SPFL

Celtic Legend John Clark Passes Away Aged 84

Celtic legend John Clark has today sadly passed away at the age of 84. Clark was part of the iconic ‘Lisbon Lion’ squad, as he started in Celtic’s 2-1 victory over Internazionale in May of 1967, ethching his name into Parkhead folklore. He also shares the rarer accolade of playing in every match of the 66/67 season with Tommy Gemmell, as the Glasgow side won every competition they competed in. He would become part of the furniture at Celtic Park, spending thirteen years as a player, some time as reserves coach, five years as assistant manager to former centre-half partner Billy McNeill, before returning as a kitman in 1997, a role he would occupy for 20 years, making him the longest accumulated serving member of staff at the club after Willie Maley. Clark would make four appearances for the Scottish national team, as well a two year spell at Morton, before hanging up his boots and getting into the dugouts of Cowdenbeath, Stranrear and Clyde, but will forever be remembered for his twelves trophies won at Parkhead. Celtic Chairman Peter Lawwell shared his feelings for Clark: “John was actually a hero to me and so many others, someone who achieved the greatest feat of all club football but did so, along with his great team mates with such grace and humility. “That famous day in Lisbon, which John was such an integral part of, changed our club forever. Ever since, each player who has passed through our club has stood on the shoulders of giants, and John was certainly one of those giants. “John gave his life to Celtic both as a player and on our staff in a variety of roles and his contribution to our great club over so many decades is immeasurable.” Celtic Manager Brendan Rodgers, who worked with Clark during his first spell, also had time to reflect on his passing: “John’s continued presence at Celtic across so many decades I know served as an aspiration to so many players, managers and staff, including myself very much. “To have him with us, as part of the club for so long has been a tremendous privilege for us all, it meant so much to us. Through his knowledge, his wisdom and his true love for Celtic, John made such an important contribution to the club.”

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Hearts announce Stuart Findlay loan signing

Heart of Midlothian have confirmed the signing of Oxford United defender Stuart Findlay on a season long loan. Findlay, 29, will be reunited with boss Derek McInnes, under whom he spent last season at Kilmarnock. Speaking to the Official Hearts Website, McInnes said: “Stuart is obviously someone I know very well from the years we’ve previously spent working together. “I know his attributes and every aspect of his game. He’s a domineering defender, strong and athletic, and he is a real leader on and off the pitch. “I’m delighted to have him here at Hearts.” The defender, who earned his solitary Scotland cap in the 6-0 win over San Marino in 2019 during which he scored a goal, joins a plethora of new signings with Christian Borchgrevink, Alexandros Kyziridis, Elton Kabangu, Oisin McEntee and Claudio Braga having all arrived at the club on a permanent basis.

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Saints Further Shore Up Defence With Signing of Jayden Richardson

St. Mirren announced their second defensive signing in as many days as Jayden Richardson pens a two-year deal in Paisley. The Englishman, who has played North of the border previously with a spell at Aberdeen, signs from English National League side Boreham Wood, scoring two times and assisting another four from right back in 37 appearances. Richardson has enjoyed loan spells in the EFL for most of his career following his graduation from the Nottingham Forest academy in 2019, and now the 24 year-old will be looking to find a club that he can truly settle at, with the Buddies. “I can’t wait to get in front of the crowd and show what I can do. I can bring energy, pace, power and hopefully that athleticism up and down can get the fans on the edge of their seat. “I know what it’s [Scottish football] like. When I was up here in the past, playing against St.Mirren, we knew it was a tough game no matter what and the fans here were outstanding.” St.Mirren boss Stephen Robinson also had words to say after securing another acquisition for his squad. “Jayden is someone I tried to sign a few seasons ago. “All the attributes are there and it’s up to us to get that quality out of him. I think he will be a really good signing for us.”

