Herald Sport
New MBE Macari still determined to make a difference
WATCHING his country win their first World Cup match in 36 years in the wee small hours of last Sunday morning rounded off a gratifying few days for Lou Macari. The national team’s emotional Group C victory over Haiti in the Boston Stadium in...
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Clarke wants repeat of middle-game performances
SCOTLAND’s last meeting with Morocco offered a telling insight into the nation’s acceptance of failure at the World Cup finals. On June 23 1998, Craig Brown’s team faced the North African nation in Saint-Etienne. The two teams needed a win to secure...
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Christie vows to keep tears to himself this time
N AN eerie, Covid-decimated football stadium in Belgrade, Scotland returned from the international wilderness by winning a penalty shoot-out against Serbia to qualify for a first major tournament in 22 years. Contrary to popular belief, Ryan Christie...
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Dykes determined Scotland stand
LYNDON DYKES looks the way he does for a reason. A battle-hardended nation, they take no prisoners in Serbia and prior to travelling to Belgrade for the penalty shootout which ended 23 years in the international wilderness for Scotland, the striker...
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Tartan Army are winning on and off the park in Boston
BACK at the World Cup after a 28-year absence, Scotland are winning games on the pitch and friends on the streets. People could get used to this. Leaving Boston to return to the team’s Charlotte training base yesterday, the news cycle rolled with the...
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Clarke won’t allow critics to rain on Scotland’s parade
TWO things can be true at the same time. It is right to feel that Scotland winning a game at the World Cup finals is a marvellous thing, a generational event. It is equally fair to feel that the team can play better, that they can use all their...
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Clarke wants his men to make their mark on the big stage
N his 1881 essay Virginibus Puerisque, Robert Louis Stevenson coined the saying which could have been written to describe Scotland’s national football team at major tournaments. “To travel hopefully is a better thing than to arrive,” said Stevenson in...
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McLean: I’d trade magic moment at Hampden to beat Haiti
THE anniversary of the finest Scotland goal of all time passed quietly. On June 11, 1978, Archie Gemmill foxed and flummoxed a Dutch defence to finish off an act of individual brilliance so feted it became a scene in Danny Boyle’s Trainspotting and...
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Infantino has lost control of his World Cup of chaos
N 1928, Jules Rimet persuaded his FIFA colleagues that the idea of a football World Cup might have some mileage. The charismatic Frenchman envisioned a tournament which would unite nations, promote comradeship and fair play, and bring people together...
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McGinn vows to keep feet on ground in US
JOHN McGINN harbours a few regrets from the Euro 2024 experience. When Scotland flew to their training base in GarmischPartenkirchen, the midfielder wanted to make an impact in Germany by delivering perfect performances, rousing results and a slice of...
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O’Neill agrees to remain in charge at Celtic Park
MARTIN O’NEILL has agreed to become the permanent manager of Celtic. The interim boss led the Parkhead side to a league and Scottish Cup double. And he has now secured an agreement for a one-year contract with the option of another 12 months after...
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Miller time
CALVIN MILLER is “dying to get started” after completing his move to Heart of Midlothian. The 28-year-old attacker joined the Gorgie side from Falkirk yesterday on a threeyear deal for an undisclosed fee. He praised his former club and manager John...
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Fletcher backed to hit the mark
FOR the majority of the Tartan Army, the inclusion of Tyler Fletcher in Scotland’s World Cup squad came like a bolt from the dark blue. But for those who have watched him closely, guiding him on his journey as he has worked relentlessly to make the...
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John McGinley
Celtic have simple choice to make, but it shouldn’t be this easy
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Celtic end derby hoodoo at last
AS Emma Lawton strode across the technical area, threw off her shirt and screamed in frustration, the smart money would have been on Rangers continuing their long winning sequence against Celtic. By that stage of the game – approaching the hour-mark –...
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Willie Collum
Head of refs backs call to give penalty to Celtic on review show
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Four more years
IAN Maxwell says the Scottish FA are not taking a gamble on Steve Clarke after handing the Scotland manager a new four-year contract. Weeks of speculation over the future of the 62-year-old ended when the governing body confirmed the news of an...
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FIFA to be investigated over World Cup ticketing
FIFA’S ticketing practices for the 2026 World Cup are to be investigated by chief legal officers in the United States. The attorneys general of New York and New Jersey insist FIFA must answer questions after allegations of “artificially inflating...
