Latest news with #CraigFoy
Scotsman
7 days ago
- Sport
- Scotsman
Here are the top 15 football clubs in Scotland ranked by attendance across season 2024-25
Celtic fans celebrate winning the Scottish Premiership title in the final match of the league season against St Mirren at Celtic Park, on May 17, 2025. (Photo by Craig Foy / SNS Group) | SNS Group The best supported clubs in the country ranked in order 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... The Scottish football season is over and the prizes have been handed out. Celtic are Premiership champions once again, while Falkirk, Arbroath and Peterhead also ended the campaign as title winners in the Championship, League One and League Two respectively. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Aberdeen also claimed silverware for the first time in 11 years after their Scottish Cup final win over Celtic at Hampden, with the Hoops claiming the League Cup back in December. While no trophies are handed out for attendances, there is no doubt that some supporters like to brag about the size of crowd their club can attract to their matches. Attendances are, in fact, a source of pride across Scotland with the country ranking top of the UEFA rankings when it comes to match attendance per capita across the whole of Europe.
The National
24-05-2025
- Sport
- The National
Neil Warnock on Aberdeen truth, Rangers job & 'arrogant' Clement
'I fancy doing a show in Glasgow,' he tells Herald Sport. 'I'm going to tell my man who organises them that I want to do one in Glasgow because I do get on with people up here. I like the Scots, me. 'I never got into slagging off the football up here because, listen, it is what it is. 'Everybody knows there are two teams that are always going to be dominant up there. 'But I still think it's possible for a Hearts or a Hibernian or an Aberdeen to get amongst them. 'I would love to have had a go at that for a couple of years, bringing my own players in. Sadly it wasn't to be.' It's over a year since one of the gnarled veterans of British football quit Pittodrie after six games in charge. Enticed north by an invitation to steady the ship until the end of the season, he realised it wasn't going to work after two or three games. 'Without going into detail Aberdeen didn't feel right after a few weeks. 'They asked me to stay on and get through the season and get through the cup game against Kilmarnock, which I did. 'But I thought it was better to go then. It wasn't going to be long term for me, so that's life. 'They've got to the cup final and I don't recognise anybody left now if I'm honest. 'But, look, it needed a big change, a big turnover really. 'That's why I said to them, 'get your next man in, having a look at what he needs.' Neil Warnock has hinted there may be more to his Aberdeen exit (Image: Craig Foy - SNS Group) After leaving he claimed that he didn't want to take money under false pretences. Addressing the suspicion that there might be more to the story than he is prepared to let on he is unusually coy. 'There might be…. 'The thing is, I didn't really want to go into detail over why I left quickly. 'I just wanted to let them get on with how they wanted to run the club. 'I thought the new manager should come in and try to deal with the obvious problems that were there really. 'If I started dealing with them over that, I thought I'd probably fall out with people…' On leaving Pittodrie he drove straight to Dunoon for a few days, stopping off to take in a Morton training session in Port Glasgow and play some golf at Blairmore and Stroan, the golf course 20 minutes from the Dunoon holiday home he purchased in 1990. A therapeutic bolt hole when his wife Sharron was diagnosed with breast cancer he took himself to the picturesque fifth hole, overlooking the Holy Loch, to block out the noise and clear his head. Now a man of leisure he has gathered all the details of the North Coast 500 and plans to hit the road in the next 12 months. He rarely stays still for long. 'I've been all over' he confides. 'Pep invited me over for a couple of days so I went over there….' An unlikely meeting of minds he pauses to gather up the name dropped casually into the conversation before explaining that he took in City's 1-0 win over Wolves at the beginning of May. 'We got on from the moment we first met, when we had a long chat. It was funny because City played against an Italian team in Europe and they asked him, 'were you surprised by their tactics Pep, with the man marking?' 'He said, 'no, Neil Warnock's been doing that to me for years….' He dissolves into laughter before moving seamlessly into an account of his Old Firm game. Pictured sitting beside Rangers director Graham Park at Ibrox for the recent 1-1 draw he found the experience underwhelming. 