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The Herald Scotland
5 hours ago
- Entertainment
- The Herald Scotland
Review, When Bruce Springsteen Came to Britain, BBC2
**** Tony wasn't happy. 'Where the **** have you been? You're late.' 'Highway was jammed with broken heroes on a last chance power drive,' said Christopher. 'Aw you're gonna get ****ing cute now?' It's a measure of Springsteen's fame that he needs no introduction, whether he's being quoted in The Sopranos, earning Trump's ire on social media ('This dried-out prune of a rocker ought to KEEP HIS MOUTH SHUT'), or having a night devoted to him on BBC2, of which this documentary was the highlight. Springsteen's first visit to Britain, or 'the land of our gods and saviours' as the Beatles/Stones/Animals worshipper put it, was in 1975 to play the Hammersmith Odeon. The audience loved him but Springsteen thought he had been terrible. 'I had PTSD from it,' he joked. He couldn't bear to watch the film (shown as part of the night) for 30 years. After that it was all gravy for Springsteen, and the documentary in general, as we heard from the man himself, plus friend and bandmate Steven Van Zandt, fans (celebrity and otherwise) and journalists. Among the celebrities, Rob Brydon's devotion was writ large in a teenage scrapbook. Growing up near Port Talbot, Springsteen said more to him than The Jam singing about the Tube. Sting described his mate Bruce as 'a whirling dervish of benevolent male energy'. Tony Parsons said Britain needed Bruce as an antidote to the New Romantics. The 'ordinary' fans shone brightest, including Hazel Wilkinson, who danced with Bruce onstage at the Manchester Apollo; the striking miners' wives handed a cheque for £20,000 in Newcastle; and the nine-year-old lad who sang Hungry Heart with the Boss in Coventry. And what of the gigs in Scotland? We saw a ticket stub from the Edinburgh stop on the 1980-81 River tour, and Ravenscraig appeared in a miners' strike montage, but that seemed to be it. What, no Hampden, no Murrayfield? No excerpts from the glowing reviews in The Herald and other papers, or interviews with those who were there? Even the briefest of searches would have struck research gold. It was the same for Wales and Northern Ireland. Springsteen and young fan at Hampden. Colin Mearns (Image: Colin Mearns/The Herald) Now, it is possible footage or stills from the Scottish gigs were featured, but were not captioned as such in the preview version I saw. Perhaps stuff hit the cutting room floor. Every concert can't be shown and maybe it was enough for some viewers to run a caption saying 'over 60' shows have been played in Britain since Bruce and The E Street Band got back together. Plus fans, Scottish or otherwise, go where they can get tickets. My two cents: if you make a film titled When Bruce Springsteen Came to Britain - part of a series that includes Bob Marley, Blondie and ABBA - it seems only right to cover all parts of Britain. It was an odd omission in an otherwise terrific hour that left no doubt about Springsteen's love for his UK fans and vice versa. He didn't need a fellowship of the Ivors Academy to prove he's always welcome here, but great that he got it, and from a Beatle as well. Now about that honorary knighthood …
Daily Record
13 hours ago
- Sport
- Daily Record
There is one Celtic star who Brendan Rodgers is happy to see buck the trend in bid to prove he has the chops
Brendan Rodgers will be pacing the living room and chewing his fingernails down to the bone over the next few weeks. Most managers deal with international breaks through gritted teeth but the June set of fixtures have the ability to drive club gaffers up the wall. Celtic gaffer Rodgers has eight stars off on national service when he'd much rather they were at home or lying by a pool with the feet up for a few weeks after a long, hard slog of a season. The Hoops already have Reo Hatate and James Forrest set for a summer on the treatment table, along with Jota who is out until 2026. Adam Idah and Liam Scales are on Ireland duty, Anthony Ralston with Scotland, Kasper Schmeichel will look to bounce back from Hampden heartache with Denmark, with Yang Hyun-jun and Viljami Sinisalo with Korea and Finland respectively and exile Luis Palma reporting for Honduras. Rodgers will keep keeping fingers crossed for his main men, but there is one player the Irishman might be glad to see in action this summer. Paulo Bernardo. The midfielder will finish off his time with the Portugal youth set up at the Under 21 Euros in Slovakia, which kick off next week. And the games against France, Poland and Georgia – with the prospect of more in the knockout stages – could be just what the playmaker needs to recapture some form. Bernardo has already made 28 appearances at under 21 and he could set a new national record if he plays the three group games. And these clashes could be just what the 23-year-old needs after a season that failed to catch fire. The former Benfica youngster turned his initial loan move into a permanent deal last summer for £3.5m and it looked a no brainer at the time. Bernardo hadn't always been a regular in his first campaign but he'd shown more than enough to suggest he was worth snapping up for the long term. There were goals against Rangers and a huge impact in the Scottish Cup Final. When Arne Engels checked in for £11m weeks later, it didn't seem like