Latest news with #WilliamHillPremiership
STV News
a day ago
- Sport
- STV News
Managerless Motherwell bring in former Dundee player Jordan McGhee
Motherwell have confirmed the arrival of former Dundee player Jordan McGhee as their search for a new manager continues. The versatile 28-year-old, who can play in defence or midfield, has signed a two-year deal with the club holding the option of a further year. It emerged midway through last season that McGhee had agreed a pre-contract with Well but he continued to play regularly for Dundee, helping them secure William Hill Premiership survival on the last day of the campaign. The ex-Hearts player made almost 200 appearances in six years with the Dark Blues after moving to Dens Park from Falkirk in 2019. McGhee is the second new face to check in at Motherwell this summer after Austrian midfielder Lukas Fadinger finalised a two-year contract just days after manager Michael Wimmer departed the club. Get all the latest news from around the country Follow STV News Scan the QR code on your mobile device for all the latest news from around the country
STV News
a day ago
- Sport
- STV News
Ross County restructure Don Cowie's backroom team following relegation
Ross County are keeping faith with Don Cowie after 'a lot of soul-searching' following their relegation from the William Hill Premiership. The Staggies, however, have announced a 'restructure' of the 42-year-old manager's backroom team after their six-year stay in the top flight was ended last Monday when they lost 5-3 on aggregate to Livingston in the play-off final. The Dingwall club have turned to 60-year-old former Hearts player and manager John Robertson, who had a short spell in charge of County in 2005, to become number two to Cowie, with previous assistants Carl Tremarco and Paul Cowie – Don's brother – leaving the club. 'As you might imagine, we have done a lot of soul-searching at the club over the last week, and following that, have decided to restructure our football management team under Don Cowie as we make gaining immediate promotion our sole focus,' read a County statement on Monday. 'We believe strongly that we have a dedicated and talented manager in Don and that he is the right man to lead us for the season ahead. 'To support Don, we have appointed the experienced John Robertson as assistant manager with immediate effect. Carl Tremarco and Paul Cowie will leave the club, and we thank them for their efforts and wish them well for the future. 'John has more than 400 games under his belt as a manager, knows the challenge of recruiting from our base in the Highlands, has experience of the Scottish Championship, and has worked with Don in the past. He already knows the club well and has spent much of last season watching from the sidelines in his role as a BBC pundit.' Get all the latest news from around the country Follow STV News Scan the QR code on your mobile device for all the latest news from around the country
STV News
5 days ago
- Sport
- STV News
When do Scotland's representatives start their European campaigns?
Aberdeen's Scottish Cup triumph at Hampden didn't just end the Dons' long wait for the trophy and spark wild celebrations, it also finalised Scotland's European representatives for next season. Jimmy Thelin and his players were already assured of a place in UEFA competition. But the penalty shoot-out victory settled which competition they start in, and how other clubs are affected. With five teams flying the flag for Scotland across three competitions, we've broken down the path to group stage football and the challenges that face our teams. SNS Group GLASGOW, SCOTLAND – MAY 17: Celtic lift the trophy at full time during a William Hill Premiership match between Celtic and St Mirren at Celtic Park, on May 17, 2025, in Glasgow, Scotland. (Photo by Ross MacDonald / SNS Group) Becoming champions of Scotland again means Celtic are in the Champions League once more, but this year there is no direct entry to the League Phase of the competition. Brendan Rodgers' side showed real progress in the competition under the new format last season, setting up a dramatic and memorable head-to-head with Bayern Munich in the knock-out stage. This time around, Celtic will need to come through a two-legged tie to reach the elite stage, with Scotland's coefficient meaning our title winners enter at the play-off stage. The good news is that Rijeka's title win in Croatia has nudged Celtic into the seeded side of the draw, theoretically making the task a little easier. Celtic's return to European action begins with the first leg of the play-off on August 19/20, with the second leg a week later. The draw for the play-off round takes place on August 4. SNS Group GLASGOW, SCOTLAND – MAY 14: Rangers' Nicolas Raskin (L) celebrates scoring to make it 3-1 with teammates Cyriel Dessers and Mohamed Diomande