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Glasgow Times
02-08-2025
- Sport
- Glasgow Times
Alison McConnell: Why timing of Crichton's Rangers switch is bizarre
Crichton returned to the fold at Glasgow City only in November when she assumed the role vacated by Scott Booth as he headed back north to Aberdeen. If it was a homecoming of sorts for the former City and Scotland internationalist who twice played for City in the quarter-finals of the UEFA Women's Champions League, it has been unable to live with the pull of [[Rangers]] and the chance to stand on her own two feet. Crichton completed her UEFA Pro Licence this summer and, as well as BBC media work, she has coached with Motherwell and City since retiring. Taking over at Rangers will be her first time not as a sidekick but at the wheel. Few would begrudge her the chance to take on what is clearly a huge role as she takes over from Jo Potter. But the timing of the appointment will be a source of some consternation. Rangers headed to Italy this week for the last lap of pre-season, with Crichton still in position at Petershill with City. Given the fact that the season kicks off in just over a fortnight, the lack of a compensation agreement prior meant that Crichton was still in at City this week as her new charges went through their paces under the sun in Italy. It is a bizarre turn of events. It would have been in everyone's best interests for Crichton to cut ties with a City side that – in a matter of weeks - she will now be in direct competition for when it comes to a title fight. Read more: Clearly, City are well within their rights to hold out for an adequate compensation package given that they are losing an assistant manager a fortnight before the season kicks off. They are also right to feel irked at losing a key member of their managerial team to their rivals. In truth, there are few surprises really in the SWPL given how often teams play one another, but being privy to the preparations and plans for the season before heading to Rangers will have aggrieved City. But from Crichton's perspective, barely getting her feet under the desk before the curtain comes up on the new campaign means that she is straight into it. She inherits a team that have lost six first-team players, including the fairly prolific Rio Hardy, so will have ample work to do in order to have a squad ready for what lies ahead. The understanding is that Crichton was identified by the Rangers hierarchy as having what they wanted to take the club forward following Potter's departure. That may well mean that the candidates who made applications for the job were not deemed up to standard or that finances were not on the same page from those, but it seems odd that the decision was not made some weeks back. That would have alleviated some of the stress as the clock now ticks loudly ahead of an opening weekend where Rangers are away to Montrose. On the pitch is where she will be judged with the remit for Crichton very much the same as it is for Russell Martin; go and win the league. AND ANOTHER THING Elsie Cook has written her story – 'A Kiss fae Pele' – with Tom Brown, a book that went on sale on Friday, priced at £22. Most will be well aware of her role within Scottish women's football and it is only fitting that she should be inducted into the SFA Hall of Fame. Better late than never. But in amongst the tales of meeting Pele and gaining the respect of Jock Stein, what resonated was the tremendous personal cost that came with what can only be described as a vocation to football. Written in the Ayrshire vernacular, her tale of heading to Edinburgh, two small kids in tow, to hand in her notice as secretary of the SWFA after her husband had essentially offered her an ultimatum, is quite something. The heaviness she felt abandoning the post and then the swiftness with which she accepted the manager's job at the same meeting had this reader cheering her all the way. But it is easy to forget the sheer strength of character that was necessary for women such as Elsie Cook to withstand the massive societal pressures around their involvement in football. Pushing through that to advocate for the rights of women and of girls to play football required not only courage of conviction but a bravery that is difficult to truly appreciate. AND FINALLY You may have heard that Sarina Wiegman's Lionesses successfully defended their status as European Champions with a penalty shoot-out win over Spain. Spare a thought for those Scottish based players who will return to the domestic fold in the next few weeks to hear all about it. But while all is rosy in England's garden, it illustrates that massive leaps that the game has taken south of the border will Scotland have fallen off the edge of a cliff. Melissa Andreatta will know that she has her work cut out for her as she looks to steer Scotland towards Brazil and the FIFA Women's World Cup in 2027. Qualification is imperative if Scotland are to push on in both a domestic and international sense.