he'd be battling it out with the Belgian for a berth. It was Hatate who was the one whose future looked uncertain, with talk of several clubs in England and beyond keeping tabs. Twelve months on and the Hatate exit chat remains. But whether Bernardo is up to being the ready made replacement is more up for debate. There's no doubting his ability. Yet progress stalled over the last term. Bernardo picked up an injury in the Scottish Cup against Raith Rovers in February and while he was back within six weeks, he struggled to find top form and momentum. He had a big opportunity at Hampden against Aberdeen but failed to make an impression, with the direct running of season one replaced by sideways passing and drifting in and out of the game. The hook came in extra time but it could have been much earlier. Instead of scrapping with Hatate and Engels for a start, he's not got a job keeping Luke McCowan at bay. Bernardo can point to the injury after new year but even before then he wasn't getting much of a look in, apart from off the bench. More than half of his 44 appearances in all competitions in 2024/25 came as a sub, with just a couple of goals and three assists. Celtic need more. The drop off hasn't gone unnoticed, and former Celt and now permanent Partick boss Mark Wilson said: 'I have been quite consistent with Bernardo. When it was up for debate whether Celtic should sign him. I was probably one of the ones I didn't think it was worth the risk and the money. Not the risk, just the money. 'I didn't think he had done enough in big games. I get he went through that wee purple patch. He scored against Rangers. 'But you need to be more than that if you are playing in that Celtic midfield. You need to be more than just three good games on the bounce, and then just go non-existent for big games like the Cup Final.' Bernardo has enough in the locker to be an important Celtic figure but he needs to hit the ground running at the start of next season. And the foundations can be laid while he's on national duty in Slovakia.
The Herald Scotland
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- The Herald Scotland
Brilliant Bruce Springsteen documentary but why the snub to Scotland?
**** Tony wasn't happy. 'Where the **** have you been? You're late.' 'Highway was jammed with broken heroes on a last chance power drive,' said Christopher. 'Aw you're gonna get ****ing cute now?' It's a measure of Springsteen's fame that he needs no introduction, whether he's being quoted in The Sopranos, earning Trump's ire on social media ('This dried-out prune of a rocker ought to KEEP HIS MOUTH SHUT'), or having a night devoted to him on BBC2, of which this documentary was the highlight. Springsteen's first visit to Britain, or 'the land of our gods and saviours' as the Beatles/Stones/Animals worshipper put it, was in 1975 to play the Hammersmith Odeon. The audience loved him but Springsteen thought he had been terrible. 'I had PTSD from it,' he joked. He couldn't bear to watch the film (shown as part of the night) for 30 years. After that it was all gravy for Springsteen, and the documentary in general, as we heard from the man himself, plus friend and bandmate Steven Van Zandt, fans (celebrity and otherwise) and journalists. Among the celebrities, Rob Brydon's devotion was writ large in a teenage scrapbook. Growing up near Port Talbot, Springsteen said more to him than The Jam singing about the Tube. Sting described his mate Bruce as 'a whirling dervish of benevolent male energy'. Tony Parsons said Britain needed Bruce as an antidote to the New Romantics. The 'ordinary' fans shone brightest, including Hazel Wilkinson, who danced with Bruce onstage at the Manchester Apollo; the striking miners' wives handed a cheque for £20,000 in Newcastle; and the nine-year-old lad who sang Hungry Heart with the Boss in Coventry. And what of the gigs in Scotland? We saw a ticket stub from the Edinburgh stop on the 1980-81 River tour, and Ravenscraig appeared in a miners' strike montage, but that seemed to be it. What, no Hampden, no Murrayfield? No excerpts from the glowing reviews in The Herald and other papers, or interviews with those who were there? Even the briefest of searches would have struck research gold. It was the same for Wales and Northern Ireland. Springsteen and young fan at Hampden. Colin Mearns (Image: Colin Mearns/The Herald) Now, it is possible footage or stills from the Scottish gigs were featured, but were not captioned as such in the preview version I saw. Perhaps stuff hit the cutting room floor. Every concert can't be shown and maybe it was enough for some viewers to run a caption saying 'over 60' shows have been played in Britain since Bruce and The E Street Band got back together. Plus fans, Scottish or otherwise, go where they can get tickets. My two cents: if you make a film titled When Bruce Springsteen Came to Britain - part of a series that includes Bob Marley, Blondie and ABBA - it seems only right to cover all parts of Britain. It was an odd omission in an otherwise terrific hour that left no doubt about Springsteen's love for his UK fans and vice versa. He didn't need a fellowship of the Ivors Academy to prove he's always welcome here, but great that he got it, and from a Beatle as well. Now about that honorary knighthood …
BBC News
3 days ago
- General
- BBC News
What did we learn from Andreatta's first game as Scotland head coach?