during a William Hill Premiership match between Rangers and Dundee United at Ibrox Stadium, on May 14, 2025, in Glasgow, Scotland. (Photo by Rob Casey / SNS Group) Rangers endured a season to forget domestically, but the bright spot was a thrilling run to the quarter-finals of the Europa League. That journey began after a dramatic, and controversial, loss to Dynamo Kyiv in the Champions League third qualifying round at Hampden saw them drop down a tier in European competition. As Premiership runners-up, Rangers get another crack at the Champions League this time around but they will; have to go through three rounds of qualifying to reach the glamour and the money of the League Phase. The Ibrox club, who will be under new management and new ownership, will start in the second qualifying round, with the first leg on July 22/23 and the return match a week later. With only six teams in the League Path of qualifying at that stage, and Rangers among the seeds, they already know their three possible opponents. Greek side Panathinaikos, Swiss league runners-up Servette, or Norwegians Brann Bergen could be heading to Ibrox and the draw will take place on June 18. Rangers would be seeded if they progress to the third qualifying round, where Fenerbahce and Nice are already confirmed as possible opponents, along with the winners of ties involving Red Bull Salzburg and Viktoria Plzen. Reaching the play-off round, the Ibrox side would no longer be seeded and would face one of two possible teams. Standing in wait would be the winners of the ties involving Benfica and Club Brugge. If the team lose in Champions League qualification at any stage, the picture becomes a little more complicated. Losing in the Champions League second qualifying round would put Rangers in the Europa League third qualifying round, where seeding isn't guaranteed. The team would have to get through that tie and a play-off round to make the competition proper and have hopes of emulating or bettering last season's run deep into the tournament. Disappointment in the Europa League would still bring the consolation of another chance at group stage football via the Conference League. A Europa qualifying exit would mean entering in the next stage of Conference qualifying. So a second round defeat in Europa League qualifying would mean a place in the third round of the Conference League. Losing the Europa League play-off would mean direct entry into the Conference League group stage. The only way Rangers could fail to have League Phase football would be to exit Champions League qualifying, lose in the Europa League qualifiers before the play-off stage and then lose a two-legged Conference League qualifier or play-off. All eyes will be on the top competition though, and Rangers will be keenly awaiting the Champions League second qualifying draw in just three weeks' time. SNS Group ABERDEEN, SCOTLAND – MAY 24: Aberdeen Manager Jimmy Thelin is pictured leading the celebrations during the Aberdeen bus parade to celebrate winning the Scottish Gas Scottish Cup, on May 24, 2025, in Aberdeen, Scotland. (Photo by Mark Scates / SNS Group) A slump at the end of an up-and-down Premiership campaign had Aberdeen drop to fifth in the table and contemplating Conference League qualifiers if they failed to deliver an upset in the Scottish Cup final. Fast forward one week and a tense penalty shootout at Hampden, and Aberdeen fans were not only celebrating a cup triumph but also the fact that they had guaranteed group stage football in Europe. Jimmy Thelin's side enter Europa League qualifying just one two-legged tie away from the League Phase, significant prize money and some undoubted glamour ties. Seeding hasn't yet been settled for that stage but regardless of how it works, Aberdeen will face a tough task. Six teams will have dropped down from Champions League qualifying as possible opponents and teams of the level of PAOK or Braga could have made it to that stage. The consolation is that even defeat would see Aberdeen drop straight into the Conference League and a guaranteed six games. Europa League remains the main target and the Red Army will be eagerly awaiting the play-off round draw on August 4 and that return to Europe in the first leg of the tie on August 21. SNS Group EDINBURGH, SCOTLAND – MAY 17: Hibs fans during a William Hill Premiership match between Hibernian and Rangers at Easter Road Stadium, on May 17, 2025, in Edinburgh, Scotland. (Photo by Sammy Turner / SNS Group) An incredible resurgence in the second half of the season under David Gray saw Hibs climb to third in the table and were it not for Aberdeen's Hampden glory, the Easter Road side would have been the ones celebrating guaranteed group stage football. Instead, Hibs will begin in the second qualifying round of the Europa League on July 24 and have to come through three ties to reach the