Latest news with #CelticPark
Irish Times
2 days ago
- Sport
- Irish Times
The football year in review: Footballer of the year? Biggest disappointment? Our writers make their picks
Malachy Clerkin Footballer of the year: David Clifford. Scored more than everyone else. Scored more from play than everyone else. Scored more goals than everyone else. Scored 0-7, 1-9 and 0-9 from the quarter-final on – and wasn't named Man of the Match in any of those games. Pleasingly, his overall tally from play came to 8-12-24 – or, if you like, 24-24-24. And he did it all while being the one player every opposition made plans for, sent their best man-marker after and changed their own game to contain. A genuinely astonishing footballer. Kerry's David Clifford scores a two-pointer despite Donegal's Brendan McCole. Photograph: Laszlo Geczo/Inpho Best game: Derry 's draw with Galway in the round robin game in Celtic Park. It finished 2-20 to 4-14 and never let up. Six goals, four two-pointers, countless hits and spills and crankiness all over the pitch. Derry finally showed who they can be, Galway hung in grimly right to the last drop and looked to have dug out the win with Matthew Tierney's 69th-minute goal. But Derry, with Conor Glass exceptional, got up the pitch and Conor Doherty's equaliser brought the house down. Memorable moment: Louth 's Leinster title. Ger Brennan's team had been coming but nobody was predicting anything other than a 15th Leinster title in a row for Dublin at the start of the year. But once Meath knocked them out, Louth took their chance. Played a bad first half but clung on through a hailstorm of goals, including the strike of the year from Craig Lennon. Sam Mulroy's second half was a display for the ages. READ MORE Biggest disappointment: The knock-out stages consisted of 11 games, only three of which ended with a margin smaller than six points. We thought we had a wide open championship but as the stakes got higher, so many of the games were decided long before the end. It all kind of fizzled out really. Former Dublin manager and FRC chair Jim Gavin at Croke Prk ahead of the All-Ireland final. Photograph: Morgan Treacy/Inpho In 2026 I would like to see: The game keep evolving. The new rules aren't perfect by any means but what they've done is illustrate the need for a standing rules committee with the power to change something if it isn't working. If 2025 did anything, it should have cured the moaning of the why-can't-they-just-leave-the-game-alone crowd. Fat chance, probably. Gordon Manning Footballer of the year: Is it a debate? David Clifford finished the year as championship top scorer with 8-62 all in, an average of 9.5 points per game. Second was Seán O'Shea on 1-50. Clifford hoisted his team-mates upon his shoulders and carried them to glory this year. The new rules have liberated his considerable talents. Best game: Donegal 's Ulster final win over Armagh was a gripping, couldn't-take-your-eyes off it battle. It was a game played with huge intensity, aggression, high skill level, plenty of physicality and drama. The sun was beaming and St Tiernach's Park felt like a claustrophobic powder-keg waiting to explode. And it did. Michael Murphy with the Anglo-Celt Cup after Donegal's Ulster final win over Armagh. Photograph: Ben Brady/Inpho Memorable moment: Louth's first Leinster SFC success since 1957 sparked an outpouring of emotion rarely seen for provincial triumphs these days. The atmosphere in Croke Park was more in keeping with an All-Ireland final than Leinster final day. In terms of memorable moments it was closely followed by Meath's victory over Dublin. Who said the Leinster SFC was a lame duck? Biggest disappointment: The lack of space between the end of the league and the start of the championship encouraged teams to essentially pull the handbrake on their league campaigns a few weeks before the end of the competition. For what is apparently the second most important competition in the intercounty calendar, nobody seemed very motivated to win it. In 2026 I would like to see: A return to the traditional throw-in of two v two at the start of each half. The unnatural optics of two players standing on either sideline waiting for the ball to be tossed in before they can enter the pitch is completely unnecessary. The new rules have made such a positive impact, but the one v one throw-in is an example of needless meddling. Denis Walsh Footballer of the year: In sport, numbers are a coarse expression of genius but sometimes they're handy. David Clifford was the top scorer in the championship by a clear 33 points; he was also the top scorer from play by 33 points, and he kicked the most two-pointers. In the final he racked up nine points, without even attempting a free. Astonishing. Best game: In its final edition the mid-championship round robin produced a blizzard of great matches, two of them involving Galway, but the hectic Cork-Kerry Munster semi-final in late April was a glorious portent of the season to come. Louth fans in Hill 16 celebrate