INT SPL - Scottish Premier League

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Neil Lennon hopeful that Emilio Izaguirre and Beram Kayal will sign new deal

Celtic manager Neil Lennon is hopeful of keeping both Emilio Izaguirre and Beram Kayal at the club by convincing them to sign new contracts.

Honduran defender Izaguirre won a host of individual awards in the 2010-11 season, and has been linked with a move to Manchester United, while Israeli Kayal has attracted interest from Valencia and Liverpool.

However, Lennon is hopeful of the pair signing new deals, and told The Sunday Scottish Mail:
"We've opened preliminary talks with Kayal's people.

"He knows I want to keep him and he's making the right noises about staying. That's great news. It's the same for Izaguirre.

"Going to Australia on tour this week will give me the chance to sit down with Beram.

"I'll need to sit down with Beram, look him in the eye and get a feel for what he's thinking. He knows I have his best interests at heart."

Lennon accepts that the Premier League and the prospect of being at a ‘Big Four’ club is appealing, but he believes that remaining with Celtic will benefit both players in the long run.

"I can help them progress. They have the supporters on their side and a great affiliation with them. They would struggle to get that at many other clubs," he added.

"I'm sure there are Premiership clubs that could offer them better deals but at this stage of their careers money shouldn't be that important.

"There is no need for them to rush off and go to the Premiership just yet. They can stay here a year or two and then look at things after that.

"My whole point to them will be that unless it's a top-four club in England then I don't think there are many better places to be than here."

 

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Dundee United receive two offers for striker David Goodwillie - neither from Rangers

Dundee United have received two offers for their young striker David Goodwillie, but neither of which were from Rangers, according to a source at the club.

Both bids failed to match the £2 million asking price Dundee United have set for the Scotland international, who is regarded as a highly-rated talent in Scottish football.

A club spokesman told BBC Scotland: "No-one has met our valuation yet, but that doesn't stop people putting offers in. We've had two today. It's ongoing."

Rangers owner Craig Whyte believes that United’s asking price is far too much for the 22-year-old, but stated that negotiations are by no means closed.

United manager Peter Houston admitted the club would find it hard to keep Goodwillie this summer.

"I'm caught between a rock and a hard place with Goody," he said.

"If he goes, it'll allow me to strengthen the team, but I'd be foolish to want rid of him. He scores between 15 and 20 goals a season.

"But we're a provincial club and, if somebody offers the right money for him, he'll be off.

"Rangers enquired about what his valuation was. The chairman told them what that is and I think Rangers felt it was a bit too much for them."

 

[victor rock]

I m quite new here
I just know about EPL and nothing more
can anyone share me the history of SPL

 

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I m quite new here
I just know about EPL and nothing more
can anyone share me the history of SPL

you can read the info at the 1st page.
thanks.

 

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Hearts youngster Scott Robinson desperate to play against Tottenham

Hearts midfielder Scott Robinson has admitted he is desperate to play against Tottenham on Thursday.

The two clubs are set to meet in the first leg of their Europa League playoff tie at Tynecastle and the 19-year-old is relishing the test against Harry Redknapp's side.

Speaking to Hearts TV, Robinson said: "All I've been thinking about is the Tottenham game - it would be great to be part of that. It would be the biggest game of my career so far."

After their Premier League opener against Everton was postponed, the match against Hearts will be Spurs' first competitive fixture of the season.

"I'm sure it will be a great side,” Robinson continued. "We've got to try to be up to the test as best we can.

"Trying not to concede is the main thing. If you don't concede an away goal it's a bonus.

"It's against Tottenham, so it's going to be a hard game. We'll see what happens and do our best."

 

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Ki Sung-Yueng: I was so jet-lagged after Korea friendly that I can't remember my goal

Celtic's midfielder Ki Sung-Yueng has admitted he was jet-lagged during Saturday's 5-1 league win over Dundee United having played for his country in midweek.