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Shankland in dreamland
LAWRENCE Shankland completed a dream transfer to Rangers yesterday – then admitted the move has been a “long time coming”. The Ibrox club confirmed the signing of the 30-yearold striker from Hearts, after four prolific years at Tynecastle where he was...
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Celtic renew interest in two targets
CELTIC have resurrected their interest in January transfer targets Kasper Hogh and Jakob Breum. The Parkhead club are holding discussions with Martin O’Neill and other candidates for their managerial vacancy this week. Shaun Maloney has been...
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Sinisalo forever grateful to O’Neill for show of faith
GOALKEEPER Viljami Sinisalo has paid tribute to interim Celtic manager Martin O’Neill ahead of this afternoon’s Scottish Gas Scottish Cup final against Dunfermline Athletic. Sinisalo praised O’Neill for having a positive impact on his life and said he...
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Burnley eye up managerial candidate on Celtic’s radar
CELTIC face competition in their pursuit of another potential candidate to replace title-winning manager Martin O’Neill. Heavily linked with the Parkhead post, Motherwell boss Jens Berthel Askou has joined French club Toulouse. And now Burnley have...
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Lisbon Lion Craig reveals Alzheimer’s diagnosis
JIM CRAIG, an integral member of Celtic’s European Cup-winning team of 1967, has been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease. One of just three living icons from the Lisbon Lions side crowned champions of Europe, the former rightback won seven Scottish...
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Clarke contract won’t be left up in the air
STEVE CLARKE expects his contract situation to be resolved before Scotland board a flight to America for the World Cup finals. Clarke’s current deal expires after the national team face Haiti, Morocco and Brazil in their first appearance at a World...
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Hearts’ supporters group calls for inquiry
THE Federation of Hearts Supporters Clubs has released a statement calling for an immediate inquiry into the conclusion of Heart of Midlothian’s 3-1 defeat to Celtic on Saturday. The title decider at Celtic Park saw fans of the home side invade the...
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‘He always looked on the bright side of life’
THE last time I met Scott Hastings for coffee, I scraped the side of my car on the rusty gate on his driveway. “I’ll give you the bill for taking the last of the paint off it next time I see you,” he joked. How I wish he could. I knew his cancer had...
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Trophy available Two previous owners, free to a good home (must pick up today)
Title decider special
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Hearts’ fan owners want higher standards
HEARTS’ fan owners have expressed “extreme concerns” over refereeing decisions in the William Hill Premiership title run-in after a last-gasp VAR call boosted Celtic’s hopes. Kelechi Iheanacho netted from the spot nine minutes into stoppage time to...
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Guts but no glory yet in Gorgie as
HEARTS’ impossible dream of being crowned Scottish champions for the first time in 66 years remains very much alive despite the capital club failing to clinch the William Hill Premiership on an evening of raw emotion at Tynecastle tonight. Those...
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McInnes keen to make Champions League norm for Hearts
HEART of Midlothian fans are in some sort of purgatory until the next two matches decide their fate. The fact that the club ensured a top-two finish over the weekend was somewhat overshadowed by the anxiety of Celtic closing the gap to one point with...
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Rangers keeping tabs on left-back Penrice
RANGERS are ready to to re-ignite their interest in AEK Athens leftback James Penrice. Penrice secured his first major title when AEK secured their first Super League Greece in three years with a 2-1 win over rivals Panathinaikos. The former Partick...
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Magnificent Maeda keeps
THE giant tifo which the Celtic supporters unfurled in the North Curve at Parkhead before kick-off in their William Hill Premiership match against Rangers yesterday afternoon urged Callum McGregor and his teammates to “fight it out until the end”. The...
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Giffnock Soccer Centre
Grassroots champions call on government to help out community clubs
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Bartley bows out
MARVIN Bartley resigned as Livingston manager before claiming the club had moved the goalposts on the arrangement that saw him step into the role. Bartley and assistant Neil Hastings revealed they had been told they would need to reapply for their...
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Rohl can no longer defend the
WE are still two weeks and three matches out from the deadline that Rangers manager Danny Rohl set in February. It may technically not be the end of the season, but the end of Rangers’ Premiership bid is as good a time as any to discuss the subject...
