Latest news with #Hearts
BBC News
27 minutes ago
- Sport
- BBC News
Who was 'the surprise package' in Hearts' win against Dumbarton?
We asked for your views following Hearts' fourth win in the Premier Sports Cup as they secured progression to the second what some of you said: GB: Why didn't we get Derek McInnes years ago? Sixteen goals already, what a start to a Next game against Sunderland will tell us much more than all these one-sided contests. I think we've got an age-old problem continuing at Hearts where we seem to prioritise quantity over quality. I don't think we have enough of the latter and Hearts fans are kidding themselves if they think Best display yet in a game where we showed intensity throughout. Not the finished group yet but definite signs that the basis of a coherent successful group is coming together. Another plus is four competitive games now in the players which should help when the league matches start with Aberdeen on 4 Another good performance without really getting into top gear to round off a successful group Braga and Alexandros Kyziridis look like exciting signings. Stuart Findlay has looked solid while Cammy Devlin and James Wilson have both done well. Looking forward to the start of the league New signings look great but we haven't faced a team yet that will put us under pressure. We won't really know how good this squad is until we play league games. The style of play that McInnes has introduced is more direct and more exciting to So many options in the final third and we await more! If you want a game for Hearts you will have to be on it. So much better than previous Lawrence Shankland offers more playing as a number nine up front. Last season he was played deeper but back up front he's back to his Huge spells of dominance throughout the game and performed well across all four matches as expected, it's good to build towards the league Another third-gear win for Hearts. The new signings are technically strong players and their direct play is easy on the eye. But the surprise package was Cammy Devlin, who's controlled performance and measured passing was in total contrast to his Tasmanian devil-type ankle-biting displays of previous seasons. Picking a first choice team from this squad will be no easy task for McInnes.
The Herald Scotland
an hour ago
- Sport
- The Herald Scotland
Gordon on earlier Hearts exit interest and Romanov claims
After initial interest from clubs, he had signed a lucrative contract to remain at Tynecastle. However, it was becoming clear his abilities were elite-level, by this point the Scotland number one, and his exit was inevitable. A transfer offer from Italian side Palermo was rejected and there were links to Celtic, Rangers, Arsenal, Aston Villa and Sunderland, among others. In a recent podcast appearance, madcap former owner Romanov had claimed that, at the time of the new contract, he had given Gordon a blank cheque to remain at the club and fend off interest from Celtic. He also claimed that he signed off on the deal despite the goalkeeper responding with a sum that dwarfed anything else at Hearts, or indeed in Scottish football. The 42-year-old, now in his second spell at Hearts and about to receive a testimonial match against the Black Cats on Saturday, has had his say on what really happened. Speaking on the Scarves Around the Funnel podcast, he said: "There's a small element of truth in that, but not a great deal from my side. "Hearts made me a good contract offer to stay. It wasn't Celtic that were the interested party at that point, so that's wrong. But that makes a nice story because that's where I ended up going to play. So, it wasn't Celtic. There was another offer on the table. And Hearts more than matched it. "It wasn't as if they went and blew the budget for everybody or for a huge amount from within Scottish football. I mean, that's just not true. I earned more at Celtic when I did eventually go there than what I earned at Hearts. "So the amounts he's talking about or trying to refer to are probably a little bit inflated, or just maybe just leaving it to people's imagination, but it is not quite, not quite as large as he's making out." Asked which club the interest really came from, he went on: "It was Rangers. So he's got the wrong half of Glasgow. They were interested at that point, but nothing ever happened there. "I was happy to sign at Hearts. They made an equivalent offer and there was no point moving to Rangers at that point when I was earning the same, playing for Hearts, who I always wanted to play for and who I felt were really making big strides to try and bridge that gap and challenge for titles and for European football. So for me, that was a fairly easy decision." The Arsenal interest appeared concrete, especially when then boss Arsene Wenger was quoted as being a big fan of the player. At the time, the legendary Frenchman said Gordon had "presence and good handling and looks a very good goalkeeper to me." Read more: So, did the Premier League giants ever make any contact behind the scenes? "No, actually. That was the extent of it," Gordon insists. "There was no offer or anything like that. "So that was just a bit of stuff in the media really that they were chatting about, but nothing, nothing concrete. Nothing ever came of that." Sunderland was the eventual destination for the Scotland star, at that point aged 24. At the time, Aston Villa were reported to have made a last-ditch attempt to persuade him to change his mind and head to the Midlands instead. That was true, Gordon has now revealed, but there was never any chance of him changing his mind. "The Villa thing was true," he admitted. "They were looking for a new goalkeeper that summer as well. They eventually signed Scott Carson. But that was a possibility. "I was already in the room negotiating with Sunderland when that call came in and they were trying to get me out of that and get me down to Birmingham to discuss things with them. But Sunderland wanted to do the deal there and then. Not let us out of the building before it was signed. "So they were very keen and showing all the interest. So I was more than happy to stay there and sign the contract and begin my Premier League career there."
