Latest news with #AaronHickey
The Herald Scotland
3 days ago
- Sport
- The Herald Scotland
Who's going to step up and replace Scotland's golden generation?
The members of that nonet have an average age of just 21. Every one of them has a huge amount to offer their country at international level for many seasons to come. They have numerous qualifying campaigns left in them and hopefully a few finals too. The same is true of the injured duo Ben Doak, the Liverpool winger, and Aaron Hickey, the Brentford full-back. It was also encouraging to see the SFA roll out their Cooperation System – which will see up to three Scotland-qualified prospects under the age of 21 move freely between Premiership and Championship parent clubs and lower league outfits on loan from the 2025/26 season onwards – this week. Read more: Similar agreements already exist in Austria, Belgium, Croatia, Hungary and Serbia. Hopefully the long overdue scheme will enable our best prospects, who have often been prevented from gaining much-needed competitive game time in the senior ranks simply because their presence is needed to satisfy homegrown player quotas in European competition, to make the difficult transition from the age-group ranks. That initiative was one of the main recommendations contained within the Transition Phase paper which was co-authored by Andy Gould, the SFA's chief football officer, and Chris Docherty, the governing body's head of men's elite strategy and was published last year. That report contained many worrying revelations, damning findings and stark conclusions about how poorly Scotland is doing in comparison with other countries of a similar size across Europe when it comes to producing talented young footballers who are capable of flourishing in the paid ranks. But if anybody needed reminding just how few professionals are emerging, Brown Ferguson, the former Alloa, Hamilton and Partick Thistle midfielder and the current Stenhousemuir assistant manager who is also the assistant regional performance manager at sportscotland and the high performance manager to Scottish Golf, took to X (formerly Twitter) to tell us. He posted a series of alarming statistics about the Premiership last season. Here are a few of the most startling. Just 31.46 per cent of players to start games in the top flight were Scottish. That is down from 45 per cent three years ago. On average, just 3.23 per cent of players kicking off on a Saturday are under 21, just four out of 132. No fewer than 20 team selections failed to contain a single Scot. Aberdeen and Celtic didn't start an under-21 player in the 2024/25 campaign. The SFA have identified these major problems and are endeavouring to address them. The SPFL clubs, who in the past have shown they are more concerned with self-interest than the greater good, have endorsed and embraced their plans. But is it too little too late? Our leading clubs face a raft of challenges running academies and bringing through youngsters who are capable of representing their first teams every year. The issues which Brexit and raids on their age-group squads by their wealthier English rivals have presented in recent years have been well documented in these pages. Far fewer footballers who are good enough are emerging. These are pretty exciting times in Scottish football with Brighton owner Tony Bloom buying a major stake in Hearts and a consortium comprising American billionaire Andrew Cavenagh and the San Francisco 49ers taking over Rangers. With Hibernian a far more formidable force than they were and Aberdeen lifted by their epic Scottish Cup triumph, next season promises to be a belter. Read more: But the focus in recent weeks has very much been on how much money every club will spend and who will be brought in this summer. The new powerbrokers seem unconcerned about doing their bit to help our national game by rearing homegrown heroes. Sure, wanting to promote youth has been mentioned in passing. It appears, though, fairly far down their list of priorities. Such is the money mad modern game. There is, with Barron, Bowie, Conway, Doig, Gilmour, Johnston, Miller, Patterson and Wilson as well as Lewis Ferguson, Jack Hendry, George Hirst, Andy Irving, Scott McKenna, Scott McTominay and John Souttar all in the current Scotland squad, no reason for Tartan Army footsoldiers to panic. (Image: Craig Williamson - SNS Group) Yet, the World Cup qualifying campaign which will get underway with away games against Denmark and Belarus in September may well prove to be the last that Che Adams, Stuart Armstrong, Ryan Christie, Lyndon Dykes, Craig Gordon, Grant Hanley, John McGinn, Kenny McLean, Andy Robertson, Lawrence Shankland and Kieran Tierney are involved in. Some will retire after it, others will stay on. But we are witnessing the last hurrah of a golden generation. Will those who come after that aforementioned group grace, as many of their predecessors did, the Premier League and the Champions League? The majority of them still have some way to go to scale the same heights as their compatriots. A few will manage it, but many won't. Clarke lamented how few goalkeepers he had to choose from when he announced his squad last month. He, or his successor, may be left bemoaning the lack of centre-backs, full-backs, holding midfielders, playmakers, wingers and strikers going forward. There must be a concerted collective effort from club owners and managers or qualification for the finals of major tournaments will be a thing of the past.
