Glasgow 2026 'unlikely' as Clark suffers setback
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BBC News
an hour ago
- BBC News
'Johnston poised for £5m move to Flamengo'
Glasgow-born Republic of Ireland winger Mikey Johnston is closing in on a transfer to Flamengo after the Brazilian club made a formal approach to West Bromwich Albion of around £5m for the 26-year-old. (Express and Star), externalMikey Johnston is travelling to Rio after West Bromwich Albion accepted a £5m offer from Flamengo, with Celtic having a sell-on agreement for the winger. (Barry Anderson on X), externalCeltic are eyeing £3m-rated Swedish winger Isak Jansson after the 23-year-old's impressive campaign with Rapid Vienna. (Scottish Sun On Sunday), externalRangers are chasing 22-year-old winger Jesurun Rak-Sakyi, who is back with Crystal Palace after his loan spell with Sheffield United, but the Ibrox club want to either take him on loan or lower the asking fee of £10m. (Scottish Sun On Sunday), externalRangers have checked details about 21-year-old winger Weslley Patati and are expected to submit an official offer to Maccabi Tel Aviv for the Brazilian in the coming days. (One), externalBesiktas have offered Wolfsburg £6m for Vaclav Cerny after Rangers failed to take up the option of signing the 27-year-old Czech Republic winger permanently after his loan when the German club asked for more than £10m. (Super Haber), external Jack MacKenzie, the 25-year-old left-back who has joined Plymouth Argyle from Aberdeen this summer, says there was never any prospect of him signing another Scottish club despite reports linking him with Rangers. (Sunday Mail), externalBurkina Faso winger Pierre Landry Kabore was not in Narva Trans' squad for their game on Saturday with the 24-year-old expected to join Heart of Midlothian this week. (Joel Sked on X), externalJames Penrice's £2m transfer to AEK Athens from Hearts includes a sell-on agreement for the Edinburgh club to receive an additional payment for the left-back they signed from Livingston for free. (Edinburgh Evening News), externalDundee United are poised to miss out on Kyle Vassell, with the 32-year-old striker in advanced talks with Colorado Rapids after leaving Kilmarnock. (Sunday Mail), externalDunfermline Athletic head coach Neil Lennon says they are closing in on a deal for 19-year-old defender Alasdair Davidson, who has been on trial after leaving Celtic, but he has decided not to pursue former Cove Rangers goalkeeper Balint Damus. (Daily Record), external
Daily Mail
3 hours ago
- Daily Mail
Pele, Muhammad Ali and Tiger Woods all have a place in this treasure trove of sporting memorabilia
IT started with two football shirts. They were placed in the cosy reception area of a small business. The company grew and so did the collection of sports memorabilia. Now, 30 years later, John Horne can reflect on how his business, JR Scaffolding, employs 200 people, And smile at how he became one of the biggest collectors of sports paraphernalia in the country. 'My wife, Annemarie, and myself started the business with 1100 quid,' he says. 'I had no business training. I had no experience of dealing with customers or contacts. We put a Celtic strip and a Rangers strip up in the reception. This was 1995 so they were signed by such as Pierre Van Hooijdonk and Jorge Cadete of Celtic and Ally McCoist and Gordon Durie of Rangers. They broke the ice when people came to visit us. 'They would ask what was my team. I never hid the fact that I was Rangers daft. But a tenner is the same colour no matter who you support.' This is said with a chuckle. Horne, manager director of JR Scaffolding, has watched his business affairs outgrow matters restricted to a tenner. He has lived a life that has taken him from Govan, through a football career that brought close encounters with such as Billy McNeill, and now to a thriving business. The sporting memorabilia, too, has moved to another level. Horne has put up 130 items for auction. These reminders of sporting triumph will help address the pain of human tragedy. The charities chosen for his largesse and that of the bidders will be close to his heart. 'The first is the Emmie Smillie Charity Foundation,' he says. Emmie died of cancer in 2015. 'Her father, Andy, has been my friend, my mentor and my father figure since my own dad passed. He was the one who told me to work for myself, to start my own business. He was the one who allowed us to use his yard and put a wee office in there. I am honoured to help the foundation.' The other charity also has personal links. MND Scotland has been chosen because his close friends are the Souttar family who lost their son Aaron to the disease three years ago, aged 42. The Souttar family, of course, has sporting heroes in the shape of both John and Harry, who play for Rangers and Leicester City, respectively. 'My youngest son, Evan, was at Celtic when he was 10 and so was Harry. They became good friends and so did me and Jack, Harry's dad. MND Scotland seemed an obvious choice.' The auction items reflect Horne's lifelong interest in sport. He has his own stories to tell of playing against Real Madrid youth teams and being praised by Billy McNeill, one of the greatest Celtic heroes. But, first, how and why did he amass such a collection of shirts, boxing gloves, signed portraits and, yes, even a signed Gazza water bottle that brings echoes of a day in 1996 that we need not go into too deeply? 'I would buy the stuff at charity auctions at sporting events and then people would approach me to see if I was interested in something. I was asked if I wanted a signed Jimmy Johnstone strip, for example. I think the guy thought I would be reluctant because I was a Rangers fan but I grabbed it right away,' he says. The memorabilia would either be stored or placed in the corridors of his large offices in Paisley. 'We have a dedicated Old Firm corridor and people just come to our offices to see it,' he says. The collection is fascinating for those who love sport. The football highlights include signed objects from Diego Maradona, Lionel Messi, Pele, Brian Laudrup, Graeme Souness, Shunsuke Nakamura and so many others. Boxing fans will be attracted by a signed Muhammad Ali photograph, a signed Lennox Lewis glove and Manny Pacquiao signed shorts. Golfers will set their sights on a Dubai Classic flag signed by Tiger Woods. The auction began on Monday and continues into next week. More than £11,000 has been pledged already but this should soar. 