Category: Sports

Cornelius, the one left-sided centre-back in the first-team squad, has made 11 appearances for Rangers, all but one as a starter, and up until his injury made four starts and a substitute appearance in the six games under Rohl after the German took charge in October.

However, Rohl has confirmed that, despite Rangers entering a crucial part of the season as they look to overtake leaders Heart of Midlothian and reigning champions Celtic, the defender has been allowed to miss Saturday’s visit by Aberdeen.

“He will travel today to the national team,” he said. “I gave him the opportunity to go earlier to the national team.

“I had two conversations in the last couple of days with Derek. I will have a conversation when he comes back from the national team again.

“All these things between Derek and me, it’s between us, this is crucial. I have my principles, this is very important.”

Marsh had revealed that he had also spoken to Rohl in attempt to help resolve the situation.

“I think Derek and my person are very clear and it’s the reason we need after the international break one more conversation and then we will see in which direction this goes,” Rohl said.

“I think it was two or three times with Jesse in the conversation. I know him very well, we are good friends, we trust each other.

“In the end, it’s about the club, Rangers on the other side, and this is also important.”

Rohl stressed that he knows “what it means to play a World Cup” and that “I will support Derek” to make sure “he is available” for this summer’s finals for one of the tournament hosts.

Having suffered a third consecutive away defeat and with Celtic and Rangers having narrowed the gap at the top, Derek McInnes will be glad of some home comforts as he looks to allay the narrative that his long-time leaders are cracking under the title pressure.

The coming weeks will certainly be a test of his managerial expertise, starting with the visit of a side led by former Hearts caretaker and captain Steven Pressley.

Pressley knows all about how the Tynecastle crowd can be 12th man in the good times but can quickly turn febrile in frustration.

Hearts remain unbeaten at home in the Premiership this season, but since losing on penalties to Falkirk in the Scottish Cup in January, they have drawn with Celtic and scraped three successive 1-0 wins.

The nervousness and tension could at times be cut with a knife and Dundee arrive buoyed by their two-goal, stoppage-time fightback to draw Sunday’s city derby.

Eight points clear of St Mirren and Kilmarnock, Pressley’s side are not yet clear of relegation trouble but are edging there after five unbeaten games.

McInnes has also been here before, leading Aberdeen to four consecutive second-place finishes as they became Celtic’s main challengers during Rangers’ financial problems from 2014-18.

He will be forgiven if he is haunted by the memory of the 2015-16 season, when his Dons were only three points behind Celtic with 14 matches to play before faltering in the final stages to finish 15 points behind.

The increasing nervousness could explain why, since the start of February, Hearts have scored just five goals from 77 shots in the Premiership, a conversion rate of 6.5% – the lowest of any side in the competition in this time.

Their xG/shot of 0.076 is also the lowest of any side in the top-flight in this period. Dundee, meanwhile, top both of these metrics since 1 February (15.2% conversion, 0.129 xG/shot).

The return from injury of Scotland striker Lawrence Shankland, along with key midfielder Cammy Devlin, should help improve those stats for Hearts.

They thumped Dundee 4-0 on their last visit in November, but McInnes would no doubt settle for a repeat of the 1-0 win at Dens Park in January and a sixth victory over the Dark Blues on their latest seven trips to Tynecastle.

I think certainly Gerrard for England and for Liverpool.

What a leader he was for Liverpool, he became captain at such a young age (23).

Roy [Keane], I didn’t play with enough to see that – so I couldn’t really say.

He’d have a go at players, rightly or wrongly. I remember him having a go at Fletch which felt a bit unfair because Roy did the exact opposite to what he asked to do.

He asked Fletch a lot to charge his phone in the dressing room. You shouldn’t have your phone in the dressing room, which is fine.

But then we came in after training and Roy is taking his phone off charge.

That’s Roy. I didn’t really play with Roy long enough, but you certainly see how much of a leader he was.

You’re trying to take bits of bit of everyone. Stevie led by example with his actions on the pitch and how he tried to force the game or drag his team back into a game.

Ryan Giggs was more taking risks, in terms of sometimes the game’s tight and he’d try and play a pass which a lot of players would not try and make.

Michael Carrick led with his presence on the pitch. He’s a big lad. I don’t think people realise how big he is. He had a presence in midfield.

Beckham led in different ways. He had an aura, charisma about him and how he played the game.

One of the biggest compliments I can give to Beckham is he didn’t stop running.

He was an example to all the players.

Joe Cole comes into the [England] squad and he was more of a flair player.

He’s got no excuse not to run back if Beckham is running back and doing that and he’s the captain.

