Latest news with #StiliyanPetrov
Daily Record
30-06-2025
- Sport
- Daily Record
Plamen Galabov gets glowing Dundee report from Celtic hero as Gordon Strachan reaches out for transfer background check
Former midfield maestro Stiliyan Petrov gave his blessing to Dundee's summer recruit Steven Pressley has revealed Stan Petrov gave Dundee new boy Plamen Galabov a glowing reference. Dens Park technical director Gordon Strachan reached out to his former Celtic midfielder for some background on fellow Bulgarian Galabaov. The feedback was positive and the Dark Blues snapped the stopper up on a two-year deal from Maccabi Petah Tikva. Subject to clearance the 29-year-old could get his first outing in the friendly at Brechin on Saturday. Pressley said: 'We watched a lot of him and he came highly recommended from a number of people. Gordon, through Stiliyan, reached out, and we got some really good background checks. 'So we hope... there's no guarantee when you sign players but we hope he can make a real impact.' Pressley, who played in the same position during his own career, thinks Galabov's best years are still ahead of him. The Dundee head coach predicted: 'As a centre-back around 29, you're just beginning to come into your prime. 'So we've got him at a great age. He has good experience. He's six-foot-three. He brings some real physicality. With us losing our captain Joe Shaughnessy, it was important we got somebody of experience in that position.' Dundee have further bolstered their squad with the arrival of Brentford winger Tony Yagone on loan. The clock is ticking for more new faces to arrive, with the Premier Sports Cup campaign kicking off at home to Airdrie a week on Saturday. But Pressley is adamant he won't be pressured into making signings for the sake of it. Everything has to be for the long-term good of the team. He said: 'We know the League Cup games are important but we can't panic. 'If you do that and bring people in for these games, but they're not the right players for the long-term, you end up wasting money. What happens is in six months or so you end up needing to change them too so it gets you into a bit of a cycle. 'We're working hard and it's around finding the right players. But of course it's difficult when competitive matches come around so quickly.' Dundee had targeted former Blackpool defender Matthew Pennington but he chose Bradford City instead. Pressley said: 'We have spoken to players who have chosen lower league teams in England over ourselves. That's the reality. 'The balancing act is getting the quality you need for what you can afford. There's no point bringing in players who are not what we need. 'Some people are saying it's great because we get the chance to put our own squad together. 'But it's not a good situation to be in so we have to make sure we're not in this position in the future.'
Irish Daily Mirror
21-06-2025
- Sport
- Irish Daily Mirror
Celtic legend's warning for Irish football fans and Heimir Hallgrimsson record
Former Celtic and Aston Villa legend Stiliyan Petrov notes Ireland's recent form under new management - four wins, four losses and two the former international star has warned against misplaced optimism about the 'win' column as his country accounts for two of those may have been to seven World Cups (finishing 4th in 1994) but they have not been to a major championship since Euro2004 and are practically uncompetitive at present. Recent Bulgaria results include a five-goal defeat against Northern Ireland, four-goal defeats to Greece, Switzerland, a 2-5 reverse at home to Georgia, draws with Belarus twice, Cyprus, Luxembourg..."Bulgarian football is shadowed by corruption and match-fixing and people who depend on political support," says Petrov who made a record 105 appearances and scored eight goals for his country."And this makes it even harder for the younger players, for the coaches and for all the football ecosystem in Bulgarian football to flourish because we've been struggling for many, many years and it seems like we are still struggling."We used to play against teams, against Ireland, against the North, and expect to win, now you can see how far we are behind."We are a football nation and I think the fans and people around football want a change but it seems like people who run the carpentry, do the building, don't want to change and this is the biggest downfall for Bulgarian football." Ranked no3 in the world in June 1995, Bulgaria currently languish at 71st."I'm not surprised they could not win against Ireland, I'm not surprised at all."I mean, our national team, our players, are really struggling to play in the big teams and the big leagues, to create leaders, which was a really big problem for Bulgarian football and this has been going on for the last 20 years."And it seems like there's more people who don't want to change then want to change something for