Scots Abroad Watch week five: Gilmour on scoresheet for Napoli
Sebastien Pocognoli’s 11 players abroad took part in their final matches before representing their country this month. Here’s how each of them got on over the weekend. Angus Gunn: San Jose Earthqaukes drew 2-2 at home to LAFC. Ryan Porteous also played the full match whilst Hueng-min Son was on the scoresheet. Scott McKenna: The Scotland defender’s Dinamo Zagreb defeated Lokomotiv Zagreb in the derby as McKenna was on the bench. Luis Binks: Following a week on the sidelines suspended, Binks returned to action to captain Brondby. His side were defeated 1-0 at home to Copenhagen in a fixture dubbed the ‘New Firm’ in Denmark. Jack Hendry: Al-Ettifaq broke up early for the international break, meaning the defender did not play over the weekend. Josh Doig & Kieron Bowie: Sassuolo were defeated 2-1 away to Serie A strugglers Monza on Friday night. Doig played the whole match whilst Bowie, whose header hit the post in stoppage time came on after the hour mark. Lewis Ferguson & Nathan Patterson: Bologna’s new manager Raffaele Palladino got off to a winning start as they clinched their first win of the season with a 1-0 victory against Torino. Ferguson played the full match and captained the side as Nathan Patterson played the second half while he settles into life in Turin. Billy Gilmour: The Champions League winning midfielder scored his first goal of the season as Napoli drew 1-1 away to Fiorentina. Gilmour was awarded man of the match for his performance on Sunday. Lennon Miller: The Udinese midfielder started his fourth consecutive match and played just under an hour as Udinese were defeated 1-0 at home to Cagliari on Saturday. Robbie Ure: Sevilla were defeated 3-1 at home to Barcelona on Saturday. Ure returned to the starting line-up after two matches on the bench, playing the full 90. The striker has only provided one assist in his first seven Sevilla matches. The Scotland squad have now met up for training camp as they travel to Slovenia on Saturday for Pocognoli’s first game, before hosting Switzerland on Tuesday.
Match preview: Celtic and Rangers set for immediate rematch
Following last week’s Premier Sports Cup quarter-final at Ibrox, Celtic and Rangers prepare to do it all over again at Celtic Park tomorrow in the Scottish Premiership. Rangers dominated the visitors last week to win 3-0 and advance to the final four of the Premier Sports Cup. Much like last week, and all future league derbies this season, the match will be played in front of no away fans as Celtic get their turn at a full house tomorrow. Despite exiting the League Cup last week, Celtic maintain their perfect start to the league winning each of their opening six. Their last league fixture was a 2-1 win away to St. Mirren two weeks ago. However, their most recent fixture was a 3-1 home defeat to Hungarian side Ferencváros, which raised many question marks over Martin O’Neill. As for Rangers, they’ll come into this one fresh following last week’s demolition of Celtic. Their last league match was a 1-0 win at home to Motherwell, and overall, Derrick McInnes’ side have won their last five matches. The last time these sides met in the league- and at Celtic Park, the hosts were 3-1 victors following a brace from Daizen Maeda, a catalyst in Celtic’s dramatic league win last season. Team news Celtic have no fresh concerns of absences with Alistair Johnstone still injured and Hyun-junior Yang at the Asian Games with South Korea. Ryan Naderi is added to Rangers’ injury list this week alongside captain Lawrence Shankland and Youssef Chermiti. Kevin Kelsy is likely to retain his place up front tomorrow after a goal in last week’s fixture. New signing Daisuke Yokota is likely to remain out for this one following a groin injury. The match kicks off tomorrow at noon at Celtic Park.
