SPFL Archives - Page 15 of 17

If not Philipe Clement’s then who, we examine a list of potential replacements

A difficult start to the season has left Philipe Clement’s position at Ibrox shrouded in doubt. Despite recently signing a new contract, the show of confidence from the board has not had the desired impact. Should the Belgian be shown the door, we examine a list potential replacements that have been associated with the role in recent weeks. Steven Gerrard A hero to many, given he not only won Rangers their first title in a decade, but in doing so stopped Celtic winning the coveted ten in a row. Things did end on a slightly sour note as he upped sticks and moved to Aston Villa in November. A poor spell in the Premier League, made worse by the success of his replacement Unai Emery was incredibly damaging to his reputation and has almost certainly put paid to his ambition of managing Liverpool. A move to Saudi Arabia with Al-Ettifaq has not helped either, with critics pointing to the standard of the league and Gerrard’s reported salary as an indication of a manager not challenging himself. The move has not proven to be as simple as expected either, speculation continues to build around Gerrard’s tenuous position at the club. Unfortunately for Gerrard, Rangers fans might not be willing to welcome him back as Celtic did Brendan Rodgers. Derek McInnes The bookies favourite for the position, McInnes has built Kilmarnock into one of the league’s biggest overachievers since achieving promotion two years ago. There was disappointment following their European exit and the impact it had on the team’s form but things are slowly turning around and they look like the strongest of the sides outside the top three. If the last meeting between the two sides can be considered anything like an audition then McInnes did not hurt his chances, earning an impressive 1-0 win at Rugby Park. Far from being a despised figure among the Rangers fans, McInnes has history on his side, having played and won the Premiership and Scottish Cup for the side in the late nineties. His teams have never won plaudits for their style, but their grit and ability to grind out results is everything Rangers are currently missing. Kevin Muscat Another former Rangers player who has experienced success as a manager, this is not the first time Muscat has been linked with the position. Prior to Clement’s hiring, the Australian had announced his interest and was reportedly interviewed but passed over for the role. His managerial career bears some resemblance to that of Ange Postecoglou, having both managed Melbourne Victory before Muscat replaced the now Tottenham boss at Yokohama F.Marinos. With an A-League, J-League and now a second consecutive Chinese Super League title under his belt, Muscat is not short of accolades on his CV. The biggest doubts however, will be whether the Rangers board believe he will be able to replicate the impact Postecoglou had in the East End despite a lack of experience in Europe. Frank Lampard Gerrard’s former midfield partner has by far the most impressive clubs on his CV but has arguably had the least success. Following a strong first season in the dugout guiding Derby County to a Championship play-off final, Lampard was handed the reins at former club Chelsea. Giving academy players opportunities and being hampered by a transfer ban all whilst finishing a respectable fourth seemed to indicate the appointment had not come too soon in his career. His stock would only decline from there however, as the side went backwards despite a flurry of big signings and he was sacked in January. Keeping Everton up on the final day would be a blip before being sacked the following season after one win in eleven games before achieving the very same record in his return as Chelsea caretaker. Lampard’s name has been attached to almost every vacancy since but he remains an outside bet. Henrik Rydstrom Perhaps the least well known of all the list, Rydstrom has yet to take his footballing career beyond Sweden. The manager has won the league in both seasons since taking over at Malmo in 2022, including pipping Jimmy Thelin’s IF Elfsborg to the title by just two goals. Rydstrom has been earning plaudits for success on the pitch but also for the style that got them there. Playing what writer and coach Jamie Hamilton coined ‘Relationism’, the manager looks to allow players to be as expressive on the ball as possible. Perhaps the biggest blotch on his record however, is his performance against Rangers in the Europa League this season. Malmo were not only defeated 2-0 at home but looked far off the pace. However, if Rydstrom is allowed to work with a higher calibre of player, Rangers could have a manger with both the style and the substance to turn things around.

