Latest news with #MKDons
The Herald Scotland
a day ago
- Sport
- The Herald Scotland
Martin calls for 'powerful' Rangers connection with the fans
[[Rangers]] take on the Greek side in the first leg of the Champions League second qualifying round at Ibrox and Martin hopes fans can quickly see the dominant, intense, aggressive team that forms his vision for his reign. The former MK Dons, Swansea and Southampton manager said: 'Every day I wake up and I'm honoured to be in this position. I feel extremely grateful for it. I'm excited by it and I will give it absolutely everything I've got. We all will. Russell Martin spoke to the media ahead of his debut (Steve Welsh/PA) 'That's what this club demands, what the people demand, what the supporters demand, who will outstay all of us. I just want to put a team on the pitch that they are proud of. 'It has to start (on Tuesday) and they have to see something to be excited about and we have to see something to be excited about. The players have to feel something to be excited about and it's an amazing opportunity and game to do that. 'What we've seen in training has been amazing. They've come with fresh energy, with willingness and openness to new ideas, to new demands, to maybe different rules to what they've had before and they've been great the way they've embraced it. 'And now the biggest challenge for them is to do it in front of 50,000 people with a game that means so much to so many people. And, for any football player, I think it's the biggest test to be yourself in those situations. ⚽️ The winners of Rangers and Panathinaikos second qualifying round tie will face either FC Viktoria Plzeň or Servette FC in the @ChampionsLeague third qualifying round. — Rangers Football Club (@RangersFC) July 21, 2025 'What we have seen over the last four weeks, the more chance we have of being successful. I hope they play with the same freedom, enjoyment and aggression and willingness to run. 'For the team, it will accelerate the learning. That will improve, whatever happens, there's no doubt about it. 'But I think one of the things that has to come out is that the supporters will leave feeling positively about their team, their new-look team, the way it's going to start to shape up. 'We'll be by no means the finished articled, there's a lot of work that needs to go in, but in four weeks from what we've seen to now, the group has been great and they have to put that on the pitch. 'I hope that the fans will leave feeling excited about what's to come and (there will) start being a real connection. Because I think if we can be connected, the whole club, Ibrox, here, the supporters, if this club has that, with that energy, I think it's going to take some stopping. I think it's really powerful. Rangers players prepare for their season opener (Steve Welsh/PA) 'But we have to all believe in something and that will be how much the players are willing to win, the hunger, the character, the desire to show. And I'm confident that we'll see that.' Martin's demand that his team play out from the back will ensure a different style to what Rangers fans have been accustomed to and the former Scotland hopes they can buy into that process. 'There will be times where it won't require much patience and there will be times where it will,' he said. 'It's not all going to be plain sailing, there will be some bumpy moments but we have to make sure that everyone can understand and see what we are trying to achieve and that the team has enough moments that people can feel excited about.'
The Herald Scotland
a day ago
- Sport
- The Herald Scotland
Russell Martin wants ‘powerful' connection between his Rangers side and fans
Rangers take on the Greek side in the first leg of the Champions League second qualifying round at Ibrox and Martin hopes fans can quickly see the dominant, intense, aggressive team that forms his vision for his reign. The former MK Dons, Swansea and Southampton manager said: 'Every day I wake up and I'm honoured to be in this position. I feel extremely grateful for it. I'm excited by it and I will give it absolutely everything I've got. We all will. Russell Martin spoke to the media ahead of his debut (Steve Welsh/PA) 'That's what this club demands, what the people demand, what the supporters demand, who will outstay all of us. I just want to put a team on the pitch that they are proud of. 'It has to start (on Tuesday) and they have to see something to be excited about and we have to see something to be excited about. The players have to feel something to be excited about and it's an amazing opportunity and game to do that. 'What we've seen in training has been amazing. They've come with fresh energy, with willingness and openness to new ideas, to new demands, to maybe different rules to what they've had before and they've been great the way they've embraced it. 'And now the biggest challenge for them is to do it in front of 50,000 people with a game that means so much to so many people. And, for any football player, I think it's the biggest test to be yourself in those situations. ⚽️ The winners of Rangers and Panathinaikos second qualifying round tie will face either FC Viktoria Plzeň or Servette FC in the @ChampionsLeague third qualifying round. — Rangers Football Club (@RangersFC) July 21, 2025 'What we have seen over the last four weeks, the more chance we have of being successful. I hope they play with the same freedom, enjoyment and aggression and willingness to run. 'For the team, it will accelerate the learning. That will improve, whatever happens, there's no doubt about it. 'But I think one of the things that has to come out is that the supporters will leave feeling positively about their team, their new-look team, the way it's going to start to shape up. 'We'll be by no means the finished articled, there's a lot of work that needs to go in, but in four weeks from what we've seen to now, the group has been great and they have to put that on the pitch. 'I hope that the fans will leave feeling excited about what's to come and (there will) start being a real connection. Because I think if we can be connected, the whole club, Ibrox, here, the supporters, if this club has that, with that energy, I think it's going to take some stopping. I think it's really powerful. Rangers players prepare for their season opener (Steve Welsh/PA) 'But we have to all believe in something and that will be how much the players are willing to win, the hunger, the character, the desire to show. And I'm confident that we'll see that.' Martin's demand that his team play out from the back will ensure a different style to what Rangers fans have been accustomed to and the former Scotland hopes they can buy into that process. 'There will be times where it won't require much patience and there will be times where it will,' he said. 'It's not all going to be plain sailing, there will be some bumpy moments but we have to make sure that everyone can understand and see what we are trying to achieve and that the team has enough moments that people can feel excited about.'
