Latest news with #MatsKnoester
Yahoo
13 hours ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Dons revive interest in Milan's Lazetic
Aberdeen have revived their interest in AC Milan forward Marko Lazetic, 21. (Press and Journal - subscription required) Defender Mats Knoester, 26, is confident Aberdeen can end their eight-year wait for a win at Tynecastle when they visit Hearts in their opening Scottish Premiership fixture on 4 August. (Edinburgh Evening News - subscription required) Read Tuesday's Scottish gossip
Scotsman
a day ago
- Sport
- Scotsman
Aberdeen to use Scottish Cup triumph to try and overcome Hearts hoodoo as defender discusses race for third
Aberdeen defender Mats Knoester is confident his side can break their eight-year wait for a win away at Tynecastle. Sign up to our daily 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... Aberdeen last left Tynecastle with a win in 2017 after a 2-1 victory and neither side have been able to inflict an away defeat to each other since that match. However, Dons defender and Scottish Cup winner Mats Knoester is confident his side can overcome their rivals as they face each other on the opening day of the Scottish Premiership season. The Jambos head into the match on the back of a perfect Premier Sports Cup group stage while Jimmy Thelin's side have not been in competitive action since beating Celtic at Hampden at the end of May. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad On the prospect of facing Hearts, the 26-year-old said, 'They're a good team, a big team as well. I think it's going to be an exciting game. It's not going to be an easy game away, but I think it's going to be interesting to see. Always the first game in the season is interesting to see how the teams are after the pre-season.' Knoester also reflected on the cup final victory and how breaking their hoodoo against Celtic can help them in this game. Aberdeen's record against the Hoops, especially at Hampden Park, has not been one they look back on fondly. 'We're aware that it's a tough game,' the Dutch centre back said. 'Away at Hearts, but I also think the past doesn't really matter. And if I can go back to Celtic at Hampden, we don't have a really good record against Celtic and then you win the game. So, in football, I don't think you should go too much back to the past and then look forward.' Aberdeen and Hearts to battle for third spot There is also the matter of the battle for third coming into this season, as both sides are tipped to challenge each other for the position in the league table, with former Aberdeen manager Derek McInnes now in charge of Hearts. The Jambos' Edinburgh rivals Hibs, who finished third last season, are also likely to have a say in that challenge. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad The former Heracles Almelo and Ferencváros defender admitted this will be the case in the coming season, saying: 'Yeah, if we look a bit further, I think they're also one of the competitors. Of course, as Aberdeen, you're one of the bigger teams, and Hearts is that as well. So, in that way, I think we should compete with each other but I prefer to just go week by week. I do that with myself and also with the team and their goals.' Knoester also knows that Jimmy Thelin's side will have a target on their backs after their famous cup win but he is confident they won't see it as a burden, adding: Yeah, it can be. [It's] no problem. If they want to see it like that, it's fine.' Your next Hearts read: Hearts signing reveals New York moment that showed him size of Jambos as he's impressed by 'unbelievable' aces
BBC News
2 days ago
- Sport
- BBC News
Knoester confident Aberdeen can cope with demands
Defender Mats Knoester, 26, is confident Aberdeen can cope with the demands of domestic and European football this season. (Press and Journal - subscription required), externalRead Monday's Scottish gossip
Daily Record
30-06-2025
- Sport
- Daily Record
Mats Knoester ranks Aberdeen Scottish Cup win above league title joy and reveals 'fast' contract extension decision