good." As it stands, Ireland have played 10 games since announcing Heimir Hallgrimsson as their new coach on July 10, 2024. The Icelandic-born coach's previous job had been as the Jamaica coach but had tendered his resignation at the end June, 2024, following the Reggae Boyz' poor showing at the Copa America where they shipped three defeats in three pool had been beaten 0-1 by Mexico in their opening game, 1-3 by Ecuador in their second outing and finished with a 0-3 loss to had been high in advance for a squad that carried English Premier players such as West Ham striker Michail Antonio, Fulham's Bobby de Cordova-Reid alongside another half-dozen Championship regulars, the then Clermont-based Shamar Nicholson and with another cohort of players across the Ireland regime started with a 0-2 reverse against England in Dublin followed by another 0-2 defeat in Dublin, this time to next four games provided two wins and two losses, with Ireland completing an home and away double, single goal wins over Finland, but having previous form franked when suffering 0-2 in Greece and 0-5 in next two matches, Nations League play-off games - and the ones the former Bulgaria captain Petrov was specifically referring to - were consecutive 2-1 victories over Bulgaria, firstly in Sofia and then Dublin and, remarkably, earned having gone behind in both recently there were early June, 2025, friendlies against Senegal and Luxembourg, both of which finished as draws and garnered mixed reactions with former Ireland stars Gary Breen and Kevin Kilbane notably immediate programme features 2026 World cup Qualifiers, starting with Hungary at home and Armenia away in September followed by Portugal away and Armenia at home in pool finishes with Portugal at home and Hungary away in November. *Stiliyan Petrov will be featuring in a Premier League XI playing against Ayrfield Utd (founded 1977) at Blunden Drive, Coolock, Dublin, today. The game is a fundraiser for Ayrfield Utd's new clubhouse, youth club and sensory room for neurodivergent children and adults within the community, i.e. people with autism, ADHD, Asperger syndrome. And what a teeam it is! Premier League XI (courtesy LegendsXI/Tony Browne): David James; Stephen Carr, Ian Harte, Jaap Stam, Wes Browne; Karol Poborsky, Jason McAteer, Keith Gillespie; Jermaine Beckford, Yakubu - plus guests.
BBC News
07-05-2025
- Sport
- BBC News
Celtic: John Hartson on Brendan Rodgers, Stiliyan Petrov on Arne Engels
Former Celtic forward John Hartson fears speculation over manager Brendan Rodgers' future may affect the club next season. (Sun), external Another ex-Celtic player, Stiliyan Petrov, expects the club to spend this summer and suggests five more players like Daizen Maeda would be a good place to start. (Herald - subscription required), external And Petrov expects Celtic midfielder Arne Engels, 22, to be "a completely different player next season". (Record), external Read Wednesday's Scottish gossip
Yahoo
07-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Former Celtic players weigh in on Rodgers & recruitment
Former Celtic players weigh in on Rodgers & recruitment - gossip Former Celtic forward John Hartson fears speculation over manager Brendan Rodgers' future may affect the club next season. (Sun) Another ex-Celtic player, Stiliyan Petrov, expects the club to spend this summer and suggests five more players like Daizen Maeda would be a good place to start. (Herald - subscription required) Rangers manager Barry Ferguson says Oscar Cortes and Danilo need to do more to get more first team minutes. (Herald - subscription required) Former Hearts manager Jim Jefferies ponders whether the club's next manager needs to have a bigger say on recruitment. (Sun) The SPFL could alter the structure of the Premiership play-offs such that the quarter-final and semi-finals are played over one leg before a two-legged final. (Herald - subscription required) Scotland midfielder Lewis Ferguson, 25, is eager to help Bologna win the Coppa Italia for the first time in 51 years when they face AC Milan next midweek. (Herald - subscription required)
Daily Record
06-05-2025
- Sport
- Daily Record
Celtic to hunt down '5 Daizen Maedas' as Brendan Rodgers warned club won't wait forever
