INT SPL - Scottish Premier League

[seether]

Rangers takeover bid could be finalised before Christmas

Craig Whyte’s bid to take control of Rangers could well be completed before Christmas, according to the Press Association.
The Scottish tycoon is set to meet with current owner Sir David Murray for further talks, although no date or venue has been arranged yet.

Reports indicate that the 39-year-old, who made his wealth as a venture capitalist, is presently located in London but is due to travel to Scotland this week. However, due to the severe weather — which has engulfed most of the UK — an air of uncertainty looms over any talks being held over the next couple of days.

The complex and lengthy due diligence process, which involves checking financial accounts of the club, are still in process, however once completed Whyte will decide whether or not to make a proposition for the SPL giants. It is believed that everything is going as planned and a deal could be completed around the festive period.

Rangers fan Whyte revealed last month that he was considering making an offer for the Ibrox club and was in talks with Murray International Holdings. It is understood that Whyte would control 75 per cent of the Murray’s shareholding while London-based property developer Andrew Ellis would managed the other 25 per cent. Ellis was previously involved in a failed bid earlier this year.

It is believed that Rangers' debt of £27m would be completely eradicated while releasing a substantial amount of funds to improve the squad which Walter Smith would very much welcome.

A sum of £25m over five years has been quoted as being made available for team development — although Smith is unlikely to provided with a vast amount of money to spend in the January transfer window, even if a deal is concluded by then.

 

[seether]

Snow and plunging temperatures set to cause mayhem to Scottish football this weekend

It looks like it will not be the referees that will put pay to Scottish football this weekend, as snow and plunging temperatures put the weekend's list of fixtures in jeopardy.

For the past three days copious amounts of snow has covered the whole of Scotland and, despite the forecast predicting conditions to become more settled towards the end of the week, temperatures betweeen -10C and -20C could spoil the chances of pitches being playable in the lower Scottish Leagues.

A Met Office spokesman said: "I have to be fairly pessimistic that there's going to be much football played in Scotland at all this weekend."

And despite the Scottish Premier League teams having to have undersoil heating, concerns remain for fans travelling to and from the grounds.

Main road routes north from Glasgow to Aberdeen for now remain clear but for the match at Pittodrie between Aberdeen and Celtic — which is a Saturday midday kick-off — a decision in conjunction with Grampian Police will have to be made earlier.

"We will look into it tomorrow and the day after,’’ an Aberdeen spokesman said.

"In the interests of the safety of travelling supporters we will aim to make a decision as early as possible."

Tayside Police have admitted they are not aware of any match postponements at present, although do concede that this may change due to weather conditions.

St. Johnstone host Hamilton Academical at McDiarmid Park, while Cowdenbeath are the visitors at Dundee in the First Division.

Saints manager Derek McInnes revealed that his side are scattered around the country in four different venues in an attempt to keep the players' fitness up.

 

[seether]

Biram Kayal set for Celtic return

Celtic midfielder Biram Kayal is ready to return to first team action following a lengthy lay off due to a groin injury.

The Israeli, who has been out for nearly three months, is desperate to get back into the first team fold to help improve Celtic’s stuttering league campaign.

Kayal, who has not featured since September is now back in training and ready to play as and when required by manager Neil Lennon.

Kayal told STV: “"I've had a difficult time with the injury but now I just can't wait to get back on the field.

"I returned to training and now I want to play. Hopefully over the next couple of weeks I'll get back into the team.

"Results recently haven't been what we had hoped for. But hopefully, I can now play my part.

"There is still a long way to go in the league."

Kayal, who moved to the Glasgow giants in the summer, revealed that he did have the option to take an injection back in October to cut his absence time down to one month but Lennon decided against this as he wanted to make sure the player was fully fit for the rest of the season.

Weather permitting, Celtic travel to Pittodrie this Saturday to face Aberdeen – the side they thrashed 9-0 at Parkhead only weeks ago.

 

[seether]

Neil Lennon to discover this week whether he will face disciplinary action

Celtic manager Neil Lennon will find out this week if he is to be punished by the SFA following his criticism of referee Craig Thomson during his team’s 2-0 defeat to Hearts at Tynecastle last month.

In his post-match interview Lennon described the dismissal of Joe Ledley as “scandalous” and claimed that the match officials would “probably have their story ready” in relation to him being sent to the stand during the match on the advice of fourth official Steven McLean.

The general purpose committee, who were criticised for failing to offer enough support to officials by referee Dougie McDonald during his statement in which he resigned, have the power to censure, fine or suspend Lennon for his comments.