competition proper. Gray's side will be unseeded when the draw takes place on June 18 and while the full list of teams they could face has yet to be confirmed, Braga and Anderlecht are already known possible opponents, demonstrating the scale of the task. Exit at any stage of Europa League qualifying would mean going into the next round of Conference League games, meaning there's plenty of possibility for the Easter Road side to have a long European campaign even if they don't have success initially. SNS Group DUNDEE, SCOTLAND – MAY 17: Dundee United fans on the pitch at full time during a William Hill Premiership match between Dundee United and Aberdeen at the CalForth Construction Arena at Tannadice Park, on May 17, 2025, in Dundee, Scotland. (Photo by Roddy Scott / SNS Group) Dundee United enjoyed a thrilling end to the Premiership season when they defeated Aberdeen and leapfrogged them into fourth place on the final day of the season, but the Dons had the last laugh when their Scottish Cup triumph bumped their rivals into the Conference League instead of the Europa League. That pain will have faded some by the time the qualifiers come around, and United will be hoping to make the most of a competition that's designed to be accessible to clubs across the continent. Jim Goodwin's side go into the second qualifying round, and will need to win three ties to bank six guaranteed League Phase games. But the names in Conference League qualification, at least in the early stages, are not as stellar as the bigger competitions. United will be seeded for their first tie, and among the many possible opponents from Europe's smaller leagues are names like Dungannon Swifts, Drogheda United, AIK and MSK Zilina. If the Tannadice side get through, they'll be unseeded in the third qualifying round as the competition heats up. At that stage, United would face the winners of ties including AZ Alkmaar, Sparta Prague and Maccabi Haifa. Defeating one of those teams would secure progress to the play-off stage where the opposition could vary from teams who have come through qualifying like United, or the bad luck of facing one of the top teams like Nottingham Forest, Fiorentina or Strasbourg. What is certain, is that United will kick off their European campaign on July 24, and the identity of their opponent will be known on June 18. There's one other important piece of fixture news to remember this year. While the domestic season will be under way by the time any of our teams are taking part in the crucial play-off ties, the SPFL has taken a step to help. Each team will now have permission to postpone one league match to aid their preparations when they are one step away from the group stages. Get all the latest news from around the country Follow STV News Scan the QR code on your mobile device for all the latest news from around the country
The National
6 days ago
- Business
- The National
Can Tony Bloom do a Union Saint-Gilloise with Hearts and end duopoly?
'We had already had our fair share of owners coming in to clubs from overseas and trying to be successful in different ways by then,' said Wim Conings, a football journalist with the Het Nieuwsblad newspaper who specialises in finance. 'So I guess at first we were quite sceptical about it all. In the first year they were back up in the top division after winning promotion, they challenged for the title. But even then people thought, 'It will just be a one off. Let's see how they get on next season'.' The doubters, though, have sat up and taken notice since and been proved emphatically wrong. RUSG, as they are known for short, clinched the Pro League title amid scenes of mass rejoicing on Sunday when they defeated Gent 3-1 at home in their final game. It was the first time in no fewer than 90 years that they had been crowned national champions. Read more: Bloom is only a minority shareholder in the Brussels outfit now. The Englishman reduced his stake when they and Brighton both qualified to play in Europe two years ago to ensure compliance with strict UEFA multi-club ownership rules. He has, however, very much been the driving force behind their remarkable rise to prominence after decades in the doldrums. His substantial investment and insistence on the use of data analytics to identify potential signing targets has underpinned their success both on the park and off it. So will Hearts - whose fans voted overwhelmingly, it was revealed on Monday night, in favour of giving him a 29 per cent 'non-voting' shareholding in the Tynecastle club in return for a £9.86m cash injection - be transformed into giant killers in the coming seasons with him exerting an influence in the background? Celtic and Rangers supporters are not exactly quaking in their boots at the prospect of the Gorgie men, who have just finished a lowly seventh in the William Hill Premiership, ending their heroes' 40 year duopoly of the Scottish title during the 2025/26 campaign. The Parkhead and Ibrox giants had colossal revenues of £88m and £124m respectively in the last financial year. Their Edinburgh rivals, meanwhile, banked just £20m in comparison. It will take more than a few shrewd deals in the transfer market to bridge that gap. Won't it? (Image: Steven Paston) Conings is not so sure. 