Latest news with #ex-Scotland
Scottish Sun
2 days ago
- Sport
- Scottish Sun
Celtic hero says Scotland shouldn't be worried about World Cup qualifiers after Iceland defeat – players ARE good enough
Nobody expected Friday night's result, but one ex-Scot has sympathy for the national team 'NOT MAKING EXCUSES' Celtic hero says Scotland shouldn't be worried about World Cup qualifiers after Iceland defeat – players ARE good enough Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) SCOTLAND fell to a shock 3-1 defeat to Iceland on Friday night, but one ex-Scotland international doesn't think it's time to worry. Angus Gunn pulled up injured in the sixth minute, and substitute goalkeeper Cieran Slicker was forced to replace him. Sign up for the Celtic newsletter Sign up 3 Steve Clarke's Scotland fell to defeat against Iceland on Friday Credit: Kenny Ramsay 3 It was a debut to forget for stopper Cieran Slicker Credit: PA 3 But ex-Celtic and Scotland star Peter Grant isn't worried. Credit: Willie Vass The Ipswich stopper was brought on for his first cap, but it was a night to forget for the 22-year-old. The keeper was at fault for all three of the visitors' goals, with boss Steve Clarke admitting after the match he wasn't ready. John Souttar scored Scotland's only goal, with George Hirst having the ball in the net on his first start, only for VAR to intervene and rule it out. Lennon Miller also debuted for his country, and looked promising, but on the whole it was a night the whole squad will wish to quickly forget about. Despite the performance and result, ex-Celtic hero Peter Grant insists that the match is nothing to worry about. He told Sky Sports: "I'm not worried because of the players we have, you know, there's no doubt of that. "The performance wasn't great we all know that, we all seen that, but it's a very difficult time of year, and I'm not making excuses. "As you say you've had guys on such a high with winning things and then coming back into play friendlies. "I mean it's not as if you're playing against an England or whatever and it's enthusiasm that sometimes rubs off the support, your talking about Iceland, and that's no disrespect because i thought they played very well, "I thought their goalkeeper was as good a passer as I've seen in football for a long time. Celtic fans would never let their club die says Hoops hero Peter Grant "I'll hold fire on the criticism because I think it's a difficult time of year and it always has been. "We've just got to see how we progress, but I've got a great belief in the group of players that they have there. "They know they've got a talented group and we know they're more than capable than what they showed last night." Scotland travel to Lichtenstein on Monday night, and Clarke is looking to add to his goalkeeping department after losing Gunn and Kilmarnock's Robby McCrorie. Celtic-bound Ross Doohan is expected to be called up to the squad, and he could make his first appearance for the Tartan Army. Elsewhere in the squad, Clarke has stated he isn't one for experimenting, so we can expect a another tried and tested Scotland side for Monday evening's friendly. Keep up to date with ALL the latest news and transfers at the Scottish Sun football page
Scotsman
3 days ago
- Sport
- Scotsman
Next Rangers manager: Why intellectual Russell Martin would be 'positive thing' for Ibrox club
Gunn played with Martin and knows what he can bring to Rangers Sign up to our Football newsletter Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to The Scotsman, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... Scotland goalkeeper Angus Gunn has endorsed former teammate Russell Martin as a good fit for Rangers after it emerged that the 39-year-old is close to being appointed as the Ibrox club's new head coach. Reports emerged on Tuesday lunchtime that Rangers are poised to appoint Martin as their next manager. The ex-Scotland internationalist - who had a brief spell on loan in Govan - has always been one of chief candidates since Philippe Clement was sacked back in February and with the search nearing its conclusion following last week's takeover and new sporting director Kevin Thelwell taking office on Monday, it appears an appointment is imminent. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Thelwell and new chairman Andrew Cavenagh have been tasked with landing their next boss and Martin, who has been out of the dugout since being sacked by Southampton last December, is understood to have been in competition with former Real Madrid assistant boss Davide Ancelotti for the role. Russell Martin has emerged as the leading candidate for Rangers' managerial vacancy. | Getty Images Should the appointment come to fruition, one of his former teammates in Gunn believes "intellectual" Martin has the tools to succeed at Rangers. The pair played together at Norwich in 2017 and the centre-half's leadership skills stood out for the goalkeeper. 'There were a few other players in that dressing room – Steven Naismith was there as well – and you can tell on the pitch when you're playing with players,' said Gunn. 'They kind of start coaching whilst they're still playing, if you like, sort of organising on the pitch. 'Russell was one of them, but it wasn't just on the pitch, it was off the pitch as well, where he had close relationships with everyone. Even though he wasn't a regular playing in the team, he was always on hand and always upbeat and a good person to go to. