Arnold calls time on his six-year Australia tenure
Aclutch of Scottish Premiership players will be working under a new international head coach after Australia manager Graham Arnold stood down from his position with the Socceroos.
The 61-year-old – who led Australia to the World Cup in 2022 – has decided to stand down in the wake of two disappointing results in the last international break, losing to Bahrain and drawing with Indonesia. The results leave the Socceroos in a precarious position as they bid to make the World Cup in 2026 and Arnold believes now is the right time to walk away.
Australia draw a number of players from the top flight of Scottish football, with Hearts trio Kye Rowles, Cammy Devlin and Calem Nieuwenhof on the Socceroos’ radar, while Hibs duo Martin Boyle and Lewis Miller are regulars in the squad. Ross County’s Josh Nisbet was in the previous group, while Dundee United right-back Ryan Strain and Motherwell forward Apostolos Stamatelopoulos have also been recent call-ups.
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Arnold calls time on his six-year Australia tenure
Aclutch of Scottish Premiership players will be working under a new international head coach after Australia manager Graham Arnold stood down from his position with the Socceroos.
The 61-year-old – who led Australia to the World Cup in 2022 – has decided to stand down in the wake of two disappointing results in the last international break, losing to Bahrain and drawing with Indonesia. The results leave the Socceroos in a precarious position as they bid to make the World Cup in 2026 and Arnold believes now is the right time to walk away.
Australia draw a number of players from the top flight of Scottish football, with Hearts trio Kye Rowles, Cammy Devlin and Calem Nieuwenhof on the Socceroos’ radar, while Hibs duo Martin Boyle and Lewis Miller are regulars in the squad. Ross County’s Josh Nisbet was in the previous group, while Dundee United right-back Ryan Strain and Motherwell forward Apostolos Stamatelopoulos have also been recent call-ups.
Martin Boyle and Cammy Devlin play for the Australia team. | SNS Group
In position since 2018, Arnold held talks with the Australian FA earlier this week on his future and decided that change was needed.
“I said after the Indonesia game that I had some big decisions to make,” Arnold said. “I followed my gut and have gone with the decision of, after 40 years service and six years at the helm of coaching the Socceroos, that it’s time for change and time for me to move on.
“I’ve got to be honest, and I always am, I have struggled a little bit since the Asian Cup loss. I truly went to that Asian Cup thinking that we were going to win it.
“I do believe that I’ve got the maximum out of this group of players. When I say that, someone else can come in and get more. Myself, and the staff, have done everything we possibly can.
“I’ve bled green and gold for 40 years, and I look back at the tenure of six years and where I had to rebuild. I coached the Olympic team and developed those players quite quickly. It was a quick, quick fix to create depth.
“Obviously, COVID hit and being stuck away for six months and not being able to come back to Australia and see family and friends was also a tough time. But, everything happens for a reason and you gave all those sacrifices and everything, and we got paid back with the World Cup, where we finished 11th in the world – the greatest Socceroos team in history.
“Even being voted as number one coach at the World Cup by L’Equipe magazine is something special, and I just feel again that the boys have given me everything they’ve got, and I can’t be more thankful for their sacrifices and everything that they’ve done.”
Credible reporter offers an update on Philippe Clement’s Rangers future
Reliable journalist Chris Jack has provided a significant update regarding Philippe Clement’s future as Rangers manager, with a twist emerging versus reports in recent days.
Clement under pressure at Rangers
After missing out narrowly on a Scottish Premiership and Scottish Cup double last season, the hope was that the Gers would find another gear this time around, especially after adding nine new players to their squad.
Things haven’t yet panned out that way, however, with an opening weekend draw away to Hearts immediately allowing Celtic to gain an early advantage in the title race. A 3-0 defeat at Parkhead made the situation even worse, and Rangers were also dumped out of the Champions League before the group stage even got underway, having lost to Dynamo Kyiv over two legs.
For that reason, Clement has found himself under plenty of pressure of late, with one report even claiming that the Belgian is “fighting for his job” and could be sacked within a matter of weeks, highlighting the need for big improvements on the pitch.
Sunday’s 1-0 victory away to Dundee United was a vital result for the manager, even though it wasn’t necessarily convincing for the full 90 minutes, and now a new update has emerged over his future at Ibrox.
