Latest news with #DavidMartindale
BBC News
3 days ago
- Business
- BBC News
Why Martindale has 'genuine enthusiasm' for new season
David Martindale has "genuine enthusiasm" for Livingston's return to the Premiership as new owner Calvin Ford has vowed to "back the club".Livingston beat Ross County in the play-offs to secure promotion after just one season in the second tier."I'll be honest with you, I wouldn't have stayed at the club if I felt that it wasn't possible and we couldn't do this together," manager Martindale told BBC Scotland."This time last year, it was all emphasis on getting the club back to the Premiership and fortunately we've been able to do that."Everybody at the club has done that, we've always been that underdog, but last year was one of the most difficult I've had at the club personally, on and off the park."So to find ourselves back in the Premiership, we've got new owners, this is probably the first time in my 11 years at the club where I can look at a pre-season with genuine positivity, genuine enthusiasm because we're in a good place."Martindale says Ford "won't throw silly money about" but will provide adequate backing to fund the club's attempts to stay in the Premiership."Since Calvin's come in, he's been brilliant with me," he added. "We've got a group chat. We're all on that. Calvin messages me quite a lot himself so he's given me assurances that he's going to back the club."He's not coming in to throw silly money about. That's not what he's all about and that's not what I'm looking for. Calvin's come in and said he's going to give us a chance of staying in the Premiership next year."He's going to back the club. He's going to bring people with the right skillset to look after the long-term future of the football club."
BBC News
3 days ago
- Business
- BBC News
Fraser ready to 'kick on' at Rangers after fruitful Livi loan
Robbie Fraser says he's ready to "kick on" and make an impact at Rangers after helping Livingston to 22-year-old full-back made 23 appearances for the Lions after joining on loan in January and played every minute of their play-off campaign as David Martindale's men secured a Premiership return at the first he has returned to Ibrox eager to impress whoever is appointed manager."I thought the level of the Championship was extremely high," Fraser told the Rangers website."It's a really demanding league and very competitive. Even going into the play-offs and then playing against Ross County, there's not a great deal between the bottom half of the Premiership and the top half of the Championship. It shows you how competitive Scottish football can be."It was exactly what I wanted - to go out and prove myself. I firmly believe I'm capable of playing for Rangers."I'll firstly enjoy my break and switch off, but I'll be preparing as hard as ever to go in as ready as I can be."There's a lot of excitement and fresh eyes, so it's about keeping myself in the best shape possible and trying to impress."I feel in a much better place in all parts of my game. I've got the games under my belt and have experience, so I'm in a good place to go and kick on at Rangers."
BBC News
4 days ago
- General
- BBC News
'Deserved victory', 'Delighted for the team' - fans revel in promotion
We asked for your views on Livingston's return to the Scottish Premiership after the play-off victory over Ross what some of you said:Andy: Looked a far better team this season, particularly in the run-in and the play-offs. Ross County were poor across two legs and felt it would've been harsh for us to not secure promotion. Delighted for David Martindale and the team, hopefully we can kick on now and keep some of the quality in the Fantastic second-half performance from Livi Lions, deserved victory after all the hard work over the season. Back in the Premiership at the first time of asking, superb!Kevin: Well done lads from a long-time supporter from the south coast of England. What a great comeback!Del: Too much is made of the artificial pitch, artificial pitches are the future in Scottish weather conditions, wake up SPFL. Good players and a good manager got his tactics spot on. Calvin Ford give Davie the support he needs and he'll take Livingston into Europe. Don't you just love fans telling Livi what they want from us and how we should play, no doubt in a manner that allows you to maximise your chances of winning. Davie points out he has the lowest budget because it's true and that leads to a necessary way of playing.