'I'm very intrigued by the way that they work, by how they have disrupted our natural order in Belgium and challenged the clubs who have traditionally enjoyed a lot of success, the likes of Club Brugge, Anderlecht, Genk and Standard Liege,' he said. 'Last season RUSG only spent €20m on wages. That should translate to seventh place in the league. Club Brugge, who are the biggest club in the country both sporting-wise and financially, were operating with more than four times as much as that, over €80m in terms of wages. 'Their crowds are also far smaller. This season they have had an average attendance of around 8,000 fans in their Joseph Marien Stadium. Club Brugge and Anderlecht will usually have between 25,000 and 30,000 people at their grounds. 'Their turnover is also far smaller. A couple of years ago, they were bringing in around €30m a year. Last year they got that up to €70m because they had some big outgoing transfers. But Club Brugge still had an income of €170m. Somehow, they outperformed everyone this season and still made the biggest profit in the league at the same time. 'The data from StarLizard/Jamestown Analytics that they use makes it very easy for RUSG to identify good players in leagues that our other top teams aren't looking at for reinforcements.' Read more: Stijn Joris, who is the Royal Union Saint-Gilloise correspondent for Het Nieuwsblad, explains how their canny dealings in the transfer market have helped them to become the dominant team in Belgium as well as a formidable force in Europe and has enabled them to remain firmly in the black to boot. 'They look for players in the €250,000 to €1.5m price range,' he said. 'But when it comes to strikers they are prepared to pay more. They have bought a few forwards for €4m and last year they bought the Israeli winger Anan Khalaily in from Maccabi Haifa for a club record €6m. 'He was an exceptional talent. A lot of clubs were interested in him and they were convinced he could be a big thing. There are a lot of bigger clubs who are interested in him now. He will leave for a big profit. 'They have been in the top league for four seasons and they have made €40m profit from transfers in that time. Mohamed Amoura, the Algerian striker who is on loan at Wolfsburg in Germany with an obligation to buy, will be sold for €15m this summer. 'Getting into the Champions League could convince some of their players to stay, but this will be the best summer for them transfer wise. But the way they operate is simple. Players are sold after one good season and replaced. 'They are really looking for undervalued players. They are looking for a player who is not playing every game, but has some nice statistics in the games he played. Or they are looking for players who play in Estonia or in Lithuania. They find somebody with special statistics and say, 'We need to bring him in'. 'They signed the Canadian player Promise David, their top scorer this season, from Nomme Kalju in Estonia last year for €400,000. He won't be sold for any less than €10m, maybe even €15m. They just keep on doing it.' (Image: Craig Foy - SNS Group) Hearts' early involvement with Jamestown Analytics has hardly sent shockwaves through the Scottish game. The surprise appointment of Neil Critchley as manager was heavily influenced by their data and he was sacked after six months in charge. But Conings stressed that it took time for the new way of working to produce results at RUSG too. 'After Bloom and his co-investor Alex Muzio took over in 2018, things didn't work out so well despite the data they had available,' he said. 'So Muzio said, 'We don't just have to find players with the right qualities, we have to find the right human beings'. That was something he felt they had overlooked in the first couple of years. 'After their first season they were still in the Second Division, were operating at a loss, and weren't outperforming their budgets. But they hired somebody to take a look at the profiles of players as human beings. What kind of people are they? How do they interact in a group? That was something that previously was lacking. That made a real difference. Read more: 'This is the fourth year in a row that they have done well. I was talking to Muzio at the Pro League awards last night and he recalled how everyone had said they would only challenge for a year when they started out. People underestimate them, underestimate how strong they actually are. 