November 3, 2024

Hearts battle to victory away to St Johnstone

Hearts battled to a 2-1 victory against St Johnstone on a cold afternoon at McDiarmid Park. The game saw two sides play entertaining, attacking football, which ebbed and flowed in the battle for possession and attacking momentum. St Johnstone knew victory would have seen them rise to 6th in the table from 9th. Simo Valakari, the Saints new head coach, was in the home dugout for the first time. They made two changes to their squad that lost midweek to St Mirren. Barry Douglas—the one-cap Scotland international who signed two weeks ago as a free agent—and Graham Carey came into the squad for Matthew Smith and Lewis Nielsen. The visitors knew victory would leapfrog them into 11th above their Edinburgh rivals, Hibernian, who play on Sunday—their loss midweek to Kilmarnock ended Neil Critchley’s new manager bump. They made three changes, with Yan Dhanda, Malachi Boateng and Daniel Oyegoke coming in for Adam Forrester, Cameron Devlin and Kenneth Vargas. First Half The first real moment of the game was when Boateng fired a pass straight through the Saints defence to Shankland. He hit it first time just wide of the post. Hearts continued to be the more threatening side in the first half, with quality and zip to their forward play. Early on, St Johnstone continuously tried to play out from the back, but misplaced passes and a good Jambos press halted that. Saints’ defender Kyle Cameron tried to ask his players to calm down after some early pressure, but Hearts kept coming. Dhanda and Forrest provided attacking impetus on the wings, and Beni Baningime and Boateng controlled proceedings in the middle of the park. The game began to open up, and St Johnstone started getting a foothold. They were awarded a free kick in a dangerous area outside the box. There was a question mark on whether the new man, Douglas or captain Nicky Clark, would take it. But the captain stepped up, with Gordon making a relatively comfortable save. Hearts racked up the corners throughout the first half, and that’s how they got their first goal. A Blair Spittal delivery was put over the line by Clark, who scored an own goal in the 24th minute. The Saints responded with some attacks of their own. Following one corner was a goalmouth scramble, which Gordon clung onto and subsequently won a foul. In another moment in the latter stages of the first half, Sidibeh put a tame effort wide after doing well to beat his man just outside the box. Second Half At halftime, Simo subbed his goalkeeper, Joshua Rae, for Ross Sinclair after his number one picked up a knock in the first half. St Johnstone came flying out the blocks. Jason Holt led the charge with a curling effort that rattled off the crossbar after his attempted pass inside the box deflected back into his path. Veteran Craig Gordon kept his team in the lead with some good saves early in the second half, with the pick of the bunch, a low dive to his right. Critchley had seen enough and decided to make two early substitutions to try to change the course of the game. Devlin and Vargas came on for Dhanda and Boateng. There was uproar from the Saints fans after they thought Kye Rowles—already on a yellow card for a foul in the first half—brought their player down. The referee disagreed and just awarded the free kick. Following a corner, referee Chris Graham was called to the monitor after VAR Alan Muir said there was a possible penalty kick. After watching it, he pointed to the penalty spot after the officials believed Devlin wrestled Cameron to the ground inside the box. Devlin got a yellow card, and Clark took the game ball. He stepped up and fired it straight into the bottom corner past Gordon, cancelling out his own goal from the first half. Hearts responded positively to the setback, gaining momentum with the substitutions providing fresh energy. The substitute Vargas got onto the scoresheet with a lovely finish into the bottom corner after some sublime footwork from Baningime. St Johnstone tried to push for a late equaliser but struggled to create chances due to Hearts’ stern 4-4-2 shape. It was their story of the match; progressing the ball nicely from the defence to the midfield but falling short in attack. Hearts continued to exploit the space behind the St Johnstone defence, with an over-the-top ball played into Vargas who ran in on goal. Rae made a terrific one-on-one save to give his side hope going into the game’s final phase. The keeper came up to help St Johnstone from a corner in the dying moments, but ultimately, Hearts defended well enough to clinch all three points. The Hearts fans will return to Edinburgh to celebrate and look forward to their midweek European tie against German opponents, Heidenheim. Teams St Johnstone (4-1-3-2): Sinclair (GK) (Rae, 46th), Cameron, Sanders, Douglas, Wright, Sprangler, Carey, Holt, Clark (C) (Smith, 80th), Sidibeh (Kirk, 80th), Kimpioka Subs: Rae, Essel, Kucheriavyi, Smith, McPake, Kirk, Keltjens, Bright, Franczak Hearts (4-4-2): Gordon (GK), Kent, Oyegoke, Rowles, Penrice, Dhanda (Vargas, 57th), Baningime, Boateng (Devlin, 57th), Forrest, Spittal, Shankland (C) (Grant, 85th) Subs: Clark, Kingsley, Halkett, Grant, McKay, Devlin, Wilson, Forrester, Vargas Match Officials: Chris Graham (referee), Paul McAvinue and Craig Macrae (assistants), Duncan Williams (fourth official), Alan Muir (VAR) Attendance: 5,917.