Scotsman
5 days ago
- Sport
- Scotsman
Scotland's not-so-serious football awards - including Scott McTominay, Dick Campbell and Cristiano Ronaldo
Our chief football writer dishes out the end-of-season gongs 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 officially over so that means it's time to hand out my awards for the 2024/25 campaign. So without further ado ... Best Post-Match Interview: Dick Campbell It's Dick Campbell's world, and we are all just living in it. The legendary manager added another promotion to his CV when taking East Fife into the third tier but was at the centre of a commotion after the first leg of the play-off final against Annan after being sent to the stand, not for the first time in his career. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Understandably, Dick was far from happy. He was shown two yellow cards in close succession by referee Ross Hardie, the second of which he claimed was as a result of him throwing 'ma bunnet doon' in exasperation following a decision. It was something, he later clarified, that he often does when talking to his wife, so he couldn't see what the big deal was. 'They're all watching me,' he said in an interview with East Fife TV. 'It's no' The Dick Campbell Show!' Sorry, but we respectfully take issue with this. It is The Dick Campbell Show. And it's coming soon to a League One ground near you. East Fife manager Dick Campbell and his famous bunnet. | SNS Group The Fashionably Late Manager of the Year Award: David Martindale Selecting a manager of the year weeks before the end of the season is the ultimate hostage to fortune scenario. It's what happens for the PFA Scotland award and it's what happens for the Scottish Footballl Writers' Association award, with the choice of candidate required to be submitted – certainly in the case of the latter – by near the beginning of May. I plumped for Brendan Rodgers, a reasonably sound choice I maintain. Of course, the sheen has been taken off Celtic's season somewhat after Saturday's Scottish Cup final defeat by Aberdeen. But had the vote deadline been now? Well, Jimmy Thelin, the Pittodrie manager, would certainly be in with a shout. David Martindale, meanwhile, has certainly put the cat among the pigeons. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad What a job he has done in getting Livingston promoted via a stunning comeback victory against Ross County in Dingwall. In addition, there's the rout of Queen's Park to win the SPFL Trust Trophy final to consider as well. Dundee, Motherwell and even Rangers are still looking for a manager… Although it does feel like Livi just seem to just fit for Martindale. And with Calvin Ford, Henry Ford's great-great grandson, now at the helm of the club, who knows what might lie in store? David Martindale has guided Livingston back to the Premiership. | SNS Group The Gwyneth Paltrow Sliding Doors Award Because, of course, this concept didn't exist until the 1998 film starring said actress. But if they were to make a film about a seemingly inconsequential moment that turns out having a major impact on future outcomes, well, the storyline line would hinge on a goalmouth scramble at Easter Road rather than whether someone does or does not board a train at a London tube station. Who knows what might have happened had Rocky Bushiri failed to get a shin to the ball in the sixth minute of added time to secure a crazy 3-3 draw for Hibs against Aberdeen (three goals were scored after the 90th minute). A Sack the Board banner can clearly be seen behind the goal in front of the Famous Five Stand where Bushiri bundled home, which helps convey the unrest at Easter Road at the time. Having just been hammered 4-1 by Dundee, manager David Gray was teetering on the precipice. Many expected him to be sacked after Dens Park but the Hibs board – and maybe they deserve an award too – gave the club hero more time. And who is it leading Hibs into Europe next season after a third-place finish? Gray, of course. But would he have survived another loss in that Aberdeen game on a Tuesday night in November? They should make a film about it. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Runner-Up: Hearts defender Michael Steinwender's red card shortly before half-time for a mistimed last-ditch tackle on Aberdeen's Topi Keskinen in the Scottish Cup semi-final. Neither side had been overly impressive by that point but what might have been the outcome if Hearts kept 11 men on the pitch? Neil Critchley, who was sacked seven days later, is among those who'd like to know. Hibs head coach David Gray. | SNS Group Biggest Let-Down A packed Hampden, a 1-0 first-leg advantage, a team seemingly redeemed and renewed following the Euro 2024 debacle and a manager walking tall again. Of course, we should have expected what was coming but it still felt somewhat dismaying to watch Greece, including a 17-year-old making his full debut, proceed to run rings around Scotland in this Nations League play-off