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St. Mirren Tighten Up Defence With Signing of Jamaican Internationalist

St. Mirren have completed the signing of centre back Richard King from Cavalier FC of the Jamaican Premier League, after a failed attempt to snap up the 23 year-old in January. King signs for the Buddies on a two year deal, with the Paisley side holding the option of one-year extension. The centre half becomes Stephen Robinson’s third signing of the summer, after the club permanently signed former loanees Killian Phillips and Roland Idowu. King will join up with his St. Mirren teammates upon his return from the CONCACAF Gold Cup with Jamaica under Steve McLaren as he looks to add to the 30 caps he has to his name already. St Mirren manager Stephen Robinson said: “We had tracked him [King] for a long time and kept up with his progress. He’s quick, he’s strong and he’s a project for us as well as it’s a step up in level. “I had a really good conversation with Richard and the Cavalier owner and we are aligned in our thinking in terms of giving Richard a good platform. “We think Richard will add real competition to the boys we’ve already got and give us another option in that department.”

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Lessons from the Past: What Falkirk Must Learn to Survive the Premiership

Falkirk are back in the Scottish Premiership for the first time in 15 years following their title winning Championship season last time out, completing back-to-back promotions from the third tier to the first, but are they ready for their return to the top table? Back-to-back promotions in football are rare, and Falkirk’s rise is a remarkable achievement, but they can present serious structural and sporting challenges, often teams have an imbalanced squad with players reliable at different levels littered throughout the team; many out of their depth due to the team having no time to gel at a level. Two rapid promotions don’t allow a club to gradually evolve its playing style or recruitment strategy. Instead, you’re constantly in firefighting mode, plugging gaps rather than building for sustainability. Take Ipswich Town in last season’s English Premier League for example, they won promotion to the topflight a year after promotion into the Championship but were immediately relegated with a whimper.  The Tractor Boys had players ready for the league like Liam Delap and Sammie Szmodics, but regularly still featured players from their League One days such as Cameron Burgess and Sam Morsy. Falkirk cannot afford to be as sentimental with their squad planning if they hope to survive. January recruit Scott Arfield and summer arrival Scott Bain are good starts, solid Premiership players with plenty of top-level games under their belts, both with league winners medals but will the likes of Calvin Miller and Sean Mackie be able to step up, having previously dropped from that level to League One previously? They excelled in the last step up, but this is a different level altogether. An issue in England are that players suited to the direct, physical style of lower leagues may struggle in a more technical, faster-paced Premier League, but fortunately for Falkirk the gap is not as wide technically North of the border. Within Scottish football there have been two modern examples of teams entering the Premiership after two successive title wins, to opposite levels of success; Gretna in 2007 and Livingston in 2018. Gretna’s meteoric rise through the leagues remains one of the most surreal chapters in modern Scottish football. Bankrolled by Brooks Mileson, they surged from the Third Division to the Premiership in just three years.  But their fairytale was built on sand. Ill-prepared both financially and structurally for the topflight, they were relegated after winning just five matches and collapsed entirely shortly after. A warning from history, if ever there was one. However, the Bairns possess things that Gretna did not, a loyal, sustainable fanbase, and they live within their means, no sugar daddy philanthropist owner who could disappear at any moment. Livingston, by contrast, provide a more encouraging blueprint. Their back-to-back promotions under David Hopkin culminated in an immediate impact in the Premiership under his successor and still incumbent gaffer David Martindale. Pragmatic, aggressive, and tactically coherent, they didn’t try to play like a top-six side, they played to survive, and eventually, for a period, became one of the toughest teams to beat during their last stint in the league.  Smart recruitment and a strong home record on their unique artificial surface were key pillars. In short, they adapted rather than aspired to outplay the opposition. Falkirk will need to follow Livingston’s lead more than Gretna’s dream. Manager John McGlynn, an experienced hand at Championship level, faces his biggest challenge yet.  His teams tend to favour possession and control, but he may need to adjust tactically to grind out results against vastly superior opposition. Stylistic stubbornness, especially early on, could prove fatal, something new Rangers boss Russell Martin discovered during his time in the English Premiership with Southampton last season. Another critical factor will be squad depth. Injuries are inevitable, and a team light on Premiership-quality options beyond the starting XI will be punished.  The spine looks promising, options of Nicky Hogarth and Bain in goal, Arfield in midfield, and Brad Spencer continuing to blossom, but outside of that, there are still major question marks.  Is Gary Oliver ready to lead the line against Premiership centre-halves? Can Ross MacIver control games at this level, or will he be overrun? Falkirk’s support will travel in numbers and with noise, there’s no question this is a club with top-flight infrastructure and fanbase, but sentiment doesn’t keep you up. Realism, ruthlessness, and rapid adaptation do.  If they can avoid early heartache and find a system that maximises their strengths without exposing their flaws, there’s a chance.  But survival won’t be romantic. It’ll be gritty, ugly, and week-to-week, something Livingston and Martindale, who join them in the top flight after they play off victory over Ross County have experienced before. Falkirk are back. But the real battle starts now.