after the final whistle in the Leinster final against Meath. Photograph: Tom Maher/Inpho Memorable moment: Meath's sensational victory over Dublin revived a moribund Leinster championship and their mind-boggling victory over Kerry was just the shock therapy Kerry needed, as it happened. But Louth winning the Leinster final was the day of days in football's golden summer. Biggest disappointment: Games 97, 98 and 99 between the last four teams standing in a great championship were all one-sided. It was just a pity that nothing sparked in Croke Park over the last fortnight. In 2026 I would like to see: Further refinements of the new rules. Do we really need 12 players behind the ball? How soon before we can get the number down to 10? What's the plan for squashing the outbreaks of lateral handpassing? Seán Moran Footballer of the year: Just before half-time, David Clifford 's two-pointer encapsulated his consistent ability to defy the tightest marking and the acumen to kick scores, 8-62 in total. Like all great players, his scores cut deeply, messaging: he's here; today is not your day. Best game: Kerry 0-32 Armagh 1-21. The portal through which Kerry emerged as a transformed force. Trailing by five in the second half, they unleashed 15 minutes of dazzling football, which completely undid the champions in the quarter-final. Donegal's Ciarán Moore scores the winning point against Mayo at Dr Hyde Park. Photograph: James Crombie/Inpho Memorable moment: Ciarán Moore's 70th-minute gallop to kick the winning point against Mayo in Roscommon. It didn't advance Donegal in the slightest but killed the opposition's championship and tolled the bell on Kevin McStay's management with the usual unseemly consequences in the county. Biggest disappointment: Despite the positive impact of the FRC and some great contests, the business end proved terribly disappointing with one-way All-Ireland semi-finals, which were going to be redeemed by the resulting final. Instead, Donegal were handed a beating not suffered for 18 years. In 2026 I would like to see: Louth's somewhat forgotten – or at best, overlooked – breakthrough and Meath's progress to an All-Ireland semi-final, having beaten Dublin along the way, raised optimism for a competitive, well-attended Leinster championship. Let's hope it's not a false dawn. Ian O'Riordan Footballer of the year: Just when you thought David Clifford couldn't possibly get any better. He came out this season leaner, hungrier, and meaner, his appetite for destruction in front of goal more insatiable than it has even been. After scoring 8-53 from eight games coming into Sunday's final, he added another 0-9 from play, including three two-pointers – and only a fantastic clearance off the line denied him a goal. The smiling scene of him raising the Sam Maguire with his son Ógie, and his brother Paudie Clifford, was the perfect end to a perfect championship season. Shane Walsh celebrates after kicking the winning score against Armagh at Breffni Park. Photograph: James Lawlor/Inpho Best game: A few contenders here, given the many smash hits of the football championship, but Galway's All-Ireland series round-robin game against All-Ireland champions Armagh at Breffni Park was one of the best in my book. In the penultimate round of the so-called Group of Death, Galway came from eight points down at half-time to land a one-point win with the last kick of the game, a cool-as-you-like it free by Shane Walsh. Galway would later progress to the knock-out stages thanks to their draw with Derry, another cracking game of football, only that Saturday evening in Breffni was Galway at their fighting best. Memorable moment: Sometimes you get a different view of a game when attending as a spectator, not a reporter, but either way Kerry's All-Ireland quarter-final win over Armagh was a sight to behold. Sitting in the lower Hogan Stand between a mixture of Kerry and Armagh supporters, that 15-minute spell in the second half when Kerry scored 14 unanswered points was utterly breathtaking. One point by David Clifford, after running rings around the Armagh defence, was a kind of magic. Biggest disappointment: We know there will be one less round in the All-Ireland series next year which will free up another weekend to allow a little more breathing space at the business end of the championship. We also know there's no going back to September All-Ireland finals, or even early August – not for the time being anyway – but there's still an uneasy sense the championship has been raced through at an unnecessarily fast pace. In 2026 I would like to see: Louth's first Leinster football title since 1957 injected some much-needed interest and excitement into the province, particularly after Dublin's exit at the hands of Meath. Ulster and Connacht continue with their competitive element, while the Munster football championship is lacking it, despite Cork's brave effort this year. It's hard to see how that will change next year, but maybe Jim Gavin might have some thoughts on the structure of it?
