Latest news with #ScottishCup
Scottish Sun
5 hours ago
- Sport
- Scottish Sun
‘It was complicated' – Rangers cult hero who turned down Celtic opens up on why he chose Ibrox
Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) HE famously turned down Celtic to join Rangers - then scored six goals against the Hoops while playing for the Light Blues. Rangers legend Nacho Novo had the choice of Glasgow's big two after a standout season in Scotland with Dundee. Sign up for Scottish Sun newsletter Sign up 2 Nacho Novo loved playing for Rangers Credit: Getty 2 But he could have opted to wear green and white instead Novo, now 46, moved to Scotland in 2001 when his agent recommended a shock switch to Raith Rovers - despite Valencia also being on his trail. After a season in Kirkcaldy he travelled up the A92 to Dens Park, before heading back down to Glasgow when Rangers came calling. But while the Light Blues had him on their radar for some time, it was actually Martin O'Neill who made the first official approach. Novo, however, only had Ibrox on his mind. Speaking to the Let Me Be Frank podcast, Novo revealed: "I knew Rangers were interested in me for a while. I spoke to my agent, I knew there were a big club. "It was complicated at the time because Dundee were entering administration so the chairman wanted to get as much money as possible, which is understandable. "Celtic wanted to speak to me and they made me to go Celtic Park. They said there wasn't going to be any cameras, and of course the first thing I saw were cameras. "I spoke with Martin O'Neill but Rangers were in for me for a long time, while Celtic hadn't been. "I knew Mikel Arteta, I knew Ronald (De Boer), Shota (Arveladze) and Claudio Caniggia. "I used to go to Glasgow for something to eat and things like that, so I had friends there (at Rangers) already. Rangers fans react as 49ers takeover completed "I knew I would feel more comfortable going there. "I remember before that I went to the Scottish Cup final - Celtic vs Rangers - and I sat in the Rangers end when Fergie scored that free-kick. "Being there and seeing the atmosphere, you can't beat that. I think it's the best derby in the entire world. "I just got that feeling." Novo spent six years in Glasgow and lifted the same number of trophies during that time. He clinched the league and League Cup double in his first season under Alex McLeish. Novo was Rangers' top goal scorer that campaign and he went on to score 70 goals for the club in total, leaving Ibrox in 2010 to head back to Spain. Keep up to date with ALL the latest news and transfers at the Scottish Sun football page
Yahoo
6 hours ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Can cup win renew stadium focus?
Aberdeen chief executive Alan Burrows says the club's Scottish Cup triumph may jump start talks over a new stadium. Plans to move away from Pittodrie have slowed recently after a decade of talk around a move away from the club's spiritual home. Advertisement A proposed shift to a site near the club's training ground moved on to a regeneration of a beach front site, however Burrows says "plans have slowed down". "It's been decades in the making," he told Sportsound. "What can I tell you on the back of all those scenes in Aberdeen over the last four or fives days is a renewed reminder of the power of football but the city of Aberdeen. "There's certainly been communication with the local authority and myself and others at the club. There's a willingness to get back around the table."
BBC News
6 hours ago
- Business
- BBC News
Can cup win renew stadium focus?
Aberdeen chief executive Alan Burrows says the club's Scottish Cup triumph may jump start talks over a new to move away from Pittodrie have slowed recently after a decade of talk around a move away from the club's spiritual home.A proposed shift to a site near the club's training ground moved on to a regeneration of a beach front site, however Burrows says "plans have slowed down"."It's been decades in the making," he told Sportsound."What can I tell you on the back of all those scenes in Aberdeen over the last four or fives days is a renewed reminder of the power of football but the city of Aberdeen."There's certainly been communication with the local authority and myself and others at the club. There's a willingness to get back around the table."
Daily Record
9 hours ago
- Sport
- Daily Record
A pair of Celtic sinners condemned to the one trick pony club as cracks appear on green and white armour
The Aberdeen defeat may have done Brendan Rodgers a favour in the long run as our man Hugh delivers his hard hitting verdict Aberdeen's Scottish Cup win should have had the same effect as smelling salts being waved under Brendan Rodgers' nose to clear his head. The manager's mind must have been scrambled by the lumbering, lackadaisical and lacklustre nature of his team's performance at Hampden. The weight of history was on their shoulders and, to a man, they collapsed under the strain. But Aberdeen may have done Celtic a favour in the long run by exposing their inadequacies. There was more than a party stage dismantled at Celtic Park after the defeat. The illusion of Celtic having adequate strength in depth to begin next season with a Champions League qualifier that will carry a £30m sidestake was also razed to the ground at the same time. I've said Adam Idah was testing the manager's ability to always improve the players he had under his charge. And more fall into that category. Nicolas Kuhn and Paulo Bernardo have to do more to avoid being categorised as a one-trick pony and a player who flatters to deceive. There are players who need to up their game or go to a less pressurised environment. Celtic's trophy haul has been astonishing in recent years, but cracks are appearing. The failure to win what would have been a historic ninth Treble was the source of celebration for the supporters of Celtic's rivals at Ibrox. But celebrating somebody else's failure when you've won nothing for yourself means it's time to up your own game. And that's exactly what Rangers will be doing under their American owners and different management ideas in the Ibrox dressing-room. When Celtic were asked to dig deep at Hampden they only found a gaping hole. Extensive work on filling the void has got to be done by the recruitment department to meet the demands of domestic and European competition. Players like Johnny Kenny and Yang shouldn't have been left to save the day in the extra time period of a cup final. The irony is supporters will now take their anger out on the manager in the time-honoured Brendan-baiting fashion. But it wasn't his tactics, team selection or substitutions that cost Celtic against Aberdeen. It was a failure to show up on the part of several players and the lack of a strong bench. That must be addressed as the team across the road on the other side of the city try to emerge from the shadows.