'It wasn't a very good game was it? It wasn't my kind of game with bloody tackles flying in everywhere and heads going in where it hurts. 'I expected one of those games and the whole thing was a bit of a damp squib on the end.' Neil Warnock attended a recent match between Celtic and Rangers (Image: Craig Foy - SNS Group) In a managerial career spanning five decades and 16 clubs the Rangers job was the one that got away. His first post in 1980 took him to Gainsborough Trinity where one of the strikers had an eye for goal and wore his socks around his ankles. Three decades later Charles Green would emerge, with his big shovel hands, as an unlikely Rangers saviour. 'I had Charles when he was nothing,' Warnock recalls. 'He didn't run about much but he was the best finisher at the club, he could score goals when you gave him a chance. 'So when I saw him come up here and take charge at Rangers it was funny that really. 'That Rangers job would have been ideal for me at one point, but there was always somebody putting a spoke in. 'There was always somebody behind the scenes who wanted somebody else. So I was disappointed that it never happened. 'I would like to have had a go, because when I pull up at Ibrox and get into the car park I think it's special.' It seems only right to point out that the job is vacant once again. Sensing where the conversation is headed he laughs, 'They could do a lot worse…. 'Listen, I suspect the new people coming in will have something to say on who the manager will be. They will have an idea on who they want. 'All I know about what's happening with the Americans is what I read in the papers. But it's a great club and it's ripe for investment. 'I don't really know who they should be going for, but I wasn't a fan of Clement at all, me. 'When I came across him I thought he was arrogant, if I'm honest. I didn't have a great deal of time for him.' Read more: He has more time for Brendan Rodgers, crossing the city of Glasgow for Saturday's 3-1 win over Hibs at the invitation of Easter Road – and former Aberdeen striker – Junior Hoilet. 'All credit to Brendan. A little over 12 months ago, when I was here, he was getting slaughtered. 'To do what he has done proves what a good manager he is. I mean, 17 points? Bloody hell.' In England you'll find people who swear blind that Celtic could stick their nan in the technical area and win the league with the cash and resources at their disposal. Warnock snorts, giving the idea short shrift. 'Let's wait and see what they do when Brendan goes then. Let's see how easy it is then. 'To be fair, they've invested right. They've run the club the right way the last few years. 'They have sold players when they needed some money and they've pretty much supported him with what he wants signings wise. That's what you get when you have something running smoothly and I hope that happens at Rangers now with the new people. 'I hope they get some stability and get somebody in who they can work with and make a fight of it.' Neil Warnock always wanted to manage Rangers (Image: SNS) He always fancied giving Glasgow's big two a run for their money at one of the other big city clubs. Enthused by the idea of Tony Bloom pumping millions into Hearts, his doubts over the growing influence of data on player recruitment are based on a bad experience. 'When I was at Crystal Palace they had three recruitment people working on computers all day long. 'We needed a centre half desperately and I went in and said, 'look, there's one in Scotland who was spotted by one of our scouts.' 'So I sent my assistant Ronnie Jepson up to watch him and he came back and said, 'gaffer, he'll do for us.' 'So I told these computer lads, we can get this centre half for a few million pounds and I would like him if I could. 'So they said, 'give us 24 hours' and off they went to crunch the numbers and look at all his clips. 'Then they came back and told me, 'sorry Neil, we don't want you to sign that player. We don't think he's good enough.' 'I said, 'what do you mean, he's playing with a fag in his mouth! He reads the game so well he doesn't have to sprint.' 'It turned out that they didn't think Virgil van Dijk was quick enough for the English Premier League. Virgil van Dijk! 'I saw Virgil two years later and he came up and said, 'I know you tried to sign me from Celtic.' 'I said, 'yeah, I bet you're f****** pleased now that they thought you were too slow…'' Even if a late invite comes in the post - 'maybe Brendan will ask me along' – his daughter's wedding in Italy will prevent him heading to Hampden for the Scott Fourteen months since he left, Aberdeen might prove to be his final job in management. The man himself is closing no doors. 'You never know son. I got offered a job with 10 games to go until the end of the season. Never say never….'