'In the year that they got promoted to the Pro League, they changed to a 3-5-2 formation. They have stuck with that ever since. Their tactics are very straightforward. They don't very often have more than 50 per cent possession, but they play with a very intense, aggressive press. When they have the ball, they go straight to the goal. 'That is what they have been doing for the past five years and they have changed coaches every year. They buy players to play in a 3-5-2 and find coaches who like to play that way. It has worked for them. Muzio told me that, according to the data he has right now, RUSG would be in the top 24 of the Champions League with their current squad.' Both Conings and Joris stopped short of predicting that Hearts can become the first club from outside Glasgow to win the Scottish title since Aberdeen did so 1985 and the first Tynecastle side to be crowned champions since 1960 due to their association with Bloom. But they both envisage exciting times ahead. 'Jamestown Analytics have by now an impressive track record now,' said the former. 'Look at the clubs they have been working for on a consultancy basis. Como in Italy, for instance, also recently enjoyed a promotion after outperforming their budget. This is definitely good news for Hearts.' The latter said, 'The level of the Scottish top flight is similar to the league in Belgium, possibly a little lower. The players they scout for Union can also be brought in to Hearts. It will be beneficial for Hearts in the long run, no doubt about it. They should be excited about what lies ahead.'
The Herald Scotland
6 days ago
- Business
- The Herald Scotland
Can Tony Bloom do a Union Saint-Gilloise with Hearts and end duopoly?
'So I guess at first we were quite sceptical about it all. In the first year they were back up in the top division after winning promotion, they challenged for the title. But even then people thought, 'It will just be a one off. Let's see how they get on next season'.' The doubters, though, have sat up and taken notice since and been proved emphatically wrong. RUSG, as they are known for short, clinched the Pro League title amid scenes of mass rejoicing on Sunday when they defeated Gent 3-1 at home in their final game. It was the first time in no fewer than 90 years that they had been crowned national champions. Read more: Bloom is only a minority shareholder in the Brussels outfit now. The Englishman reduced his stake when they and Brighton both qualified to play in Europe two years ago to ensure compliance with strict UEFA multi-club ownership rules. He has, however, very much been the driving force behind their remarkable rise to prominence after decades in the doldrums. His substantial investment and insistence on the use of data analytics to identify potential signing targets has underpinned their success both on the park and off it. So will Hearts - whose fans voted overwhelmingly, it was revealed on Monday night, in favour of giving him a 29 per cent 'non-voting' shareholding in the Tynecastle club in return for a £9.86m cash injection - be transformed into giant killers in the coming seasons with him exerting an influence in the background? Celtic and Rangers supporters are not exactly quaking in their boots at the prospect of the Gorgie men, who have just finished a lowly seventh in the William Hill Premiership, ending their heroes' 40 year duopoly of the Scottish title during the 2024/25 campaign. The Parkhead and Ibrox giants had colossal revenues of £88m and £124m respectively in the last financial year. Their Edinburgh rivals, meanwhile, banked just £20m in comparison. It will take more than a few shrewd deals in the transfer market to bridge that gap. Won't it? (Image: Steven Paston) Conings is not so sure. 'I'm very intrigued by the way that they work, by how they have disrupted our natural order in Belgium and challenged the clubs who have traditionally enjoyed a lot of success, the likes of Club Brugge, Anderlecht, Genk and Standard Liege,' he said. 'Last season RUSG only spent €20m on wages. That should translate to seventh place in the league. Club Brugge, who are the biggest club in the country both sporting-wise and financially, were operating with more than four times as much as that, over €80m in terms of wages. 'Their crowds are also far smaller. This season they have had an average attendance of around 8,000 fans in their Joseph Marien Stadium. Club Brugge and Anderlecht will usually have between 25,000 and 30,000 people at their grounds. 'Their turnover is also far smaller. A couple of years ago, they were bringing in around €30m a year. Last year they got that up to €70m because they had some big outgoing transfers. But Club Brugge still had an income of €170m. Somehow, they outperformed everyone this season and still made the biggest profit in the league at the same time. 