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Hearts announce signing of Portuguese forward Claudio Braga

Heart of Midlothian confirmed the purchase of Braga, 25, from Norwegian club Aalesunds FK for an undisclosed fee.  The player departs the Scandinavian side eight games into the OBOS-ligaen season, the country’s second tier, having scored three goals. Braga, who managed 9 in 29 appearances during the previous league campaign, can also play as both a left-winger and attacking midfielder. Derek McInnes, speaking to the Official Hearts Website said: “Claudio was one of our top targets so to be able to bring him in is fantastic. “What’s impressed me in my conversations with Claudio is his attitude and his determination to improve as a player and improve the team. “There is great potential there but also exceptional ability. He is a technically gifted player, he’s got a goalscoring pedigree but is also versatile and can play across the front. “This is an exciting signing and I have to thank the club for giving us the backing to make this deal happen, and I’m very much looking forward to welcoming Claudio to Hearts when we return for pre-season.”

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Celtic officially announce the return of Kieran Tierney

Celtic announce the return of Kieran Tierney on a pre-contract deal from Arsenal. Tierney left the Parkhead club in 2019 for a fee of £25 million and spent six years at the Gunners. The 28-year-old has put pen to paper on a five-year deal, which will keep him at the Celts until 2030. During his time in London he managed to win the FA Cup in 2020 and was loaned out in 2023 to Real Sociedad. The left-back had a successful time in Glasgow winning 8 major honours with the Scottish champions. The Scotland international spoke of his delight to return to his boyhood club: “Everybody’s known for a few months and just to be here with the Celtic strip on again just feels amazing. “I spoke with the manager, and obviously I had worked with him before and I’ve always kept in touch with him. He’s one of the best so I’m so lucky and grateful that he’s given me the chance to come back again. “When you move away from home, you grow up, you learn different things. I was in Spain for a year, learning a different language and playing in a different league, so I’m definitely a different person. “Player-wise, it’s the same as I always say – I’ll try and work my hardest, I’ll do my best for the club and that’s all I can do. “My ambition is just for Celtic to be as successful as possible, retain our place at the top and continue to win trophies and do well for Celtic.”

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Russell Martin gives verdict on the future of James Tavernier as captain

New Rangers head coach Russell Martin was asked about the future of the club captain James Tavernier and the speculation surrounding his captaincy going forward. Tavernier was officially given the armband seven years ago by previous boss Steven Gerrard and it’s been a rollercoaster since. The 33-year-old has won every domestic trophy in Scotland and even captained the Light Blues to a Europa League final in 2022, where he finished top goal scorer in the competition with seven goals. The right-back has been at the club for ten years and is set to have his testimonial this season. The Bradford-born defender is in the final year of his contract and many expect it to be his final season at Ibrox. Martin played with Tavernier in 2018 during a six month loan spell and he believes the full-back is still ‘hugely important’ to the team: “I think to play here for as long as he has, to be captain for as long as he has, takes a lot of energy. It’s not easy. I’ve been at a club where sometimes you’re the one that’s been there the longest and you end up getting criticised a lot because you’ve been there the longest. You’re an ageing player and all that stuff. “I think he’s been so important for this team and this club on and off the pitch and I’m looking forward to chatting in more detail with him and speaking to him about it all. “Then how much he gets used on the pitch will be down to Tav and how he trains and how he plays, the same as every player. But he’s going to be hugely important in the culture. I know what he’s like as a person behind the scenes and he’s fantastic.” Tavernier has come under some criticism from sections of the Rangers faithful with calls for Nicolas Raskin to become the new skipper. Martin said he doesn’t see any reason why he would take the captaincy off  Tavernier if he’s featuring in the team and playing well: “How much he plays on the pitch, I can’t sit here and tell you he’s going to play 50 games, 20 games, whatever. It will be down to him in the way he performs and the way he buys into it, which I’m pretty sure he will. “If he’s playing. He’s been the captain for a very long time. I don’t see any reason to change that. And if he’s not playing, it will force someone else [to be captain].”              