November 2, 2024

St Mirren v Ross County Ends in a Stalemate

A St Mirren side hoping to build from their fine result midweek against St Johnstone and a Ross County side who haven’t won away from home this season resulted in a game to forget for both teams. St Mirren dominated the ball in the early stages of the first half with Elvis Bwomono and Scott Tanser looking to create down the flanks, testing the County full backs who stood firm. Clear cut chances were limited for both sides but Ross County keeper Ross Laidlaw claimed the moment of the half. The home side were awarded a penalty after a lengthy VAR check on a shirt tug in the box. Eli Campbell was eventually booked for the foul on Marcus Fraser but Laidlaw used his size and saved Greg Kiltie’s penalty with his trailing legs. The energetic midfielder will be disappointed with his effort. Kiltie continued to link up well on the left hand side with Tanser and both put multiple crosses into the box that the onrushing pairing of James Scott and Toyosi Olusanya couldn’t get on the end of. Jordan White was a nuisance up front for the visitors and the battle between the striker and Alex Gogic was one the neutral would find a classic. A physical battle that was ongoing for the 90 minutes made for entertaining viewing. White made use of bursting runs beyond the St Mirren back line by youngster Jack Grieves but this was of no trouble to Ellery Balcombe in the St Mirren goal. Toyosi Olusanya hitting the crossbar was the closest either side came to going in front but neither could find the breakthrough before half time. Half Time: St Mirren 0-0 Ross County Both managers decided to make attacking changes at half time with Jonah Ayunga and Conor McMenamin coming on for the hosts and Ronan Hale and Aidan Denholm being introduced by the visitors. The game came to life in the 2nd half with both teams creating chances to put themselves ahead. Not long after the whistle blew, St Mirren broke through McMenamin and he cut inside before clipping a cross into the box which was met by the head Olusanya who forced a fine save from Ross Laidlaw. McMenamin, returning from a long term injury, was a constant threat down the right hand side for the Saints and was a bright spark in a rather dull encounter. Up the other end the Dingwall side had chances of their own, a corner from Campbell evaded everybody and almost caught Balcombe out but the ball was eventually cleared. Richard Taylor recovered well from his error and provided a vital block after a close range effort from the visitors. Hale, the half time substitute, showed his boss Don Cowie exactly why he shouldn’t be left out of the starting 11. The 26 year old linked up well with Jordan White and created all sorts of problems for the St Mirren defence. Mikael Mandron had the chance to clinch the game right at the death but the substitute blasted his shot over the bar and the game ended goalless. Overall, the visitors will be the happier of the two sides but St Mirren will be disappointed to not have taken more from the game. Standout Players: Ross County skipper Connor Randall dictated the middle of the pitch for the away side and controlled things especially in the 2nd half. The experienced midfielder looked composed in possession and put in a power of work off the ball to nullify the threat of the St Mirren midfield. Ross Laidlaw, ever present in the Ross County team showed exactly why he has been their number one since signing in 2019. The towering goalkeeper was alert to anything that came his way and commanded his area well. The lightning quick reaction save from the head of Olusanya and denying Kiltie from the penalty spot topped off a fine performance by the stopper. Teams: St Mirren: Balcombe (GK), Fraser, Gogic, Taylor, Tanser, Bwomono (McMenamin, 46′), O’Hara (C), Phillips (Boyd-Munce, 77′), Kiltie (Idowu, 59′), Olusanya (Mandron, 59′), Scott (Ayunga, 46′) Ross County: Laidlaw, Campbell, Lopata, Wright, Reid (Efete, 75′), Nisbet, Randall (Allardice, 75′), Brown, Chilvers (Hale, 46′), Grieves (Denholm, 46′), White Attendance: 6142 Referee: Don Robertson

