Latest news with #KEITH
Daily Record
4 days ago
- Sport
- Daily Record
How Rangers takeover impacts Celtic as Monday Jury predict Dermot Desmond reaction
Rangers are under new ownership - but should that worry Celtic? KEITH JACKSON: It's certainly something they'll be keeping an eye on. But the champions are in a strong position with bags of cash in the bank, an elite manager and a squad which has become a trophy winning machine. Dermot Desmond will plan on keeping it that way. ANDY NEWPORT: Worried? No. But they should be taking note. Rangers have been a shambles on and off the pitch for a generation. Now there is scope for major improvements but Celtic are a long way ahead. If the Hoops continue moving forward the job of catching them will only be harder for the new Ibrox regime. MICHAEL GANNON: It shouldn't worry Celtic. It should be welcomed. The lack of a proper challenge has led to things going a tad stale on the home front. This should sharpen the senses in the long term. CRAIG SWAN: Celtic have to worry about themselves and not what anyone else is doing. If they strengthen again, they are still the team to beat. Davide Ancelotti or Russell Martin, who will excite the Ibrox faithful most as boss? KEITH: Ancelotti is the clear fans' favourite even though the Italian hasn't got a single game under his managerial belt. There's a bit of stardust about his background and family name while Martin is still recovering from a disastrous season in the Premier League at Southampton. ANDY: Ancelotti likely but let's be honest, hiring the Italian is as much a risk as taking on guy who has just been punted from one of the Premier League's worst ever teams. The Ibrox faithful have every right to question why the new owners have not pursued more experienced operators with better track records. MICHAEL: Rangers fans will lean towards Ancelotti because of his background but Martin might be the better fit to cope with the demands of the domestic game, which is where Gers need to get their act together. CRAIG: Hard to speak on behalf of the Rangers fanbase. It's an individual thing. You'd guess Ancelotti due to his dad, but best ask the punters. Rangers are preparing for an overhaul this summer but do you expect much change to the Celtic squad? KEITH: Brendan Rodgers was already looking to raise the bar again this summer before the Americans came to town. A new striker, at least one winger, a midfielder and centre half will be on his wish list. The changes across the city might mean he's given more money to recruit them than he had originally anticipated. ANDY: They certainly need reinforcements, even if it's just to stave off a staleness creeping into Rodgers' group. A new centre-forward is the priority but they also need additions out wide, in midfield and in the centre of defence. A successor for Kasper Schmeichel wouldn't go amiss either. MICHAEL: It could be a big summer. Celtic need three or four in minimum but there's a feeling one or two big hitters might go and that will mean a bigger rebuilding job. CRAIG: Celtic will freshen up, no doubt. Brendan Rodgers has key areas to address and that work will have started long ago, regardless of what is happening at Ibrox. Kieran Tierney being a case in point. Ross County are standing by Don Cowie despite being relegated to the Championship - do you expect to see the Staggies bouncing back at the first attempt? KEITH: Good on them for sticking with Cowie. They'll have their work cut out trying to get straight back up next season but will probably have the biggest budget in the second tier. That should put them in pole position for promotion. ANDY: Roy MacGregor isn't shy to open the purse strings when cash is required and I expect to see the County chairman backing Cowie with the funds required to build a promotion-winning team. MICHAEL: County will be favourites to win promotion as Cowie will get backed in the transfer market. It's a tough league to escape though and the likes of Dunfermline, Ayr, Raith Rovers and Patrick Thistle will be pushing.