second leg. Admittedly, Konstantinos Karetsas was immense – the teenager would be in contention for a best individual performance award that I have seen with my own eyes this season. Scotland couldn't have many complaints about being relegated to League B but it was frustrating nonetheless given the way Steve Clarke and his side managed to reconnect with the fans in the Autumn when performing well in a series of games against Poland, Croatia and Portugal. Speaking of which. Greece defeated Scotland at Hampden. | SNS Group Best 'Look At Me' Hissy Fit: Ronaldo What an occasion it was set to be. One of the greatest-ever players strutting their stuff at Hampden for the first-ever time. Feel the star quality, see the pecs. Except he didn't give anyone the chance to see those pecs. He had flounced off before he'd even had time to whip off his top. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad While he showed flashes of his obvious genius, the then 39-year-old Cristiano Ronaldo left a bit of a sour taste in the mouth with his antics after the goalless draw. With Portugal denied the opportunity to take a late corner due to the referee blowing his final whistle, Ronaldo exited the scene in a huff as opposed to shaking the hands of the opponents and perhaps acknowledging the crowd, the way a football great might be expected to do. Luka Modric bade a far classier farewell to Hampden a few weeks later, even though the Croatian midfielder was digesting the disappointment of a 1-0 defeat. To be fair to Ronaldo, there were some reports of him signing autographs out of the window of the car ferrying him from Hampden when it came to a stop at traffic lights. Cristiano Ronaldo showed petulance at Hampden. | SNS Group The 'Where did it all go wrong?' award: Scott McTominay Jim Ratcliffe ought to be weeping into one of his Dyson hoover bags. What were Manchester United thinking? Scott McTominay could be drawing out the agony of a long, hopeless season at Old Trafford on a deathless close-season tour of Asia, which, the club's website states, is 'presented by Snapdragon'. Instead, he's on an open-topped bus in Naples wearing a blue bandana and puffing on a cigarette while slugging from a bottle of Tennent's Super Lager. He's just been named the best player in Italy and pretty much won Serie A for his side by scoring a bicycle kick. McTominay's a walking – well, currently swaying – repudiation of the notion that the only way is down after leaving Manchester United, although he isn't the only one disproving that now absurd contention. But what a season it has been for the one now known as 'McFratm'. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Scott McTominay has been a revelation at Napoli. | Getty Images The Football, Bloody Hell! Award There's been several contenders for this, including a few in the last few days. McTominay's acrobatic goal to help clinch the Serie A title for Napoli against Cagliari is one. As recently as this Monday night, football's capacity to confound was underlined when I went out to play fives with Ross County having all but confirmed their place in the top flight, only to return to find Livingston had mugged them 4-2 on their own patch with about three goal-of-the-season contenders. And then what about Saturday? One of the ultimate football, bloody hell! moments, surely. Celtic might not have been on song, but they were still grinding their way to another treble until keeper Kasper Schmeichel took his eye off the ball.
Daily Mail
5 days ago
- General
- Daily Mail
Nobody likes us... and we don't care! Why newly-promoted Livingston are ready to ruffle feathers like never before
Livingston's return to the Scottish Premiership is redolent of a scene from an old black and white cowboy movie. The tall mysterious stranger walks into the saloon. As the doors swing open, the pianist stops playing. The revelry turns to silence as everyone turns to stare. Outwith West Lothian, the welcome being afforded to David Martindale's men for reclaiming a place at the game's most selective party might only be marginally warmer than that reserved for an out of towner in the Wild West. They felt the stony silence when they walked into the room last time. They're aware that they've not won any popularity contests with fans of other clubs in the interim. And, as far as they are concerned, that is absolutely fine. 'It's all over and we make our way back to the top flight,' said a post on the club's official X account when the full-time whistle at Dingwall sounded on Monday. 