Scots Abroad Watch week four: Pocognoli announces his squad
Sebastien Pocognoli announced his first Scotland squad on Tuesday, featuring 11 players playing abroad. Here’s how they all got on last weekend. Angus Gunn: Scotland’s #1 kept a clean sheet as the San Jose Earthquakes defeated Houston Dynamo 1-0 at home. The result leaves San Jose fourth in the MLS Western Conference. Scott McKenna: The Scotland regular played 90 minutes at the weekend as Dinamo Zagreb were defeated 4-2 away to NS Osijek. Dinamo Zagreb are currently sat fourth in the Croatian league. Luis Binks: The Brondby defender was handed his first Scotland call-up earlier this week, but was absent for the first time this season due to a yellow card suspension. Brondby were defeated 4-1 by FC Midtjylland and currently sit 5th in the Danish Superliga. Jack Hendry: Al-Ettifaq drew 3-3 with Al-Qadsiah last week as Hendry played the full match, receiving a booking in stoppage time. Hendry has started every match for Al-Ettifaq so far this season. Josh Doig & Kieron Bowie: The Sassuolo pair defeated Italian giants Juventus 3-2 with Doig starting the match and Bowie coming off the bench to put Sassuolo 2-1 up. The match gained a lot of media traction as Sassuolo’s winner was scored by Vasilije Adzic, who didn’t look like he wanted to score the goal, given he’s on loan from Juventus. Nathan Patterson: The right-back dent feature as Torino were beaten 2-0 at home by Roma. Billy Gilmour & Lewis Ferguson: Both midfielders played the full match as Napoli defeated Bologna 1-0 at home. For Gilmour, it was his first 90 of the season. Napoli currently sit 10th whilst Bologna languish in 17th. This lead to the sacking of Domenico Tedesco after just four league games. Tedesco was replaced by ex-Atalanta boss Raffaele Palladino. Lennon Miller: The youngster recorded his third consecutive start as Udinese were defeated 5-3 by Inter Milan at the San Siro on Monday. Robbie Ure: The Sevilla striker dropped to the bench as his side defeated a relegation threatened Valencia side 1-0 at home. Ure came on shortly after the hour mark with Sevilla scoring late on to win the match.
Ten potential replacements for David Gray at Hibernian
David Gray departed Hibernian after 12 years earlier this week, leaving the club to search for a new manager for the first time in just under 2-and-a-half-years. Many names will be thrown around whilst Hibs look for a replacement. They host Aberdeen on Saturday but a three-week international break awaits afterwards, where the Hibs higher-ups will look to get a new manager in. Here’s a list of potential replacements for David Gray: Steve Clarke The safe option. Clarke left his post at the Scotland National Team following this summer’s World Cup under similar terms to Gray, no one could deny he was a legend, but it was clear he’d taken the team as far as he could. Clarke led Kilmarnock to 3rd place during his last stint in club management seven years ago. Darren McGregor The sentimental option. Hibs fans might not want sentiment after Gray, but Darren McGregor’s hat will certainly be in the ring. McGregor joined Hibs 11 years ago as a player and has remained at the club post retirement, where he coaches the under-18s, whom he led to the league title in 2025. Simo Valakari Another option close to home. Valakari’s St. Johnstone defeated Hibs 2-1 earlier in the season. Valakari led St. Johnstone to the Championship title playing attractive, attacking football along the way. His side recorded the most points of any team in Scotland’s 2nd tier since the Rangers side of 2015/16. Prior to arriving in Perth, Valakari had won five trophies as a manager in his native Finland. Jon Dahl Tomasson Tomasson was previously linked to Hibs and was many fans’ first choice before Lee Johnson was appointed. The Dane led Malmö to consecutive Swedish league titles before joining Blackburn Rovers, where he narrowly missed out on play-off spots. Tomasson then became the Sweden boss, where dismissed in October of last year. Tomasson also has a Champions League medal as a player and this experience of winning at the highest level can only be a positive for Hibs. Stephen Bradley Another name Hibs fans won’t be strangers to. Bradley was linked to the post prior to Nick Montgomery’s appointment three years ago. Bradley has been Shamrock Rovers boss for 10 years, where he’s won five league titles and two Irish Cups, as well as three Conference League qualifications, even making the knockout stages in 2024/25. Bradley is also no stranger to a back three, which Hibs’ squad seems to be build around just now. Damien Duff Hibs could continue their strong Irish core with Duff as well. The former Premier League winger won the League of Ireland with Shelbourne two years ago. He took the role of Keith Andrews’ assistant at Brentford this season, but a return to being head coach could be available so soon with the vacancy in Leith. Eder Sarabia Sarabia has been out of work since leaving Elche in June, where the club retained their La Liga status after earning the club promotion a year prior. The Spainaird has worked for arguably the biggest club in the world when he was Quique Seteín’s assistant at FC Barcelona in 2020, whilst its rumoured there was a strenuous relationship between Sarabia and the Barcelona squad, Messi included, it