INT SPL - Scottish Premier League

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Celtic defender Emilio Izaguirre named Scotland's players' player of the year

Celtic defender Emilio Izaguirre has been awarded with Scotland's players' player of the year.

The left-back joined from the Honduras team Motagua for an undisclosed fee last August, joining on a four-year deal.

The 24-year-old went head to head with the likes of Rangers' Steven Naismith, Kilmarnock's Alexei Eremenko and team-mate Gary Hooper.

"Emilio has probably been the signing of the season and it's brilliant for him to win," Celtic assistant manager Johan Mjallby told reporters.

"He has been absolutely marvellous. He is maybe not the best left-back in the world, but he is up there.

"I think this boy has every chance to be one of the best in the world."

Dundee United striker David Goodwillie scooped the Scottish PFA young player of the year award, while Nikica Jelavic's overhead kick for Rangers against Aberdeen on 13 April was announced as goal of the season.

 

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Whyte's takeover moves a step closer as Alastair Johnston agrees to stand down

Craig Whyte hopes to finally wrap up his takeover of Rangers on Thursday after arriving in Scotland to talk to owner Sir David Murray in Edinburgh.

The 40-year-old first outlined his plans to buy the Scottish champions to the stock exchange in November, and has been in discussions ever since.

Whyte was close to completing a deal with Murray and main creditor Lloyds Banking Group last month, but the move appeared to collapse following doubts raised by chairman Alastair Johnston, who was believed to be seeking an alternative plan.

After proving his commitment and credentials to the board, they decided the deal was back on and Whyte was the right man for the club, with Johnston telling the BBC: "The committee are now much closer to viewing Craig Whyte's bid as the right one for Rangers."

Rangers' non-executive director Paul Murray stated last week that he believed Whyte was not suited to takeover the club and made his own £25 million bid.

However, it now appears that Whyte is close to completing the deal, as Johnston confirmed he will stand down from his post later this month.

Johnston told BBC Scotland: "A great deal of work has been done by the board and I'm very proud of that.

"I'm confident that the efforts of the board have improved the deal significantly for the benefit of the club.

"Our views will come out in the future and I'm comfortable with that, but I don't want to stand in the way of progress.

"I will resign as intended on May 16 but will be working hard until then to make sure Rangers secure the SPL title.

"After that I will go back to being the club's number one fan."

 

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Craig Whyte completes Rangers takeover

Craig Whyte has completed his takeover of Rangers having become the majority shareholder after acquiring 85.3% of the shares in the SPL club.

Whyte has replaced Sir David Murray as the owner of the current SPL league leaders and acquired the 59-year-old's shares for a sum of £1.

Wavetower Limited, owned by Whyte, released a statement to the London Stock Exchange on Friday evening to confirm the transition of power.

"Craig is a lifelong Rangers supporter and is very much looking forward to guiding and assisting Rangers in its development over the coming years," said the statement on behalf of the 40-year-old.

"Wavetower is pleased to announce that it has today acquired 92,842,388 ordinary shares, representing approximately 85.3% of the issued share capital in The Rangers Football Club PLC, for a consideration of £1.

"Wavetower acquired its interest in the club from Murray MHL Limited.

"The acquisition would ordinarily have required Wavetower to make a general offer in cash under Rule 9 of the Takeover Code to all other shareholders in the club.

"But, as the consideration paid by Wavetower for the shares acquired is £1, the Takeover Panel has granted Wavetower a dispensation from making such an offer.

"Wavetower intends to post a circular to the club's shareholders by 16 May 2011 containing background information on Wavetower and other relevant information.

"Wavetower intends to maintain the club's listing on PLUS Markets for a minimum of 12 months from the date of this announcement."

 

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Rangers - Hearts Preview

PROBABLE LINE-UPS


Rangers (4-4-2): McGregor, Whittaker, Bougherra, Weir, Papac, Naismith, Davis, Edu, Wylde, Jelavic, Lafferty.

Rangers have no fresh injury concerns, although Walter Smith could welcome Lee McCulloch back into the squad after the midfielder recovered from a knee injury.


Hearts (4-4-2): MacDonald, Zaliukas, Thomson, Black, Skacel, Jonsson, Palazuelos, Stevenson, Mrowiec, Elliott, Templeton.

Lee Wallace and Andy Webster are expected to return from injuries and be included in Saturday’s squad. Andy Driver is available before undergoing a hernia operation on Tuesday. Jamie MacDonald is expected to replace Marian Kello once again, as Kello is suffering from personal problems.