Daily Mail
25-05-2025
- Sport
- Daily Mail
Billy Gilmour and Scott McTominay have blazed a trail to Italy... now Lennon Miller should follow, says GARY KEOWN
Lewis Ferguson and Aaron Hickey used their moves to Bologna to open the gates wide open. Scott McTominay and Billy Gilmour have now blown them completely apart. When it comes to the brightest talents coming through the ranks in Scottish football, admiring the journeys travelled by these guys, the peak of the mountain need no longer be a move to the Old Firm or a shot at tapping into the exorbitant wages available down in England.
Scotsman
23-05-2025
- Sport
- Scotsman
Aaron Hickey set for 'little bonus' as Brentford boss provides major update on Scotland defender
Former Hearts youngster to end 18-month wait Sign up to our Football newsletter Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to The Scotsman, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... Aaron Hickey is in line to make his first Brentford appearance in 18 months after manager Thomas Frank confirmed that he will name the defender in his squad for Sunday's trip to Wolves. The Scotland right-back has not featured for the Bees since October 2023 due to a troublesome hamstring injury that has required multiple operations and lengthy rehabilitation periods to resolve. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad The 22-year-old has stepped up his recovery in recent weeks by turning out for the club's B team, and even scored in a victory over Tottenham Hotspur Under-21s in the Robert Rowan Invitational last week. Aaron Hickey will return to the Brentford squad for the first time in 18 months on Sunday. (Photo by) | Getty Images Now Hickey, who joined the West Londoners from Serie A side Bologna in a club record £14million transfer in the summer of 2022, is deemed ready to make his long-awaited first-team return for the final match of the Premier League season. "One very positive thing - it's taken a while but we've got there in the end - Aaron Hickey will be involved in the squad on Sunday," Frank told the club website. "I'm very pleased for him, he's worked very hard, and this is a little bonus for him. He can then go into the summer, work hard, and come flying back into next season." Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Boost for Scotland The news will be welcomed by Scotland head coach Steve Clarke, who hopes to have Hickey back for the start of the 2026 World Cup qualification campaign away to Denmark and Belarus in September after deciding that next month's friendly double-header against Iceland and Leichtenstein came too soon to reintroduce the former Hearts youngster. "He was close to selection, but not close to playing," Clarke stated at his squad unveiling earlier this week. 'Having been out so long, he's making his way back with the under-21s and getting some minutes on the pitch. Aaron needs to have a good pre-season and hopefully he can be available for the autumn games. 'It would be good if we could get him back for the qualifiers. But it's also important not to put too much pressure on him to try and rush back. He's been out a long time.
BBC News
23-05-2025
- Sport
- BBC News
Frank on Hickey's return, being a 'selling club' and Europe
Brentford boss Thomas Frank has been speaking to the media before Sunday's final Premier League game away against Wolves (16:00 BST).Here are the key lines from his news conference:Frank confirmed Aaron Hickey will be in the matchday squad for the first time since October 2023 with the Scotland international suffering several setbacks in his recovery from a long-term hamstring problem: "I'm very pleased for him. He's worked very hard and this is a little bonus before he goes into the summer."Ben Mee will not feature after playing his final game for the club last weekend: "We had a nice send-off after the Fulham game and said a few nice words to him in general for what he has contributed. The last three years have been a pleasure and I wish him and his family all the best."Midfielder Vitaly Janelt will not feature on Sunday after undergoing surgery to address an issue in his conceded the club "will have to listen" if offers arrive for Bryan Mbeumo and Yoane Wissa this summer: "We have a contract with them. So I think we can control that ourselves if we wanted to. As I said before, we are a selling club. So if teams are coming in, or clubs are coming in with the right amount, we have to listen to it. Then we have a decision to make. But right now they're Brentford players, and they're playing on Sunday."On the outside chance of qualifying for the Conference League if the Bees finish above Brighton on Sunday and Chelsea both finish seventh and win the Conference League: "We spoke briefly about it [European football] on Tuesday. Six weeks ago, we said we wanted to finish as high as possible; that was the thing that we could control ourselves, then we still needed to have help from other teams and other results."Frank stressed the importance of a win regardless: "We need to do what we can to win on Sunday. If we win and finish ninth, it will be the joint-best finish in the Premier League. Top 10 is a remarkable result for us in the Premier League. We'll do what we can to finish the season with a win and then we'll see what will happen."On the challenge posed by Wolves: "It's going to be another difficult game, they're playing at home and want to finish off the season well. Vitor Pereira has done a top job there, there's no doubt about that. I like the way they are set up, they are very structured and difficult to break down."Follow all of Friday's Premier League news conferences and the rest of the day's football newsListen to live commentary of Wolves v Brentford on BBC Radio Sports Extra 3 from 16:00 on Sunday
BBC News
03-05-2025
- Sport
- BBC News
Scotland's Hickey set for Brentford return
Scotland right-back Aaron Hickey, 22, is set to return to first team action with Brentford after 18 months out. (Scotsman - subscription required), externalRead Saturday's Scottish gossip