'Not liked. Not wanted. Not bothered.' While football by its very nature is adversarial, some of the flak that flew the way of the account's administrator was striking. One Aberdeen fan claimed he'd have gladly forgone seeing his side win the Scottish Cup had it meant no trips to Almondvale next season. A Celtic supporter said they were the most 'tin pot' club in the land. Amid a litany of such salutations, a Partick Thistle fan suggested they should have been prevented from going up purely on account of their fanbase. The Lions, it can safely be stated, are about as welcome in these parts as a punch in the throat. This outright hostility does feel a little over the score. When Gretna arrived in the top flight in 2007, the accompanying narrative was that it was a fairytale. Yet, they had no ground that was compatible with regulations, a truly paltry support and — as it eventually transpired — no money to honour their players' contracts. Where was their malice? Since then, we've seen clubs such as Hamilton and Inverness Caledonian Thistle joust with the giants. Both sides played their matches at grounds with supporters only housed on three sides. That's not the case at Livingston's home. With a capacity of 9,713, Almondvale may be — in the parlance of estate agents — compact and bijou. But, unlike the lop-sided Falkirk Stadium (holding 7,937), it is symmetrical. Livi are also hardly the first club to make it this far with a modest fanbase. They drew an average home crowd of just 3,889 in 2023-24. Yet, in the season just ended, Ross County had 4,353 and St Johnstone 5,579. It's hardly a gargantuan difference. Based just 19 miles from Edinburgh, Livingston is a town of 55,836 people, many of whom supported the big city clubs when their local side was a works team called Ferranti Thistle. If Livingston's League Cup triumph in 2004 wasn't going to drag them away from Tynecastle or Easter Road on a Saturday, then the subsequent financial turmoil which saw them demoted to the bottom tier certainly wasn't going to win over any hearts and minds. The themes of Livingston's story this century include ambition, the perils of over-stretching, overcoming adversity and redemption. Throw in winning a major trophy and a season playing European football and there's a good book in there somewhere if only there was a demand for it. David Martindale's life story is worthy of a weighty tome in itself. In 2006, he served four years in prison for his part in a drug-dealing and money-laundering operation. He enrolled at Heriot-Watt University and, upon his release, got his foot on the coaching ladder and became Livingston's manager in 2020. He's never sought to play down the seriousness of the crimes which landed him a lengthy custodial sentence. Quite the opposite, in fact. He has, unquestionably, made the most the second chance he's been given in life. Say what you like about Martindale as a person — and many still do — but his credentials as a football manager are hugely impressive. When Livi went down a year ago, you wondered if his days in the dug-out were numbered. The Championship is the most competitive league in the country. There is no guarantee that any side dropping into it simply bounces straight back. In the past 13 seasons, 15 teams have taken the drop. Only eight have succeeded in immediately regaining their top-flight status. Against all the odds, Martindale has earned the right to again pit his wits against Brendan Rodgers, Derek McInnes and company when August arrives. He's a survivor. 'Last season was difficult, but the club stood by me,' he said. 'I think I had credit in the bank from what I'd done.' What he did to ensure the club was only exiled from the big time for a single season proved that he's more than just a ball-of-fire motivator who knows how to make a side hard to beat. Rather than doubling down on the physical, in-your-face approach which had won his club no friends in their last stay in the Premiership, the 50-year-old changed the style of play. Martindale recruited the skilful Lewis Smith to play in front of the cultured Danny Wilson. He drafted in experience in Ryan McGowan and Stevie May, goals in Robbie Muirhead and hunger in Robbie Fraser and Macauley Tait, who joined on loan from Rangers and Hearts, respectively. The reshaped side worked every bit as hard as his previous creations. But their approach was much easier on the eye. 'They've reinvented themselves,' said former Livingston boss John Robertson. 'This is what one year in the Championship has allowed them to do. 'Martindale's recruited really good football players. They play good football, which is not something you associate with a Livingston team who've had to find a way to stay in the league for six years.' Another thing will be different next season. While the much-maligned plastic pitch isn't being replaced with grass, it is being ripped up with the latest generation of MX Elite — apparently the best artificial surface money can buy — then being put down. Whether Livingston, Falkirk or Kilmarnock are minded to challenge the top flight's ban on synthetic surfaces from 2026 remains to be seen. One thing we do know is that — new-style or not — when it all kicks off again, there won't be any rose petals being scattered in front of Martindale's side wherever they go. Until the day arrives when the SPFL hand out bonus points for popularity, that won't cost them a single minute's sleep.
