Ex-Premiership midfielder seals Japanese move
Former Celtic, Kilmarnock, Ross County and Hibernian midfielder Jackson Irvine has completed a move to J-League side Cerezo Osaka from Bundesliga outfit St. Pauli. Irvine, who has represented Scotland at youth level spent five years in Germany after departing Hibernian in 2021, captaining St. Pauli in their return to the Bundesliga in 2024. The midfielder has 86 caps for Australia, including playing at the last three World Cups. The midfielder began his senior career at Celtic and spent the 2013-14 season on loan at Kilmarnock. He’d then move north to Ross County on loan, before making the move permanent a year later. Irvine would win the League Cup in 2016 and move to England that same year. Contractual disputes amid COVID saw Irvine return to Scotland with Hibernian, spending half a season in Edinburgh as Jack Ross’ side finished third. Upon completing his move, Irvine said: “I’m incredibly excited to be coming to the hottest football nation in the world and joining a new league and a club with huge potential. I hope I can use my experience and quality to help the team become even better. I’m also looking forward to experiencing a new culture and a new way of life. Let’s achieve success together!” On the official Bundesliga website, the St. Pauli director of sport, Andreas Bornemann said: “After returning from the World Cup, Jackson approached us with the request to move to Japan. “We thank ‘Jacko’ for his dedication over the past few years and wish him and his family all the best for the future.” It remains uncertain how long Irvine’s contract in Osaka lasts, but at 33-years-old, he could be expected to wind his career down in Japan.
Hearts Red Card Appeal Denied
Hearts faced Aberdeen at Pittodrie in the first round of the Scottish Premiership over the weekend. A fixture which hasn’t gone the Jambos way in over 10 years, and this one was no different. Wouter Vranckens first Premiership game in charge may be one to forgot as his side lost 2-1. The Edinburgh side struck first. A striking header from Oisin McEntee after 35 minutes had them dreaming of a long awaited victory at Pittodrie. But Aberdeen pulled it back, 2 goals in 5 minutes for Kevin Nisbet, the first right on 90 minutes as Lewis Mayo found him in the box, a perfectly placed ball as the striker was tangled between Maroon shirts but he found the back of the net. A VAR check completed to rule out any hand ball and the Dons were level. 5 minutes into injury time Toyosi Olusanya times a good run towards goal but is brought down in the box by Stuart Findlay, the defender is shown red for the denial of a goal scoring opportunity. Hearts announced on Monday they were appealing this decision on ground that there was an attempt to play the ball, which if true should have resulted in a yellow card. The verdict was announced on Tuesday afternoon that the appeal has been dismissed and Stuart Findlay will have to serve a 1 match ban against Dundee United. The news will not come easy to Vrancken and his side as they face a lot of missing defenders at the moment, Craig Halkett suffered an ACL injury against Motherwell back in May while both Steven Kingsley and Malachi Fagan- Walcott are also out through injury. Findlay will however be eligible to play in Hearts’ next fixture on Thursday night which is the Round 3 of the Europa League Qualifiers against Benfica in Portugal.
Paulo Bernardo Joins Polish Side Górnik Zabrze on Loan
Celtic midfielder Paulo Bernardo has joined Ekstraklasa side Górnik Zabrze on a season-long loan, with an option to be made permanent at the end of the campaign. The Portuguese player has fallen by the wayside at Parkhead ever since Brendan Rodgers left ten months ago, starting only seven games last season after amassing 77 appearances in his first two years under the Northern Irishman. The 24-year-old now bids to kickstart his career in Poland with the side who finished runners-up in the top-tier and now aim to qualify for this season’s Europa League. Bernardo signed permanently in 2024 from Benfica after a successful audition on loan for a fee believed to be around £3.5m. If the option-to-buy is taken up by Górnik Zabrze, the former Portugal U-21 captain will sign a four-year contract and become the second player in as many years to leave Celtic for Poland, after Luis Palma made his loan move to Lech Poznan permanent this summer. Górnik Zabrze arę in action tonight away to Ferencvaros in the third round of Europa League qualifying.
Wilfried Nancy breaks silence on Celtic exit as ex-boss claims Parkhead had “chronic instability”
Wilfried Nancy opens up on Celtic exit as former boss claims Parkhead problems ran deeper than results Former Celtic manager Wilfried Nancy has broken his silence on his brief spell at Parkhead, claiming the club was suffering from “chronic instability” between the board and supporters before his departure. The Frenchman endured the shortest reign of any permanent Celtic manager in the club’s history after lasting just eight matches following his move from Columbus Crew. Nancy arrived with the task of challenging for domestic success and improving Celtic’s European performances, but his tenure quickly unravelled after a difficult start. The 48-year-old suffered defeats against Hearts, Roma and St Mirren in the Premier Sports Cup Final during his opening week, before a loss against Dundee United and a heavy 3-1 defeat to Rangers at Celtic Park brought his time in Glasgow to an abrupt end. Despite his poor results, Nancy insists his departure was not a reflection of the team’s performances behind the scenes and believes the underlying issues at Celtic had existed long before his arrival. Speaking on the Sur La Ligne podcast, Nancy said: “It was great because I experienced a new culture, a new environment. Celtic is renowned for what they have achieved. “The idea was to bring something new. That’s why I was hired. We had to win the Scottish title. We don’t have a choice. But the idea was also to get back on the European scene. “I knew there were many obstacles. There has been chronic instability for years between the fans and the board.” Nancy explained that injuries and the pressure surrounding the club made his job more difficult, but he believes his team’s underlying numbers suggested results should have been better. “When I arrived, there were a lot of games and a lot of players who were injured. The idea was to go there and get things in place,” he added. “Afterwards, unfortunately, it became a bit irrational. “In terms of performance, there were some really interesting things. We should have been winning matches. “The performance indicators showed we should have won games by two or three goals. But no, we lost a few games. Then a bit of fear set in regarding our results.” Nancy also pointed out that Celtic were still close to the Premiership leaders when the decision was made to remove him. “We still won some games, but they decided we wouldn’t continue together, even though we were second and only three points behind first place.” Following Nancy’s exit, Celtic turned back to experienced manager Martin O’Neill, who guided the club to a Premiership and Scottish Cup double during his return spell. The former Columbus Crew boss also suggested that his attempts to introduce new ideas into Scottish football were met with resistance. “The Scots aren’t quite ready to adapt,” Nancy said. “I’m not generalising. “They have a way of doing things, and they struggle a bit to change some of their ways of doing things, so I tried to implement it. “There was some resistance, but that’s part of my story, and thanks to that period, I feel even stronger because I learned even more.” Nancy’s comments are likely to reignite debate among Celtic supporters, with questions continuing around the relationship between the club’s hierarchy and the fanbase. While his short spell on the touchline ended in disappointment, the former MLS-winning coach believes his time at Celtic Park highlighted deeper challenges beyond what happened on the pitch.