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad 'He helped me massively' 'Obviously, I only worked with him as a player at Norwich but he's a very intellectual guy. I went in there as a young goalkeeper and he helped me massively, even though he wasn't in the team every week and playing regularly. He was the captain of the club and he had good relationships with everyone in the dressing room. 'Obviously, watching what he's done at Southampton, I thought he'd done incredibly well there and probably was unfortunate to lose his job there because it's always difficult for teams coming up from the Championship to even compete with some of the Premier League teams,' said the goalkeeper. 'With the way he wants to play and his philosophy, I really hope whatever he goes on to do in his career is successful. Obviously he had a spell at Rangers, so he kind of knows the club a little bit. I think it would be a really good thing for Rangers. Angus Gunn played briefly with Russell Martin at Norwich City. | Getty Images "As a manager, he showed what he can do, not only with Southampton but with Swansea as well. He took a team that wasn't expected to do much quite far into the Championship as well. I think it will be a positive thing for Rangers. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Gunn played against Martin's Southampton team two years ago en route to the Saints' promotion from the Championship and he recalled: "They were a tough team. I think we had a couple of good games against them. One was 4-3, one was 0-0, so quite contrasting. "We've seen the evolution of their team throughout the season. I think when we first played them, they were quite open. Then, when we played them again, they were a little bit pragmatic.
Scotsman
3 days ago
- Sport
- Scotsman
Next Rangers manager: 39 y/o 'accepts Ibrox project' as club closing in on head coach appointment
Rangers have reportedly come to a conclusion in their search for a new head coach. Sign up to our Football newsletter Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to The Scotsman, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... Rangers' search for a new head coach has entered the closing stages after reports claimed that ex-Scotland international Russell Martin is poised to become the next Ibrox boss. According to a report from transfer guru Fabrizio Romano on Tuesday morning, the club are 'closing in' on the appointment of the former Southampton head coach, who appears to have beaten off competition from ex-Real Madrid assistant manager Davide Ancelotti to be named as the club's 20th permanent manager in their history. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Out of work for the first time in his managerial career, Martin was sacked as manager of Southampton in December after winning just one of the club's opening 16 league games. Despite his struggles on the south coast though, the Brighton-born boss still maintains a reputation as one of the country's most talented young coaches, leading him to be heavily linked to the vacant role at Rangers ever since the departure of Belgian manager Philippe Clement in February. Former southampton manager Russell Martin has been linked with the vacant Rangers manager post | Getty Images Installed as the favourite to take the reins in Govan last week, it was thought newly appointed sporting director Kevin Thelwell and chairman Andrew Cavenagh had began to narrow down their list of potential candidates for the role, with Martin and Ancelotti the two main names in the frame, while ex-Rangers manager Steven Gerrard had reportedly ruled himself out of the running. Thelwell, who officially started his role at Ibrox on Monday, informed supporters the search for a new head coach would be concluded 'in the coming days', adding that there had been 'significant work going on in the background prior to my arrival, but that naturally accelerates from today." Martin had a loan spell to Rangers in the 2017/18, beginning his coaching career in EFL League One with MK Dons. The ex-Norwich City captain was landed by Swansea City in the summer of 2021 and spent two years in Wales before he was poached again, this time by Southampton. He would lead the Saints to promotion to the English Premier League in his debut season at the club, beating Leeds United 1-0 in the EFL Championship playoff final at Wembley, but struggled in the top flight last season. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad The 39-year-old opened up on his departure from St Mary's, and his future management plans during an hour long conversation with former England striker Gary Lineker on The Rest Is Football podcast in April. "I turned down a few jobs in the last few months,' said Martin. 'One or two abroad, and a couple here. It didn't feel right, I wasn't ready. I was a little bit hurt, to be honest with you. But it's really at the point now where I'm starting to feel excited about what's next. 'Context is important. People forget that in football a lot. The culture of the club, what it's about, what it's been used to. I'm not sure there's certain clubs I could go into and ask for patience, where the goalie's standing on the ball for 25 seconds, but they want it put forward quickly, because that's what they've been used to. I'm aware I've probably limited my job options, somewhat.