certainly presents a left-field option for Hibs when they’re being called so heavily on to do so. Adrian Siemieniec The ambitious pick. Siemieniec was in charge of the Jagiellonia side that knocked Rangers out of the Europa League this season, as well as coaching them to both the Polish league and Super Cup. Early reports have indicated that Hibs won’t rule out paying a fee for an employed manager and Siemieniec would be a wise use of funds. Neil Lennon A fan favourite at Hibs. Lennon’s name appears every time there’s a vacancy at the club now. The Dunfermline manager lead Hibs back to the Premiership in 2017 before managing a 4th place finish with the likes of John McGinn and Scott Allan. Lennon left the club in 2018 before returning to Celtic to oversee two more trebles. Dunfermline went all the way to the Scottish Cup final taking down Hibs and Aberdeen on the way. Lennon’s side currently sit 5th in the second tier. Emerse Faé Reports in Scotland are now suggesting ex-Côte d’Ivoire manager Emerse Faé is interested in the Hibs job. He’s yet to step into club management, but led his nation to the African Cup of Nations title in 2024 despite only taking over as caretaker in the knockout stages. Faé then led his nation back to the World Cup after a 12-year drought. He left his post as Côte d’Ivoire manager after the World Cup, where he reached the round of 32 following the expiration of his contract. It would certainly be a risk to appoint a coach without club experience, but an AFCON title certainly supports the case for his risk. Hibernian host Aberdeen tomorrow where John Potter will take charge. A long international break awaits where Hibs will want their new man in so he can meet his new squads and come to grips with the job. Early reports have touted Bristol Rovers head coach Steve Evans with the job, which has been met with large amounts of backlash from the Hibernian fans.
Recounting David Gray’s defining moments at Hibs
Following David Gray’s departure from Hibs yesterday, it feels like Hibs have lost a massive part of themselves. Gray was Alan Stubbs’ first signing following Hibs’ relegation to the Championship and his 12-year stint at the club from player, to captain, to coach, to manager came to an end following a 1-0 defeat at home to Kilmarnock on Tuesday. Here are his six most influential moments at Hibs, from the pitch to pitch side. 1. Rangers 2-3 Hibernian (21st May 2016) The obvious one. Not only the most defining moment in David Gray’s time at Hibs, but the most influential moment in Hibernian’s history. The club hadn’t won the Scottish Cup in 114 years before Gray. Not only did he captain them to their cup win, he scored the winning goal in the 92nd minute to give Hibs fans a moment they’ll never forget. 2. Hibernian 3-3 Aberdeen (26th November 2024) At the beginning of Gray’s managerial stint, Hibs were languishing bottom with one win in fourteen games. It’s widely acknowledged that this could have been Gray’s last match in charge. Aberdeen were high flying at the time, but this was the first time Gray opted to play a back three, names like Jack Iredale, Jordan Smith and Nicky Cadden came into the side to breath new life into it. Cadden would score what everyone thought was a stoppage time equaliser with a fantastic free-kick, but it seemed like Ester Sokler put the last nail in Gray’s coffin with a 95th minute overhead-kick. Rocky Bushiri would score his first Hibs goal a minute later to save Gray’s job. At the time of Sokler’s goal, Aberdeen were 26 points clear of Hibs. David Gray would lead his side to a 17-match unbeaten run after this, coupled with an Aberdeen capitulation, Hibs would seal 3rd in Gray’s first season in charge, finishing above Aberdeen. 3. Hibernian 3-0 Queen of the South (15th April 2017) If it weren’t for Gray’s Scottish Cup final goal, Hibs might have languished in the Championship for a lot longer than they did. Winning the Scottish Cup brought many fans back to Easter Road. Gray scored the 3rd goal in the match that returned hits back to where they belong. 4. Hibernian 1-2 Celtic (19th December 2021) During his first of four interim spells in charge of Hibs, Gray was thrown in the deep end of a League Cup final against Ange Postecoglu’s Celtic. Paul McGinn cites Gray’s pre-match team talk as the best he’s ever seen as the Hibernian legend told his players everything the Scottish Cup winning goal done for him, as he encouraged his players to be legends themselves. The match may not have went Hibs’ way that day, but it was clear to all involved at the club that Gray would take charge in his own right one day. 5. Hibernian 2-1 Heart of Midlothian (2nd March 2025) In the middle of Hibs’ 17-match unbeaten run there came a week where they faced Celtic, Dundee United and Hearts. Hibs dispatched of Celtic before two stoppage time goals against Dundee United returned the favour for the trip to Tannadice earlier that season. A derby win against Hearts where Jack Iredale scored the goal-of-the-season made it clear Hibs were destined for 3rd. 6. Hibernian 2-3 KAA Gent (27th August 2026) This signalled the beginning of the end for many. For the second year running, Hibs had crashed out of Europe in the last minute of the play-off round. Poor in-game management made it obvious Gray couldn’t take Hibs further than he already had.