November 2, 2024

Fresh Court Woes for Saints Stars

St Mirren players Kevin van Veen and Jaden Brown are currently facing the courts after alleged cases of domestic abuse for the former and driving without a license for the latter. This news follows the termination of defender Shaun Rooney’s contract who will be facing an upcoming court case for a separate matter. Former Motherwell and Kilmarnock striker Van Veen, is said to have committed these offences towards his ex-girlfriend over a 3 year period in multiple locations. He is due back in court on November 28th. Brown who made his move to the Buddies permanent in the summer after initially being on loan from Lincoln is suspected to have driven without a license on multiple occasions. He pleaded guilty to 3 offences and not guilty to a further 4 which was accepted by Hamilton Sheriff Court and his next hearing will be November 29th. His bail continues and sentencing is deferred until then. Manager Stephen Robinson has recently been vocal about off the field matters stating it’s “the most difficult period” he has had at the club but will be hoping the result against St Johnstone has offered a fresh start for his side and he believes his squad has the character to put external factors aside. St Mirren have released statements regarding both players. They will both be missing from the squad this weekend and the club will make no further comment on these matters whilst investigations are ongoing.

November 1, 2024

Cash is King: The Financial Divide of Glasgow’s Big Two

It’s been a tough few weeks for fans of the blue side of Glasgow. Both on and off the park things don’t seem to be going well for Rangers Football Club. Envious eyes of the Ibrox side are being cast across to the east end of the city where the exact opposite is taking place. For Gers fans, results have not been consistent since the beginning of the season and this past week has been the icing on the cake in terms of negative feelings surrounding the club. Less than two weeks ago, Rangers found themselves in third place in the league, five points behind both Celtic and Aberdeen who were flying high and unbeaten in the league after eight games. On the Saturday Aberdeen travelled to Parkhead to take on Celtic in what was billed as the top-of-the-table clash. For Rangers who had a tough game at Rugby Park against Kilmarnock, were viewing this as a real opportunity to get themselves back into the title race discussion. Any result in the Parkhead clash would be to the benefit of Rangers and they would close the gap on at least one of the sides if they won the following day. Celtic and Aberdeen ended in a draw, so a win for the Gers would take them within three points of the top of the table. However, this was not to be the case as Rangers failed to rise to the challenge and dropped three points against Kilmarnock on Sunday, leaving them trailing in the league by six points. Rangers responded well with a fantastic European result at home on Thursday and a return to winning ways in the league against St. Mirren. However, the latter was a largely criticised team performance with some fans saying the Buddies deserved more from the game. With both Celtic and Aberdeen winning, Rangers would head into a clash with the Dons at Pittodrie six points behind both teams. As the week began feelings around the midweek clash were that the Dons were firm favourites as they remained unbeaten in the league as well as going toe to toe with Celtic only two games prior. The Ibrox side couldn’t afford any more negativepress in the lead-up to the game. On Tuesday, the