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The Irish Sun
2 hours ago
- Sport
- The Irish Sun
Stephen Bradley insists he has no doubts about loan signing's character despite issues at Sligo Rovers
STEPHEN BRADLEY has insisted he has no doubts about Connor Malley's character. Shamrock Rovers Advertisement 2 He'd previously impressed for Dundalk as well as Sligo Rovers 2 Bradley reckons he'll be a good addition to his already strong squad Malley impressed for Dundalk in 2023 and the Bit O' Red last year prompting both the Hoops and Their approaches were rejected and, after being an ever-present for the first nine games, John Russell had barely used him since with his last outing a 12-minute cameo against Russell suggested his performance in training and matches were not up to scratch but Bradley insisted a meeting with the player and speaking to others who have worked with him convinced him to bring him on board. Bradley said: 'I don't know exactly what went on behind the scenes. I've obviously met Connor before we signed him. Advertisement Read More On Irish Football 'We had a coffee and had a good hour and a half, two hours talking about everything, you get a nice feel. 'We've walked away from players in the past after meeting them and Connor was one we left where we said 'he's one we want'. 'We know his ability. He's shown his ability time and time again and we've seen it playing against him. That was never in question. 'I don't know what's going on in the background but I know teams made bids for Connor at the end of last season and they were rejected. Advertisement Most read in Football 'You're hearing different stories from the agent, from the player, from the clubs and you don't know what's going on. 'That's between them in terms of who said what regarding the bids. That can be unsettling for the player and the group. Heroic Man Utd legend Antonio Valencia talks young man out of suicide attempt and says 'life is very fragile' 'I can understand from John's point of view but from speaking to Connor I can also understand from his point of view. 'We were pretty clear after we left him that he was someone we wanted here in and around the group. Advertisement "I spoke to quite a number of people who have worked with him in the past and they all say the same thing. 'They all can't be wrong in terms of what type he is. We've no doubt: First of all, his ability is a really high level. "Second of all, he seems like a really good fella. A really good guy. He just wants to work, wants to play. "I'm looking forward to getting him around the group.' Advertisement The former Middlesbrough and Rochdale midfielder played 45 minutes of a friendly against Glenavon on Saturday and is due to get an hour for the Under-20s this evening as the Hoops look to get him up to speed. He will be eligible for the next round of the Conference League with Rovers enjoying a 4-0 first-leg lead against St Joseph's ahead of the second leg in Tallaght on Thursday night.
Irish Independent
2 hours ago
- Sport
- Irish Independent
‘We've no doubt about him, he seems a really a good guy' – Stephen Bradley has no attitude concerns about Connor Malley
Sligo Rovers boss John Russell described Malley as the 'most complete midfielder in the country' last October but their relationship soured after the Bit'O'Red knocked back winter approaches from Shamrock Rovers and Shelbourne for a player that had a year remaining on his contract. He has made little or no impression this year amid murmurs of behind the scenes unrest that entered the public domain when Russell suggested that the player had been left out of the squad for a game with the Hoops because of how he had trained and conducted himself. Malley's last league appearance was a brief cameo against Bohemians on May 10 and with the writing on the wall for him at The Showgrounds, Bradley moved to arrange a loan deal until the end of the season that will allow the ex-Middlesbrough trainee to effectively audition at a club that was prepared to pay a significant five-figure sum for his services at the end of last term. Bradley says a positive first conversation with the 25-year-old and references from other people who have encountered him during his career convinced him that it was worth pursuing a deal. 'Look, I don't know exactly what went on behind the scenes. I've obviously met Connor before we signed him and had a bit of coffee and had a good hour and a half, two hours talking about everything,' said Bradley. 'You get a nice feel. We've walked away from players in the past after meeting them and but Connor was one, when we left, we (Bradley and sporting director Stephen McPhail) both said, 'yeah, he's the one that we want here'. 'He's shown his ability time and time again and we've seen it playing against him. So that was never in question. I don't know what's going on in the background, but I know teams made bids for Connor at the end of last season and they were rejected. And you're hearing different stories from the agent, from the player, from the clubs and you don't know what's going on. 'That's between them, like, you know, in terms of who said what and regarding the bids. And that can be unsettling for players in a group. 'So, yeah, I can understand (unhappiness) from John's point of view but I can also – from speaking to Connor – understand his point of view. We were pretty clear after we left him that he was someone we wanted here and around the group and spoke to quite a number of people that have worked with him in the past and they all say the same thing. So, they all can't be wrong in terms of what type he is. 'So, yeah, we're under, we've no doubt, first of all, that his ability is a really high level, but second of all, he seems a really good fella, a really good guy. He just wants to work, wants to play and, yeah, I'm looking forward to getting him around the group.' Malley was involved in a weekend friendly but was allowed to go home and spend some time with family before taking part in an U-20 match this evening. He is not eligible for involvement in the second leg of the Conference League formality with St Joseph's from Gibraltar tomorrow but will come into contention for the next round. Rovers have a four goal lead going into the second leg in Tallaght.