Owen Elding receives first International call-up
Hibernian forward Owen Elding has received his first senior call-up for the Republic of Ireland. Elding, who was born in England qualifies for the Republic as he moved to the country aged seven when his dad signed for Sligo Rovers. The 20-year-old has been a part of head coach Heimir Hallgrimsson’s plans for a while and was even included in June’s squad as a training player whilst he awaited receiving his Irish passport. Elding, who is recently returning from injury has scored three goals in nine games for Hibs this season. He will be joined by Jamie McGrath in the senior squad whilst Jacob Devaney has received a call-up for the Irish U21 side. Ireland will face Kosovo and Austria this international break, as well as two highly criticised fixtures against Israel, both of which have been moved. Israel’s ‘home’ match will take place in Hungary whilst Ireland will ‘host’ Israel in Serbia behind closed doors.
Hibernian sack David Gray after disappointing start to the season
Hibernian have sacked head coach David Gray following a difficult start to their league campaign, with the club sitting ninth in the Scottish Premiership. Gray’s departure comes after Hibernian’s 1-0 defeat to Kilmarnock at Easter Road on Tuesday night. George Stanger’s first-half goal meant Hibs fell to a sixth consecutive defeat at home for the first time since 1920. David Gray joined Hibs as a player in 2014 after the club’s relegation to the Scottish Championship, before going on to make 177 appearances for the Edinburgh club. Gray cemented himself as a club legend in 2016, heading home the winner in second-half stoppage time in the Scottish Cup final against Rangers, which brought an end to a 114-year wait for Scottish Cup silverware success. After a successful playing career, Gray retired at the age of 33. He would then spend three years as a first-team coach before he was appointed men’s head coach in the summer of 2024. Throughout his two-year spell as head coach, Gray managed 107 games, winning 43, losing 35 and drawing 29. In his first season in charge, he guided the club to a third-placed finish and oversaw a historic 17-game unbeaten run, which included wins over Celtic and Rangers and back-to-back Edinburgh derby victories against Hearts. A memorable season in 2024 was followed up with a fifth-place finish last season, securing European football for the second consecutive season. Hibernian Chief Executive Ian Gordon admitted that it wasn’t an easy decision for the club, but one he felt they needed to make. “Firstly, I would like to thank Dave for everything he has done for the Football Club, as a player, coach and, most recently, Head Coach. “Dave has been an inspirational figure at the Club during his time here, and he has been a true friend and fantastic colleague to so many at the Football Club. “On behalf of my family, I would like to personally thank him for everything he has done for us since we joined the Club. “As a person, he constantly set the standard with his attitude, professionalism and general work ethic, and he will be sorely missed around the building by all the players and staff at the Football Club. “On the pitch, he has delivered some incredible moments for our fans and brought a level of stability and consistency that we haven’t reached in recent years. “Ultimately, this is a decision that we have not taken lightly, but unfortunately, one as a Board we had to make due to the recent downturn of results and performances.” Hibernian face Aberdeen on Saturday before the first international break of the season, with John Potter taking charge on an interim basis.