Midfielder Rudi Skacel is expected to be fit despite a persistent Achilles problem, while Kello could be joined by Ismael Bouzid, Suso Santana, Jason Thomson, Calum Elliot and Kevin Kyle on the sidelines.

 

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Kilmarnock - Celtic Preview

PROBABLE LINE-UPS


Kilmarnock (4-4-1-1): Bell, Hay, Sissoko, Clancy, Bryson, Dayton, Aubameyang, Pascali, Silva, Kelly, Eremenko.

Kilmarnock will have to make a few changes from the side which drew with Hearts. James Fowler is serving a ban, while Jamie Hammil has a hamstring injury, and Ryan O’Leary and Frazer Wright are long-term absentees.

James Dayton could make his first start after recovering from cruciate ligament damage.


Celtic (4-4-2): Forster, Rogne, Izaguirre, Majstorovic, Loovens, Maloney, Commons, Brown, McCourt, Stokes, Hooper.

Defenders Charlie Mulgew and Mark Wilson are both doubts through injury, while defender Glenn Loovens has picked up a strain and may miss out.

Georgios Samaras and Anthony Stokes are both suspended.
Beram Kayal and Joe Ledley are out for the season but Andreas Hinkel could come back into the squad after injury.

 

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Kilmarnock 0-2 Celtic

Celtic kept up the pressure on Rangers with a comfortable 2-0 victory over Kilmarnock at Rugby Park. A first half header from captain Scott Brown followed by a second half stunner from Kris Commons was enough to seal three points for the Bhoys.

Celtic knew that anything but a win against Kilmarnock would all but end their chances of regaining the SPL title from rivals Rangers.

The Hoops had thrown away their game in hand against Inverness Caledonian Thistle and Rangers had moved further ahead after a resounding 4-0 victory over Hearts on Saturday.

Neil Lennon's men had the better of the opening exchanges and Daryl Murphy lashed wide, whilst James Dayton found himself some space at the other end of the pitch, but his shot could only find the side netting.

Celtic weren't helped by a rough pitch at Rugby Park, but thought they were ahead when Gary Hooper bundled home after Daniel Majstorovic had his header saved, but Hooper was in an offside position when Majstorovic got to the ball.

Kilmarnock were struggling to get forward and were pushed back by the Glasgow side, but chances were rare, Kris Commons coming the closest when his free-kick clipped the bar.

The drama continued when Commons had a goal of his own disallowed, once again for offside when after Daryl Murphy's original shot was blocked, the winger prodded home from an offside position.

In first half stoppage time, Celtic got their just rewards when Brown stooped to head home from close range. Daryl Murphy's deep cross had found James Forrest who did well to find Brown in the six-yard box, and the visitors went into half-time with a lead.

The second half started pretty much as the first had ended, with Kilmarnock looking to hit Celtic on the break, whilst Lennon's side struggled to carve out any real chances.

The game was all but sealed with just over twenty minutes to go when Commons unleashed a stunning strike which rippled in the top corner. Celtic deserved the margin they had earned as the Rugby Park crowd began to go quiet.

Celtic kept control of the ball well in the remaining minutes, holding on for a crucial victory which keeps the pressure on Rangers as the SPL reaches its climax.

 

[TXT]

sizen ni cam ranger lak menang SPL

 

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Celtic boss Neil Lennon attacked by Hearts fan during SPL fixture

Celtic manager Neil Lennon has been attacked by a Hearts supporter during the Scottish Premier League match at Tynecastle.

Celtic won the game 3-0 thanks to a brace from Gary Hooper and a strike from Kris Commons to ensure the SPL title race stays alive into the final game of the season at the weekend, but the attack on Lennon will dominate the headlines.

The incident happened soon after Hooper scored his second goal of the game to put Celtic 2-0 up early in the second half.

As the players made their way back to the centre circle for the restart, a supporter ran from the main stand behind the Celtic dugout.

He ran unchallenged into the Celtic technical area and made contact with Lennon, before being wrestled to the ground by stewards. The supporter was then handcuffed by police and led up the tunnel.

Lennon, who has been the subject of death threats and has been sent letter bombs this season, was visibly shocked as he retreated from his usual place on the sideline to the back of the dugout.

The Celtic manager was later seen sharing a joke with his backroom staff and returned to the touchline once order had been restored.