day before debatably a season-defining game for manager Philippe Clement the club posted a 33-page report on their annual accounts. In what was supposed to be a positive publication showing that for the first time in over a decade, they were free of any litigation claims. But both pundits and fans alike people saw right through that with it ending up being a very telling set of financial losses. Despite record core revenue at £88.3 million, and £94.2million total income people were quick to focus on the £17.2 million net loss which had increased from £4.1 million the year before.This is due to the lack of significant player sales, the loss of Champions League money, and staff costs still being too high despite offloading a significant number of higher earners at the club this past summer. It leaves the club with just £1.7 million cash in the bank. Interim Chairman John Gilligan stated, “Undoubtedly, it has been a challenging period for the football club with significant change occurring both on and off the park throughout both season 2023/24 and over the summer months”. The feeling of negativity both on the pitch and the ongoing higher up in the club led the team into a clash with Aberdeen being even more important for the Gers community. Jimmy Thelin’s Dons rose to the occasion in what was an incredibly well-deserved 2-1 win under the backdrop of an atmosphere not seen at the club for decades. After Celtic winning at Parkhead against Dundee, Rangers now find themselves nine points behind Celtic and Aberdeen. Shortly after the result, Philippe Clement described it as ‘One of their best performances of the season’ which was met with a lot of confusion and anger from Gers fans across the country. Casting our minds back to less than two months ago their Glasgow rivals, Celtic published their annual report which showed when all things calculated, they have £77.2 million in the bank. This is a staggering £75.5 million more than the Ibrox side. Compared to their city rivals the Parkhead side recorded a new club record revenue of £124.6 million with a total net profit of £13.3 million as well as breaking their breaking club transfer record twice over this past summer. All this despite almost a £5 million deficit in the transfer market and their overall wage bill increasing by £4.8 million making it a total £65.6 million. So not only are Celtic well ahead on the park they are in a much healthier position financially. For fans of the Ibrox side results on the pitch and position in the league coupled with how well their rivals are doing compared to themselves have increased the negative feelings around the club. It has now led to Gers fans overwhelmingly united in their opinion that things are not heading in the right direction under manager Philippe Clement, wanting him relieved of his position. This past August before the season had begun Clement was given a new four-year contract and commented: “I have fallen in love with the club, with the fans, the stadium and with the city. I see huge potential and now we need to make the club better and stronger in every department.” But, with all the financial losses coming out of the club and given that he would need to be paid off, can they afford to remove him from his duties? The current situation and gap created go back decades. Celtic went close to going out of business in 1994 and since then have set up a successful financial model that may be negative for the growth and standard of the Scottish game by buying cheap and selling large. But it works for them from a financial point of view. In reaction to