Daily Record
21-07-2025
- Business
- Daily Record
Etienne Youte transfer fee plunges as Celtic face £6m 'hurry' with 'best defender' exit escalating centre back search
The recruitment drive at Celtic Park looks to be ramping up with the season fast approaching Le Havre president Jean-Michel Roussier admits their asking price for centre-back Etienne Youte could drop amid reported interest from Celtic. Reports in France suggest that the Scottish Premiership champions have joined Anderlecht and Besiktas in the race to land the 23-year-old. Youte only has a year remaining on his currently contract and the Ligue 1 outfit would reportedly accept a €5million (£4.3million) fee this summer. But Roussier admits that the cash-strapped club could be forced into a bargain sale of the centre-back this summer. Speaking to Paris Normadie, the club supremo was asked about the risk of allowing player's deals to run out. He said: "We're used to it. We have to sell a lower cost, with free agents something we cannot risk. We are a company that is losing money." Red Star Belgrade defender Veljko Milosavljevic is also said to be on the agenda amid claims that the club are ready to drop their asking price. It was claimed earlier this summer that Celtic representatives "offered" £5.1million for the 17-year-old, which was rejected. However, a £6million offer would reportedly tempt the Serbian side to cash-in on the rising star. Max Sport report that Everton have made contact and are now stepping up their interest - which could leave Celtic in a "hurry" to get the deal over the line and see off the Premier League side in a bidding war. Maik Nawrocki is among the fringe men that have been allowed to leave the club this summer - but Frank McAvennie reckons the club have made a mistake in allowing the Polish star join Hannover 96. But speaking on his 'Let Me Be Frank' podcast, McAvennie said: 'There are a couple of players who went out. 'I feel sorry for Nawrocki. He has gone out, and I thought, 'that boy was decent.' I really did. I thought he was a good player. 'I hope we don't rue that. He never let the team down. He came in, five or six games, and he was outstanding. He was the best defender we had.' 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 on 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.