"I think I have a good baseline now to understand where we're at."The first words Melissa Andreatta uttered in the aftermath of her Scotland debut, which not only ended in defeat, but with relegation to Nations League asked whether that baseline was higher or lower than she expected, the Australian replied: "I'm not sure, if I'm honest."In the first half, it had to be Scots were second best to Austria, who left Hampden with all three deserved points thanks to Julia Hickelsberger's front-post flick just after the hour until that point, and for 10 minutes after, Manuela Zinsberger in the Austria goal was merely a spectator, sunbathing in the Hampden glow.A flurry a changes brought about some fight and finesse, but as Scotland shot-stopper and player of the match Lee Gibson said post-match it was, again, "too little, too late".This was never going to be a quick fix, an overnight job, an immediate turnaround. This transition will take what can we take from Andreatta's first game in charge? Scotland's scars run deep Andreatta's introduction has somewhat masked a grim few months for the Scots. Since their Euro 2025 play-off heartbreak in Helsinki last year, they half lost their first four games of the current year, conceding 13 goals in the process. Six of those in Wolfsburg against Germany. Five in a 15-minute former Matildas assistant was announced the morning after the scudding and since then, alongside captain Rachel Corsie's impending retirement, has dominated the the fallout from that night at the Volkswagen Arena was tame, the impact it has on the group was were heavy. Passes were poor. The opposition box was treated as a pool of lava. There was no flow, only Scotland midfielder Leanne Crichton described their play as "fragmented", while Andreatta said there was "a bit of a hangover" from their previous four pointless Group A1 now seven games without a win, with one final trip to the 10th-ranked team in the world - the Netherlands - to come on Tuesday before a four-month a long old summer to mull over, potentially, eight games and 11 months without a win, but the head coach insists the "belief" is there."When you're coming off the run that they've had, confidence often comes with results, but the belief is still there and it's just going to be a lot of hard work," she said. The kids are alright On a night where so much spotlight was directed to departing, veteran defender Rachel Corsie, the next generation stood 35-year-old was the first of five second-half substitutions, and while the wise old head stabilised a rocky ship, the young ones who followed drove it Mia McAulay - who opened the scoring at Hampden in Sunday's Scottish Cup final - injected the width, creativity and spark the Scots were came on alongside Martha Thomas, who replaced a second debutant in Hibernian's Kathleen McGovern, who Andreatta said "held her own".The 22-year-old, who enjoyed an incredible personal season with the SWPL champions, did a power of running on her first appearance where she was starved of service, while Emma Watson, 19, came off the bench to offer authority and calmness."Being so young, that's the promising and positive thing - their willingness to take on the information and execute their player tasks for the team," the head coach added. "I think based on what I saw, there's a lot to look forward to." Andreatta is all in When Andreatta said that there was plenty to look forward to, she did so with a genuine smile spread across her the four weeks she's been on these shores, she's immersed herself in the culture, cuisine and her Australian took in her fair share of SWPL games as the season drew to a close, while she also had a keen eye on last week's Scottish Cup final. In between times, the occasional Irn-Bru and Cullen skink have been these things may seem, it's a commitment and care for the country, and role, that hasn't always been 46-year-old knew she was taking on a sizeable task but she's keen to show she hasn't bitten off more than one can asked what she learned from her first outing in the hot seat, she said: "I've learnt that I really believe in this group and what it's going to take to help this team realise their potential and go to another level. "I think that's the key thing, that belief isn't down or shaken by the result at all."I'm even more passionate about supporting this team to realise their goals."
BBC News
3 days ago
- General
- BBC News
Scotland 0-1 Austria: Have your say
Scotland fans, were you at Hampden on Friday night or following the action from home? Either way we want your views on the performance. What did you make of Melissa Andreatta's first game in charge? How are you feeling about the future under the new boss? How big a miss will Rachel Corsie be when she hangs up her boots?Have your say on Andreatta's first game in charge