November 1, 2024

Blunt Hibs take a point in drab draw with County

Ross County got us underway on a perfect night for Scottish football, but it was a cagey affair for most of the first half. Martin Boyle and Elie Youan were trying to get at the County fullbacks, but they were well dealt with in truth. Ronan Hale had the first real chance of the game, q simple ball in behind wasn’t dealt with by the Hibs defence and Josef Bursik hesitated before finally punching it out for a throw. The Hibs keeper has been scrutinized since his move in the summer and this was less than convincing. Junior Hoilett had a half-chance moments later, he was found in acres of space down the right-hand side, he drove into the box, but his effort was poor and went wide of the post, Laidlaw untroubled. Jordan Obita then had a strike from the edge of the area, he struck it low and hard, but Laidlaw was down comfortably to make the save. The closest either side came to scoring came just on the eve of half-time. Noah Chilvers whipped in a wonderful free kick to find the head of Jordan White, but Bursik pulled off an incredible acrobatic stop to keep the game level going into the second half. Hibs were the quicker of the two teams to settle in the second half, a couple of chances fell their way. Youan had the ball on the edge of the area, but his strike was well over the bar. Hoilett and Youan then combined beautifully in the middle of the park to set the Frenchman driving into the County half, he got the ball to Kukharevych inside the area but his strike on the turn sailed over the bar. County had been under the kosh for most of the second half, but it was them who carved out the best chance, just ten minutes from time. Eamon Brophy found the ball just outside the Hibs box. His effort had Bursik beat but it went just wide of the post. It was a drab affair by most standards, the final minutes saw Hibs pushing for a win but despite having the majority of the ball they were struggling to create much for Laidlaw to deal with. Deep crosses into the box were very comfortable for the County centre backs to mop up. In the final minutes, Hibs pushed for the winner, committing bodies forward but again County stood firm, and the game petered out into a dull draw. Speaking to our reporter at full-time, David Gray said whilst his team defended well and pushed for the winning goal in the second half, he lamented his sides quality in the final third. “It might’ve been the decision making, it might’ve been the composure at times, it felt like one of those nights where everything was more of an effort than it should’ve been. Think it comes from a wee bit of a lack of confidence from the situation we find ourselves in.” He also stressed that with the position they find themselves in, that Hibs need to start picking up points. “A point away from home is never a bad thing but we know we need more than that.” Don Cowie was happy with how his team coped with the attacking threat posed by Hibs. “Thought we were the better team first, half and Hibs maybe shaded the second half but Hibs have got really good individuals in that front area of the pitch and I thought we kept them relatively quiet.” Ross County’s defence has steadily improved under Cowie since he took over the coaching mantle in February and this was another display that showed how well drilled his back line is. “We made sure that was the foundation of the performance was to try and keep them quiet and for the majority I thought we did that really well. We could’ve been better ourselves at going forward but it’s a good point overall.” The draw is enough to see Hibs life off the bottom of the table as Hearts lost to Kilmarnock. They face Dundee Utd at Easter Road on Sunday as they look to right the wrong following their dramatic loss last time out. The Staggies will travel to St. Mirren on Saturday with both teams level on points, this shapes up to be a tight match. County’s away form has been poor this season though with the Staggies yet to pick up an away win this season. Ross County: ROSS LAIDLAW, JAMES BROWN, AKIL WRIGHT, KACPER LOPATA, RYAN LEAK, AIDEN DENHOLM (60 Josh Nisbet), CONNOR RANDALL (89’ Victor Loturi), NOAH CHILVERS (73 Allardice), ELIJAH CAMPBELL, RONAN HALE (60 Eamon Brophy) JORDAN WHITE (60 Alex Samuel) Unused Substitutes: Jack Hamilton (GK), Jack Grieves, Michee Efete, Josh Reid Booked: Wright Hibs. – JOSEF BURSIK, LEWIS MILLER, MARVIN EKPITETA, WARREN O’HORA, JORDAN OBITA, NECTARIOS TRIANTIS, JOE NEWELL (Kwon 72), MARTIN BOYLE (83 N.Cadden), JUNIOR HOILETT (McKirdy 72), ELIE YOUAN (Molotkinov 83), MYKOLA KUKHAREVYCH Unused Substitutes: Jordan Smith (GK), Dylan Levitt, Jack Iredale, Josh Campbell, Rocky Bushiri Referee: Grant Irvine VAR: Nick Walsh Booked: Obita Attendance: 3468 (488) away fans

October 31, 2024

St Mirren Win the Battle of the Saints as They Cruise Past St Johnstone in Paisley