Daily Record
19-05-2025
- Sport
- Daily Record
The miraculous Aberdeen Scottish Cup final win over Celtic that gives them hope as Monday Jury dishes out history lesson
Can Aberdeen stop Celtic claiming the Treble? KEITH JACKSON: Are you having a laugh? Celtic's B team destroyed Aberdeen at Pittodrie last week. The full Bruma version will wipe the floor with them at Hampden to claim a sixth clean sweep in nine years. These are extraordinary times. CRAIG SWAN: Strange things happen in Cup Finals. Just look at Wembley at the weekend. But Celtic look way too powerful for Aberdeen and it would be a stunning shock if the Dons won. ANDY NEWPORT: If they do it will be a remarkable turn around for a team who look like they've run their race after a long hard season. The far more likely scenario is Brendan Rodgers' men galloping off to another Treble. MICHAEL GANNON: The smart money is on a bloodbath as Aberdeen are all over the place and Celtic have the Treble in their sights. You never know though, the Dons were massive outsiders back in 1970 when up against a Celtic side who'd reached their second European Cup Final and they won. It would be another minor miracle though. Will Brendan Rodgers hand James Forrest a Hampden start? KEITH: Certainly not for sentimental reasons alone. If Forrest starts it'll be because Rodgers believes he's the best man for the job. And, more often than not, that's exactly what he is. CRAIG: Tough call. Daizen Maeda and Nicolas Kuhn have had brilliant seasons and tortured the Reds at Hampden in the Premier Sports Cup, just as Forrest did at Pittodrie last week. Flip of a coin. ANDY: Rodgers' man-management is one of the reasons he's been such a successful boss but a Cup Final is no place for sentiment. Forrest will only get the nod if Rodgers thinks he's the best man for the job MICHAEL: Forrest was man of the match at Pittodrie and turned the game against Saints. Forget about sentiment and pick the best team. That means Forrest and Kuhn on the flanks and Maeda through the middle. Is it time for Premiership clubs to stump up for goal line technology? KEITH: Of course it is. We're behaving like the poor man of European football when, in fact, we're just the most tight fisted. In this day and age, goal line technology is an absolute must. CRAIG: That time passed ages ago. It's too important an issue not to have it if you have screens already checking for silly fouls and cancelling out goals. ANDY: Yes. Saturday's nonsense at Easter Road once again shows that Scotland's bargain basement VAR system isn't up to scratch. It's time to invest properly in the tech or get rid of it altogether. MICHAEL: There's as easy solution. The clubs could quit moaning about it and stump up to have goal line technology installed. It's embarrassing not to have it in this day and age. Does Scottish football have an anti-social behaviour problem? KEITH: A massive one. The growth of the ultra culture hasn't helped but let's not kid ourselves the same toxic underbelly has attached itself to our game for as long as any of us can remember. It's why we can't be trusted to have nice things. CRAIG: Yes. Just the same as society in general has one at the moment. The behaviour inside grounds is getting worse and, in truth, they are not nice places to be at times. ANDY: Yes. Of course it involves a minority but the small groups of yobs are wrecking the game's reputation for the rest of the decent-minded punters. With modern CCTV it should not be hard to pick out the missile tossers and have them banned.
Yahoo
16-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Instant View: With Moody's downgrade, US loses treasured Aaa credit rating
NEW YORK (Reuters) - Moody's on Friday downgraded the credit rating of the United States by a notch to "Aa1" from "Aaa", citing rising debt and interest "that are significantly higher than similarly rated sovereigns." U.S. President Donald Trump's sweeping tax bill failed to clear a key procedural hurdle on Friday, as hardline Republicans demanding deeper spending cuts blocked the measure in a rare political setback for the Republican president in Congress. As written, the bill would add trillions of dollars to the federal government's $36.2 trillion in debt over the next decade. "Successive US administrations and Congress have failed to agree on measures to reverse the trend of large annual fiscal deficits and growing interest costs," Moody's said in a statement. U.S. Treasury securities fell and yields rose late Friday after the news. COMMENTS: KEITH LERNER, CO-CHIEF INVESTMENT OFFICER, TRUIST ADVISORY SERVICES, ATLANTA "There were some signs that we were moving that way (toward a downgrade). It's just a surprise that it is happening now before we've actually passed new legislation around the tax bill." "It could give people an excuse to take a little bit of profits, but I don't know that this is a game changer overall." "There's a tug of war in the markets right now in how much pro-growth policies do we want versus the deficit moving higher and the interplay with interest rates." DARRELL DUFFIE, PROFESSOR OF FINANCE AT STANFORD UNIVERSITY'S GRADUATE SCHOOL OF BUSINESS, FORMERLY ON MOODY'S BOARD OF DIRECTORS 'It basically adds to the evidence that the United States has too much debt… I think the message has already been received by policymakers, I'm not sure what they're going to do about it. Congress is just going to have to discipline itself, either get more revenues or spend less.' STEPHEN MOORE, FORMER SENIOR ECONOMIC ADVISOR TO PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP AND HERITAGE FOUNDATION ECONOMIST 'Outrageous. Moody's has now become a political arm of the Democratic Party. How is extending the Trump tax cut going to reduce the value of the bonds. If a US backed government bond isn't triple A asset then what is?' CHRISTOPHER HODGE, CHIEF US ECONOMIST, NATIXIS, NEW YORK "Fiscal profligacy and irresponsible governance - including the perpetual debt ceiling standoffs - aren't new and there will be a day of fiscal reckoning when Congress will have to reign in debt. But the US borrowing