Latest news with #PatBonner
Irish Examiner
28-06-2025
- Sport
- Irish Examiner
Club v country - how FAI took on English clubs to change European football
Eoin Hand's 22-man squad for the clash with France in Paris on Tuesday, 28 October is released to the press five days after the exhausting draw with Belgium. Eoin Hand adds two newcomers to the group – Celtic's young goalkeeper Pat Bonner and Brighton's powerful and pacy forward Michael Robinson, who has received international clearance to play for the Republic of Ireland. David O'Leary is also selected, having missed the Belgian game through injury. Eoin Hand picks his strongest-possible squad for his first away test as manager of the international side. But Eoin Hand faces more than the usual uncertainty in terms of player availability. Eight days out from the Republic of Ireland's massive date with the French, player availability issues regarding the fixture clash with the English League Cup have still not been settled. This is exclusive subscriber content. Already a subscriber? Sign in Take us with you this summer. Annual €130€65 Best value Monthly €12€6 / month
Glasgow Times
24-06-2025
- Sport
- Glasgow Times
Refugee World Cup set to take place in Glasgow this weekend
The Refugee World Cup Scotland 2025 will feature around 250 players from 50 different nations competing at the Toryglen Regional Football Centre on Sunday, June 29, from 12pm to 5pm. Organised by the charity Glasgow Afghan United, the event brings together players, including refugees, asylum seekers, migrants, and people born and raised in Scotland. The Refugee World Cup Scotland 2025 is supported by Wheatley Group, a housing, care, and property-management group. Read more: Scotland's top travel show returns to SEC in February 2026 Major plans revealed for Glasgow's Buchanan Galleries after demolition axed Manager leaves Rangers with compensation paid to secure her services The tournament was launched at Hampden by Cammy Bell, a former Scotland, Rangers, and Kilmarnock goalkeeper, and now a Wheatley Group development project officer. He was joined by ex-Celtic and Republic of Ireland player Pat Bonner. Mr Bell said: "I'm delighted to lend my support to the Refugee World Cup Scotland tournament and look forward to witnessing the positive impact it has had and will continue to have on the lives of those it touches. "Football is a great way to bring communities together, to build friendships and communities, and I'm sure this tournament will help new Scots to integrate into Scottish life." Councillor Abdul Bostani, managing director of Glasgow Afghan United FC, and organiser of the tournament, said: "The Refugee World Cup Scotland is, above all, a celebration of football and community. "But it's also a powerful reminder of our shared humanity. "This tournament is an invitation to see refugees not as statistics, but as individuals. "It's about fostering empathy, understanding, and inclusion, values that have long defined Scotland and the UK as welcoming nations." Steven Henderson, chief executive at Wheatley Group, said: "This is an important event that celebrates the diversity of communities in Scotland through football while supporting the rights of refugees. "We are committed to supporting community initiatives like this, and I encourage everyone to mark their calendars and come along on the day to support this event."
Daily Record
22-06-2025
- Sport
- Daily Record
The Celtic secret to keeping rejuvenated Rangers at bay as one thing made clear
Pat Bonner reckons Brendan Rodgers will ensure the Hoops are in the best shape to stay on top. Rangers may be undergoing an American revolution. But the secret to Celtic staying in power in Scotland is all about EVOLUTION according to Pat Bonner. Something may be stirring in Govan after Andrew Cavenagh and the 49ers completed their takeover at Ibrox. It's got success-starved Light Blues punters excited again after years spent in their rivals' shadow. Parkhead legend Bonner has been in this movie before - almost 40 years ago when David Holmes' consortium took control and made their first move by appointing Graeme Souness. Rangers would go on to end a nine-year wait to be crowned champions of Scotland in the following 1986-87 season. Bonner knows times have changed dramatically since then though. Whereas Celtic had pipped Hearts on goal difference to lift the 1985-86 title - their first for four years at that point - the Hoops are currently in a position of power like never before in Scottish football. Winning 13 of the last 14 titles and with tens of millions in the bank is testament to that. Now it's about acknowledging that complacency is as big an enemy as anything from across the Clyde. Staying ahead of the game. And to do that, it's about evolving a squad that coasted to the title by 17 points last time out. The financial might lies in the east end of the city. And Bonner is confident the Celtic board will back Brendan Rodgers this summer. He knows to improve again they'll need to spend. And most probably spend big. Then it's about tackling any curveballs Russell Martin's new-look Rangers might throw at them on the pitch. Bonner said: 'They're in a position of strength. You have to kick on. You can't say, 'oh, we're good, everything's going great', because suddenly then you'll get found out. 'Brendan's very clever on that. He knows, he's been around. One thing for sure is that you've got to keep evolving. You've got to keep ahead of the game. 