Latest news with #Kazakhstanis
Daily Record
6 days ago
- Business
- Daily Record
Celtic fans' worst nightmare to come true as club insider reveals Dermot Desmond's transfer thinking
Martin O'Neill believes Brendan Rodgers won't be handed another transfer war chest like he received last summer Martin O'Neill insists Celtic chief Dermot Desmond will back Brendan Rodgers in the transfer market but won't be brow beaten into paying over the odds to finance a second successive summer splurge. O'Neill spoke out in Desmond's defence with the club's supporters currently questioning whether the Irish tycoon shares Rodgers' ambition to drive up standards heading into the new campaign. But, while the former boss is adamant that Desmond is equally determined to improve the team, he expressed doubts over the owner's willingness to repeat the £26m recruitment drive which brought Adam Idah, Arne Engles and Auston Trusty to Glasgow's east end 12 months ago. Those deals saw Rodgers smash the club's transfer record twice in the final hours of the window to complete his summer spree - with Idah and Engles costing a combined sum over more than £20m. Now Rodgers is looking for more of the same with less than two weeks to get his squad prepared for a Champions League play-off tie against Slovan Bratislava or the Kazakhstanis of Kairat. And O'Neill dropped a huge hint Desmond may adopt a more cautious approach to this season's spending plans. Asked if he can assure supporters that Desmond will be setting his sights for Celtic as high as the manager, O'Neill answered: 'Absolutely no question about it. Dermot will have a vision of the football club but as a club owner or as a major shareholder and the person who's making the decisions, he might see going forward in a different light than the manager. 'Seriously, he might not always think that spending £14m or £15m pounds on a player is necessarily the way to go. And we'd have to say that in terms of the dealings in recent times, he might be right. 'Now, I don't know what players Brendan's looking for. He'll be looking to improve the team. And I'm quite sure, honestly, I'm quite sure he'll do that.' But O'Neill admits the club's anxious fans will want to know if Rodgers plans to stick around beyond the end of a three year deal which runs out at the end of this season. But he insists Desmond will be backing the boss in a bid to tempt him into penning a new deal. He said: "From the fans' viewpoint, that's something that they would probably like to know as there's a bit of uncertainty around it. 'I don't know Brendan's situation in terms of I have not been speaking to him about that, that is none of my business. 'But I do know the fellow he's dealing with, and that would be Dermot. And I would think from a distance that Dermot would want Brendan to stay at the football club. 'Brendan had a good year last year - excellent getting through in the Champions League. I think he would want to try and push even further to try to make that second group stage. 'So, I can only imagine that there is a mutual understanding between the two of them. 'I would be very surprised if Brendan were to leave. I think Celtic would want him, and if Brendan was saying, 'Oh, I'll just see this one out,'. I would bet it would only be his choice.' Martin O'Neill was promoting Premier Sports' coverage of Scottish football including over 80 matches from the Scottish Premiership, Premier Sports Cup, Scottish Cup and KDM Evolution Trophy. Fans can watch an entire season of football for only £99 using promo code PSCUP25.
Yahoo
09-04-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Aussies to ‘embrace' underdog tag
Australia will happily 'embrace' the underdog tag in Thursday's Billie Jean King Cup qualifying battle against Kazakhstan in Brisbane. The Australians' hopes of topping their three-team group and reaching the Cup finals could very hinge on their best-of-three tie – which consists of two singles matches and one doubles contest – against the Kazakhstanis at Pat Rafter Arena. Of the three Group D nations, that also include Colombia, Kazakhstan has the two highest placed singles players – Elena Rybakina (10) and Yulia Putintseva (23).– in the world rankings. Rybakina was the Wimbledon champion in 2022 and reached the final of the 2023 Australian Open. She also had fond memories of Pat Rafter Arena, having won the 2024 Brisbane International crown. The highest ranked singles player in Australia's team is Kimberly Birrell (61), ahead of Maya Joint (78) and Ajla Tomljanovic (79). 'We don't mind a challenge,' Australia's non-playing captain Sam Stosur said. 'If we're going to get called the underdogs we'll embrace that. 'There are no guarantees it'll go either way, but all you can do is do your best that you can do that day, put your best foot forward … and hopefully it goes our way. 'You can create enormous upsets in this competition, as we've seen over many years. 'It's a tough ask … but playing the World Cup of tennis shouldn't be easy. You should have to fight for it, put your best players on the court and give your best from first point to last point.' As of Wednesday afternoon, Stosur was yet to announce which two players would contest Thursday's singles matches. 'It's always a tough decision, and this time around it's no different,' she said. Kazakhstan captain Yuriy Schukin wasn't entirely comfortable with his team being regarded as the favourite. 'We know that the Australian team is very strong, very solid, so we just have to focus on our game,' Schukin said. 'We're not thinking about rankings because in team competitions, you never know what's going to happen. 'We feel confident with such a strong team, but we know our opponent has very experienced payers as well.' Rybakina was delighted to be back in Brisbane. 'Definitely it helps (having tasted success at Pat Rafter Arena), but maybe the court's changed a little bit,' she said. 'It feels a little faster than usual, (which) is better for me but you need some time to adjust.' Gold Coast-raised Birrell said the guidance of Stosur, who won the US Open in 2011, would be crucial to Australia's hopes. 'We're so lucky to have someone as experienced as Sammy leading us,' Birrell said. 'We absolutely lean on her for her advice, and even just her presence and calmness on court, to see her sitting on the bench, and to lean on her at the change of ends – it's awesome.' Australia will also meet Colombia on Saturday, with Kazakhstan to take on the South American nation on Friday.