The defender previously got his hands on a league title with Hungarian side Ferencvaros Mats Knoester admitted lifting the Scottish Cup with Aberdeen will live with him forever and was a money can't buy experience. The Dutchman had previously won the league with Ferencvaros but reckons ending 35 years of Dons' frustration made this one even bigger. Knoester made the perfect start to his Pittodrie career, as within five months he had helped Jimmy Thelin 's side to beat Celtic and deliver their first trophy in 11 years. The enormity of it all didn't hit him until he saw the Granite City turn into a sea of red and white as it celebrated their Scottish Cup homecoming. Knoester said: 'It is hard to describe in a few words, it has been amazing. ' 'The expectations of a lot of people were not high, but in the team you felt we believed in it and then to see everybody explode, the city and the stadium was amazing. 'You could feel it was very big at the game but maybe a bit more after. Also, the days after the parade almost everybody was out. I didn't know so many people were living in Aberdeen because the streets were full. 'You can definitely see that it means a lot and it is so nice. You can't buy that experience. It has to be in a club, like the soul of the club. It is an experience for life.' Knoester admitted why his Aberdeen medal edges out his Hungarian success. He claimed: 'A trophy is always nice, but the way of winning the trophies was different. 'At Ferencvaros, there is an expectation that you have to win it. That is a whole different experience and there was pressure all season because it was a league. This was a cup and it was a few games. 'The emotions after winning the Scottish Cup meant a lot more. That was logical because it had been 35 years. 'Ferencvaros it has been six years in a row. I am not going to downgrade the trophy in Hungary because it was my first and special, but this one was a different type of trophy and different emotion. It was very special.' The 26-year-old was rewarded over the summer with a contract extension until the summer of 2029. He admitted it was an easy decision. The Aberdeen star confirmed: 'I was quite fast that we agreed. 'I had a good half year with a great ending, of course. If I take that away and look at how I got here and was welcomed, for me and my family, it has been really good. There weren't a lot of things to agree on the contract.' Knoester is back at it, as the Dons prepare to get going again in their pre-season training camp in Portugal. He stated: 'It is good to get started again. The break was important as well, I am not going to lie. It was good to get a good rest but I am ready to get going again. 'It is good to know everybody better and it is good to get to know the new boys. It is intense but you need to do it to get to know each other as quickly as possible.' Aberdeen have already brought in Nicolas Milanovic, Nick Suman, Kusini Yengi and Emmanuel Gyamfi. Manager Thelin is an important factor in getting his squad to gel. Knoester confirmed: 'He is a good people person. I enjoy working with him. Also, not all his meetings are about football. They are about life and the philosophy that can also bring a team together. 'There is also more important stuff, more than football and tactics to bring a team together or to get an understanding with each other. It has been a good cooperation with me, the team and Aberdeen.' It is about gearing up for a fast start, with some big opening challenges in the Premiership and in their Europa League qualifier. They open up away to Hearts and host Celtic before they play their European play-off games, which will determine whether it is group stage football in the Europa League or the Conference. Knoester can call on his own group stage experience at Ferencvaros. 'It is really nice,' Knoester, speaking to RedTV, insisted. 'I have played there and now I have the chance to play Europa League games again. 'It is very nice for me and everybody else at the club. It is a big thing to play in Europe and it is an amazing stage to show as a club and individuals. It is a great thing to add to Aberdeen for this season.'
BBC News
29-06-2025
- Sport
- BBC News
'You can't buy those experiences' - Knoester on Scottish Cup win
Mats Knoester said it was a quick and easy decision to sign a contract extension at Aberdeen to 2029. The Dutch centre-back, who signed from Ferencvaros in February on a two-and-a-half-year deal, made 17 Dons appearances last season, including the full Scottish Cup final victory over Celtic as Jimmy Thelin's side prevailed on penalties."It was quite fast that we agreed [a new deal]," he told club media."I've had a good past half year with a great ending, of course. "Even if I take that away and I just look at how I got here, how I was welcomed, how I was feeling, my family, it's been really good so there not a lot of thoughts needed to agree on a contract."If anything could have swayed it, though, Aberdeen's historic Scottish Cup win in May might have just done was a rock at the back as Jimmy Thelin's side shocked Celtic. And that shock continued for the defender in the days to come."It was the days after really you good feel how big it was," he added. "The parade, almost everyone was out - I didn't even know so many people lived in Aberdeen - the streets were full so we could definitely see how much it meant."You can't buy those experiences, it's in the soul of the club and it's an experience for life."