Scotsman
3 hours ago
- Sport
- Scotsman
Six Hearts players battling injury and illness after Premier Sports Cup ties
EPL side Sunderland heading to Edinburgh Sign up to our Hearts newsletter Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to Edinburgh News, 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... Six Hearts players are battling injury or illness following a successful Premier Sports Cup group phase. Riccarton medical staff will assess a number of the first-team squad over the coming days, but head coach Derek McInnes declared himself satisfied with progress to the competition's knockout phase. A 4-1 win over Dunfermline Athletic, followed by three successive 4-0 results against Hamilton Academical, Stirling Albion and Dumbarton took Premiership side Hearts into the last-16. They are highly likely to gain a seeding place for Sunday's draw once all group games are completed. However, there are some players working to overcome injury or illness sustained this month. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Centre-back Frankie Kent was substituted in the final minutes of Wednesday night's tie against Dumbarton at Tynecastle Park after feeling his groin. The injury is not thought to be serious and he left the stadium hoping to be available for Saturday's friendly against Sunderland in Craig Gordon's testimonial. Gordon himself is struggling for fitness due to a shoulder injury and is expected to play only part of his benefit match as a result. Midfielder Beni Baningime missed the Stirling and Dumbarton matches with a minor strain, while right-back Christian Borchgrevink has a hamstring issue. Again, neither problem is overly serious and both players are striving to prove their fitness ahead of this weekend. Another midfielder, Yan Dhanda, is suffering with illness and centre-back Jamie McCart is out until September with a ligament injury sustained earlier this month. McInnes spoke to the Edinburgh News about the availability within his large squad and is hoping to see as many players recover as possible. He wants every player available for the William Hill Premiership opening match against Aberdeen on Monday, 4 August. For now, he is content with 16 goals scored and only one conceded in four Premier Sports Cup ties. 'Sometimes you're always thinking: 'What do we need now? What's next?' But I think at times it's always refreshing to take yourself back to when you first come in for pre-season testing and actually see where you have got to,' explained the head coach. 'I think we would have taken this at the minute, ideally without injuries to Jamie, Borch and Beni, but hopefully Beni and Borch have got a chance for Saturday. Neither of their injuries seem to be too serious at the minute. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad 'Yan missed last night's game with illness, he's been ill for the last three or four days. There is some sort of gastro thing going on so we will see how everybody is in the next couple of days. We will recover the ones from Wednesday and then wait for Saturday. We're looking forward to it. I think it'll be a good occasion for big Craig that he thoroughly deserves, but equally a brilliant game for us to finish off our preparation for Aberdeen.' English Premier League test ahead of the Scottish Premiership 2025/26 kick-off In the aftermath of the Dumbarton win, McInnes detailed Gordon's role for Saturday against his former club. 'Craig has not given up yet and is still trying. How long he can get on the pitch for, we don't know yet,' said McInnes. 'Obviously we've got to make sure that we're not doing anything to accelerate an injury that's going to make him worse. Craig has got to be comfortable with that, we need to be comfortable with that. Craig will take the team out, that's the intention and how long he can play, it remains to be seen. He's certainly trying to get there for it. 'Borchgrevink had a scan on his hamstring. His knee is fine, that has settled. He had a wee bit of a contusion, a wee bit of a block tackle at Stirling, but I think we're not expecting it to be anything too sinister. I think he's got a chance for Saturday, certainly.' Hearts will approach Saturday's friendly with motivation and intensity against English Premier League opponents. McInnes wants the fixture treated as a competitive one to ensure his team get the most out of what is their final official game before the Premiership kick-off. 'I think if you approach it any other way, you'll get a sore one,' he acknowledged. We're playing Sunderland and if we're not competitive, then you don't want to wait nine or 10 days for the Aberdeen game on the back of a sore one. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad 'I think the game will be treated properly. It's still a pre-season friendly in the sense that it's a testimonial game, but it's Scotland v England, a Premier League team with good players. We don't want to let good players come up here and take liberties with us, so we're going to make sure that we're as good as we can be at this stage against them. I think it will be a good game for us, bearing in mind the complete contrast that we've had [from Premier Sports Cup ties].' READ MORE: McInnes explains why he picked the wrong team
STV News
4 hours ago
- Sport
- STV News
Hearts finish League Cup group campaign with 100% record