capacity is still unrivaled and potential revenue generation is unmatched. No doubt the US has a spending fueled debt problem, but there is little chance - at least in the medium term - that the US won't make good on its obligations. At some point the market will impose discipline that will force cuts but demand at the moment is still ample for US debt." TOM DI GALOMA, MANAGING DIRECTOR OF RATES AND TRADING, MISCHLER FINANCIAL, PARK CITY, UTAH "Very surprising. This is big, markets were not expecting this at all. I think that is highlighting the problems on the budget talks in Congress, the bill failed to pass today in the House committee." SPENCER HAKIMIAN, CEO, TOLOU CAPITAL MANAGEMENT, NEW YORK 'The downgrade of the US credit rating by Moody's is a continuation of a long trend of fiscal irresponsibility that will eventually lead to higher borrowing costs for the public and private sector in the United States.' 'I didn't even blink, totally not a surprise for me.' BRIAN BETHUNE, ECONOMICS PROFESSOR, BOSTON COLLEGE, NEWTON MASSACHUSETTS 'This sounds similar to what S&P did in 2011. That S&P (downgrade) announcement was not well received by markets, and led to a budget sequester agreement…which led to a reduction in the deficit. Then Trump cut taxes (in his first term) so we backed out of the compromise.' 'The downgrade is a wake-up call for Republicans. They have got to come up with a credible budget agreement that puts the deficit on a downward trajectory.' JAY HATFIELD, CEO, INFRASTRUCTURE CAPITAL ADVISORS, NEW YORK "This news comes at a time when the markets are very vulnerable and so we are likely to see a reaction. I expect S&P to be down by nearly 100 points or so but expect it to stabilize later in the week. I suspect that all the tariff related announcement could have had also played a role in the downgrade, even if they don't say so." (Compiled by the Global Finance & Markets Breaking News team)
Daily Record
28-04-2025
- Sport
- Daily Record
The brutal reality of Rangers summer cull laid bare as Jury take Brendan Rodgers hint at face value
Celtic have wrapped up four in a row - do you expect Brendan Rodgers to hang around for a go at No5? KEITH JACKSON: 100 per cent. Rodgers jumped ship first time around when he was heading towards a historic 10 in a row. That felt like he was turning his back on a once in a lifetime opportunity. He may believe it's coming around again. ANDY NEWPORT: He made the mistake of walking out on the Celtic faithful once before, I suspect Rodgers won't make it again. I expect him to see out the final year of his contract at the very least. CRAIG SWAN: The man has said it himself. He is 200 per cent going to be at Celtic next season. There is nothing really more to be said on that front. GRAEME YOUNG: Yes. This Champions League playoff will be seismic and you can guarantee Celtic will be better placed for it than they were when AEK Athens shocked them in Rodgers' third season of his first Parkhead term. Barry Ferguson admits the Rangers squad are all playing for their futures. How many of this season's squad do you expect to survive this summer's cull? KEITH: That probably depends on the identity of the next boss. If Ferguson was to stay in charge then this squad would be obliterated. He's worked with them long enough to know what needs to be done. ANDY: There will be a few familiar faces pitching up next season but that's simply because moving players on is no longer as simple as it used to be. Those who do cling on will be hugely fortunate because, put simply, Rangers have been an abject failure this term. CRAIG: Not very many. It's hard to build almost an entire title-winning team in one season, but Ange Postecoglou managed it at Celtic, so it can be done and that's bad news for some Ibrox under achievers. GRAEME: The cull should easily reach double figures and the only thing that will stop that from happening is trying to find the right offers. Danilo appears incapable to be relied upon such as the likes of Robin Propper, Kieran Dowell plus a host of free agents. This takeover will trigger major changes. Neil Critchley's Tynecastle reign is over - was the axed Hearts boss harshly judged? KEITH: Perhaps. Critchley probably needed one more window to put his imprint on the squad. But Saturday's defeat could be seen coming from a mile off and his superiors can feel the cold hand of the Championship on their shoulder. This is a club in full scale panic mode. ANDY: His record in run-of-the-mill fixtures was decent but in the big, season-defining head to heads, the former Blackpool coach got it all wrong. He had more than enough chances to pick up a landmark win and failed. CRAIG: Football is just knee-jerk these days. But the Hearts fans were not happy and giving it tight to the club. When that happens, there is only one victim. The manager. GRAEME: In some ways, yes, but the form table which shows the Jambos in fourth since his arrival belied a side led by an amiable coach rather than a ruthless manager. His big game record was poor and appeared an ill-fit to keep Hearts from falling through a relegation trap door. Falkirk continue to limp towards the Championship finish line - do you expect them to finally cross over as champions or will Livi beat them in a photo finish? KEITH: If Hamilton's appeal against a 15-point deduction is successful this week then they might go into the weekend with a shot at survival at Falkirk's ground. That would set up a dramatic final day. If not, though, the wobbly league leaders will be pushing at an open door into the top flight. ANDY: The Bairns' fate remains in their own hands. It's been a difficult few weeks but I still expect them to get the job done at Accies. CRAIG: It's much tighter than it should have been for Falkirk and they have caused themselves some stress. But they should still just get over the line with their goal-difference advantage. GRAEME: Yes, John McGlynn deserves mega praise despite the recent frights and neutrals appear to be Bairns now too. Let's be honest, their bold and brave approach would enhance the Scottish Premiership.