Stiliyan Petrov wants to see his old side go for it this summer as they look to strengthen Stiliyan Petrov has backed Celtic to go big in the transfer market this summer to tool up for another crack at the Champions League. The Hoops hero was wowed by his old club's run to the knockout stages this season – where they pushed Bayern Munich all the way in the fight for a slot in the last 16. Petrov is convinced Brendan Rodgers will go again next term and he's convinced Parkhead chiefs will allow the boss to strengthen for the fight. Celtic spent almost £30m last summer and have the funds to go again at the end of this term. And Petrov admitted he's hoping the Hoops snap several stars of a similar standard to player of the year Daizen Maeda. When asked what Celts need for Europe, he joked: 'Buy another five Daizen Maedas! 'There's definitely going to be action from a Celtic point of view. 'I'm sure that Celtic has acknowledged that with the new format of the Champions League, they have a huge potential to do something special on the European stage. 'So I'm pretty sure that Celtic will spend money and give the boys some help. Because it's always good to see fresh faces, some quality and that's what Celtic needs.' Petrov insisted Celtic are in good shape – especially with Maeda in the side. The Japanese ace made a gruelling 20,000 mile round trip to Japan on family duty but returned to face Rangers on Sunday. The relentless attacker missed a chance to become an Ibrox hero in storage time but Petrov admitted the hitman has been priceless at Parkhead. He said: 'Well, I felt tired the way he was running for 97 minutes! 'He's just relentless. The way he's been playing, he's been incredible for all of the season. 'I think he's matured really well. He's learned how to penetrate with runs and make sure that he scores goals. 'This is what makes you a top player and he has become a top player for the club. 'I thought he could finish it better on Sunday, maybe that's something that you think about. 'But you can't blame him. People are talking about how in the last 48 hours he flew to Japan and back - and he played 97 minutes and he's still making that run. You have to give him a lot of credit.' And John Hartson believes trophy monster Brendan Rodgers needs to give sharp clarity on his long-term Celtic future or risk next season being overshadowed by constant speculation. But the former Parkhead hitman is backing Daizen Maeda to commit to the champions. Rodgers will be at Celtic next term, but nothing is certain beyond that with his current three-year deal expiring at the end of 2025/26. Hartson reckons it'd be ideal for his old club if the manager extends his stay, but says it's important to have the situation addressed as soon as possible. He explained: 'It's going to be up to the manager. In an ideal world, he'd stay for more years. He seems very happy. He's come back, he's won. 'He's got a tough game against Aberdeen (in the Scottish Cup Final), of course. But Brendan Rodgers haemorrhages trophies. That's what he does. He does what it says on the can. He's a winner. 'I think one million per cent he is in for next year. He'll certainly do the three years at the club with the contract that he signed. 'The issue you've got is the whole year Brendan will be asked questions: Are you staying? Are you going? "He doesn't want that to affect the team. Brendan will be linked with big moves to Italy and Spain and whatever. 'But I think, for everybody's sake, there has to become a time next season at some stage where Brendan will have to come out and tell people about his future because, if he waits until the end of the season, everything is going to be dominated by what Brendan is doing. 'Whether he does that, I think the club might want that as well. Let the club know so they can start preparing.' Maeda has put his own contract talk on hold until the Treble bid is over with the club aiming to hand out an extension to the Player of the Year. Hartson knows Celtic are masters at doing smart deals in the market, but does feel the Japanese is going nowhere for now. He said: 'I do think he'll stay. Celtic can offer Maeda a really decent contract and then because he's got a couple of more years on his contract, if they were to sell him, they'd get more money for him. 'Celtic have not stood in anybody's way. They'd love to keep Maeda and I'm sure there'll be a new contract offer because he's earned that. That goes without saying. 'But, if somebody comes in with an offer, I'm not even going to say a figure, with an offer that the board are happy with and the player would like a new challenge, they've never stood in anybody's way in that sense. 'Maeda's brilliant and certainly, you don't want to lose a player of his quality, shifted through from the wing. 'But he used to score goals on the wing as well and he played centre-forward for his country, Japan. That's what he played before Ange Postecoglou. "You look at the way Ange brought in Reo Hatate, Maeda, Kyogo, fantastic recruitment. 'It's that recruitment of players, I think, that has really pushed Celtic on in recent years. 'The Alistair Johnsons, getting the goalkeepers right, Joe Hart and then Kasper Schmeichel. Cameron Carter Vickers, Jota, selling him for £25 million and bring him back for £8 million. Their recruitment at Celtic deserve an awful lot of credit.' *John Hartson was speaking at his Foundation's annual golf event at Turnberry. John has been raising awareness about testicular cancer with his 'Grab Life By the Balls' campaign