It was showtime indeed for the home side as they were greeted to the pitch with fireworks and a Beetlejuice display from a packed SMISA stadium. However, the feel good factor was short lived as their Perth counterparts took the lead after just 8 minutes through in form Kimpioka and he was denied his second shortly after by VAR. Ex Saintees full back Scott Tanser struck back for the home side after half an hour with a sublimeeffort from outside the box looping over Sinclair and into the back of the net. From here the Buddies really grew into the game and just before the hour mark Captain Mark O’Hara got their 2nd. Some good battling from the impressive Greg Kiltie set Marcus Fraser free to cross the ball to his skipper and he makes no mistake heading his side in front. Killian Phillips who had another solid showing in the middle of the park thought he added a third but this was subsequently chopped off by VAR for a foul in the build up. St Mirren continued to put pressure on the St Johnstone goal and eventually a third goal stood when substitutes Mikael Mandron and Jonah Ayunga linked up with the latter scoring with a fine finish into the top left hand corner. A late red card scare for the hosts was waved away by VAR in a game that had it all. St Mirren looked back to their usual selves after a rocky few weeks and Simo Valakari will hope his side find their rhythm in the coming weeks to steer them clear of the sides below them. Next up for St Mirren is a home tie for Ross County, meanwhile St Johnstone face Hearts at McDiarmid Park in a game they may view as a must win. Our Standout Performers: Greg Kiltie and Marcus Fraser both off the back of signing new contracts showed exactly why they are so important to this St Mirren side. Kiltie who’s work rate and desire can never be faulted looked back to his pre-injury self and fans around the ground weren’t shy in identifying him as the missing piece of the puzzle. Fraser, who had an unusual shaky game last week was composed as ever down the right hand side and played a vital role in the 2nd goal. Solid defensively and good in attack he lived up to his name as Mr Reliable. Teams & Stats St Mirren: Balcombe (GK), Fraser, Gogic, Dunne (Taylor, 52’), Tanser, Bwomono, O’Hara (C), Phillips, Kiltie (Ayunga, 85’), Olusanya (Mandron, 67’), Scott (McMenamin, 67’) St Johnstone: Sinclair (GK), Cameron (Douglas, 68’), Neilson, Sanders, Wright, Holt, Sprangler, Smith (Carey, 68’), Clark (C), Kimpioka (Kirk, 68’), Sidibeh Referee: Steven McLean Attendance: 6,042

October 30, 2024

An inspired performance from substitute Johnson helped Celtic break down a dogged Dundee.

An inspired performance from substitute Alistair Johnson helped Celtic break down a dogged Dundee in Glasgow. Tony Docherty’s men had the first real opportunity of the game as Kasper Schmeichel reacted well to keep Antonio Portales out. Celtic recovered well, not failing to create chances so much as being unable to put them away. An off-kilter Kyogo Furuhashi guilty of not getting his side in front on a couple of occasions. Dundee held out as the half ended goalless and it looked as they might secure a point in the second with Celtic unable to put the ball past some heroic goal line defending. Brendan Rodgers soon turned to full-back Johnston to provide some impetus and was rewarded within minutes, the Canadian scoring in his second successive game with a poacher’s finish. Buoyed by the goal, Celtic began to attack with more confidence. Not long after going down, Dundee’s Antonio Portales muddled an attempt to clear his poor touch in the box, taking down Furuhashi. Arne Engels made no mistake from the spot and doubled the lead in the 67th minute. Two almost became three but for Daizen Maeda’s inability to keep the ball down with his header, instead sending it over the bar. Celtic would see out the game from then on, collecting another three points to keep them at the top of the table. Johnston the talisman When a manager looks to his bench to help break a deadlock, it is unusual to see a right-back be entrusted to lead the charge. Yet Johnston continues to impress as much up front as he does as part of a backline that has conceded just three league goals all season. Captaining in Callum McGregor’s absence on Sunday, he scored the second goal in a solid 3-0 win over Motherwell and seems to growing in stature with each passing week. Rodgers will hope the player can avoid any injuries in the coming days as the side balance three competitions, taking on Aberdeen in the Cup Saturday with RB Leipzig only three days later before travelling to Kilmarnock. Dundee yet to find winning combination Undefeated in their opening four games, Dundee have since picked up three points from a possible fifteen as Tony Docherty looks to remedy their slump. The heavy use of loan signings means squad has undergone an overhaul since the last time the sides met in April, with twelve of the match day side no longer at the club. Owen Beck was always going to be the most difficult to replace, although Simon Murray has been bright spark since his arrival . Not in any danger this early on, Dundee will have plenty of chances to turn things around. Fans will hope it can be sooner rather than later. Celtic manager Brendan Rodgers told Sky Sports:: “It’s one of those ones where you can be more comfortable in the game if you get those early goals with two massive chances in that first period of the game. “But it was job done. We controlled the game, created chances, should have had more goals and didn’t concede. So we have to be happy.” Dundee manager Tony Docherty told Sky Sports: “I thought the boys deserved a clean sheet for the amount of work they put in out of possession. “I think the penalty is really soft. I think there’s a foul that leads up to it on Mo Sylla. I don’t know why they don’t pick that up. I’ve seen it back.” Match Officials Referee: Ross Hardie Video Assistant Referee: Matthew MacDermid Assistant Referee 1: Graeme Stewart Assistant Referee 2: Paul McAvinue Fourth Official: Craig Napier Assistant VAR Official: Andrew McWilliam