The National
02-08-2025
- Sport
- The National
Alison McConnell: Why timing of Crichton's Rangers switch is bizarre
Crichton returned to the fold at Glasgow City only in November when she assumed the role vacated by Scott Booth as he headed back north to Aberdeen. If it was a homecoming of sorts for the former City and Scotland internationalist who twice played for City in the quarter-finals of the UEFA Women's Champions League, it has been unable to live with the pull of [[Rangers]] and the chance to stand on her own two feet. Crichton completed her UEFA Pro Licence this summer and, as well as BBC media work, she has coached with Motherwell and City since retiring. Taking over at Rangers will be her first time not as a sidekick but at the wheel. Few would begrudge her the chance to take on what is clearly a huge role as she takes over from Jo Potter. But the timing of the appointment will be a source of some consternation. Rangers headed to Italy this week for the last lap of pre-season, with Crichton still in position at Petershill with City. Given the fact that the season kicks off in just over a fortnight, the lack of a compensation agreement prior meant that Crichton was still in at City this week as her new charges went through their paces under the sun in Italy. It is a bizarre turn of events. It would have been in everyone's best interests for Crichton to cut ties with a City side that – in a matter of weeks - she will now be in direct competition for when it comes to a title fight. Read more: Clearly, City are well within their rights to hold out for an adequate compensation package given that they are losing an assistant manager a fortnight before the season kicks off. They are also right to feel irked at losing a key member of their managerial team to their rivals. In truth, there are few surprises really in the SWPL given how often teams play one another, but being privy to the preparations and plans for the season before heading to Rangers will have aggrieved City. But from Crichton's perspective, barely getting her feet under the desk before the curtain comes up on the new campaign means that she is straight into it. She inherits a team that have lost six first-team players, including the fairly prolific Rio Hardy, so will have ample work to do in order to have a squad ready for what lies ahead. The understanding is that Crichton was identified by the Rangers hierarchy as having what they wanted to take the club forward following Potter's departure. That may well mean that the candidates who made applications for the job were not deemed up to standard or that finances were not on the same page from those, but it seems odd that the decision was not made some weeks back. That would have alleviated some of the stress as the clock now ticks loudly ahead of an opening weekend where Rangers are away to Montrose. On the pitch is where she will be judged with the remit for Crichton very much the same as it is for Russell Martin; go and win the league. AND ANOTHER THING Elsie Cook has written her story – 'A Kiss fae Pele' – with Tom Brown, a book that went on sale on Friday, priced at £22. Most will be well aware of her role within Scottish women's football and it is only fitting that she should be inducted into the SFA Hall of Fame. Better late than never. But in amongst the tales of meeting Pele and gaining the respect of Jock Stein, what resonated was the tremendous personal cost that came with what can only be described as a vocation to football. Written in the Ayrshire vernacular, her tale of heading to Edinburgh, two small kids in tow, to hand in her notice as secretary of the SWFA after her husband had essentially offered her an ultimatum, is quite something. The heaviness she felt abandoning the post and then the swiftness with which she accepted the manager's job at the same meeting had this reader cheering her all the way. But it is easy to forget the sheer strength of character that was necessary for women such as Elsie Cook to withstand the massive societal pressures around their involvement in football. Pushing through that to advocate for the rights of women and of girls to play football required not only courage of conviction but a bravery that is difficult to truly appreciate. AND FINALLY You may have heard that Sarina Wiegman's Lionesses successfully defended their status as European Champions with a penalty shoot-out win over Spain. Spare a thought for those Scottish based players who will return to the domestic fold in the next few weeks to hear all about it. But while all is rosy in England's garden, it illustrates that massive leaps that the game has taken south of the border will Scotland have fallen off the edge of a cliff. Melissa Andreatta will know that she has her work cut out for her as she looks to steer Scotland towards Brazil and the FIFA Women's World Cup in 2027. Qualification is imperative if Scotland are to push on in both a domestic and international sense.
Glasgow Times
28-07-2025
- Sport
- Glasgow Times
Leanne Crichton set to become new Rangers head coach
The former Scotland international, who earned 72 caps and completed her UEFA Pro Licence this summer, is expected to take over from Jo Potter, who left for Crystal Palace. Crichton is currently the assistant manager at Glasgow City, but is the top choice to head the Rangers' women's team. Despite having no solo managerial experience, she has been deemed the standout candidate in the selection process. Rangers have narrowly missed out on the SWPL title on the last day of the season for the past three years. Crichton has had three playing stints with Glasgow City and moved to Motherwell in 2021 for a player-coach role. She has played in two UEFA quarter-finals for Glasgow City and represented Scotland at the 2017 European Championships and the 2019 FIFA Women's World Cup. She returned to Glasgow City as Leanne Ross' assistant last year. Rangers, who fly out to Italy this morning after a 6-0 friendly win over Middlesbrough, have lost six first-team players this summer, as well as Potter. There is much work to be done ahead of the SWPL kicking off next month.
