“I’ll do a job for the team at any point”- Calvin Miller on last weekend’s positional switch.

New Hearts signing Calvin Miller made his Tynecastle league debut in a now unfamiliar position- operating as a left-back during Sunday’s win over Dundee United. Miller side for the club last season after a breakout season on the wing for Falkirk, where he scored nine goals and provided eleven assists on John McGlynn’s left flank. But injuries meant he was deployed at left back for Sunday’s match against Dundee United. Whilst not a completely unfamiliar position for Miller- who started his career at Celtic as a fullback, Miller admitted he hasn’t played in defence for a number of years, and doesn’t want to make a habit of it. Speaking after Sunday’s match, he said: “I think about six out of the nine defenders are injured and he asked me if I could do a job. I’m not gonna say no am I? I’m always gonna do what I can for the team. I’m just thankful I came out and it was a good performance. He also admitted he hasn’t played left-back often since leaving Celtic, but he knew what to do to adapt to playing further back. Miller said: “I was just trying to be aggressive in my defending, be touch tight, doing what I don’t like as a winger.” But Miller also joked that he doesn’t want to feature at left-back consistently at his new club, he said: “I don’t enjoy defending if I’m being honest. What winger do you know that does enjoy defending? “I don’t want to say I still enjoy clean sheets cause that’s what the defenders say.” He was also quick to dispel any of his managers talking about retaining his left back spot on Thursday night against Benfica, Miller said: “I’m probably gonna go speak to Harry Milne and say ‘go get yourself back in the group’. “I’ll do a job for the team at any point, but I want to get myself back in my ideal position. That’s how I got myself here.” Miller was also full of praise for the Tynecastle atmosphere, and said it will be needed again on Thursday night, he said: “Last year I was on the other side of it when I came here in the league. I hadn’t got a win and I hadn’t scored a goal here. So to be on the other side of it now, coming here, getting the backing, scoring and winning. The fans all behind us and a class atmosphere- that’s a moment I’ll remember. “When you’ve got that crowd out there backing you as well, Tynecastle can be a tough place to come. We’ll be definitely needing that. The pitch isn’t as big as what it was at Benfica, it’ll be a lot tighter for them to go try and play as well. So we’ll be making it as hard as possible as I keep saying.”

“I think once we do gel, we’ll become a really good team”- Dylan Tait full of faith at Dundee United

Dundee United captain Dylan Tait has no doubt his side will bounce back from Sunday’s defeat to Hearts- even if there are potential teething issues due to this summer’s overhaul on Dens Road.  Tait, who was part of the overhaul, was named Dundee United captain this summer insists that there’s positives to take from Sunday’s match, despite a poor scoreline. United were defeated 4-0 by Hearts at Tynecastle Park on Sunday, with seven new signings (himself included) in the starting eleven. Jim Goodwin has added a whopping eleven new players to his squad so far this window. Speaking after the match, Tait said: It’s a really good group I think already. It’s quite a tight knit group and we’re just trying to gel. There’s a lot of new boys to be fair. “In the teams I’ve played in before it’s kind of not been like that. There’s a lot of new boys, it’s a big turnover. I think once we gel, we’ll become a really good team.” Tait, without pulling any punches offered comment on the squads immediate reaction to the match, and how he tries to motivate them as captain, he said: ” Obviously, it’s a sore result after last week. We played well last week and came into the game with confidence. We thought we could get after Hearts. Obviously, it’s a bad start, lose two goals. After that, I thought we came into the game a bit, we had chances and just didn’t take them. “The second half, it’s naive and soft from us. It’s something we’re gonna need to learn (from) quick. It’s a tough league. “I just think we’re a real new team, there’s a lot of new boys that’s not played in the league before, that’s what can happen against the good teams in this league. You need to just stick together. That’s what I was saying in there, you need to work harder than the opposition, you need to run hard and when the going gets tough- that’s when you need to stick together and that’s the most important thing. “When we do look back at the game, there was a lot of good things in the game, in possession. We got into good areas, when you get into good areas can you make something happen and really take your chances like Hearts did?” There’s no time for United to feel sorry for themselves, a check of the fixture list will show it’s Celtic at home in the League Cup next week, before a Dundee Derby the following week. Speaking about the Celtic match, Tait said: “It’s gonna be another hard game, but it’s one we’ll really look forward to. It’s a chance to progress in a cup, so that’s something we want to do. “Celtic’s the best team in the league and they’ve won everything for however many years, so it’s gonna be a hard game, but we’ll have a game plan to go into it.”