October 30, 2024

Team News – Ross County v Hibs

Line-ups are in! Ross County (3-5-2) Don Cowie has made just the one change to his squad that battled to beat Kilmarnock on Saturday. Elijah Campbell returns from suspension and will take up his usual full-back role with Josh Reid dropping to the bench. Despite returning from injury and claiming a place on the substitutes bench on Saturday, Rickie Lamie has not made the squad tonight. Hibs (4-2-3-1) David Gray makes a double change to the Edinburgh derby side from the weekend. Joe Newell has returned from suspension and takes the captain’s armband once again as on-loan Celtic midfielder Kwon Hyeok-Kyu drops to the bench. The other change is in the attack as goalscorer Mykola Kukharevych takes his place back in the line-up with experienced frontman Dwight Gayle not included in the squad. Nicky Cadden has returned from injury and is included on the Hibs bench but there is no place yet for brother Chris.

October 30, 2024

Look Ahead – Aberdeen v Rangers

Aberdeen will take on Rangers tonight in the blockbuster clash as Philippe Clement looks to cut the gap on the joint league leaders at Pittodrie. Jimmy Thelin’s Dons have been the season’s story so far, his side have won all but one game (the comeback draw at Celtic) under his tenure. It’ll be back-to-back games under the lights for the Dandies as they ran out 1-0 winners on Saturday night against Dundee Utd thanks to a late Peter Ambrose goal. The win keeps the Dons six points ahead of tonight’s visitors whilst also having a better goal difference. The Dons boss has confirmed that striker Kevin Nisbet faces a race against time to prove his fitness ahead of tonight’s clash. The striker has scored three goals since arriving on loan but was ruled out of Saturday’s win. “I think the physios are working really hard with him now so let’s see tomorrow.” Philippe Clement meanwhile brings his Rangers team to the Granite City on the back of a battling 2-1 victory over St. Mirren. The Gers were made to work hard for the three points after almost falling 2-1 behind if not for a VAR check. Club captain James Tavernier was surprisingly dropped to the bench on Sunday with Jack Butland being handed the armband. New signing Robin Propper has struggled to adapt to life in Scotland and only lasted 60 minutes against St. Mirren whilst regular centre-back John Souttar was absent through injury. Keep an ear out for the reaction for Connor Barron, the midfielder departed Aberdeen for Rangers in the summer and if Ryan Jack is anything to go by, the youngster is heading for a furious reaction from the Dons fans. The pressure has piled on Clement in recent weeks after suffering bad defeats in Europe and an uncharacteristic start to the league season. Defeat tonight would leave Rangers nine points adrift of the Dandies. The TV cameras are at sold-out Pittodrie for this one, the game will be live on Sky from 7:15 pm with kick-off from 8 pm.

October 30, 2024

SPFL

Copyright © 2024 SNN Sports. All Rights Reserved.