The committee, who were due to meet at Hampden on Monday, reportedly had to cancel their meeting due to the heavy snow in Scotland, but this meeting has now taken place via conference calls with Lennon expected to find out if he will be punished by the end of this week at the latest.

Lennon has already appealed against the automatic two-match suspension he received for his sending off at Tynecastle and faces a further charge of excessive misconduct from referee Thomson for his behaviour during the match which will be dealt with by the SFA disciplinary committee next Tuesday.

 

[seether]

Aberdeen sack manager Mark McGhee

Aberdeen have sacked manager Mark McGhee, with the club currently languishing second bottom in the SPL.

McGhee’s assistants, Scott Leitch and Colin Meldrum, have both also departed according to the club’s official website.

McGhee recently survived a vote of confidence after his side’s 9-0 drubbing at the hands of Celtic in November, but it appears as though their 2-0 loss to Kilmarnock, their sixth successive defeat, proved too much for the board.

Aberdeen chairman Stewart Milne did release a short statement on the club’s website regarding McGhee’s departure, but did not reveal a timescale for his replacement to be appointed.

"On behalf of everyone at the club, I would like to thank Mark, Scott and Colin for their time at Aberdeen,” read the statement.

 

[seether]

Gordon Strachan tipped for Aberdeen job after Mark McGhee sacking

After Wednesday’s sacking of Mark McGhee, Aberdeen have commenced their search for a new manager, with previous boss Gordon Strachan being tipped to take the job by the bookies.

The dismissal of McGhee also came with news that the club were letting assistants Colin Meldrum and Scott Leitch go following the team’s sixth consecutive loss against Kilmarnock, resulting in the team becoming joint bottom of the Scottish Premier League.

The club announced plans to seek out their new manager "without any timescale being set on the appointment", with interim announcements to also set to be revealed.

Since leaving Middlesbrough in October, favourite Strachan has not worked as a manager, has been backed to snap up the job, with other bets being placed on Scotland Under-21s boss Billy Stark and ex-Hibernian manager John Hughes.

Fans appeared to be staggered by the management shake-up, as it followed a resurgence in the club’s confidence after the Dons nine-goal whitewash and club record win against Celtic earlier in the season.

“The key thing now, whether it's an interim arrangement or a permanent appointment, is getting someone in who will bring stability to the club, get results and get us away from the bottom of the table” declared Aberdeen Supporters Trust spokesman Jeremy Wood.

“The likes of John Hughes and Terry Butcher would not be popular choices. More popular would be someone like Jocky Scott, even in a mentoring role.

“What the fans will be concerned about now is landing one of the usual suspects which are always bandied about.”

Of Gordon Strachan, Wood said: “I wouldn't say he is top choice but the fans will be struggling to get their heads around who is available and who would want the job. There are not a lot of candidates.

“Derek McInnes has done a good job at St Johnstone and Billy Stark was a popular player here in the 1980s, who has done okay with the Scotland under-21s, so they could be candidates.”

Wood also reiterated the club's shock at the sacking: “I think surprise is the obvious reaction after the board had previously let things go after the Celtic and Inverness games.

“I said at the time that decision made the board look a bit indecisive and this confirms it. He was given the proverbial vote of confidence and, a couple of abject results later, he has now gone.”

A statement released on behalf of club chairman Stewart Milne stated: “On behalf of everyone at the club, I would like to thank Mark, Scott and Colin for their time at Aberdeen.

“It goes without saying that everyone at Aberdeen Football Club wishes Mark, Scott and Colin every success in the future.”

 

[seether]

Nikica Jelavic wants Rangers to return to their 2008 Europa League form

Rangers striker Nikica Jelavic has implored his team to regain their 2008 spirit and form this season in the Europa League.

The reigning Scottish Premier League champions fell at the final hurdle at the City of Manchester Stadium two years ago to Russian side Zenit St. Petersburg.

The Croatian sees no issues that could impede on Rangers success when they enter the proceedings after Christmas, after not making it into the final 16 of the Champions League.

However, Jelavic himself is ineligible to play in the fixtures as in the group stages Rangers will meet his former club Rapid, but he maintains trust in his Glaswegian colleagues.

“There is no reason why the team can't do well in the Europa League this season” declared the 25-year-old, according to the Press Association.

“I think if we can get a few players back from injury and can play with the same spirit as two years ago when we reached the Uefa Cup final, you never know what can happen."

Jelavic’s ankle injury has left him only able to watch his playing partner Kenny Miller rack up 18 goals so far this season, and he cannot wait to rejoin the frontline.

“He shows a desire to find the net in every game and I admire this a lot," he said.

"His record this season has been great and I look forward to playing alongside him again when I am fit.

“My injury is getting better and better and I hope that I can be fit again in January so I will start to play.