His team certainly didn’t seem fazed by the incident either, adding to their lead through Kris Commons with just over 10 minutes remaining, to ensure that they kept in touch with Walter Smith’s men at the top of the table.

UPDATE: The supporter in question has been arrested with Lothian and Borders Police, as well as Hearts themselves, confirming they will carry out an investigation.

 

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Celtic manager Neil Lennon has been attacked by a Hearts supporter during the Scottish Premier League match at Tynecastle.

Celtic won the game 3-0 thanks to a brace from Gary Hooper and a strike from Kris Commons to ensure the SPL title race stays alive into the final game of the season at the weekend, but the attack on Lennon will dominate the headlines.

The incident happened soon after Hooper scored his second goal of the game to put Celtic 2-0 up early in the second half.

As the players made their way back to the centre circle for the restart, a supporter ran from the main stand behind the Celtic dugout.

He ran unchallenged into the Celtic technical area and made contact with Lennon, before being wrestled to the ground by stewards. The supporter was then handcuffed by police and led up the tunnel.

Lennon, who has been the subject of death threats and has been sent letter bombs this season, was visibly shocked as he retreated from his usual place on the sideline to the back of the dugout.

The Celtic manager was later seen sharing a joke with his backroom staff and returned to the touchline once order had been restored.

His team certainly didn’t seem fazed by the incident either, adding to their lead through Kris Commons with just over 10 minutes remaining, to ensure that they kept in touch with Walter Smith’s men at the top of the table.

UPDATE: The supporter in question has been arrested with Lothian and Borders Police, as well as Hearts themselves, confirming they will carry out an investigation.

celtic ke ranger yg monang SPL nih

 

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'It's a dark day for Scottish football' - Celtic assistant Johan Mjallby labels

Celtic assistant manager Johan Mjallby has called the attack on Neil Lennon during the 3-0 win over Hearts "an absolute disgrace" and claimed the incident signals a dark day for Scottish football.

The Celtic boss was attacked by a Hearts fan in the aftermath of Gary Hooper’s second goal and Mjallby revealed Lennon was left stunned after the incident.

"What happened to Neil, it's a dark day for Scottish football," Mjallby told Sky Sports. "It's an absolute disgrace.

"I've never seen anything like it. Obviously he [Lennon] is a bit shaken but OK. "What happened to Neil, it's a dark day for Scottish football.

"I saw someone coming and obviously we didn't react at first but we were obviously a bit shocked all of us."

Mjallby was left shocked that a fan was able to get so close to the Celtic boss and revealed that he doesn’t know how much more abuse Lennon can take, after also receiving death threats and parcel bombs in recent times.

He added: "Of course Neil has had the death threat and obviously what can you do?

"The guy could've had anything in his hand. It was shocking.

"Obviously It's only been a few minutes after the game finished so I haven't really had time to speak to Neil.

"We all know he's a strong character but how much can a guy take?

"So we hope he is going to be in good mood later tonight but I really don't know at this given moment.

The former Sweden international also insisted that an investigation into the incident should take place, with the safety of managers coming into question.

"Of course we have to look into it. This can't happen again," he continued.

"We all want the game to be played nicely on the pitch but we all need to be secure in our jobs as well. It's something we definitely have to investigate and look into."

Celtic players were left shocked by the incident too, with Kris Commons, the scorer of the Hoops third goal, describing the incident as "outrageous".

"I'm lost for words. It shouldn't be in the game or anywhere near football. A manager being attacked on the sideline is outrageous," he said.

Defender Mark Wilson also commented on the attack, insisting that his manager will quickly get over the incident.

"I firmly believe he is too strong a character for that," he said.

"He has been through a lot this season, I can't remember any other manager going through that before. He has dealt with it but tonight was a real low point for Celtic and Scottish football.

"But I think he is strong enough to deal with it.

"He has a real love for the club and I don't think he would let that affect him. It is a sad night but it is not a sad dressing room. Apart from 30 seconds of madness, it is a real good night for us.

"But of course all the spotlight is going to be on this nut case who ran on. It should never happen, obviously.”

Wilson also revealed that Lennon wasn’t concerned with the incident after the game, instead concentrating on catching Rangers at the top of the SPL.

"He [Lennon] was upbeat and delighted in the dressing room, you wouldn't think anything had happened," he said.

"That's the kind of guy he is, very strong and purely focused on trying to win this league."