me, obviously, the club means so much to me. I've got great memories from my time there. It's hard to envisage that I'll not be back at some point in the future, but you just never know in football. 'I'd like to assume that will be the case but at this minute in time, that's not an option, so we'll see what the future holds. 'Is that still the dream? One hundred percent. I think it's the same as when I was a kid. ‌ 'Obviously, I grew up a Rangers fan and got to play for the club. The ambition was to make just one appearance. Obviously, my career involved much more than I could have ever have envisaged. 'But at this minute in time, I'm at the starting part of my journey as a coach. 'I've been involved with Michael and the Northern Ireland team, which has been really good for me. I'm doing my badges as well, so that's just part of the process. 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It gives you a taste of what the other side's like and it's totally different. ‌ 'As a player, you have a sort of feeling of what management and coaching will be like, you don't get a full grasp of it until you're really in it and see it, the detail that goes into the preparation for everything. 'It was a really valuable experience for me and hopefully something that I can carry with me going forward. In many ways that was probably a blessing that I was just throw in at the deep end. I just had to go with it. 'I tried to give it my all during the time that I was there. It was only short-lived but it was an incredible experience to get at that time. 'You just try to do the best to your ability. Around the club at that point and all the players, there was a lot of negativity so I just tried to go in and be positive. 'We only had the two games before the international break, when Philippe then came in. But it was really invaluable for me to get that experience.' :: Davis was speaking as he helped promote 10 Years On - a celebratory event taking place at Belfast's Ulster Hall on May 2, 2026, marking next year's anniversary of Northern Ireland's Euro 2016 campaign. For tickets go to

Scots MP reveals celebrity A-listers he taught golf at world famous hotel
Scots MP reveals celebrity A-listers he taught golf at world famous hotel

Daily Record

time2 hours ago

  • Daily Record

Scots MP reveals celebrity A-listers he taught golf at world famous hotel

EXCLUSIVE: Brian Leishman taught footballers, singers and movie stars during his time at Gleneagles. A Scottish MP has revealed a list of celebrities A-listers who he coached at golf at a world-famous Scottish hotel. Labour's Brian Leishman taught footballers, singers and movie stars during his time at Gleneagles. ‌ The Alloa and Grangemouth MP gave lessons to Manchester United legend Ryan Giggs, global pop sensation Shakira and Grease star John Travolta. He also taught Paisley actor Gerard Butler, Scotland football legend Gary Caldwell, English chef Heston Blumenthal and 66 Miss World contestants. But he said his work as an MP was "harder" than teaching A-listers how to swing clubs. Leishman said Shakira - best known for her 2006 number one 'Hips Don't Lie' - showed talent. He said: "Shakira was very athletic. From being a complete rank and file beginner, she took to it brilliantly. She had a lesson every day for about six or seven days and she could strike it really well." But Welsh footballer Giggs struggled: " I'm never going to [say who was the worst celeb I taught]. It's a sliding scale from being very good to not being so good. " I'll never ever say a golfer's the worst, but Ryan Giggs should stick to football." ‌ Leishman added that the Machester United legend was not as good as former Celtic centre-back Caldwell - who scored the only goal of Scotland's famous 2006 victory over France. Gerard Butler, star of historical action film 300, and American actor Travolta both received one-off lessons in the driving range at the hotel. ‌ Leishman was a professional golfer before being elected as an MP in July last year. He said he loved his job at the Perthshire resort: "I was there from November 2007 to January 2012. "I was a teaching pro so I would do individual lessons, group lessons. Playing rounds on the golf course, which is an absolute treat. Getting to play the course three or four times a week - it was brilliant. I loved it." ‌ Leishman said the celebrities "were absolutely brilliant, honestly. Really, really pleasant. "The kind of unwritten rule was that you don't ask about their professional lives. They're there to rest and relax." Leishman said his current job was more difficult: "Being an MP is much more important. It's much harder but it's also much more rewarding as well. ‌ " I've basically got about 72,000 bosses now in my constituency that I'm answerable to. " I've been a golf pro for 23 years, I've been an MP for now 11 months. This is the best job I've ever had. What a responsibility it is, what a privilege it is." But he refused to pick one celebrity he would love to teach: "Heroes are for kids. You should never meet your heroes or you'll be disappointed."

Byron Buxton's bat backs righty David Festa as Twins top Rangers
Byron Buxton's bat backs righty David Festa as Twins top Rangers

Reuters

time3 hours ago

  • Reuters

Byron Buxton's bat backs righty David Festa as Twins top Rangers

June 12 - Byron Buxton went 3-for-3 with a double, a home run and three RBIs, and the Minnesota Twins pulled away for a 6-2 win over the Texas Rangers on Wednesday night in Minneapolis. Willi Castro finished 2-for-3 with a triple and two RBIs for Minnesota, which evened the series at a win apiece with the rubber match scheduled for Thursday afternoon. Carlos Correa had two hits, including a double, and drove in a run. Marcus Semien homered for the Rangers, whose three-game winning streak was halted. Josh Smith went 2-for-4 with a double and an RBI. Twins right-hander David Festa (1-1) held the Rangers to two runs on three hits and two walks in six innings, striking out four. The 25-year-old earned his first victory since Aug. 5, 2024, against the Chicago Cubs. Rangers right-hander Jack Leiter (4-3) took the loss for the first time in six starts. He allowed four runs on five hits and four walks in four innings, striking out three. Twins relief pitchers Brock Stewart, Louis Varland and Jhoan Duran followed Festa with three scoreless innings combined to preserve the victory. Duran ended the game by getting the Rangers' Adolis Garcia to ground out to second base. Texas opened the scoring on Semien's solo home run in the second. The Rangers went up 2-0 one inning later on Smith's RBI double to center field. Buxton put the Twins on top for good with a three-run homer in the bottom of the third. Brooks Lee hit a leadoff double and Christian Vazquez drew a walk before Buxton crushed a 479-foot homer to center field to make it 3-2. The blast marked Buxton's 11th homer of the season and his first since May 15. Minnesota added three runs in the fifth to increase its lead to 6-2. Castro started the scoring with a two-run triple to left that scored Matt Wallner and Ty France. Wallner had reached on a fielder's choice, and France got on base with a single. One batter later, Correa ripped a ground-rule double to drive in Castro and finish the scoring. --Field Level Media

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