RTÉ News
a day ago
- Sport
- RTÉ News
'She'll have a lot of respect from the players already' - Stephanie Zambra set for Shamrock Rovers interim head coach bow
Shamrock Rovers will return to SSE Airtricity Women's Premier Division action tonight for the first time since Collie O'Neill opted to step down as head coach. Waterford will be the opposition at Tallaght Stadium and it will be a landmark occasion for former Republic of Ireland forward Stephanie Zambra after her appointment as interim head coach of the Hoops over the weekend. The 2014 FIFA Puskas Award runner-up has been on the coaching staff at Rovers since shortly after retiring as a player at the end of last year and her elevation to the head coach role at Shamrock Rovers is a real show of confidence, according to former international team-mate Rachel Graham. "That probably (says a lot) about Steph. They'll know what she's like and her professionalism," the Shelbourne midfielder said on this week's RTÉ Soccer Podcast. "You can't achieve what she has done, all them caps for Ireland, without having a great level of professionalism; dedication to football and to training. "So she's obviously shown that and I think because of that, she'll have a lot of respect from the players already. "Sometimes that can be half the battle, just getting the players on your side. She's coaching as well at our under-17 international team, so she has been working a lot on the coaching side of her game since she has retired. The club is obviously backing her. "It's someone you'd like to see do well. She's given so much service to women's football in Ireland. You'd love to see her do well. Waterford (tonight), I'm sure she's going to be nervous but it's probably one of the better games you could have hoped for for your first one." Shamrock Rovers go into the match sixth in the table in what is their third season since their re-entry to the league. When it comes to their future, Graham feels the route they have gone in with intergrating young players is the way forward. "(O'Neill) was starting to bring through the young players and Rovers have a really good underage system, really good underage players. So it's probably the best route for them to go where they're just starting to bleed these players and maybe look at it more as a long-term plan," she said. "They came in the first year (2023) and made a lot of noise and probably put too much pressure on themselves and I think they're going about it the right way now."
RTÉ News
2 days ago
- Sport
- RTÉ News
Serie A pace will suit Evan Ferguson's style after AS Roma move
Evan Ferguson has been at AS Roma officially for less than a week, but he seems to be making an impression on the club's vociferous supporters. The Republic of Ireland international has been getting minutes into his legs, scoring four goals in a training match against minnows UniPomezia, who have been recently promoted to Italy's Serie D. Then on Saturday, he found the net again against German second division side and multiple former Bundesliga champions Kaiserslautern, nicking the ball off the goalkeeper and rolling it into an empty net in the 1-0 friendly win. The fact that neither game was a competitive one should of course temper expectations about what the 20-year-old could achieve in Serie A during his season-long loan. But crucially, unlike last season, he will have had a full and injury-free pre-season under his belt going into the campaign and he is going in with less expectation around him after seeing his progress stall somewhat over the past year. On that, former Drogheda United and Shamrock Rovers defender Graham Gartland also feels the style of play in Italy will suit Ferguson down to a tee as he told this week's RTÉ Soccer Podcast. "He strikes me as a player that needs games to get his match sharpness up," said Gartland, a former team-mate of Ferguson's father Barry at Longford Town in 2003 and 2004. "But he can ease into that a little bit. He has a good pre-season behind him in Italy and once that comes, his sharpness comes. And once his sharpness comes, then he is a different player. "Because he is quite tall and he has a presence about him, that's where he has a chance to go and work on his feet, and the pace of the play in Italy will be different to the Premier League and I think that will suit him as well. "You see it with the likes of Edin Dzeko who went there from Man City and he did really well and he strikes me as a similar player to that, that the tempo of the game might be a bit slower and it would allow him just to build into that." In the wake of Ferguson's friendly cameos, Roma's new manager Gian Piero Gasperini, who enjoyed success over a long period with Atalanta - including on Irish soil when he led the Bergamo club to Europa League glory at Aviva Stadium in May 2024 - has spoken about the need to make the most of his talents, saying: "We need to get to know Evan and exploit his depth. In some situations, we could have looked for him more." And former Brighton, Celtic, Shamrock Rovers and Dundalk midfielder Richie Towell pointed to the player who netted the Europa League final hat-trick for Atalanta as an example of how Gasperini can improve players. "I think with a manager like Gasperini there, I think he's really going to take Evan under his wing and make him a proper, proper player this season," he said on the podcast. "You see what he's done with Ademola Lookman. Lookman was kind of in a little bit of a similar situation to Evan where he was doing ok but you were waiting on that flame to ignite; where he went to Gasperini at Atalanta and that Atalanta side were amazing - high energy, lots of shots on target, balls into the box, I loved the way they played - so if Evan can mimic anything like what Ademola Lookman did, he'll have a great season."
Belfast Telegraph
3 days ago
- Sport
- Belfast Telegraph
Carl Winchester reveals why Derry believe they can still clinch title success
Derry City 1 Bohemians 1 Carl Winchester believes Derry City can still challenge for the title as they prepare for a must-win game at Shamrock Rovers on Sunday, August 3. After Friday's 1-1 draw with Bohemians at the Brandywell – marred by off-pitch violence – the Candystripes are eight points off the League leaders and know a loss in Dublin would end any title hopes.