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Braga trying to keep feet on ground
CLAUDIO BRAGA was like most Hearts supporters when he sat down to face the media after a momentous three points in the William Hill Premiership title race. A beaming smile while taking it all in, exchanging looks with others experiencing the same...
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Shankland delivers the killer blow to Rangers’ title chances
T is 40 years now since Hearts crashed to that excruciating, inexplicable and infamous 2-0 defeat to Dundee up at Dens Park when they needed just a draw and a point to be crowned Scottish champions. A stunning 2-1 win over Rangers at Tynecastle last...
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Kelechi the killer
MARTIN O’Neill believes a draw between William Hill Premiership title rivals Hearts and Rangers would be the best result for Celtic after they kept themselves firmly in the threehorse race with a “very edgy” 2-1 victory away to 10-man...
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Calum Ward
has gone from third-choice stopper to season’s best ... all thanks to trust
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Celtic set to bring in head of fan engagement
CELTIC have moved to bridge the gap between their board and supporters after a difficult season which has resulted in discord and a series of protests. Fans of the Parkhead club have been vocal in wanting change, with principal shareholder Dermot...
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Berthel Askou misses out on manager of the year
MOTHERWELL boss Jens Berthel Askou is a notable omission from the PFA Scotland SPFL Manager of the Year award shortlist. The three nominees are Hearts’ Derek McInnes, Falkirk’s John McGlynn and Stenhousemuir’s Gary Naysmith. McInnes, who won the...
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Saracchi catches the eye
CELTIC intend to pursue a permanent deal for Marcelo Saracchi, but only once a new manager is in place, it is understood. Saracchi, 28, joined the Parkhead club on loan from Boca Juniors last summer. The left-back has registered 23 appearances across...
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Gerrard: Tavernier can walk away with his head held high
JT. Captain. Leader. Legend. The banner that was once unfurled at Stamford Bridge to thank John Terry for his service to Chelsea would not look out of place dedicated to James Tavernier at Ibrox. The visit of Hibernian next month will mark the...
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Hearts leave it late to seal crucial derby victory at Easter Road
HEARTS supporters have savoured a few sweet victories over Hibernian during the 150 or so years the Edinburgh clubs have been squaring up to each other. Have any of them ever tasted as delicious as this momentous 2-1 triumph at Easter Road yesterday...
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Celtic withhold Rangers tickets in response to Ibrox violence
WHILE uncertainty surrounds the eventual winners of the SPFL Premiership, the most competitive title race in years always offered the certainty of one thing. A rancorous and toxic conclusion. When two teams go head to head for a coveted league trophy...
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Forrest signs one-year extension at Parkhead
MARTIN O’NEILL stressed that the “immense” James Forrest has fully earned his new contract at Celtic and that sentimentality played no part in the club’s decision to retain the long-serving winger for next season. The 34-year-old, who has become the...
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Long-serving skipper to leave Ibrox at end of season
LONG-SERVING captain James Tavernier has announced he has decided to leave Rangers at the end of this season. The 34-year-old right-back has scored 144 goals in 562 appearances since moving to Govan from Wigan in 2015. After becoming a less frequent...
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Valakari’s side return to top flight at first time of asking
ST Johnstone sealed their immediate return to the Scottish Premiership with a convincing 2-0 win over Dunfermline at East End Park. Simo Valakari’s side knew that victory would be enough to seal promotion back to the top flight, following their...
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Stewart hits back at ‘petty and pathetic’ Hampden ban
MICHAEL STEWART has warned of a “dangerous precedent” set by the Scottish FA over his Hampden ban - branding the fallout “petty and pathetic”. The Premier Sports pundit was banned from the Scottish Cup semi-finals last weekend for criticising the...
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Ryan Porteous
loving glamour of life in LA... but his heart will always belong to Leith
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Mazoyer has job on hands to repair Celtic the brand
BAD ideas are expensive. If you’re looking for evidence of that, you ought to start with Meta (formerly known as Facebook), who ploughed tens of billions into its ‘Metaverse’. After finding out people didn’t want to simulate their weekly supermarket...
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Davis Cup winner Murray announces retirement
JAMIE MURRAY has announced his retirement from professional tennis. The elder brother of threetime Grand Slam singles champion Andy Murray has officially hung up his racquet, aged 40. The Davis Cup winner wrote on Instagram: “My tennis journey comes...