Glasgow Times
16-05-2025
- Sport
- Glasgow Times
Maeda on what he prefers to football, and a new Celtic deal
It seems though that when the Celtic attacker was younger, the red-hot Maeda's ambitions were to represent his country in another high-flying sport. "I wanted to be a gymnast," Maeda said. "I practiced it a lot. I would look at the Olympics and think I wanted to be there, I wanted to participate in the Olympics. That's why I was practicing so much. Read more: "[It would be] the boxes. Or the floor and the one with the bars." When did he realise that he preferred football then? 'I still don't think that football is better!' he laughed. 'I just realised that now I'm a football player. "I think [knowing] how to use the body has been helpful for me because I'm not really doing anything towards that now. I think the experience in my childhood helps me to move the body better.' (Image: Craig Foy - SNS Group)Whatever he had been doing in preparation for his eventual career in football seems to have been paying off for the Japanese though, as he made it a hat-trick of accolades on Friday by adding the William Hill Premiership Player of the Year Award and the Scottish Football Writers' Player of the Year Award to the PFA Scotland Player of the Year Award he had already picked up. 'I'm very happy to receive the award,' he said. "I think teammates come first and it's because of them I have received this award. "After that, it's managers, coaches, staff, and also of course my parents. I'm really pleased to receive this award for them. "Definitely it's been the best season of my career. I understood the importance of constantly doing what I'm doing. It was a great season to understand that part and hopefully I can continue. "I'm just working on the things I've been working on from the past, and it's just paid off. 'It was beyond expectations. But I've experienced several times in my career where things I've been doing will pay off at the end and that's what I was hoping for, and thankfully it happened this season.' Maeda has two seasons left on his current contract at Celtic, with manager Brendan Rodgers putting on record his desire to extend that deal further. Maeda though prefers not to look too far ahead. 'This is a world where you never know what's going to happen next,' he said. 'This a good team but I need to think about what comes next with my family and the gaffer and everything. Now my focus is on this team. "I'm not thinking [about it] a lot right now because there's still games to play. I'm thinking about how I'll spend my day off! So, we'll just get the games done and then let's see what happens." (Image: Alan Harvey - SNS Group) If that answer was a little non-committal, Maeda did stress that he feels he still has goals to reach for in a Celtic jersey, despite this season of both personal and collective achievement. 'Everyone said we did a great performance in the Champions League but we didn't go through to the next stage,' he said. 'So, I think there's something missing in our team. So, for next season I think we should try to go to the next stage.' In the here and now, Maeda is just grateful for the praise and the prizes that are coming his way, as well as the manner in which he has been taken to the hearts of the Celtic supporters, like several of his compatriots down the years have been too, from Shunsuke Nakamura to Kyogo Furuhashi. 'From the beginning when I joined this club I felt that they were welcoming, especially the Japanese players,' he said. 'I'm very grateful to play under such circumstances. 'I really think that having the Japanese players in this team will strengthen the levels of the team and improve the technique of the team. So, I hope there will be more players coming over.'