Hearts finished off their League Cup group campaign with a fourth four-goal victory. Derek McInnes saw his side secure progress to the second round – almost certainly as one of the seeded teams – with a 4-0 triumph over Dumbarton. Lawrence Shankland headed the opener in the 17th minute from Stephen Kingsley's cross and Michael Steinwender headed home from a corner seconds before the half-time whistle. Scott Tomlinson almost stunned the home support in the opening seconds of the second half when he hit the bar from a tight angle after robbing Kingsley of possession near the corner flag. But Hearts were soon back in control and Alexandros Kyziridis scored his second goal in as many games as the winger jinked his way into the box before sending an angled drive just inside the far post. Claudio Braga then converted Cammy Devlin's cutback in the 72nd minute to move Hearts on to a goal difference of 11 and ensure they will be the only top-flight side to boast a perfect record in the group stage. Championship Airdrie continued their 100 per cent record with a 2-1 victory over Montrose to move above Alloa on goal difference in Group C. The group will be decided on Saturday when Alloa visit Lanarkshire in a winner-takes-all tie. The Diamonds opened the scoring in the 56th minute at Gayfield when Euan Henderson's cross found its way into the net. The visitors doubled their lead six minutes later when Lewis McGrattan knocked the ball home after Henderson was brought down as he looked set to convert the rebound from his own saved shot. Ewan Loudon pulled one back with nine minutes left, but Airdrie held on. Get all the latest news from around the country Follow STV News Scan the QR code on your mobile device for all the latest news from around the country
Scotsman
4 hours ago
- Sport
- Scotsman
Spfl boss shares why rivals will hate facing Hearts at Tynecastle under Derek McInnes
One manager has witnessed first hand why opposition will fear going up against Hearts in Gorgie this season. Sign up to our Hearts newsletter Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to Edinburgh News, 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... One SPFL manager believes Hearts will be a force to be reckoned with on home soil this season. Derek McInnes has passed his first test as Jambos head coach with a clinical Premier Sports Cup group stage campaign. His side secured 12 points out of a possible 12, scoring four in each of their quartet of matches, booking last 16 placement with a 4-0 thumping of Dumbarton at home. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Sunderland come to Tynecastle this weekend for Craig Gordon's testimonial match before countdown begins to the Premiership curtain raiser against Aberdeen. Stevie Farrell, Dumbarton boss, was full of praise for Hearts post match and can't see many teams this season enjoying their trip to face McInnes side. Why Hearts will be difficult to face under Derek McInnes He said: 'I can be proud of the team. Teams will come here and struggle through the course of the season. I think Derek's building a strong squad. You can see that. They move the ball so well. Their early games in the League Cup have been very impressive. So we knew we were coming for a difficult game, but I thought the boys stood up to the game well. 'I'm not sure it's a corner just before half-time. I think it's possibly our ball, but they're the moments. They're the moments that don't go our way and then we hit the bar just straight after half-time. If that goes in, it's slightly different. I mean, Hearts were always going to win the game but in terms of us, we can take a lot out of the game. 'It showed resilience. I said that to them, we're not going to play against teams like that in our league. Nowhere near that quality. But if we can show that resilience, which we're going to have to do time to time in League Two, then it's a real positive for us.' Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Hearts vs Dumbarton verdict Farrell added: 'It's been good. We obviously started with Sterling, who are our competitors this year, and we won that game on Saturday. I've seen some good things on Saturday against a good Dunfermline side, and I've seen some good things against a very good Hearts side. So we finish off on Saturday against Hamilton, and then we'll get ready for League Two. 'I think there's better teams than Dumbarton going to come here this year and struggle at times. So I thought we defended resolutely. I thought our goalkeeper didn't have a lot of saves to make. I thought they put a lot of cross balls into our box. I was disappointed with Shankland's goal, because you can't Lawrence Shankland standing in your six-yard box and not picked up. So I was disappointed with that. 'I was disappointed with the second goal, because I do think it's our goal kick and then the third goal just after half-time probably just puts a nail in the coffin. But the reality is we've come here, we've put up a decent performance against a really good side, and we go away with some positives. We all follow Scottish football, and I'm working at a different level, but you follow Hearts, and I was very impressed with Hearts. I've been very impressed with Hearts over the three games that we've played. 'We've obviously done our analysis. So I think Hearts are in a better position going into this season than they have been for two or three seasons, definitely. We've had a massive recruitment drive, and when you come here against Hearts, you can become very, very disjointed against a very good side. But you've seen the shape and the structure. We were very hard to break down. The boys understood individually what they had to do and collectively and we'll just get better and better. We'll get stronger. As I say, last Tuesday night against Stirling was pleasing for me and the last Saturday and Wednesday, I've took some real positives.'