“I think we found a new fullback”- Vrancken full of praise for his Hearts side after big win

New Hearts boss Wouter Vrancken was full of praise for his Hearts side after they bagged their first win of the season in style, beating Dundee United 4-0 on Sunday.  Hearts have been criticised for their frailty at-the-back this season, but Sunday’s showing is certainly a step in the right direction. Especially for a side who will be aiming to go one better than they did last season. Vrancken wasn’t exactly spoiled for choice with defensive options with Malachi Fagan-Walcott, Stephen Kingsley, Harry Milne, Craig Halkett and Stewart Findlay all unavailable for the match. This resulted in Calvin Miller filling in as a makeshift left-back for the afternoon. The Belgian was delighted with Miller’s attacking performance, which even included getting on the scoresheet. Vrancken said: “I told him already, he doesn’t want to hear it, but we have found a new fullback I think. “The guys were ready. They knew what to do and this is what we want to see. We cannot inly count on 11 players, especially with those amounts of games. It’s good to see that they are all ready and that they can pick up. “I have to say from Cal, it was amazing. Sometimes you take a player out of his position to fill up some gaps… they don’t do it with all their heart. But when you see Calvin play today, it was amazing to see how much he bought into the game. He brought the extra and he was defensively solid. I’m really happy about his performance.” Vrancken even refused to rule out Miller retaining his left-back role for Thursday night’s Europa League clash with Benfica. When speaking on Harry Milne’s fitness, he said: “I don’t know yet. We will not take a risk, of course with him. So we will have to manage those things. It’s not a big issue. I think it was a dead leg from the game before against Sturm Graz. “It’s a minor injury, but we don’t want to take risks, especially with muscles. “We don’t want to use him (Miller) as a long-term fullback. I think he has to work for sure on some points when you want to do it there. It was necessary now. We had to find a solution. We wanted also a lot of offensive impulses from the fullbacks. He gave it all and it was nice.” Calvin Miller aside, Vrancken seemed delighted with his side’s performance as the run out 4-0 winners. He said: “I’m very happy. I think we played some good football. We showed some team spirit, team mentality. It was all in it. I’m just really happy for the players because they worked really hard already. They needed some good results, like we said already before a few times, to create some confidence. You saw that during the game, the confidence growing. You saw the nervousness on the ball was a little bit gone. They had to play, they had to use the spaces and some great goals.” Hearts will look to carry this good form into Thursday night as they’re faced with no small task at Tynecastle against Benfica, trailing 6-1 from last week in Lisbon. It may be a case of managing minutes and aiming to win on the night. They then play host to Inverness in the League Cup on Sunday.  

Alexandros Kyziridis to depart Hearts

Hearts boss Wouter Vrancken has confirmed the club have accepted a bid for winger Alexandros Kyziridis.  Kyziridis arrived last season on a free transfer from Slovenian side NS Mura as one of Jamestown analytic’s first signings. The winger provided four goals and seven assists during his season in maroon. The Greek has been subject to speculation for a number of weeks now and it seems he will move closer to home as he closes in on a move to Turkey for a reported £1,700,000. Speaking after his sides win over Dundee United Hearts boss Wouter Vrancken said: “We accepted a bit for Alex. “I think it’s a good deal for him, for sure.But also for the club, when he comes in for nothing and goes with a good bit. “It’s also a transfer window. When the transfer window is open, it’s part of football.” The club have already added a number of wingers this summer with Josh McPake and Calvin Miller netting their first goals in maroon today. Sabah Kertoja also looks to be a bigger part of Hearts’ plans this season. Speaking on his options out wide, Vrancken said: “I’m happy to see it. Everybody has to feel to take their chance. “Everybody has to be ready to take their chances. I think both wingers (McPake and Sabah Kerjota) did well today. “We still have Sabri (Guendouz) there, he also can play there. Cal Miller, who is playing full-back, of course. “They showed that they are ready, so I’m happy to see that.”