The National
14-07-2025
- Sport
- The National
Rangers' concern can't be Champions League - true marker is vs Celtic
That's because they need to focus on their 'true marker' for success this season. Which, according to former Scotland international Colin Hendry, is to win the Scottish Premiership title back from Celtic. Rangers will go into a two-legged encounter against the Greek giants, starting next week. "Russell would have been 34 or 35 at the time and it was his first few weeks in the job at MK Dons," Hendry wrote in The Sunday Post. "We met for an hour and I was impressed. "He was young, he was enthusiastic and he was honest. Russell showed me that he had something about him. I left the meeting thinking that I was going to follow his career. "There is no doubt Russell will have learned so much from those four or five months in the EPL (with Southampton). Rangers will get the benefit of that. "It is not going to be easy for him, that's for sure. It's a massive ask to go to Rangers and turn them into title winners. But that's what he has signed up for. "He knows the level of expectation and he knows that he will need to deliver. Rangers is a massive football club and they want success. They are fed up seeing Celtic being so dominant. Read more: "The Champions League tie against Panathinaikos will be important, of course it is. But the true marker is what the club does in the Premiership. "Winning the league is what truly matters. Last season, the team showed that they could beat Celtic. But the true marker is what the club does in the Premiership. "But it was going to Motherwell, St Mirren and Hibernian. They are the fixtures where they faltered. They need to get that right. "I found it tough psychologically, with the demands of having to win but not just by one goal. No, the fans wanted us to win by three or four. "That's what Rangers is about. But that kind of pressure isn't for everyone. Whether a manager or a player, you need to have something special about you to cope with that every week. "It's been clear in the past decade or so that too many people at Rangers haven't been up to the task and it needs to change."
Daily Record
12-07-2025
- Sport
- Daily Record
Richard King checks in to St Mirren's training ground as team return from Spain
Stephen Robinson's side finished off their warm-weather training camp in Murcia with a victory over MK Dons as new defender King arrived in Paisley while the team was away. Richard King checked into St Mirren's Ralston training ground while his teammates were in Spain, Brian Kerr has revealed. The Jamaican international had been representing his country at the Concacaf Gold Cup in the United States and has now pitched up in Scotland ready to get to work for his new club. The Buddies snapped up the highly-rated defender on a two-year deal from Cavalier FC of the Jamaican Premier League. King was a player that manager Stephen Robinson had been trying to get during the January transfer window — and he resumed his interest this summer. The 23-year-old will act as a replacement for Richard Taylor who joined Sky Bet League One side Bolton Wanderers. But Saints assistant manager Kerr doesn't want to rush the new recruit into things as he cools any expectations that he will be thrown straight into games. 'Richard was due to arrive in the country last week, so he missed Spain,' he told the Paisley Daily Express. 'He's got a few things to sort with his passport but that's basic things that we'll sort out this week. And then over the next two or three weeks, we'll talk about him. 'He's obviously played a lot of games over the last few weeks, so we're not concerned in any way, shape or form, about his fitness levels. It will just be getting him into our ways of doing things.' King is one of a number of new signings at the club and Kerr suggested more could come if existing players and those emerging from the youth set-up don't meet expectations. 'There's potential to maybe add one or two more. It's up to the players here to answer some of the questions first,' he said. 'In the performance against Dumbarton, some of them have answered that. There are some young boys there who have also done very well, so they're being given opportunities. 'So the chances are there for these boys first, and if we feel that there needs to be one or two added, we'll look over the next couple of weeks. 'But first and foremost, it's up to the boys in the building to get the opportunity to stake a claim.' Ryan Mullen, Jayden Richardson and Liam Donnelly have also joined as new recruits, as well as the permanent captures of Killian Phillips and Roland Idowu. Conor McMenamin and new goalkeeper Mullen did not feature at the Rock, however, both were put through their paces in the club's warm-weather training camp. McMenamin was kept in cold storage ahead of the trip to Murcia in order to give him the best chance of fitness ahead of the new season. Kerr also advised that it was always the plan for Mullen to play no part in the Dumbarton fixture simply because he only signed on the dotted line 24 hours earlier. He went on to say: 'He had a small niggle, nothing serious at all. We just didn't want to risk him so early in the season. 'It was just really early, so he's not done a lot of work. So what we knew on Saturday was it was more important that he get a wee bit of extra work in training. 'Jamie (Langfield, goalkeeping coach) worked him hard in the warm-up so he'll be ready. We just knew that he needed the extensive work, and the game time wasn't too important for him.'
Yahoo
09-07-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Bowman gets 42 month ban for placing 6,397 bets
Former Cheltenham, Shrewsbury and Exeter striker Ryan Bowman has been banned for three-and-a-half years by the Football Association for placing 6,397 bets over an eight year period. The 33-year-old, who was released by Cheltenham this summer, admitted all of the charges. Advertisement The FA commission alleged he had placed a bet from the substitutes bench in a game between Shrewsbury and MK Dons in January 2023, something he denied. Bowman placed almost 2,600 bets during December 2020 and July 2021 while he was at Exeter and another 3,100 between August 2021 and July 2023 while playing for Shrewsbury. Bowman made his last appearance for Cheltenham on 1 January. His ban will run until September 2028. More to follow. More to follow.