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‘I remember Courtois was surprised I wasn’t playing ... it was difficult to explain to him why’
T’S a few days before the summer transfer window closes and Nico Raskin sees his phone light up: Russell Martin is calling. Away on international duty with Belgium, days after he had been frozen out of the Rangers squad, banished from training and...
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Rangers to discuss refereeing concerns with other Premiership clubs next week
RANGERS will host a meeting of Premiership clubs in Glasgow on April 23 to discuss concerns over the standard of refereeing. The Ibrox club recently informed their Fan Advisory Board of discussions with head of referees Willie Collum over a desire for...
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Rob Robertson Scotland Women’s team should have a female coach Stephen McGowan
VAR isn’t helping Scottish referees reach World Cup
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John Rankin
New Ayr interim boss on drama of Hamilton job and strain it took on his marriage
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Right back to square one
CELTIC are braced for more injury woe ahead of the title run in after Colby Donovan was referred for tests. Already missing rightbacks Alistair Johnston and Julian Araujo, academy graduate Donovan was pulled out of the Scotland Under-21 squad after a...
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Ultras group to return to Celtic Park
CELTIC have confirmed that the Green Brigade will return to Celtic Park this weekend, ahead of the club’s game against St Mirren. The ultras group has been banned from attending matches since last November, following an incident in the Premiership...
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O’Neill still not settled on strongest starting XI
CELTIC manager Martin O’Neill admitted that he still does not know his best starting XI after his side cut the gap on William Hill Premiership leaders Hearts to three points with a hard-fought 2-1 victory over Dundee at Dens Park. Yang Hyun-jun...
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Sarah Rhind
Former keeper on her 14-year battle with heroin addiction and new book
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Commercial chief exits Ibrox after four months
RANGERS’ chief commercial officer has left the club just months after taking up his position. The Rangers Review revealed in December that the former CEO of the Aviva Stadium in Dublin David French had been appointed to the role at Ibrox following a...
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Top prospect Watson signs pro deal with Glasgow
GLASGOW WARRIORS winger Fergus Watson has signed his first professional contract with the club, who have branded him ‘one of Scotland’s most exciting young backs’. The 20-year-old has penned a two-year deal as he becomes the fifth player to graduate...
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Clarke rolls dice but same old story as friendly ends in defeat
TAKING his lead from Einstein’s definition of madness, Steve Clarke tried a different approach this time. He pitched in some lesser-known faces, he tweaked the formation, threw two strikers up front and tried to give them some support. Whatever...
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Clarke on Squad lookout for 55 Scotland goals players
STEVE CLARKE will name a provisional squad of 55 names for Scotland’s World Cup squad before a FIFA deadline of May 11. World football’s governing body stipulate that qualifying nations must submit an interim pool of players before whittling the group...
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City slickers
CELTIC loan right-back Julian Araujo has been ruled out for seven to eight weeks by injury. The Mexico internationalist returned to parent club Bournemouth for treatment to a thigh issue after missing the recent Premiership games against Motherwell...
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Special report Graeme McGarry
With racial abuse creeping back into Scottish football, investigates how national game can unite rather than divide
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Johnston hopeful of return in time for split
ALISTAIR Johnston has revealed he has targeted a Celtic return in time for the Premiership split. The Canadian defender’s season has been ruined by a series of hamstring injuries, which eventually required surgery. He’s currently with the Canadian...
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Rangers not looking for sporting director
RANGERS do not plan to appoint a sporting director and will instead continue with the football structure that oversaw the January window. Chairman Andrew Cavenagh, who sacked sporting director Kevin Thelwell and CEO Patrick Stewart on the same day in...
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Naismith: Clarke future will be clear before USA
STEVEN Naismith is sure that Steve Clarke’s future will be sorted out before the World Cup, whether that means he is staying on as Scotland manager or not. Clarke sparked a debate over whether or not the Scottish FA should award him a new contract...
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Blair proud after landing All Blacks coaching role
FORMER Scotland captain Mike Blair says he is “proud and honoured” after being appointed to the All Blacks coaching staff. Blair will work as attack coach under former Glasgow Warriors boss Dave Rennie, who will succeed Scott Robertson as All Blacks...
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