“I spoke to him in the summer, we tried to bring him to Dundee United”- Jim Goodwin makes transfer admission following Hearts defeat

Dundee United manager Jim Goodwin branded his side’s 4-0 loss at Tynecastle ’embarrassing’, but also admitted that the scoreline wasn’t entirely a fair reflection of the match. In a fixture where the away side had won five of the last six prior to today, it was clear from early on that the trend wouldn’t continue. Goodwin also admitted that the scorer of Hearts’ first goal, Tom Renaud is someone who had been on his radar prior to the midfielder arriving in Edinburgh, even if he said a deal to bring him to Dundee United was never close. The Irishman was full of praise for Renaud and his goal, he said: “It’s a wonder goal from Tom Renaud from 40-yards, that can happen during the season. He’s a player that we know well. Obviously, I spoke to him in the summer, we tried to bring him to Dundee United, so we knew the ability that the player has got from that type of situation.” Dundee United went into the break 2-0 down, which led to Goodwin bringing on forward Zac Sapsford in place of Emmanuel Agyei, but this seemed to only further open the door for Hearts. Goodwin said: “We take off Agyei, who’s a defensive-minded midfielder, we bring on Sapsford and we spoke about the importance of the next goal, if we get it back to 2-1 then it’s game on again, and you know, we had two or three half chances at 2-0. “Sapsford gets played through, he’s unfortunate he can’t get the ball out of his feet. We have another opportunity from a long throw but we weren’t able to capitalise on these situations. I think the difference between the two sides today was in the final third. “Hindsight is a great thing, you know. Maybe we could have delayed making the decision, left Agyei on there. Hearts had two central midfielders in there as well, so we felt we could cope with that. We just thought at half-time we had to try and make changes that were going to get us back into the game.” Left-back Will Ferry has been linked with a move away from the club, but Goodwin is adamant that the arrival of Rangers academy product Kevin Ciubotaru isn’t a compensation for any potential transfer. He said: “I think he’s very similar to Will Ferry in a lot of ways. We’ve rode our luck at times in the last couple of seasons without having a great deal of cover in that left-back area. “I know obviously people will speculate, put two and two together and make up five, but he’s not coming in to be a Will Ferry replacement. We always needed a left back, it was the one area of the pitch we didn’t really have any cover in. I think we’ve got good strength in depth in all the other positions. “Kevin’s a terrific young player. He;’s obviously been in Scotland before, he knows what the league entails and he feels he’s got a bit of unfinished business. So he’ll be pushing Will Ferry for the time he’s here. If something happens in the transfer window in the next few weeks, then we’ve got a really good replacement for him.” United’s next fixture sees them host Celtic in the League Cup on Saturday, Goodwin acknowledged it’s a tough task, but is adamant his side still stands a chance, he said: “It’s an opportunity to get through to the quarter-final of the League Cup. The players know exactly what’s at stake. We’re not going to change in terms of approach to the game, in terms of how we want to be as a team. But certainly, we need to make better decisions in those big moments. “It’s obviously going to take a bit of getting over this one. We’ll do what we always do in terms of our debrief tomorrow and then it’ll all be about preparing for the next one.”

Scottish striker in line for Sevilla move

Rangers academy product Robbie Ure is set to join Sevilla from Swedish side Sirius. Ure came through the Rangers academy and made his debut for the Ibrox side in 2022. Chances were hard to come by after that, which led to the striker joining Anderlecht reserves. The striker has been at Swedish side Sirius since March of last year and has scored 15 goals in as many games as Sirius currently top this year’s Allsvenskan. The 22-year-old who is still uncapped for Scotland and despite also being eligible for Ukraine. He has stated he prefers to wait for the call from the country he was born and raised in. Reports from Fabrizio Romano suggest that Ure will sign for Sevilla on a five-year deal, with a medical booked for early next week in a deal worth just shy of £7,000,000.