'The game doesn't stop and things change very, very quickly. So you have to keep ahead of the game, and that means that you evolve your squad.' It's not just in the transfer market the Hoops need to stay in front though. It's tactically too. Celtic only won one of the four Premiership meetings between the sides last season. And Bonner said: 'You're thinking about how Rangers are going to play next year. Rangers had a template against Celtic that proved very, very successful. But the rest of it wasn't successful. 'How Rangers will play next year will be really interesting. Will they play from the back? Will they have the players that play from the back? 'That's in the DNA of the new manager coming in. That's what he's done. Could he adapt only in the Celtic games and change back to playing that way? I don't think so. 'So I think that will be interesting for Brendan. How would we go about playing against Rangers now? 'I don't think Celtic will change too much. I think they'll still do the same thing. 'I think they'll evolve what they've done successfully. They want to be more consistent in key points, especially coming near the end of the season. That's not easy because you've played so many games. 'The final piece is the important piece. We're talking here about management rather than players. Players will go out and perform in whatever way. It's up to the manager to really get that across to the players and change and push it on. 'The players will just come in and train and take every game as they want. 'That's players for you. It's the management, the staff, the board. You've got to always look ahead. 'Don't rest on your laurels. Take nothing for granted. That's why you have to keep working hard. That's what management's about, leadership.' Celtic splashed out on eight new signings last summer - including £20m on Arne Engels and Adam Idah - as Rodgers looked to take his side up a gear on the European travels as much as domestically. There might not be quite so many this summer with the squad more in need of fine tuning rather than an overhaul. It's not just about the starting XI though. Improving the options for the finishing XI is every bit as important. Bonner said: 'You're not just talking about 11 players now. You're talking about probably 16, 17 quality players. 'You have starters and you've got finishers, a bit like rugby. 'And those finishers are really, really important, but they have to be quality. 'They can't just be another player coming off the bench for the sake of it because somebody's got injured. 'There's a reason why you're maybe bringing them off the bench. They'll not all start. 'Most players, apart from the odd one like Callum McGregor, will play 90 minutes every week. 'Most of them play 60, 70 minutes. You get a 90 minutes, of course you will. But that balance and that flexibility in your squad is critical. 'Especially if you play the amount of games Celtic play. Week in, week out. Having to win every game. 'Having to perform. Having to play at a very high level. So you need a real 16 or 17.' To that end Bonner has urged Celtic to give Brendan Rodgers everything he wants this summer to tool up for another crack at the Champions League and Treble. The legendary goalkeeper says it's about quality over quantity in the transfer market with no need for a stack of project signings. Parkhead chiefs broke with tradition 12 months ago when they splashed out a record £11m on Arne Engels and a further £9m on Adam Idah. In total around £40m was spent on 10 signings across the season with Jota and Auston Trusty also arriving for north of £5m. The bulk of that was paid for with the sales of Matt O'Riley and Kyogo Furuhashi. But with more Champions League millions having poured into the coffers after a successful run to the last 16 play-off, Bonner hope the Hoops number crunchers back Rodgers again. So far only Kieran Tierney is in the door after agreeing a sensational free transfer back to Parkhead from Arsenal. Nordsjaelland winger Benjamin Nygren and Fulham striker Callum Osmand look set to join him. And Bonner said: 'I hope they give Brendan what he wants and what he needs. 'It's not always about spending - but ultimately quality comes with money nowadays. 'It's about getting the right people and the right players that Brendan wants. 'And I think it's quality over quantity. 'I don't want to see five or six players coming in just for the sake of it. 'I think the players themselves who have been successful will want two or three real quality players to come in to help them. 'Brendan knows what he wants now. I don't see the club not giving Brendan what he wants, to be honest. It's important for the team to evolve and keep evolving.' The transfer window might only officially have opened last week but Bonner knows the clock is ticking on getting signings in and settled. He said: 'Recruitment is not easy because you've got to first and foremost have a profile of what you want. Yes, you want the best, but you want a certain profile. Then you have to identify them, and that could be over time. 'And you rely maybe on other people to come with a list or whatever, but you have your own ones that you want. 'Then you have to recruit them and motivate them to come into the environment. 'Then they have to want to come and fit into the culture, and then you have to manage them and get them into the team, and they have to perform. 'Not everybody's the same, that's the other thing. They're all very, very different.' * Pat Bonner was speaking as he helped launch the Refugee World Cup Scotland tournament, on Sunday, June 29, at Toryglen Regional Football Centre.