Scotsman
20-07-2025
- Sport
- Scotsman
Rangers fitness issues, Celtic star left ‘emotional', Steven Pressley addresses start
Latest news round-up from across Scottish football 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... Here is a round-up of the latest news across Scottish football this Sunday lunchtime... Celtic star left 'emotional' Kieran Tierney has admitted that his Celtic Park homecoming left him feeling emotional. The left-back made his second debut for Celtic in the 4-0 friendly win over Newcastle on Saturday following his return from Arsenal on a free transfer. Manager Brendan Rodgers handed Celtic fans the chance to acclaim the left-back when he brought him on for fellow summer signing Hayato Inamura 10 minutes into the second half. Tierney's introduction generated the loudest cheer of the day as fans hailed the 28-year-old's return. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Celtic's Kieran Tierney comes on during an Adidas Cup friendly match against Newcastle United at Celtic Park. (Photo by Craig Foy / SNS Group) | SNS Group Describing the moment, Tierney told Celtic TV: 'Amazing. I didn't know what to expect but that was just brilliant. What a feeling. I was quite emotional actually, running on to the park like that, but amazing. It was a great day for me.' The Scotland international was quickly into his rhythm and set up the fourth goal when he crossed for Liam Scales to head home after playing a one-two with Reo Hatate. Tierney added: 'They're a great team so it just shows the quality that we have got. When we play like that we can give anyone a game. Some of the goals we scored were brilliant.' Having had to win over some fans after returning to Celtic himself last summer, Rodgers was delighted to see Tierney receive the acclaim. 'I wanted him to get a specific welcome back,' he said. 'Just to get him back here at his age where he could easily be playing at the top end of the Premier League, to get a player of that level and that desire to play for Celtic is amazing for us. 'So, it was a great moment and another connection with him and the support. And then you see when he's on there, he's playing against young Anthony Elanga, who's a brilliant signing for Newcastle. But Kieran's got pace and power. And then you see how he created the goal with just that explosive speed and the quality. So, for us, it's great to have him here and he's still finding his fitness. But it was a great moment for him.' Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Rangers fitness issues Rangers are dealing with a number of fitness concerns ahead of their Champions League second qualifying round first leg tie against Panathinaikos at Ibrox on Tuesday. The match against the Greeks will mark the start of the Russell Martin era but the new head coach is confident that his side can overcome the fitness issues that are restricting his choices to get his tenure off to a positive start. Hamza Igamane and Cyriel Dessers are both likely to miss Rangers' Champions League opener against Panathinaikos on Tuesday. | SNS Group 'The adrenaline, the crowd, everything else will help them through,' Martin told Rangers TV. 'I feel like we've got a good enough base to build off and to win a game of football and to prepare us for that. I'm excited about what we're going to see on the pitch. It's by no means going to be complete. We need time to really embed what we want and for the team to really look how we want it. But we need to put in a performance that looks like us and gives us a platform to build off and to win a game. And to excite the crowd and to make them feel like this is going to be a team that they can connect with.' Rangers are likely to start without strikers Cyriel Dessers and Hamza Igamane, who scored 45 goals between them last season. 'They're both a little bit behind the group in terms of fitness,' Martin said. 'Cyriel because of an injury and Hamza because of visa problems. But they're here now and they're working so hard to get back into shape. And they're both going to be ready to help us, which is going to be really important. I'm looking forward to having them fully fit and firing very soon.' Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Former Wigan and Luton midfielder Thelo Aasgaard is also a fitness doubt for the first leg. 'It's disappointing for him and for us,' Martin said. 'Everything we thought we were getting and more since he's been here has been incredible. His understanding, his athleticism, the power he has, the technical capability, he really is an exciting player for us. Unfortunately, it's a different level of intensity and it's obviously high demands from pre-season. He's picked up just a little something, so he's going to be touch and go. We hope he can be involved, but if not, then we're really hopeful he'll be ready and raring to go for the second one.' Winger Djeidi Gassama is also short of full fitness after arriving from Sheffield Wednesday last week. Martin said: 'He's a little bit behind in terms of fitness because they went back a bit later than us and the pre-season he's had has been a bit disrupted because he was going to be on the move. He's not ready to start the game. But he is totally different to anything we've got. He's unpredictable. He's a fantastic one-on-one specialist. He has real individual talent. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad 'He has a lot of work to do physically and to get used to the way we're going to work. But already his willingness to do that, how hard he's working to catch up on fitness, has been really brilliant. So he'll be in the squad. He'll definitely be ready to go for the second game. The first game might have to manage his minutes and the expectation, but he's going to help us a lot.' Steven Pressley is under pressure after losing to lower league opposition twice in his opening two matches in charge of Dundee. | SNS Group Steven Pressley pressure Steven Pressley is already a man under pressure after starting his tenure as Dundee manager with back-to-back defeats to lower league opposition in the Premier Sports Cup. Saturday's 1-0 defeat at Alloa followed the same scoreline at home to Airdrie and left Dundee with no chance of Premier Sports Cup progress. Games against Bonnyrigg Rose and Montrose in the coming week are now effectively pre-season fixtures for Dundee with Pressley already under pressure from fans to get things right ahead of the William Hill Premiership opener against Hibernian on August 3. Asked how they respond, Pressley told Dee TV: 'By accepting, by understanding that's not good enough, and as a group, me, the players, have to show resilience and respond to that. It's far from the ideal start, it's not what we wanted, but you have to show character in these moments of time and that's certainly what I expect us to do. They are a very good group. I have said we need reinforcements but that's irrelevant because we have to do better than that.