'The data from StarLizard/Jamestown Analytics that they use makes it very easy for RUSG to identify good players in leagues that our other top teams aren't looking at for reinforcements.' Read more: Stijn Joris, who is the Royal Union Saint-Gilloise correspondent for Het Nieuwsblad, explains how their canny dealings in the transfer market have helped them to become the dominant team in Belgium as well as a formidable force in Europe and has enabled them to remain firmly in the black to boot. 'They look for players in the €250,000 to €1.5m price range,' he said. 'But when it comes to strikers they are prepared to pay more. They have bought a few forwards for €4m and last year they bought the Israeli winger Anan Khalaily in from Maccabi Haifa for a club record €6m. 'He was an exceptional talent. A lot of clubs were interested in him and they were convinced he could be a big thing. There are a lot of bigger clubs who are interested in him now. He will leave for a big profit. 'They have been in the top league for four seasons and they have made €40m profit from transfers in that time. Mohamed Amoura, the Algerian striker who is on loan at Wolfsburg in Germany with an obligation to buy, will be sold for €15m this summer. 'Getting into the Champions League could convince some of their players to stay, but this will be the best summer for them transfer wise. But the way they operate is simple. Players are sold after one good season and replaced. 'They are really looking for undervalued players. They are looking for a player who is not playing every game, but has some nice statistics in the games he played. Or they are looking for players who play in Estonia or in Lithuania. They find somebody with special statistics and say, 'We need to bring him in'. 'They signed the Canadian player Promise David, their top scorer this season, from Nomme Kalju in Estonia last year for €400,000. He won't be sold for any less than €10m, maybe even €15m. They just keep on doing it.' (Image: Craig Foy - SNS Group) Hearts' early involvement with Jamestown Analytics has hardly sent shockwaves through the Scottish game. The surprise appointment of Neil Critchley as manager was heavily influenced by their data and he was sacked after six months in charge. But Conings stressed that it took time for the new way of working to produce results at RUSG too. 'After Bloom and his co-investor Alex Musio took over in 2018, things didn't work out so well despite the data they had available,' he said. 'So Muzio said, 'We don't just have to find players with the right qualities, we have to find the right human beings'. That was something he felt they had overlooked in the first couple of years. 'After their first season they were still in the Second Division, were operating at a loss, and weren't outperforming their budgets. But they hired somebody to take a look at the profiles of players as human beings. What kind of people are they? How do they interact in a group? That was something that previously was lacking. That made a real difference. Read more: 'This is the fourth year in a row that they have done well. I was talking to Muzio at the Pro League awards last night and he recalled how everyone had said they would only challenge for a year when they started out. People underestimate them, underestimate how strong they actually are. 'In the year that they got promoted to the Pro League, they changed to a 3-5-2 formation. They have stuck with that ever since. Their tactics are very straightforward. They don't very often have more than 50 per cent possession, but they play with a very intense, aggressive press. When they have the ball, they go straight to the goal. 'That is what they have been doing for the past five years and they have changed coaches every year. They buy players to play in a 3-5-2 and find coaches who like to play that way. It has worked for them. Muzio told me that, according to the data he has right now, RUSG would be in the top 24 of the Champions League with their current squad.' Both Conings and Joris stopped short of predicting that Hearts can become the first club from outside Glasgow to win the Scottish title since Aberdeen did so 1985 and the first Tynecastle side to be crowned champions since 1960 due to their association with Bloom. But they both envisage exciting times ahead. 'Jamestown Analytics have by now an impressive track record now,' said the former. 'Look at the clubs they have been working for on a consultancy basis. Como in Italy, for instance, also recently enjoyed a promotion after outperforming their budget. This is definitely good news for Hearts.' The latter said, 'The level of the Scottish top flight is similar to the league in Belgium, possibly a little lower. The players they scout for Union can also be brought in to Hearts. It will be beneficial for Hearts in the long run, no doubt about it. They should be excited about what lies ahead.'