Ki played a full game in midfield in Korea's 3-0 loss to Japan in Sapporo last week before making the long trip back to Scotland where he put in another 90 minutes for the Hoops.

The 22-year-old told STV he was far from 100 per cent yet still got his name on the scoresheet.

"I was seeing two footballs at times. I can't even remember what my goal looked like because I was too tired," Ki said.

"There was such a big time difference that when I played the game it was actually time for me to sleep.

"I didn't expect to get a full game but it is a privilege to play, especially at Celtic Park, so I had to keep going, I was never going to ask to come off."

There is little time for Ki to rest either, with Celtic due to face Swiss club Sion in the Europa League qualifiers on Thursday.

Ki added: "The couple of days rest at the start of the week will do me good because then I will be ready again for Thursday. We all want to play in Europe and we have to show we are capable of doing that.

"It will be great experience for all of us if we qualify. There is a big difference because we have been together for a year now and we all know each other better."

 

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On-loan Arsenal youngster Kyle Bartley says he will play in any position for Rangers

Rangers defender Kyle Bartley is eager to return to first-team football – in whatever position manager Ally McCoist sees fit.

The youngster, currently on loan from Arsenal, has been out of action since August after a hernia operation, and new signing Carlos Bocanegra has struck up an impressive partnership with Dorin Goian in his absence.

But the former England youth international has admitted he does not mind where he plays, as long as he can get back in to the side.

"If I have to play a different position to get my place back, so be it," the 20-year-old told BBC Scotland.

"I am a keen player, the team's been doing well, the defence has been doing well.

"I said when I first came here, I wasn't going to start the first few games, but I came into the midfield and did well and stayed in the team."

Bartley impressed in his first spell with Rangers, operating regularly in both midfield and defence until his season was curtailed by a knee injury. Although not fully fit to return to the fray just yet, Bartley has targeted the friendly with Liverpool at Ibrox on October 18 as his ideal comeback.

"Obviously I'm a couple of weeks away," he added.

"I won't be back to full fitness in the next week or so, but hopefully by then I should be able to play."

Rangers' match with Liverpool is set to take place just days before they face a tough trip to Tynecastle to take on Hearts in the SPL. But despite the unusual timing for an exhibition match, Bartley feels his side could benefit from taking on the English giants.

"I think the game can benefit us," he continued.

"We obviously went out of Europe, which was a massive of disappointment, but I think playing someone like Liverpool will be a great test."

 

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Neil Lennon confident that Celtic can reignite their title campaign

Neil Lennon has assured Celtic fans that he can see the determination required in the club's players to see them close the 10-point gap on Rangers and mount a challenge for the title.

Many critics have already started dismissing any chance of Celtic winning the league, after their 2-0 defeat at the hands of Hearts.

Lennon has rubbished claims that his side have already failed in their title challenge so early in the season, but admits there is no room for error from now on.

Lennon told The Glasgow Evening News: "There is a real determination amongst us all, backroom staff and particularly the players, to get a consistent run of wins going now,

“"They're capable of doing that and they've proved that. We can't afford to lose many more games.

"We need to work very hard and get some steel about us to make sure there's a determination to win each and every game we play.

"We haven't put the full package together for a sustained period of time but I've no doubt that we will."

The SPL is often seen as a two-horse race between the two Glasgow based clubs, and Lennon has failed to overcome Rangers in the league as of yet during his spell as manager Celtic Park.

 

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St Mirren 2-1 Rangers

Nine-man Rangers were stunned by St Mirren in Paisley, surrendering an early lead given to them by Lee Wallace to lose 2-1 as they slipped up in the title race.

Aaron Mooy and Paul McGowan scored just before the break for St Mirren to put the hosts in front, after Lee McCulloch had been dismissed for elbowing Graham Carey. Dorin Goian was later sent off for a second bookable offence as Rangers saw their lead at the top of the SPL ominously eroded.