BBC News
14-06-2025
- Sport
- BBC News
Given 'prayed to God' Bonner wouldn't get injured
Cast your mind back to the are dominating the Scottish game and Pat Bonner is the Celtic goalkeeper.A fresh-faced 17-year-old Shay Given is on the Celtic bench "praying to God" the Ireland international didn't pull up injured and force his debut. He was "a nervous wreck".He needn't fear long, though, Bonner carried on and Given was never thrown in the deep fact, he never did make that Celtic debut. But he's done alright former Newcastle United great was back in Glasgow promoting next month's friendly between the two sides, and his trip back north brought back memories and that 'what if' feeling."Driving up the road there past Barrowfield, I remember we had to change here at the stadium, and I had to run down the road as an apprentice and train," he said at Celtic Park."The first team boys were driving past, blowing the horn and stuff. It's just all the memories come flooding back."I was on the bench once for an Old Firm game when I was 17, praying to God that Pat Bonner wasn't going to get injured because I was going to have to come off the bench at 17. I would have been a nervous wreck, if I'm being brutally honest."The club's changed so much since I was here at 16 until 18. Even the stadium, look around the stadium now, it's just phenomenal."I was here when the old jungle was there across from the dugout. The way the club has moved forward and moved on, it's a phenomenal club now. It's a totally different animal, as such, but it's great to see how the club has progressed."I always brings back a special feeling coming back here."
BBC News
25-05-2025
- Sport
- BBC News
Pundits react to Aberdeen's penalty shootout heroics
Here's how BBC Scotland's cast of pundits reacted to the Dons' cup final win:Aberdeen legend Willie Miller: "It's brilliant goalkeeping isn't it, from him. He's got a huge stretch, Mitov. He's a tall figure and if he guesses the right way and you're hitting it low then it's going to be really difficult for that to end in the back of the net."The penalty kicks from Aberdeen were quite sensational. Three of them were out of this world. The doubters were all out there. I tell you what, what a magnificent afternoon for my old club."Fantastic for the club, fantastic for Jimmy Thelin, fantastic for Dave Cormack and wonderful for these fans that are down here celebrating. This is something special, 35 years in the making. It's quite incredible."The underdogs, the total underdogs. Nobody including their dogs gave Aberdeen a chance of lifting this trophy, maybe apart from me, and they've done it."Former Celtic goalkeeper Pat Bonner: "Well, well, well. What a good save, although it wasn't the best penalty to finish."You could see the nerves, you could see the pressure on Alistair Johnston. Dimitar Mitov comes up with the two big saves in the game."Brilliant penalties. You probably wouldn't expect Aberdeen to hit them so well. The last penalty was a really tired penalty. Callum McGregor's was well struck but it was a good height for the goalkeeper."Aberdeen deserved it from the point of view that of the way that they changed their structure, changed the way they were going to play. They defended their box well when they had to do it. They got their goal and then they hung in there."Celtic had the big chance with Maeda going through. That was the big one and they had the shots off the post and off the crossbar. They had the better chances, Celtic - probably - more control of the game but it just didn't click for them today."Former Scotland forward James McFadden: "Not many people gave Aberdeen any hope of winning this cup today. But when it comes to a cup final, you just never know."It is a time for heroes - Mitov is the hero this afternoon. But it was a monumental effort from Aberdeen as a squad to get over the line."It's been such a long time coming. What a season they've had - up and down, and what an end."Scotland captain Rachel Corsie: "Just listening to Mitov, the credit he gives to the manager. Players don't say that lightly."He pays a lot of testament to the fact players trusted him. He did something different today and it worked."The last few times they've played Celtic, they've been out of it by half time. He knew that wasn't an option today, they couldn't put themselves in that position."Former Scotland and Celtic captain Scott Brown: "Form goes out the window in a cup final. We've all been disappointed after a cup final, it's how Celtic bounce back."Winning trebles isn't easy. Aberdeen needed a bit of luck, but their defensive unit was really good throughout the game and the manager got the tactics spot on."It wasn't pretty over the 120 minutes, but there's no pictures on the cup at the end of the day."Former Scotland international Leanne Crichton: "It really is unbelievable stuff. Look at the fans, the players, they didn't know how to react."That's the beauty of football, that's what makes it so incredible on an afternoon like this."