Yahoo
20-07-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Tierney enjoys 'emotional' return to Celtic Park
Kieran Tierney enjoyed an "emotional" return to Celtic Park in Saturday's friendly against Newcastle United, with the biggest cheer in a 4-0 victory reserved for the defender. The 28-year-old Scotland international was introduced 10 minutes into the second half, having made his last home appearance for the Scottish champions on 6 April 2019. Back at his first club after six years with Arsenal, he told Celtic TV: "Amazing. I didn't know what to expect but that was just brilliant. What a feeling. "I was quite emotional actually, running on to the park like that. It was a great day for me." Tierney, who won four league titles, two Scottish Cups and two League Cups in his first spell, set up the fourth goal when he crossed for Liam Scales to head home after playing a one-two with Reo Hatate. "They're a great team so it just shows the quality that we have got," he added. "When we play like that we can give anyone a game. Some of the goals we scored were brilliant." 'More to come in' at Celtic after Yamada - Rodgers Tierney 'nothing to prove' over fitness at Celtic Manager Brendan Rodgers sent Tierney on just moments before making another 10 substitutions. "I wanted him to get a specific welcome back," he explained. "Just to get him back here at his age where he could easily be playing at the top end of the Premier League, to get a player of that level and that desire to play for Celtic is amazing for us. "So, it was a great moment and another connection with him and the support. "And then you see when he's on there, he's playing against Anthony Elanga, who's a brilliant signing for Newcastle. "But Kieran's got pace and power. And then you see how he created the goal with that explosive speed and the quality." Visit our Celtic page for all the latest news, analysis and fan views Get Celtic news notifications in the BBC Sport app
Yahoo
20-07-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Tierney enjoys 'emotional' return to Celtic Park
Kieran Tierney enjoyed an "emotional" return to Celtic Park in Saturday's friendly against Newcastle United, with the biggest cheer in a 4-0 victory reserved for the defender. The 28-year-old Scotland international was introduced 10 minutes into the second half, having made his last home appearance for the Scottish champions on 6 April 2019. Back at his first club after six years with Arsenal, he told Celtic TV: "Amazing. I didn't know what to expect but that was just brilliant. What a feeling. "I was quite emotional actually, running on to the park like that. It was a great day for me." Tierney, who won four league titles, two Scottish Cups and two League Cups in his first spell, set up the fourth goal when he crossed for Liam Scales to head home after playing a one-two with Reo Hatate. "They're a great team so it just shows the quality that we have got," he added. "When we play like that we can give anyone a game. Some of the goals we scored were brilliant." 'More to come in' at Celtic after Yamada - Rodgers Tierney 'nothing to prove' over fitness at Celtic Manager Brendan Rodgers sent Tierney on just moments before making another 10 substitutions. "I wanted him to get a specific welcome back," he explained. "Just to get him back here at his age where he could easily be playing at the top end of the Premier League, to get a player of that level and that desire to play for Celtic is amazing for us. "So, it was a great moment and another connection with him and the support. "And then you see when he's on there, he's playing against Anthony Elanga, who's a brilliant signing for Newcastle. "But Kieran's got pace and power. And then you see how he created the goal with that explosive speed and the quality." Visit our Celtic page for all the latest news, analysis and fan views Get Celtic news notifications in the BBC Sport app