Ally McCoist's side had need to win to ensure they remained top of the Scottish Premier League at the turn of the year, regardless of the result of Wednesday's eagerly anticipated Old Firm clash with second-placed Celtic. As it is, their lead over the Hoops could be down to a single point later today.

The Buddies, seeking their first home win against Rangers since October 2008, brought in Lee Mair and Mooy, while the leaders made three changes. Kyle Lafferty, McCulloch and Goian were all back in the starting line-up, and Sone Aluko was among the substitutes after completing his two-match ban for simulation.

A lively start saw St Mirren threaten by stringing a clutch of passes together, and Rangers respond with a swift counter-attack that ended with Gregg Wylde shooting wide with Lafferty well-placed.

Lafferty then fired in a shot that was narrowly wide following good work by Steven Davis, while at the other end Allan McGregor saved a shot from distance by McGowan.

A goal looked imminent and 11 minutes into the game it arrived, Rangers taking the lead when Wallace's pace took him in behind the Buddies' defence where he slotted the ball beyond keeper Craig Samson.

However, 12 minutes later midfielder McCulloch was sent off for using his elbow in a challenge with Carey.

McCoist responded by sending on Maurice Edu in place of Wylde in an attempt to tighten things up in the middle, but McGregor soon had to pull off a smart save to deny Steven Thompson from McGowan's corner. And in a dramatic last few minutes of the first-half, St Mirren turned the game on its head with two goals.

On 44 minutes Mooy eluded a couple of tackles on the edge of the area and let fly to beat McGregor. Then in the second minute of stoppage time the home support were ecstatic as McGowan collected David Barron's astute pass and found the corner of the net.

Rangers began the second period piling on the pressure as they looked for an equaliser, but when Davis set up Nikica Jelavic the striker could only shoot wide in a one-on-one with Samson to squander a golden chance.

The visitors were also taking risks though, and St Mirren defender Marc McAusland put the ball wide from close range from a Gary Teale free-kick.

Rangers appeared at times to be making light of their numerical disadvantage in terms of possession and territory, but they should have been punished on the counter-attack had St Mirren not repeatedly fallen into the offside trap.

Things went from bad to worse for Rangers when Goian, already booked, was dismissed for needlessly pulling on Teale's shirt. And as the game neared its climax McAusland and Jelavic were cautioned for a flare-up prompted by Jelavic's challenge.

 

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Celtic 2-1 Kilmarnock

Celtic capitalised after Rangers slipped up against St Mirren earlier in the day by securing a 2-1 win over Kilmarnock to move to within a point of their fierce Glasgow rivals in the SPL table.

Georgios Samaras was the hero at Parkhead as he grabbed both goals to ensure Neil Lennon's side would pick up all three points and crank up the pressure on Gers in the title race in Scotland.

The hosts came close to opening the scoring when James Forrest flashed a shot from distance just wide of Kilmarnock goalkeeper Cameron Bell's left-hand post.

Kenny Shiels' side had a chance to take a surprise lead when Dean Shiels' effort beat Fraser Forster only to drift agonisingly past the post.

Forrest then brought a save out of Bell before Hooper fired the rebound over the bar and Shiels again caused problems at the other end, forcing Forster to make a decent save.

The Hoops would take the lead just before half-time, though, as Samaras got on the end of a deflected Cha Du-ri cross to head home.

The start of the second half saw Killie's claims for a penalty turned down after Forrest seemingly blocked Danny Bujis' attempted cross with his arm.

Samaras made it two 15 minutes into the second half as, after receiving a pass from strike partner Gary Hooper, he faked to shoot before driving the ball into the net to give the Hoops a two-goal advantage.

Danny Racchi gave the visitors hope of a late comeback after he slotted home low past Forster but it wasn't enough as the home side hung on in the final minutes to secure all three points.

The result ensures that Lennon's side are just a point behind Rangers going into Wednesday's crucial meeting between the Old Firm at Celtic Park.