Rangers 3-0 Viktoria Plzen: What Martin said
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Powys County Times
an hour ago
- Powys County Times
Russell Martin hails Rangers response as much-changed side hammer Viktoria Plzen
Russell Martin got the Rangers reaction he wanted in the 3-0 win over Viktoria Plzen at Ibrox but insists captain James Tavernier was not dropped from the side which underperformed at Motherwell. The Gers boss hit out at some of his squad following their deflating 1-1 draw at Fir Park on Saturday and Tavernier, midfielder Nicolas Raskin, attacker Kieran Dowell and striker Danilo were left out. New signing Oliver Antman, the Finland winger who joined from Go Ahead Eagles on Monday, made his debut – and was terrific – with left-back Jefte, midfielder Lyall Cameron and striker Cyriel Dessers returning while John Souttar was named captain. Winger Djeidi Gassama scored after 14 minutes, Dessers added a second from the spot just before the interval and summer signing Gassama's fourth goal in three European ties put the Govan side into a commanding lead for the return leg of the Champions League third qualifier next week. Boss Martin said: 'I really enjoyed it. I'm proud of the guys. 'We had a really difficult afternoon/evening on Saturday, just because there was not enough running in behind, aggression, intensity with the ball. 'We were not just ranting and raving, we showed a lot of clips and we tried to do a lot of learning in the meeting room and on the pitch in the last couple of days and they took it on brilliantly. 'The guys that came in the team were fantastic. We're going to need everyone. 'You don't get dropped from this team, people come in and out quite a lot because we need to be fresh. 'So it's not easy to leave people out. But the guys that came out of the team came on and did brilliantly as well. So I'm pleased. 'The thing I'm annoyed about is the last 15 minutes, we probably dropped a bit of intensity, but it's understandable with the schedule we've had.' Martin claimed Tavernier was understanding of Martin's decision to leave him on the sidelines. He said: 'Yeah, yeah, he was great – all the guys. 'I say my piece, if they have a piece to say, then it's really respectful and really honest. 'But I think the way he played when he came on showed you everything you need to know. So there's been no problem and I don't envisage there being any problems moving forward. 'Dani and Dowell came out as well, and no one person's harder than the other in terms of conversation. 'It's not easy when you care about the players and you're desperate for them to do well, it's not an easy conversation ever. 'I'm just always honest with them, why they're coming out, why I pick someone else, and they just don't have to agree at all, but hopefully they respect a bit of honesty. 'And I think their reaction when they came on the pitch tonight says everything, they were great.'
The Guardian
an hour ago
- The Guardian
Premier League 2025-26 preview No 4: Brentford
Guardian writers' predicted position: 18th (NB: this is not necessarily John Brewin's prediction but the average of our writers' tips) Last season's position: 10th The summer has seen Brentford transformed from established and admired club to being the enigma they once arrived in the Premier League as. If anything, even less is known about what awaits them than back in 2021. The departure of Thomas Frank removed the club's public face, someone who embodied and fronted the rise of one of London's smaller concerns. Without him, uncertainty is unavoidable. Frank was a huge asset to the club, bordering on irreplaceable and so, Brentford must do things differently, as always under the club's idiosyncratic majority ownership. There is heavy trust in the process that benefactor Matthew Benham employed to establish Brentford, while Phil Giles is a highly respected sporting director, at the club for over a decade. The pair met in a different sphere, the world of sporting statistics for betting purposes. Their great gamble this summer is to replace Frank with a rookie manager in Keith Andrews, appointed from within. Many external punters now fancy Brentford for the drop. Success or failure will come via those processes. Frank took three key members of staff in Justin Cochrane, Chris Haslam and Joe Newton to Tottenham. Another assistant, Claus Nørgaard, has also departed. The playing staff will also look markedly – and for fans, almost certainly worryingly – different. Manchester United were shaken down for the full valuation of Bryan Mbeumo while Yoane Wissa has agitated to follow his partner out the door, too. If those two were the biggest-name departures then further on-field leadership has exited in the club captain, Christian Nørgaard, the veteran centre-back Ben Mee and Mark Flekken, the popular, underrated goalkeeper. A very different Brentford will greet opponents next season, with the ex-Liverpool pair Jordan Henderson and Caoimhin Kelleher immediately becoming the most widely recognised players at a freshly unknown quantity in whom fans are asked to keep the faith. Keith Andrews is new in the job but he's not an unfamiliar face, having enjoyed a lengthy media career since his retirement from playing. Last season, Brentford fans became used to the sight of Andrews on the sidelines as Frank's set-piece coach. Kieran McKenna, the Ipswich manager, was on the list of possibles, as was the departed Cochrane for another inside appointment. In late June, Andrews, with little frontline managerial previous beyond spells as assistant at MK Dons and then the Republic of Ireland, was plumped for. He has huge shoes to fill, even if he does have the bountiful hair to match his beloved predecessor. The summer of great change continued in July when Benham cashed out a minority stake of around 25%, for a deal valuing Brentford around £400m. The new minority owners are the South Africa-based UK businessman