Vrancken seals first win in style: Hearts 4-0 Dundee United

New Hearts boss Wouter Vrancken secured in his first in charge of Hearts as his side dismantled Dundee United 4-0 at Tynecastle Park. It was a fast start at Tynecastle as Hearts midfielder Tom Renaud beat Jack Walton with an excellent strike from range in the opening minutes to score his second goal in as many games. Hearts continued to apply pressure in the opening 10 minutes as Claudio Braga went close. They then had a penalty appeal as Jamie McCart looked to be fouled in the box. Referee Kevin Clancy pointed to the spot after going to the monitor and Calvin Miller had no issue converting from the spot to put Hearts two goals up within 12 minutes. Following Miller’s goal, Dundee United would slightly grow into the game, but faced issues breaking down Hearts’ defence. United’s first chance of the afternoon fell to Lachlan Rose in the 25th minute, but his header was deflected wide for a corner. The ball fell perfectly to United captain Dylan Tait on the edge of the box moments later, but his shot was also blocked. Hearts went close to adding a third on the half-hour mark as Amadou Ba-Sy forced Walton to save from distance. Hearts retained possession as Braga struck the post. Tom Renaud was first to pounce on the loose ball, but failed to convert the rebound. United would go up the park, but Rose’s headed effort was once again deflected for a corner. Rose was pulled up for a foul on Sabah Kertoja short before half-time, going Ba-Sy and Daniel Bennie in the referee’s book. United were straight out the traps in the second half as substitute Zac Sapsford carried the ball forward, he laid the ball off for Australian compatriot Rose, but his tame effort was blocked. United continued their early second half pressure as the fans appealed for a penalty but VAR did not award a spot-kick. Moments later Hearts had their third as Claudio Braga cooly finished into the bottom corner. Three nearly became four as Kertoja drifted past Will Ferry in the box, but his one-on-one was brilliantly saved by Walton. Josh McPake netted Hearts’ fourth after playing a one-two with Braga, the winger then displayed an excellent first-time finish to Walton’s far post. He joined Calvin Miller in netting his first Hearts goal this afternoon. Hearts didn’t let United off the hook in th quest for a fifth as Braga’s close range effort was saved by Walton 15 minutes from time. United went close to a consolation goal in the closing stages, but Idjessi Metsoko failed to latch onto Sapsford’s cross at the back post. Jim Goodwin’s side proceed to have a handful of half chances, but none bothered Beau Reus in the Hearts net. Hearts will look to carry this form on Thursday night as they host Benfica in the Europa League third round qualifier, where the currently trail 6-1. As for United, it’s an afternoon to forget in the capital and it’s no small task up next as they host Celtic in the League Cup on Saturday. Hearts: Reus, Altena (Borchgrevink 73′), McEntee, McCart, Miller, Spittal, Renaud (Magnusson 64′), Kertoja, Braga (Wilson 83′), McPake (Mato 73′), Ba-Sy (Kabore 64′) Unused substitues: Fulton, Guendouz, Kamson-Kamara, Mendy, Wilson Dundee United:  Walton, Rawlins, Esselink, Forbes, Ferry, Sevelj (Camara 73′), Tait, Agyei (Sapsford 46′), Randall (Farrugia 73′), Rose (Metsoko 60′), Bennie (Merghem 60′) Unused substitues: Eskesen, Graham, Iovu, Amissah

Wouter Vrancken eyes first win as Tynecastle boss: Hearts v Dundee United match preview

Hearts return to Tynecastle Park today at 3pm to host Dundee United on match day 2 in the Scottish Premiership.  Life for Hearts under new boss Wouter Vrancken hasn’t got off to the start it did under Derek McInnes, with the Belgian losing his opening four matches. His side were beaten 2-1 at Pittodrie last week despite leading 1-0 in stoppage time. They come into this one on the back of a 6-1 thrashing to Benfica on Thursday night. As for Dundee United, they enter this match fresh from an impressive draw to Derek McInnes’ Rangers side on opening day.  New striker Lachlan Rose has scored four goals in his opening six matches for United. New Hearts signing Sabri Guendouz spoke on Vrancken’s tactics after Thursday’s defeat in Lisbon, he said: “When we follow the plan, the team are good. If we win against Dundee United it will be good for our heads, for our feelings. It will help our confidence and it will be good for the preparation for the next game against Benfica and the next games in the league after that. “This is just the beginning. It has been difficult with the preparation we have had and the short time we have had to work with the manager. But now the season has started and we have to start winning games.” Dundee United boss Jim Goodwin said: “If we can play the way we did against Rangers, with the same organisation, intensity and quality, then I think we will give ourselves a chance in any game we go into. The most important thing for us is being competitive every time we take to the pitch and, ultimately, we always want to win.” Hearts enjoyed an unbeaten run at home in the league last season, but this fixture has been won by the away side in five of the past six occasions, with United unbeaten in their last three trips to Gorgie. Reports suggest Will Ferry could soon leave the club with Blackburn Rovers and Anderlecht interested in the Irishman. Goodwin looks to have preemptively accounted for Ferry’s departure by adding 22-year-old Romanian left-back Kevin Ciobotaru on Friday. It’s a fixture that promises goals, with United failing to keep a clean sheet in their last 17 fixtures on the road. Hearts last failed to score at home in the league in April 2025, the 1-0 loss to Dundee saw Neil Critchley sacked.