The Irish Sun
05-07-2025
- Sport
- The Irish Sun
‘I didn't want to rush into it' – O'Brien reveals reason for taking Shelbourne job after starting it with win over Cork
JOEY O'BRIEN knows there will be Duff days ahead - but no more late night calls with Damien Duff. O'Brien, 39, was this week 2 Joey O'Brien revealed why he accepted becoming the Shelbourne manager Credit: Sam Barnes/Sportsfile 2 He got his reign underway with a win over Cork City Credit: Sam Barnes/Sportsfile And he got his reign at Shelbourne off to a winning start on Friday as the But he insisted that even going into a 2-0 lead in the opening six minutes never had him thinking management would be easy, having learnt first-hand under Duff. He said: 'I've been around long enough to know it's definitely not this easy.' But when offered the chance to step up from assistant manager to manager in the last week, he decided that the time was right to be his own man. Read More on Shelbourne He explained: 'After the manager left, it was such a quick turnaround to get into the Waterford and Galway games. 'After that, the week of that it was put to me if I was interested in it and if I wanted to take it. I had a couple of days thinking about it. I didn't want to rush into it really. 'I just weighed it all up and just thought, I have had a great learning here under the manager, what he's built over the last number of years for me as a coach to improve, what I've learned of him, it's just been brilliant. 'That's ultimately where I was at. It is a fantastic squad of players. They are a massive part of it as well and that's the squad that has been built over the last few years. Most read in Football 'I probably looked into it when my career ended as a player and I wanted to get involved in coaching and then leading into the management. 'But I don't think you can never make it out exactly how you want it to. Shelbourne manager Damien Duff gives sweet birthday shoutout to his mother after his side's draw against St Pat's 'The opportunity to work with the gaffer was obviously a huge part in me stopping playing football and I don't regret it for a second. 'What I learned, and the moments we had over the last three and a half years have been unbelievable. 'It happened. He made his call and then it was up to me to make my call and I did. It was an easy decision in the end, I suppose.' It does mean a change from going from being assistant to now being his own boss, though he said that he and Duff remain close friends. But the phone calls - Duff often claimed O'Brien was the first person he called in the morning and the last person at night - will now be happening less often. O'Brien added: 'My relationship with the manager is concrete. I have a personal relationship (with him) and we'll have that forever. 'The phone calls and late phone calls probably won't be (happening)!' O'Brien does not have a UEFA Pro Licence yet but confirmed that he is enrolled on the FAI's course which begins later this year. But his main focus in the coming weeks is building on Friday night's win over Cork City where the Reds ran out comfortable 3-1 winners. He added: 'From a performance point of view I thought we were brilliant, I thought we should have won by more. 'The first-half started really well, we got the early goal, which helped, and then we got the second. 'We probably should have been three-up in the first-half, we didn't get them, we're disappointed with the goal we gave away, a set-play. 'I don't really think they had a chance from open play, really. So that was disappointing, to come in at 2-1. 'I think it's probably the story of our season, the amount of chances we've created and the amount of chances we've missed.'
Yahoo
23-06-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Liverpool face dilemma after exceeding non-homegrown limit
Liverpool Face Non-Homegrown Limit Headache as Kerkez Arrival Looms Transfers Bring Excitement, But Rules Still Matter There's a buzz around Liverpool right now. A Premier League title reclaimed, Arne Slot settling into the dugout, and a flurry of signings before the summer heat sets in. Florian Wirtz and Jeremie Frimpong are already through the door, and Milos Kerkez is about to follow. The recruitment drive is deliberate, targeted and ambitious. But amid all the fanfare, a familiar issue looms. Registration rules. Because while ambition might be limitless, squad quotas are not. And Liverpool are over the non-homegrown limit. Advertisement Kerkez, a £40 million arrival from Bournemouth, is expected to join next week. At 20, the Hungarian left-back looks a shrewd piece of business, especially given Andy Robertson's patchy form last season and ongoing concerns over fitness and consistency. Photo: IMAGO Yet as it stands, Liverpool already have 18 non-homegrown players. That's one over the Premier League limit of 17. Add Kerkez, and the number becomes 19. You do not need to be a UEFA Pro Licence graduate to work out that somebody has to go. New Faces Mean Old Ones Must Move On This is not a dilemma unique to Anfield. Clubs often sail close to the edge with these quotas. But this is where Richard Hughes earns his money. Because if Kerkez is to be registered alongside Wirtz and Frimpong, two existing names will need to be moved on. Advertisement Frimpong, developed at Manchester City, qualifies as homegrown. A neat loophole in an otherwise rigid structure. But others are not so fortunate. X: @LFC Among the 19 currently counting against the quota, a few stand out. Calvin Ramsay's time at Liverpool has been plagued by injury and misfortune. After three difficult years, his name on the list feels more like a placeholder than a priority. Photo: IMAGO Elsewhere, names like Kostas Tsimikas, Luis Díaz, Darwin Núñez and Federico Chiesa hover on the periphery. All of them valuable in their own ways, but also assets that can command decent fees should Liverpool need to balance the books or free up space. Photo: IMAGO Why Kerkez Fits and What It Means for Others Slot wants players who can execute his high-possession, press-resistant model. Kerkez fits that mould. Quick, progressive, and with the ability to tuck into midfield or provide width when needed, his role under Slot could mirror the inverted full-back blueprint deployed across Europe. Photo by IMAGO Advertisement But his arrival nudges Robertson closer to uncertainty, and Tsimikas even more so. The Greek international has been a loyal deputy, but Liverpool may now view him as expendable. The same may apply to other wide or attacking players if the club wish to address balance in other areas. Photo: IMAGO Sales on the Horizon as Liverpool Plan Next Moves After making early progress, Liverpool are now over the non-homegrown limit, and that is likely to shape the narrative of the next few weeks. The club have rarely been reckless with squad construction, and that careful planning will now be tested under the new regime. This is a numbers game as much as a footballing one. The limit is clear. The squad is bloated. And the message from the AXA Training Centre is clear: sales are coming.