He had this aura about him, both on and off the pitch, but he didn’t speak the most.

Port Vale boss Jon Brady says he is “baffled” by a fixture schedule until the end of the season that will see them play 12 games in the space of 43 days.

Vale’s run to the quarter-finals of the FA Cup, in which they will play Premier League Chelsea on 4 April, has been a major factor in the pile-up.

And it means they will play 11 League One games and at least that one cup tie, between taking on Bolton this Saturday and the visit of Lincoln on the final day of the season on Saturday, 2 May.

Stockport County making the final of the Vertu Trophy has also meant their league fixture with Vale had to be fitted in as a midweek game on 28 April.

Brady said Vale had written to the English Football League about the matter, but they turned down the club’s request to extend the season.

“Unfortunately, we’ve had no help from the EFL, which has been really frustrating,” Brady – whose side have just finished a run of four league games and two FA Cup ties in 18 days – told BBC Radio Stoke.

“We’ve written some emails to them and asked if they could help us. It’s due to your care of the players as well.

“As you can see, the group has already been breaking. But it is what it is.”

Dunfermline Athletic head coach Neil Lennon is one of the candidates St Mirren have approached to be interviewed for their vacant manager’s job. (SportsBoom), external

Former Vancouver Whitecaps and Western Sydney head coach Carl Robinson, currently working for the Welsh FA in coach education, is one of the names in the frame to be St Mirren manager along with Derry City’s Tiernan Lynch and former Dundee boss Tony Docherty. (Scottish Sun), external

Ferencvaros assistant Leandro has urged Robbie Keane to stay at the Hungary league leaders amid reports that the Irishman is Celtic’s current preferred candidate to be manager this summer. (Daily Record), external

Canada head coach Jesse Marsch has held talks with Rangers counterpart Danny Rohl about Derek Cornelius training with the Ibrox club’s youth team but does not think it helped improve the chances of the 28-year-old on-loan Marseille centre-half being recalled on his return from injury. (The Herald), external

Rangers are weighing up a contract extension for 34-year-old captain James Tavernier, but the right-back’s age is seen as a major concern and talks have not yet been opened. (Football Insider), external

Rangers back-up goalkeeper Liam Kelly has not agreed a new contract beyond the summer, despite a claim by former interim manager Barry Ferguson, but the club do want to keep the 30-year-old, who is waiting for an offer to be tabled amid interest from clubs in Europe and America. (Daily Record), external

Former Rangers interim manager Barry Ferguson says Russell Martin was doomed as his successor the moment he sanctioned the exits of winger Vaclav Cerny and striker Cyriel Dessers last summer. (Daily Record), external

It is the final duel of the season between Partick Thistle and St Johnstone on Friday evening as they battle for the Scottish Championship crown, with the match live on BBC Scotland and iPlayer.

Thistle manager Mark Wilson is in no doubt about the importance of the match.

“Realistically, if we are going to win the Championship then, of course, we have to look at taking maximum points,” Wilson, whose side are eight points behind St Johnstone but with a game in hand, said.

Thistle will also have to do it the hard way with injuries to key players.

“Tony [Watt] came off with a hamstring strain [against Greenock Morton] and we thought we had just caught it in time, but the scan shows it is a pretty significant one that will keep him out six to eight weeks,” Wilson explained.

“Logan Chalmers was just injured before the St Mirren game. He was similar with a thigh strain, six-to-eight weeks.

“And Oisin [Smyth] has a ligament issue; completed the Arbroath game and again looking at six-to-eight weeks.”

“So we have been pretty unfortunate in that respect with the three of them missing for a significant chunk of the run in.”

Available for over a year

In this week’s edition of the Football Interview, Kelly Somers speaks to Brighton midfielder James Milner. They discuss his journey from joining the Leeds academy to breaking the appearance record in the Premier League at the age of 40. He talks about the best managers he’s played under as well as the highs and lows of his Premier League career which started way back in 2002.

0’30 – What would a young Milner say about the career he’s had?
1’00 – Breaking the appearance record.
2’13 – His first football memory and being scouted for Leeds
5’00 – First Premier League appearance and goal in 2002
6’14 – Best manager he’s played under and relationship with Klopp
8’56 – What game would he relive?
9’40 – Toughest moment of his career
11’18 – Did he think last year’s injury would end his career?
12’00 – How much has football changed?
14’29 – What do people get wrong about him?
16’50 – Retirement and going into management

5 Live / BBC Sounds commentaries:
Sat 1200 Man City v Spurs in WSL on Sports Extra,
Sat 1500 Fulham v Burnley,
Sat 1730 Everton v Chelsea,
Sun 1415 Spurs v Nottingham Forest,
Sun 1415 Aston Villa v West Ham on Sports Extra,
Sun 1630 League Cup Final – Arsenal v Man City.