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.  

Two European contenders go head-to-head on opening day: Hibernian v Motherwell match preview

Hibernian host Motherwell in the penultimate match of the Premiership’s opening weekend.  Both sides come into the match on the back of European wins on Thursday. Hibs overturned their 2-0 loss to KF Malisheva of Kosovo with a 4-1 dismantlement at Easter Road. Motherwell made good on their 2-0 home win against Havnar Boltfelag by winning 3-0 in The Faroe Islands. Motherwell will enter the campaign full of hope after last season’s revelation under Jens Berthel Askou, but it’s also a new era in Lanarkshire after Askou departed for Toulouse, being replaced by Swedish manager Alfred Johansson. They’re also without many stars from last season such as Elijah Just, Stephen Welsh, Eliot Watt & Callum Slattery. As for Hibernian, last season was a rather underwhelming one as David Gray’s side finished 5th. The 2-0 loss in Pristina raised many fan’s eyebrows around his future. It’s unsure whether Thursday’s redemption was a routine home win for Hibernian, or paper over the cracks. Coming into the match, David Gray said: “We’re certainly going into the game in a real positive frame of mind.  “It’s a big effort required again against Motherwell, but I’ll go back to what I said going into the first leg (against KF Malisheva), which was I’m really happy with how pre-season went, really happy with the physicality of the players. “We picked up a few knocks and niggles, which is a bit frustrating, but they’re getting closer now as well, so it is again much more positive.  “But you can’t rest on that, and we need to keep moving forward, and we’ve got an opportunity at home against a team that’s progressed in Europe as well.  “You want your Scottish clubs to do well, so I was delighted for them (Motherwell). I think that is important. They’ve started well again.  “They’ve got a new manager, and they’ll be a different test slightly, but at the same time I think they’re playing quite a similar way, and we know it will be a difficult test. “We want to try and do it right. It’s a team that we never beat last season but we’ve got an opportunity in the first game of the season to try and do that.” The loss in Kosovo made many question Hibs’ consistency, when Gray was asked about this, he said: “I think it’s all about consistency for us. I think we’ve demonstrated that in spells last season. “I know we went right to the very last game, and if we had won the last game of the season, we would have finished fourth. “At times we were probably a wee bit frustrated at times last season because I do believe when we put the complete performance in, we’re a very good side, and we showed that with the European stuff.  “We showed that when we won at Celtic Park, we also won at Ibrox. “We’ve added well to the squad this season, but so have every team. I fully expect a real tough season, a real competitive season again. “This is my third season, so I’ve spoken a lot about that freshness and trying to get new ideas into the players because I don’t want them to become comfortable. I’m certainly not comfortable. “We need to keep pushing forward, but certainly be real and consistent in the last two seasons, where we’ve achieved back-to-back European qualifications. “The question is can we go and do that for the third season? It may be harder this year with the fact that you might have to finish fourth or win a trophy, so that’s the challenge for the players and the challenge for myself.” Ahead of his first-ever Scottish Premiership match, Johansson was asked if Motherwell fans can expect more of the same from last season, he said: “I think so, we’ll have to see. One of my targets, or our main targets is to consolidate the style of play from last year in a moment of change, when there’s changes in the squad. “Obviously I am not the same person and the same manager as the previous one, so with a new manager and new players, there will be slight differences in the expression of the team, but the target is to consolidate the style of play.” Much of his press conference revolved around their Conference League matchup with HJK Helsinki, but Johansson maintained that his side are fully focussed on today’s clash in Leith. He said: “I always have a really narrow focus, a really short-term focus in terms of performance, so it’s the game against Hibs on Sunday which is the biggest target of the season for now.” The two sides met four times last season, Motherwell won twice and earned a draw on the remaining two occasions. The sides last met during last season’s dramatic final day as Lukas Fadinger earned 10-man Motherwell a 1-0 win. That result should fill Motherwell with confidence as it was the first time a non-Old Firm team won at Easter Road since November 2024.