Journalist drops new Clement update at Rangers
According to the reliable Jack for the Rangers Review, Rangers have no plans to sack Clement currently, a sharp U-turn from the reports since the defeat to Celtic. He states that the Scottish giants remain “fully committed” to the 50-year-old, even though the Gers’ start to the season hasn’t been as impressive as many hoped it would be.
This is a refreshing stance for Rangers to take, in truth, during an era where managers are sacked far too easily and quickly, with patience very much a thing of the past. There is no question that aspects of the Gers’ current performances are not good enough, which falls on the manager, but this isn’t a time to overreact, considering his side are still only five points adrift of Celtic in the title battle.
That’s not to say that Clement shouldn’t be under pressure, however, with high standards expected at a club of Rangers’ stature, but alarm bells should only truly ring if more negative results happen in the coming weeks.
Pundit Michael Stewart is worried about the future of Gers boss, saying “I fear for the manager” and that “there is a real pressure that is building”, and while that opinion is arguably fair, it would be wrong to relieve him of his duties at this point, considering he only took charge last October.
In that time, Clement has won the Scottish League Cup and pushed Celtic close to two major trophies, and the key now is for Rangers to hit a sustained period of good form, in order to ease the pressure on him.
Ally McCoist supports Dave King in his efforts to pull the Rangers out of a “state,” although they disagree on the Ibrox investment.
The South-African based businessman wants back in and the club’s record goalscorer isn’t against it
Upbeat Ally McCoist believes Dave King is the man to help fix Rangers but the Ibrox legend fears the club he loves are in a “state” after John Bennett‘s exit.
The 60-year-old wished the departing chairman well and reckons King fits the criteria to give the Ibrox side a jolt. The former chairman – who was in charge between 2015 and 2020 – has been making his voice heard in recent months and now has stated his intention to return after Bennett’s exit. King is convinced Rangers need new leadership with a long-term plan and he is proposing he steers the ship for the first two years of that. McCoist isn’t against it and backed the South African-based businessman.
Speaking on talkSPORT in the wake of King’s big announcement, McCoist said: “We’ve got to do something. We have to, the first thing I would like to do is echo the views and wish John Bennett a return to full health. He is a good man and that is the most important thing. At this moment in time, we have no chairman, (former chief exec) James Bisgrove left for Saudi Arabia, you have got to say, the club is in a state, it is in a state.”
But King and McCoist have differing views over external investment. The former Rangers chairman is utterly convinced those with deep pockets would welcome his push to come back, however, McCoist retains a healthy dose of skepticism that rich benefactors are willing to plough money into the Ibrox club.
He added: “Dave King has come in before, and grabbed the club by the scruff of the neck, shook it around, and turned it around. But can he do it again? At this moment in time, I think he is probably our best option. We are not going to get any Arab Sheikh coming over, I don’t see it happening. From where I am sitting, the best option would be to go with another tried and tested, He has been there before and had success. It would be a gamble, no matter who comes in, but I think someone like Dave King, who has had a proven track record, would be good.”
Keith Wyness says Rangers can “turn season around” and makes a Europa League claim.
Aberdeen’s former chief Keith Wyness has insisted Rangers have a “very remote” chance of progressing in the Europa League.
Speaking on the new edition of Football Insider’s Inside Track podcast, the 66-year-old – who served as CEO at Aberdeen between 2000 and 2004, had lengthy spells as the chief of Everton and Aston Villa and now runs a football consultancy advising elite clubs – claimed qualifying from the league phase could “turn the whole season around”.
Rangers start their league phase campaign later this month (26 September) against Malmo away in Sweden.
The Gers also face Lyon, FCSB, Olympiacos, Nice, Tottenham, Man United and Union Saint-Gilloise.
Philippe Clement is under pressure at Ibrox with his side already five points adrift of Celtic in the Scottish Premiership.
Rangers only have ‘remote chance’ of Europa League progression, says Wyness
Rangers reached the last 16 of the Europa League last term and were beaten finalists against Eintracht Frankfurt in the 2021-22 campaign.
Wyness told Football Insider‘s Insider Track podcast: “I think it will be tough.
“If I were a betting man, I wouldn’t bet on Rangers to qualify from that league phase.
“It’s a tough set of games and the morale at Ibrox is very low right now.
“There will be some juicy games coming up and I can’t wait to see some of them.
“But for Rangers, if they did it – it could turn the whole season around. But I think it’s a very remote chance for them right now.”
Focus is on Bajrami as the new recruit for the Rangers exhibits international calibre.
Rangers fans will be hoping that a new team emerges on the other side of the international break after serving up a horror show at Parkhead.