The Herald Scotland
15 hours ago
- Politics
- The Herald Scotland
Handling of Corsie retirement doesn't do women's game any favours
When Corsie started playing the idea of women taking their place at the national stadium would still have been fanciful. But while those who have moved the game in Scotland from an amateur sport to a professional entity deserve recognition, there is an accusation that anyone stepping out of lane not to offer pats on the back and big up the efforts is seen somehow as a traitor to the cause. That critical analysis is a personal affront. Read more: There is a perception inside media circles that the women's game in Scotland does not help itself when it comes to amplifying its story. It was difficult to argue this week as Corsie announced her retirement from the game. A press briefing was held with a hand-picked selection of journalists and an embargo agreed as to when the news would be released, with several outlets shunned. The myopia in this is staggering. As women's football stories jostle for column inches in a competitive, congested market where it is all about the clicks, it becomes a particularly difficult sell to editors when there has been a very deliberate choice to overlook them. This observer was not part of the chosen few invited to the briefing. When pressed on the matter Corsie's agent and director of Decibel Sports Management – whose LinkedIn profile speaks of a philosophy of 'focusing entirely on people who work within the women in sport marketplace' and promises 'representation of women within sport' – eventually suggested that there was an accusation of not being 'particularly supportive' to answer for. A – male – journalist was given the nod instead. In any case, it is not the job of journalists to don ra-ra skirts and break out the pom-poms. The role involves asking questions that might not always be comfortable. As Scotland captain, Corsie wrote a column for the Press and Journal on a willingness to play alongside a trans player. This is surely a topic worthy of exploration and debate given the position that she held when it was written. Similarly, Corsie was also the lead claimant in a legal challenge against the SFA over equal pay and treatment. Cue more troublesome questions. Among the multiple ironies here is that as Corsie prepares for a different kind of life away from the day-to-day hurl of professional football, the likelihood is that there will be multiple offers of media work. Corsie was an impressive pundit at the Euros last year and offered a fluent and articulate commentary at Saturday's Scottish Cup final as she performed media duties. Interestingly enough, an offer to perform a similar role at Sunday's Women's Scottish Cup final was not so eagerly embraced. In any case, there is always a wry chuckle allowed when those who seem to have actively tried to censor journalists then look to manoeuvre themselves onto the other side of the fence in a switch of career paths. As Corsie will discover, there will come a point when critical observations have to be made in a punditry role. And they will not always be well received. But, ultimately, the most striking element of this week was the lack of scrutiny around the women's game. When new Scotland manager Melissa Andreatta announced her first squad a few weeks back, the bulk of her press conference was spent talking about the leadership qualities that the returning Corsie offered. She spoke at great lengths of having watched recent games and could see the deficiencies that the defender's return would go some way to correcting. This week, Corsie spoke of the relief she felt that the news was now public around her retirement which would, of course, point to this decision having been made some time ago. Which begs the inevitable question: what is the purpose of being in the squad? This is a manager who is stepping in to pick up the pieces of a team who will spend the summer with their noses pressed against the glass as third successive major tournament takes place without them. Andreatta will have her work cut out in rebuilding a squad capable of competing at elite level given the alacrity of progression that has taken place globally across the last decade in the women's game. Fundamentally there is a question to be asked about the inclusion of a player in a squad for two competitive games who will not be part of the picture going forward. It is impossible to imagine such a bizarre scenario unfolding in the men's game. Corsie is not just stepping down from international football, but stepping away from football altogether. It is unimaginable that Robertson or John McGinn would be called into a squad for two competitive games with time called on their career when the full-time whistle sounded. The noise around such a situation would be deafening. There can be recognition and applause for the exceptional contribution that Corsie has made to Scotland – and a presentation of some kind would have been expected and thoroughly merited – but turning this week into what could be described as an exercise in self-indulgence does no one any favours.
