Ajax and Schalke interested in Rangers’ youngster Bailey Rice

Bailey Rice is being targeted by Dutch greats Ajax and German club Schalke as his deal at Ibrox is ready to expire in the summer. Fabrizio Romano has today reported that Bailey Rice is wanted by both European clubs on a free transfer. He said: “Ajax and Schalke are both trying to sign Bailey Rice from Rangers as a free agent. “Scottish midfielder is out of contract this summer and Schalke have made initial personal terms offer already. “Bailey hasn’t agreed yet with Rangers on a new deal and he’s open to options.” Rice has played in crucial Europa League ties, including a fixture at Old Trafford against Manchester United and a quarter-final match against Athletic Club Bilbao, which he received plaudits for his performances. Unfortunately for Rice he picked up an injury at the beginning of the season, which required surgery, and has left him without any game-time. However, the youngster has been sought for previously by top clubs due to his fantastic youth development. Will a move away be the best option for Rice, as he looks to prove the big expectations that have been highlighted around him?

Alex Gogic disgusted with the criticism Ryan Mullen has received after horror start

Daizen Maeda was gifted a present to open the scoring in the first minute of the Scottish Cup semi-final, while Alex Gogic has defended the goalkeeper amid scrutiny. Following the nightmare opening 15 minutes, Mullen was substituted after he picked up an injury early in the match. Which granted 17-year-old Grant Tamosevicius his debut in the national stadium during a massive semi-final fixture. Although rampant Celtic scored five goals in quick succession during the first half of extra-time, Tamosevicius should be proud of his efforts in what was a huge fixture to be thrown into. After the defeat, some supporters took to social media in anger against Mullen’s error. However, Gogic voiced his opinions on X in support of Mullen and in letdown of “disgraceful tweets”. He said: “I have seen some disgraceful tweets about Ryan Mullen after the game yesterday. “Ryan is a top goalkeeper and gives everything on and off the pitch and by no means did he want to leave the pitch yesterday. Every player makes mistakes it comes with the job and I’ve made plenty. “Unfortunately for Ryan yesterday he was unable to play on despite persevering at first. He does not deserve any of the negativity or accusations he is getting, it’s disgusting.” St Mirren are unaware of the severity of Mullen’s injury, and with Shamal George still out, it could leave The Buddies with Tamosevicius as the only option for the five final matches.

McLeish Commends Buddies after “Sore” Scottish Cup Exit

Craig McLeish believes there are plenty of positives to take from St Mirren’s semi-final defeat against Celtic, admitting he is “more critical” of himself following the 6-2 loss at Hampden.  A second-half Mikael Mandron double pushed the tie into extra time, but the Buddies would eventually run out of steam, surrendering four goals in six minutes. Whilst they were unable to repeat their League Cup Final heroics, McLeish exuberated pride after the full-time whistle. “I’m so proud of the group and how they performed. To come back from the setbacks that we had early on in the game like losing a goalkeeper early on, losing the goal in the manner in which we did early on, to fight back from that and the fans pulled us through. “Second-half performance was up there with the best since I’ve been in charge of the group. We thought we were in a really good place going into extra time. We made some changes that probably helped us get back into the game. We end up with a lot of attacking players on the pitch. “We change our shape as well so taking those risks helps us get to extra time and then they maybe expose us a little bit there, the quality that Celtic bring on the pitch then takes its toll and they hurt us. “It’s maybe a wee bit of naivety on my part with the way we finished the 90 minutes and the message was to keep going. We were trying not to be reckless with it but we thought we were in a good place. There’s maybe bits that I need to look back on. “I’m not going to be critical of our group and our players at all. I’m probably first and foremost, I’m more critical of myself. The score line looks really sore. I don’t think we deserved that score line. “We have to retain our status in the league. There has to be positives that we take. We can’t just ignore negatives. We’ve got a massive five games, we’re fighting for survival, we know that, the group knows that.” McLeish acknowledged goalkeeper Ryan Mullen’s first-half injury. The 24-year-old’s error allowed Daizen Maeda to open the scoring in the first minute. “Ryan’s a professional, he’ll deal with that well.” “He kind of kicked the ground and then got robbed of the ball and he’s ended up kind of pulling his thigh muscle.” Five games remain for St Mirren, as they aim to consolidate their Premiership status. Victories over Falkirk and Aberdeen, as well as spirited displays against Celtic, will offer encouragement for the League Cup Champions. Sitting precariously above the relegation playoff spot, Saturday’s home encounter against Livingston could offer breathing space for the Paisley side, before crunch games against Dundee and Kilmarnock.