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Aberdeen Bolster Squad With a Double Addition

Aberdeen have announced the signings of two new players ahead of the 2025/26 season, after completing deals for German left back Emmanuel Gyamfi and Australian striker Kusini Yengi. Gyamfi joins from Bundesliga 2 side FC Schalke 04 on a four year contract, whilst Australian international Yengi, who’s younger brother Tete plays for Livingston, joins from English Championship side Portsmouth, having signed a pre-contract with the Scottish Cup winners. Speaking on his new recruits, Aberdeen boss Jimmy Thelin said: “We were quite specific about the type of profile we had identified to play as a striker for Aberdeen and Kusini has a lot of qualities that we are after. “Emmanuel is a player we have been monitoring for some time. He possesses all the attributes we are looking for in a modern full-back. He’s dynamic and has a great work ethic. “It is important for us to have different profiles of players who can bring us specific strengths to our shape and how we want to play.” The Dons face a gruelling schedule this season, with guaranteed European league phase football on the horizon following their historic Scottish Cup Final victory over holders Celtic, and will be keen to bed their new signings in quickly before their Europa League play-off tie and the start of the domestic campaign.

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‘This was the one I really wanted’: Russell Martin unveiled as the new head coach of Rangers

After weeks of speculation and negotiations, Russell Martin was appointed as the new head coach of Rangers on a three-year deal. The 39-year-old was unveiled at Ibrox and was the club’s ‘stand out choice’ after a lengthy interviewing process. The former Southampton boss had a short six-month spell as a player at the Light Blues in 2018 and now he’s returned in a different capacity. Martin was sacked by Southampton last season and once the opportunity came up to manage the Govan club he knew instantly ‘this was the one I really wanted.’ The Norwich City legend understands the expectations for success from the Rangers faithful and that’s what he’s aiming to deliver: “I’ve managed three clubs, all with the same concept of the game – to be the aggressor with the ball and without it. “They all played different shapes and different people making up different positions. “We are here to win, and we will do that in the best way we possibly can. “That is what Rangers fans expect, to be really aggressive, really intense, really passionate, really hard-working first and foremost. “I know the expectation here is to win. We want to do that in a way that’s aligned with how we want to feel about the team and how Rangers fans want to feel about their team.” There has been much negativity surrounding Martin’s appointment, but he is aiming to prove the doubters wrong and bring success back to Ibrox: “My job is to give them a team they identify with, and they are proud of. A team that wins. “A team that’s going to give everything. One thing that’s always overlooked with our teams is they always run the most out of possession, because they have to if they want to dominate the ball and be aggressive. “It’s not a given, it’s an attribute – you need to work hard, not everyone has that. We want people like that to come to the club. “To the fans, I have to win. I don’t think I’ve been the number one choice at any club I’ve been at. By the time we’ve left every team I’ve been at, we’ve formed a real connection with the supporters. I hope this will be the same. “My whole playing career was based on hard work and resilience. It was not done on talent. “I have a lot to prove. My whole career has been based on proving people wrong. I got to the Premier League as a player, played international football. It’s the same as a manager. “I feel after five-and-a-half years of being a coach and a leader, I love doing it. I will be all-in here with my energy and my love for it. Hopefully it will reflect on the pitch.” Martin knows he will have to hit the ground running as it’s well documented that managers don’t get any sympathy or time whilst managing one half of the Old Firm. The former Scotland international has the opportunity to become a Rangers legend as the club embark on a new era to bring the glory days back to Ibrox.

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