Programme WebsiteShow less

While United are not discounting looking abroad in their search for a new lynchpin, the club would prefer Premier League experience.

Deciding to go for proven players would certainly limit United’s options, and ultimately increase the finances attached to those deals.

Baleba, Wharton and Tonali are also among the players United’s recruitment team have discussed and will continue to explore.

One well-placed source has told BBC Sport that, via an intermediary, United have made a tentative enquiry about Brighton midfielder Baleba in recent months.

However, any successful move for the Cameroonian will depend on Brighton’s valuation, which reports suggest is £100m.

While United accept they will have to make a massive financial outlay to land one of their preferred midfielders, whether they would be willing to match the sort of fee Brighton will be looking for is in question.

Crystal Palace’s Wharton is certainly admired at United, but whether he fits the sort of profile the club are looking for is unclear.

Wharton is viewed as a player who benefits from having runners alongside him in midfield, allowing him to execute the passes that have become synonymous with his burgeoning reputation as one of England’s best emerging talents.

Palace have explored the possibility of offering Wharton – whose contract has three years to run – a new deal with a release clause in the hope of securing his future before next season.

Similarly with Tonali, Newcastle have a history of making things difficult for clubs interested in their players. Just ask Alexander Isak and Liverpool.

But there is a suggestion the Italy midfielder is open to leaving St James’ Park this summer, with his representatives understood to be scoping out the market to ascertain which clubs may be interested.

Outside the Premier League, Atalanta midfielder Ederson is among the players in Europe who club recruitment staff have identified as having potential.

There is a world in which United look to sign two number sixes, particularly if Manuel Ugarte leaves – which is possible this summer – though in such a scenario it is very likely the second capture would be rotated more than their primary signing.

The expected exits of Rasmus Hojlund and Marcus Rashford this summer will help supplement United’s transfer budget, which will also need to stretch to signing a left-winger and potentially a central defender, though that would depend on the outcome of the Harry Maguire’s talks over a new deal.

But the number six is set to be the big one to watch.

Falkirk have all but sealed their first ever top-six finish in the Premiership. With three games to go until the split, the Bairns have a nine-point advantage over seventh-placed Dundee United and are 10 goals better off.

“We still want to go and do the job on Saturday,” McGlynn said.

“If we get that 45-point marker, which we targeted, that’s it done and dusted, and if we win on Saturday, we get to 46.

“We’ve got three games and we obviously want to get that as soon as possible, regardless of top six, bottom six, or anything.

“And, of course, if we can do that, Hibs are travelling to Motherwell and all of a sudden we’re chasing Hibs.

“We’re only one point behind them if the results go for us at the weekend and we take care of our own job.”

Manchester United boss Michael Carrick admits he has no idea when Matthijs de Ligt will be fit to play again.

De Ligt was an ever-present in the team’s defence for the first 13 games of the season before he unexpectedly missed the home game with West Ham on 4 December.

At the time, head coach Ruben Amorim said it was a “small thing” and he expected to have the Dutchman back for the trip to Wolves four days later.

As it turned out, De Ligt never played for Amorim again. He is still to recover from his back injury and given he is missing this weekend’s game against Bournemouth, the 26-year-old will have been out of action for more than four months by the time Manchester United next play again, against Leeds at Old Trafford on 13 April.

Carrick would not speculate when asked if there was a possibility De Ligt might not be able to play again for the remainder of the campaign. However, he acknowledged the nature of the injury meant it was impossible to put a timescale on his return.

“It’s difficult to say, just because it’s taken that much time,” he said.

“With backs sometimes you think it’s all right and all of a sudden it’s not quite right.

“We’re just being patient and working through it. We’ll give him time and try to get him back as quickly as we can, but it’s really difficult to say.”

It had been anticipated De Ligt would be part of the Netherlands squad at this summer’s World Cup after being picked by national coach Ronald Koeman for qualifying matches in September and November.

Those hopes are now receding as De Ligt struggles to find a solution to his back issue, although Carrick opted not to engage in thoughts the former Ajax, Juventus and Bayern Munich player might have to undergo surgery.

“I don’t want to get into that at this stage,” he said.

“We’ll try and do whatever we can to help and we’re working through that now.

“I’m not trying to hide anything. He’s improving. It’s just not as quick as we all hope.”