Philippe Clement was already under pressure after failing to qualify for the Champions League and ending the transfer window with a squad that still has issues.
What fans will be glad to see though is the sight of Nedim Bajrami in a Rangers shirt with the playmaker keeping himself sharp on international duty with Albania.
Nedim Bajrami makes Albania impression after Rangers transfer
Unfortunately, the 25-year old was deployed on the left wing rather than his preferred number 10 role, but this is what we learned as Albania overcame early pressure to see of Ukraine.
Bajrami is very good technically.
In the first half, Albania spent most of their time sitting in their own half and trying to absorb pressure.
This meant that Bajrami was backing up his left back and covering runners.
Unlike Rabbi Matondo against Celtic, their were no lapses of concentration and he stuck to his task diligently.
With possession at a minimum, Albania needed their main men to keep a hold of it when they did have the ball.
Bajrami was excellent at this.
What he also demonstrated was his ability kill rogue passes stone dead.
Several times he had to deal with rushed passes at chest and waist height but not once did he lose the ball and turn possession over.
In the final third, on the rare occasion he did get the ball, Bajrami showed the type of composure that js long been missing from Rangers attack.
There were no rushed or over hit passes and he moved the ball intelligently including a perfectly hit through ball that was fired into the side netting.
Despite being picked on the wing, Bajrami was clearly looking to get involved in the middle of the park.
Similar to how Rangers played under Steven Gerrard, Bajrami operated in an almost left-sided number 10 role, drifting inside and between the lines looking to cause Ukraine problems.
It wasn’t a great game to get an idea of what Bajrami is capable of seeing as he was playing out of position, but it gave an idea of what the Albania is capable of on a technical level.
Bajrami set to add to Rangers forward line quality
The more good players that Rangers have in the forward line, the better.
With Oscar Cortés on one side and Vaclav Cerny on the other, having Bajrami in the middle pulling the strings could make a real difference to the quality of chances being created.
When Rangers signed Bajrami, his international different league experience was obviously an attractive proposition for recruitment director Nils Koppen:
“We are delighted to welcome Nedim to Rangers and Scottish football.
“He has a lot of experience having played in the Swiss league and Serie A in recent years as well as representing his country at the Euros.
“He will further enhance the options we have available to the manager and we feel he can be a success at the football club.”
Bajrami is exactly the right type of experience that Clement needs in his squad.
With 27-caps, he has represented his country for a few years as well as competing against elite opposition in Italy.
He still has time to develop and mature into his peak which means that, if he is as good as Rangers hope, he could make the club a profit on their £3.4m investment.
Mikey Johnston did his West Brom homework prior to completing Celtic transfer
Mikey Johnston joined West Brom from Celtic on a permanent transfer on deadline day, after his successful loan.
Mikey Johnston had been watching West Bromwich Albion in action at the beginning of this new Championship season, prior to rejoining the club on a permanent basis on transfer deadline day – and the Irish international cannot now wait to get his boots on. Having secured a long awaited return in the nick of time after leaving Celtic in a deal worth £3m, Johnston is now patiently having to wait for the domestic action to return after this international break.
Albion will head to Portsmouth next weekend and Johnston will be able to reunite with many of his old teammates, who he left a positive impression on – but he knows he’ll have to earn his way back into the side, which has begun in excellent form while they waited for his return. Albion have taken ten points from a possible 12 this term and have hit the ground running under Carlos Corberan.
Johnston, who might’ve joined Burnley or Sheffield United but who knew there was only one club for him once Albion emerged with the cash required to buy him out of his Celtic contract, has kept an eye from afar on the Baggies and has liked what he has seen – but he knows he’ll have a task on his hands to cement a spot again, especially with Karlan Grant’s form in mind.
“I watched the QPR and Leeds games, I watch a lot of football and wanted to see how we were getting on to start the season,” he said. “I’ve kept in contact with everyone and kept watching. I felt this was the right option, I felt we’ve got a lot of strength and a big chance to get to the Premier League, hopefully we can do that.
“I think we’ve got a strong core, leaders in the dressing room, match-winners and I think we’ve got a good chance. Because of the time between me coming in and my first game, I’m just so anxious to get going. It’s been a great start but I’m only just in the door, nothing’s given to you so I’ve got to go and get in the team.
“The aim was to try to get us to the Premier League, we fell a bit short but I feel like we’ve got a right good chance of going at it this year.”
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