Scotsman
3 days ago
- Sport
- Scotsman
Ally McCoist responds to 'underwhelming' next Rangers manager development with message for new owners
Rangers legend has say on Ibrox vacancy as frontrunner emerges Sign up to our Football newsletter Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to The Scotsman, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... Ally McCoist has told Rangers' new owners that a managerial appointment must be made as soon as possible after Russell Martin emerged as the leading candidate for the vacancy. Reports emerged on Tuesday that Rangers are poised to appoint Martin as their next manager. The ex-Scotland internationalist – who had a brief spell on loan in Govan – has always been on the radar since Philippe Clement was sacked back in February and an appointment now appears imminent. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Rangers fell under new ownership last week with a US consortium led by Andrew Cavenagh and 49ers Enterprises, the investment arm of the San Francisco 49ers, taking control of the club. Russell Martin has emerged as the leading candidate for Rangers' managerial vacancy. | Getty Images Cavenagh, who has taken up the role of chairman, and newly appointed sporting director Kevin Thelwell are leading the managerial recruitment process but with only 19 days until Rangers return for pre-season training, and a Champions League second qualifying round tie set for mid-July, McCoist has urged the new board to get the new man in place pronto. The prospect of Martin's possible arrival has prompted a mixed reaction among Rangers fans with concerns raised over his performance with Southampton in the Premier League last season, where he oversaw just one victory and 13 defeats from 16 games before being sacked in December. Martin had previously led Southampton to promotion via the Championship play-offs following spells in charge of Swansea and MK Dons. McCoist was asked for his take on the potential arrival of Martin by talkSPORT host Alan Brazil. When put to him that Martin would be an "underwhelming" choice among Rangers fans, McCoist replied. "He [Russell Martin)] came up for a while - but that is the term that was used, underwhelming.
The Herald Scotland
3 days ago
- Sport
- The Herald Scotland
Rangers sporting director makes Russell Martin player signing pledge
The Englishman has been involved in every step of the search to find a replacement for Philippe Clement and is confident that Martin, the former MK Dons, Swansea City and Southampton manager, is the right man to lead the Glasgow giants forward. He stressed that he and his staff would support the ex-Scotland internationalist in every way that they could and would not sanction the acquisition of any player without receiving his approval first. Read more: 'Put very simply, the way in which we will be organised is we've got a head coach and we've got a sporting director,' he said. 'Head coaches are responsible for the most important bit, preparation of the team, performance of the team, fundamentally the results. My role is to try and make sure that all the support services that sit around Russell are as strong as they possibly can be to give us the best chance of winning. 'When we talk about recruitment, clearly it's going to be a collaborative approach. I've never been in this role ever where I've signed a player for the first team that hasn't been supported by the head coach or the manager. So we'll talk a lot about how we want to play. 'We'll talk a lot about what profiles we think we need and what positions we think we need. And then between Russell and I and the recruitment team, we'll sit down and identify players that we think can make us better very quickly. And then between us, we'll decide about what we do next from that point of perspective. 'That's generally how I've worked and generally how we've discussed how it's going to work. And for me, that's probably been a good way of working so that we've got some clarity. But then also, it's understood it's a collaborative approach where we work together to get the best outcome.' (Image: Colin Mearns) Martin's surprise appointment has not been well received by many Rangers fans – but Thelwell revealed the former Norwich City defender had impressed him and his new colleagues greatly and described the new man in charge as 'the perfect fit'. 'Through a very stringent and very thorough process, it was clear right from the very start to all of us that Russell was the outstanding candidate and we're absolutely delighted that he's decided to join us,' he said. 'He's had a strong career now, over 250 games, both as a manager and as a head coach. We can all see over the course of that journey, he's sharpened his approach, not only from a technical perspective and a tactical perspective, but also from a personal perspective. 'I'm very excited to see what he's going to bring to Rangers Football Club and the team and very much looking forward to working with him going forward.' Read more: Thelwell continued, 'We wanted to use the time well and make sure we made as strong of a decision as we possibly could do. I think it was the right decision to do that. We appreciate there's now pre-season on the horizon and also European games coming thick and fast. 'But we think that by using that time we got exactly the right candidate that's the perfect fit for Rangers Football Club. From my perspective, I've seen Russell's team play for many years. 'In particular, if I look back at that Championship season with Southampton and also the Premier League season, there's a lot to be proud of there and there's a lot that fits Rangers Football Club going forwards.' Asked how he expects Rangers to play under Martin, he said, 'Russell's explained quite clearly what we think Rangers Football Club needs to be. We need to be dominating in all moments, all of those key moments of the game. When we've got it, when we haven't got it and then the transition bits in between. 'I'm delighted that we were able to have those conversations, delighted that you made it slightly easier for me with the negotiations and also very, very pleased that you're sat next to me now and getting ready to work.'