and former Autoglass chief executive Gary Lubner and the film mogul Sir Matthew Vaughn, behind such films as Lock Stock And Two Smoking Barrels, Kick-Ass and Layer Cake. Vaughn is also Mr Claudia Schiffer. Benham had been seeking new investment since late 2023, and the pair have paid £100m for their share of his Best Intentions Analytics holding company. Vaughn has revealed he previously considered buying in 25 years ago, when 'it would have been much cheaper'. The chief executive, Jon Varney, and Giles will, though, continue to run the club day to day. Sign up to Football Daily Kick off your evenings with the Guardian's take on the world of football after newsletter promotion At 35, Jordan Henderson still has plenty to prove. There are doubts over his candidacy to be a member of Thomas Tuchel's England squad after ill-starred, and controversial, moves to Saudi Arabia and Ajax. If many expected a return to his Sunderland roots, Henderson chose London, there perhaps being little coincidence he is within easy reach of a Tuchel scouting trip. Henderson, as a Premier League-winning captain, brings huge experience, the type of leadership a club shorn of key personnel might seek. But has he the legs to play the all-out pressing style Brentford favoured under Frank and highly likely to continue under Andrews? Michael Kayode's loan move from Fiorentina was made permanent in May for a fee of £17.5m, after 12 impressive Premier League appearances. The Italy Under-21 international showed off his promise during that short window, including a rampaging overlapping right-back's performance in a 4-3 May victory over Manchester United that showed off Frank's team at its risk-and-reward best. 'He was very strong,' said the departed manager of a powerhouse performance from a player who has assimilated well into the Bees' culture. 'An easy decision,' said Giles once the move was made permanent. Kayode's long throws represent a considerable addition to the already dangerous set-piece repertoire Brentford can boast. Fábio Carvalho is another, though perhaps forgotten, ex-Liverpool player within the Brentford squad, someone who fell victim to the spate of injuries that denied Brentford's push for Europe last season. Like Igor Thiago, the club-record signing striker whose first season was wrecked by a knee injury, a shoulder injury robbed the 22-year-old of the final three months of 2024-25. Both Thiago and Carvalho will represent near-new additions to Brentford's squad. West London, when at Fulham, is where Carvalho played the best football of his career though admittedly at Championship level. Frank never quite harnessed the Portugal Under-21 player signed for £27.5m a year ago. 'The new coaches have been great – full of energy, fresh ideas,' Carvalho said during his club's pre-season training camp.
Reuters
an hour ago
- Reuters
Thrilling Women's Copa America final can't hide challenges ahead
Aug 5 (Reuters) - The Women's Copa America in Ecuador ended with a thrilling final as Brazil edged Colombia in an eight-goal spectacle to win their ninth title but logistical challenges and half-empty stadiums showed the hurdles that face South American women's football. Colombia pushed Brazil to the brink in a decider capped by a Marta masterclass as her side won 5-4 in a shootout after a roller-coaster final in Quito had finished 4-4, delivering a level of play organisers hoped to see when the tournament began. CONMEBOL president Alejandro Dominguez said ahead of the opener: "We are confident that the Copa America in Ecuador will confirm the growth and expansion that South American women's football is currently experiencing." However, the event faced criticism over facilities from the start when Brazil complained after teams were forced to warm up in cramped indoor spaces, while Chile forward Yanara Aedo called the lack of VAR in the early rounds "disrespectful". Widely praised as the best final in the tournament's history, the match drew the highest attendance of the 2025 edition, with the Ecuadorian Football Federation pleased that 23,798 fans turned out at the Estadio Rodrigo Paz Delgado. Still, that number fell short of filling the 41,575-seat venue, with ESPN reporting that the tournament's average attendance stood at 962 per match before the final. Media reports also said locals and international visitors were unaware the Women's Copa America was even taking place. Following Colombia's penalty shootout win over Argentina in the semi-final at the same venue, responses gathered by CNN pointed not to a lack of interest or ticket accessibility - with prices starting at $5 - but a broader failure in promotion. Tickets only went on sale on July 4, eight days before the opening match, underlining how late planning hurt visibility. "It's a shame that the tournament has been played here in Ecuador and we don't know about it and the stadiums are empty," a local mother who attended the match with her son told CNN. Reuters has contacted CONMEBOL for comment. The gap between on-field quality and local engagement was also highlighted by the increase in international viewers. FOX Sports said on Tuesday that 302,000 tuned in to watch the final — up 273% from 2022 — making it their most-watched Women's Copa America broadcast. Overall viewership averaged 79,000, a 114% jump across the network's two channels. The first CONMEBOL Women's Nations League kicks off in October, serving as South America's path to the 2027 World Cup, but beyond qualification, the tournament offers a fresh chance to address the off-field issues at the Women's Copa America. With players already performing at a world-class level, CONMEBOL has the audience and the talent to showcase. The question is will South America's governing body invest in promotion, infrastructure and planning to match Europe's record-breaking Women's Euros, which had their highest-ever attendances this year, while its own stadiums were half empty.