"Normally you should not play for three months after an operation so, with this being the case, the Celtic game will probably be my target.

"Right now I still need time but it would be nice to be back in the squad for this game. Whatever happens I just want to get back playing.

"From the first game I think I showed that I can play for Rangers and that I can score a lot of goals but I want to prove myself more and more here. This is only the beginning."

 

[seether]

Aberdeen place duo in temporary charge

Coaches Neil Cooper and Neil Simpson have been placed in temporary charge of the first team at Aberdeen as the Dons begin the search for a successor to Mark McGhee.

McGhee, along with assistants Colin Meldrum and Scott Leitch, left Pittodrie yesterday after a sixth straight league defeat at Kilmarnock on Saturday left the Dons joint bottom of the Scottish Premier League. Cooper and Simpson will be supported in their role by club captain Paul Hartley.

Aberdeen director of football Willie Miller told RedTV: "I've spoken to Neil Cooper and Neil Simpson. Neil, with Simmy assisting him, will take the first team. They've obviously got Paul Hartley there as a senior player in the dressing room and team captain and he'll help in the communication side.

"The two Neils are very committed players in the past and very committed members of the staff and just want to do the best for the club.

"I think that's the most important thing at this moment in time - we want to try to galvanise everybody to be working for the benefit of the club and going in the right direction. That's what we put in place in the short term."

Miller is part of a sub-committee featuring chairman Stewart Milne and chief executive Duncan Fraser who will draw up a shortlist of managerial candidates to present to the board. They do not intend to rush the appointment of McGhee's successor but have invited interested parties to put their name forward.

Miller added: "We don't want to put a time on it, but we'd like to get it done as soon as possible. We have to go through the procedure of building up a shortlist of potential candidates and we've set up a little sub-committee to do that.

"We're looking for applicants, building up a list of potential candidates ourselves and we'll take that process through as quickly as we possibly can."

McGhee's departure came just a few weeks after he had been given a vote of confidence in the wake of the club-record 9-0 defeat to Celtic and a loss to Inverness. Miller said it had been "time for a change".

He added: "Mark's worked hard over the period he's been at the club, but eventually, as at any club, results dictate the future of any manager.

"The decision was made by the board that we wanted to make the change at this moment in time to give us a bit of time to try to build up momentum and get some points.

"We'd like to thank Mark, Colin and Scott for their efforts, but it was time for a change and now we're moving on to make that change."

 

[seether]

Andreas Hinkel ready to leave Celtic for Bundesliga adventure

Celtic defender Andreas Hinkel has revealed he will leave the Scottish giants in the summer and join a club in the German Bundesliga.

Hinkel's current contract with Celtic expires at the end of the season but the German defender is not expected to feature for Neil Lennon's side any more as knee ligament damage will keep him out for the rest of the campaign.

Hinkel now believes his adventure in Scotland is over and that he will return home to Germany in the summer.

“My contract is up at Celtic in the summer and I will probably go back to the Bundesliga,” the 28-year-old is quoted as saying by Stv.

“I am very busy with my rehabilitation and am doing well. I am an incredibly positive person and have a good feeling I will be back fitter than ever.

“When I do [come back], I hope to catch the eye of Joachim Loew,” Hinkel added. “It might be time for me to get back in Germany's side.”

 

[seether]

Rangers chief executive Martin Bain: We will not sell Kenny Miller in January

Rangers chief executive Martin Bain has stated that, despite contract talks going nowhere fast, the club will not look to sell Kenny Miller in January in order to cash in before his deal runs out in the summer.

Manager Walter Smith has expressed his desire to keep Miller at the club, and Bain mirrors his thoughts despite the forward being linked with AC Milan.

Bain told the Daily Record: "Kenny is in a situation where I've had discussions with him and as Walter said at the weekend, talks have stalled.

"I have made Kenny an offer after many positive discussions - his agent Dave Baldwin is fine to deal with - and they have not liked the most recent offer. That's where we stand.
"My stance on selling in January, and I'm sure Walter's is the same, is that the squad is weak in terms of number and in depth.

"We are going to need everybody we can to win the championship and Kenny is going to be a big part of that. I don't see Kenny going anywhere in January. It's in my hands to say we are not selling Kenny Miller."

He added: "I'm not the type to be obstinate and remain entrenched but we have been back and forth many times.

"I really value Kenny and Walter wants him to stay - certainly not leaving in January. We have no desire for that to happen. He's playing exceptionally well.

"So on that basis, I have to juggle when you have someone doing what we ask of him and at the same time he is looking for a new contract.

"At the end of the day, budgets come into it and that's where we are."