The Herald Scotland
16-05-2025
- Sport
- The Herald Scotland
Maeda on what he prefers to football, and a new Celtic deal
"I wanted to be a gymnast," Maeda said. "I practiced it a lot. I would look at the Olympics and think I wanted to be there, I wanted to participate in the Olympics. That's why I was practicing so much. Read more: "[It would be] the boxes. Or the floor and the one with the bars." When did he realise that he preferred football then? 'I still don't think that football is better!' he laughed. 'I just realised that now I'm a football player. "I think [knowing] how to use the body has been helpful for me because I'm not really doing anything towards that now. I think the experience in my childhood helps me to move the body better.' (Image: Craig Foy - SNS Group)Whatever he had been doing in preparation for his eventual career in football seems to have been paying off for the Japanese though, as he made it a hat-trick of accolades on Friday by adding the William Hill Premiership Player of the Year Award and the Scottish Football Writers' Player of the Year Award to the PFA Scotland Player of the Year Award he had already picked up. 'I'm very happy to receive the award,' he said. "I think teammates come first and it's because of them I have received this award. "After that, it's managers, coaches, staff, and also of course my parents. I'm really pleased to receive this award for them. "Definitely it's been the best season of my career. I understood the importance of constantly doing what I'm doing. It was a great season to understand that part and hopefully I can continue. "I'm just working on the things I've been working on from the past, and it's just paid off. 'It was beyond expectations. But I've experienced several times in my career where things I've been doing will pay off at the end and that's what I was hoping for, and thankfully it happened this season.' Maeda has two seasons left on his current contract at Celtic, with manager Brendan Rodgers putting on record his desire to extend that deal further. Maeda though prefers not to look too far ahead. 'This is a world where you never know what's going to happen next,' he said. 'This a good team but I need to think about what comes next with my family and the gaffer and everything. Now my focus is on this team. "I'm not thinking [about it] a lot right now because there's still games to play. I'm thinking about how I'll spend my day off! So, we'll just get the games done and then let's see what happens." (Image: Alan Harvey - SNS Group) If that answer was a little non-committal, Maeda did stress that he feels he still has goals to reach for in a Celtic jersey, despite this season of both personal and collective achievement. 'Everyone said we did a great performance in the Champions League but we didn't go through to the next stage,' he said. 'So, I think there's something missing in our team. So, for next season I think we should try to go to the next stage.' In the here and now, Maeda is just grateful for the praise and the prizes that are coming his way, as well as the manner in which he has been taken to the hearts of the Celtic supporters, like several of his compatriots down the years have been too, from Shunsuke Nakamura to Kyogo Furuhashi. 'From the beginning when I joined this club I felt that they were welcoming, especially the Japanese players,' he said. 'I'm very grateful to play under such circumstances. 'I really think that having the Japanese players in this team will strengthen the levels of the team and improve the technique of the team. So, I hope there will be more players coming over.'
Scotsman
04-05-2025
- Sport
- Scotsman
The 10 best Scottish Premiership teams ever ranked by points total - and how 24/25 Celtic team compare
Celtic's 5-0 victory over Dundee United last week saw the Glasgow giants crowned as champions for the fourth successive season, with the league now its 12th season since being rebranded as the Scottish Premiership. Callum McGregor (second left) leads the Celtic celebrations at Tannadice after another Premiership title triumph (Photo by Craig Foy / SNS Group) Back in 2013, when the SPL and SFL merged to form the new Scottish Professional Football League, it was Celtic who were the reigning champions of Scotland and the Hoops have largely dominated the division ever since, winning the league all but once since the 2013/14 campaign. Currently on 84 points, the Celts could hit a total of 93 points come the end of the campaign, and with Rodgers' team already sealing the title with three games to go, they now the chance to be one of the league's best ever teams, based on their league points tally. But who have been best Scottish Premiership teams ever? Here is every Scottish Premiership winner ranked by points total - and how the current Celtic team compare: 1 . 24/25: Celtic - (84 points, so far) With 84 points already secured this season, Celtic have already confirmed the 10th best ever Scottish Premiership finish. However, with three games still to play, they could end the season on 93 points. But where would that place them in the all-time best Scottish Premiership seasons? | SNS Group / SFA Photo Sales 2 . 2015/16: Celtic - (86 points) While Celtic could overtake this points tally with just one win from any of their next three games, their 2018/19 tally still stands as the tenth best league finish in Scottish Premiership history. | SNS Group Photo: SNS Group Photo Sales 3 . 2018/19 - Celtic (87 points) Neil Lennon's last title win as Celtic manager saw the club clinch the league at Pittodrie, finishing nine points ahead of Rangers. The club's 130th season of competitive football, Lennon would replace Brendan Rodgers in the February of that season, and helped lead the Hoops to a domestic treble. | SNS Group Photo Sales 4 . 2014/15 - Celtic - (92 points) Ronny Deila won the league title with Celtic in his debut season at the club, finishing 17 points ahead of Aberdeen in second. The Hoops would also secure the Scottish League Cup to crown a domestic double for the Norwegian boss. | SNS Group Photo Sales