Predicting Sebastien Pocognoli’s first Scotland squad
Scotland manager Sebastien Pocognoli will name his first Scotland squad tomorrow. Many are expecting a new era of Scottish players in the squad after Steve Clarke’s departure. Scott McTominay and Lawrence Shankland will also be absent for this camp. Here’s a prediction to what the 26-man squad for the September internationals could look like. Goalkeepers: Angus Gunn, Liam Kelly, Jon McCracken- Goalkeepers were certainly the weak point of Scotland’s World Cup squad with none of the three playing regular football last season. Gunn is playing regular football once more in the MLS and seems an obvious pick to take Scotland’s #1 shirt. McCracken has been playing regularly for a Bradford side that find themselves third in League One after six games. Defenders: Colby Donovan, Nathan Patterson, Aaron Hickey, Andrew Robertson, Calvin Miller, Kieran Tierney, Luis Binks, Stephen Welsh, Jack Hendry, Scott McKenna, Luke Graham- Donovan can hold his head high despite Celtic’s loss to Rangers yesterday and seems a natural replacement for Anthony Ralston given both’s game time at Celtic this season. Miller is listed as a defender here and could be the perfect #2 to Andy Robertson at left wing-back, especially given his energy down the flank. Many are tipping Binks to be called up for the national team and given his involvement at Brondby this season, he could be a real leader at the back for Scotland. It’s also useful to have a left footed player in defence when using a back three, albeit this could be covered by Tierney, McKenna and Luke Graham too. Speaking of Luke Graham, he showed his class at Dundee last season and has been a regular for Stoke in England’s second tier so far. Stephen Welsh is another certainty for a call-up, Swansea are high up in the Championship table so far and Welsh has been a regular in defence for them. He was exceptional for Motherwell last season and deserved his call-up then, it seems inevitable he gets the Scotland cap he deserves. Midfielders: John McGinn, Lewis Ferguson, Ryan Christie, Billy Gilmour, Josh McPake, Lennon Miller, Josh Mulligan, Findlay Curtis: Josh McPake’s call-up seems certain after his start to life at Hearts. The only thing is, he doesn’t play with wingers, of course, if McPake was on the park, Calvin Miller, John McGinn and Findlay Curtis could be on the other flank. Lennon Miller was certainly deserving of a World Cup call-up and despite only being 20, we’re all familiar with what he’s capable of, given Scotland’s midfield options, his minutes may be limited in the Scotland team, but it’s certainly good for everyone to have him around. As for Mulligan, he’s got experience playing in front of a back three from his time at Hibs, and he’d bring a lot of energy to the midfield when called upon. Forwards: Robbie Ure, Kieron Bowie, Ché Adams, James Wilson: Scotland might now be passed names such as George Hirst and Lyndon Dykes in the same way it’s past Steve Clarke. Calling up Ure seems a no brainer given his form in Sweden which earned him a move to Sevilla. Kieron Bowie scored against Juventus yesterday and has adapted well in Italy so far whilst also offering a degree of physicality up front. James Wilson has been in great for Hearts so far this season, and Pocognoli has promoted a lot of youth in his career. Scotland could certainly do with this new look, exciting front line. Following Pocognoli’s squad announcement tomorrow, Scotland will face Slovenia away on the 26th September before a home time with Switzerland three days later. The camp will conclude with an away trip to North Macedonia before facing Slovenia again, this time at Hampden on October 6th. All of these fixtures will be a part of Scotland’s UEFA Nations League campaign, where they will compete in League B this time round.
Ex-Hibs manager suffers Championship sack
Paul Heckingbottom has been dismissed of his duties in charge of Preston North End after two years in charge. The news comes after yesterday’s 1-0 loss at home to Lincoln City. Preston currently sit 23rd in the Championship with only one win in their opening seven. Heckingbottom took charge at Preston in 2024 after a spell at Sheffield United, whom he earned promotion to the Premier League with, before being dismissed the following season. Preston’s statement reads: “Football is a results business and despite significant investment in the playing squad since Paul joined, the results during 2026 and the start of this current campaign have not been acceptable. Paul leaves us with our thanks and best wishes. His professionalism and work ethic during his time with us have been second to none. As a result of this decision Stuart McCall has also left the Club today. We similarly thank Stuart for his contribution over the last two years and wish him all the best for the future. We will now look to appoint a new manager as soon as possible but until such time as we do Jason Euell will take charge of first team matters on an interim basis.” The Englishman replaced Neil Lennon in the Easter Road dugout in 2019, lifting Hibs into the top six after a disappointing start to the season. Heckingbottom was however dismissed after nine months as Hibs sat 10th after another disappointing start to the season. During his time in Edinburgh, Heckingbottom’s recruitment was heavily criticised after many signings arrived from England’s third tier- Joe Newell was brought to the club that summer and still remains at Hibs, serving as club captain. Heckingbottom was then succeeded by Jack Ross in Leith.
Premier Sports Cup semi-final draw revealed
Rangers defeated Celtic 3-0 at Ibrox earlier today to join Hibernian, Heart of Midlothian and Aberdeen in the final four. Hibs will face Hearts whilst Rangers and Aberdeen compete for a spot in the final. Both matches will be played on the weekend of October 31st/ November 1st.