'I suppose I am a wee bit sad about losing some of the stuff but it is the right decision. It will all go to people who will cherish it and the funds will help the charities,' he says. The corridors will now feature images of the works completed by his firm. There will be one refuge in the offices for sporting memorabilia. 'We are building a staff gym and we will put some stuff in there,' says Horne. The 53-year-old businessman also has a museum in his home. It features Tommy McLean's shirt from the 1972 European Cup Winners' Cup final victory against Dinamo Moscow in Barcelona. It reached a world record £19,000 for a Scottish football strip. He also has memorabilia signed by Sandy Jardine. This is deeply personal, not just because Horne is a Rangers fan. 'I was signed for Hearts as a schoolboy when I was at Govan High,' he says. 'Alex MacDonald was the manager and Sandy, of course, was his assistant. Both had wonderful careers at Rangers.' Horne's career immediately went in another direction. He signed for Clydebank, playing with such talents as Chic Charnley and Owen Coyle, before signing as a teenager for Hamilton Academical. 'I had a great drive and ambition to make something of myself,' he says.. 'I realised quickly that I was not going to get anywhere fast earning 60 quid a week playing football.' The scaffolding business soon consumed him but he has much to look back on in football terms. He was given trials at Celtic and played in friendly matches and youth tournaments. 'I went to Spain and played in youth tournaments against Real Madrid, Ajax and Sporting Gijon,' he says. 'When I came back to Glasgow, Celtic asked me to play in a friendly. We were not doing too well at half-time and Billy McNeill, then the manager, came in and gave the players a roasting. 'He looked at me and said: ''Sorry, son, but I have forgotten your name.'' I told him and he told the other players: ''Look at him, he's not even signed here and he's playing as if he belongs here.'' Horne was scheduled to play in the Glasgow Cup final but the match was postponed because of a waterlogged pitch. He did play in a bounce match against the first team and that gave him a lasting memory. 'Paul McStay was playing and I have never seen anything quite like him,' he says. He then went to Leicester on trial but came back to Scotland and the Accies. 'I am an honest guy and I didn't do well at Leicester,' he says. 'I also realised that football would not fulfil my ambitions so Annemarie and I started the business.' Their personal partnership extends back to the days when they were just 15. 'We were so young when we started out,' he says. 'We worked hard and we had drive and ambition.' he says. 'We were dealing with big companies and I had no formal training in business or how to talk to these guys. So we had to do it our way and in our style. The Celtic and Rangers strips were a part of that. But we never forget that people helped us along the way. Andy Smillie was a huge part of that and still is.' Those strips hold more than just sporting memories.
Daily Record
4 hours ago
- Daily Record
Jack MacKenzie left Aberdeen to fulfil another dream as Plymouth new boy reveals the truth about Rangers swirls
The Pittodrie youth graduate has left his boyhood club to join EFL League One side Jack MacKenzie has reversed the trend – and landed his Holy Grail before he became a Pilgrim. The defender is now preparing to kick-off his new career with Plymouth Argyle. It comes just weeks after he lifted the Scottish Cup with his boyhood heroes Aberdeen. MacKenzie's final stand was parading the trophy on an open- top bus round his home city for the first time in 35 years. The 25-year-old now has a new adventure down south and said: 'I always wanted to play in England. I feel if you go down there and it works out then it could be unbelievable. 'I wanted to give it a go and am at the right age – so I'm really looking forward to getting going with Plymouth. The time was right. I love Aberdeen and it has been amazing but football is a short career. I had an urge to try something outside of Scotland. 'A new team, country and league. Moving from my home city was a difficult decision but I just felt it was the right one. I want to push myself to see how I could kick on.' MacKenzie admits he really did live the dream at Pittodrie. He said: 'I had the most amazing time at Aberdeen. It was a dream come true. 'I joined the club at nine and was there until I was 25. It was amazing and to finish it off with the Scottish Cup win – it was the perfect way to sign off. 'It was my final game for the club and it was another dream come true to end it that way. It doesn't get any better than lifting the Scottish Cup with your hometown team. There was no better way to finish.' Rumours had been rife for months that MacKenzie would be moving on. He was even linked with a move to Rangers but insists he could never have left his beloved Dons for another Scottish team. He said: 'I was never leaving Aberdeen for another Scottish club – that was never going to happen. I saw the speculation but it was miles off the mark.' MacKenzie may no longer be an Aberdeen player but he will always remain a fan and won't close the door on a Pittodrie return some time in the future. 'I would love for that door to be open,' the full-back admitted. 'My family live in the city and so do my friends. I will be back as much as I can. 'I love the club. If that option was there and the club also wanted it then, 100 per cent, I would never close the door in the future.' MacKenzie has swapped one end of Britain for the other. Tom Cleverley is his new manager after the man who signed him, Miron Muslic, left for Schalke following Plymouth's relegation to League One. It is a time of change after he lived the dream for 15 years with Aberdeen. He had been at Aberdeen since he was nine and there were many highlights – from his debut in 2021 to a landmark appearance last season. 'My debut against Dundee United at Tannadice was special,' he said. 'It has been 12 since I joined Aberdeen. Making your debut at 21 is quite late. 'Even then, I wasn't sure what was going to happen with the new manager (Stephen Glass) coming in. I was just like, 'Well, whatever happens at least now I have played for Aberdeen!' 'I managed to play a lot more games which I am delighted about. My 100th appearance, against Motherwell last season, was another high. I didn't think I'd make one appearance so to get to 100 was really big.' Another career highlight was his goal at Ibrox back in 2023 that helped to seal a 3-1 win for Aberdeen and brought the axe down on Rangers boss Michael Beale. It is one that will live long in the memory for both the player and the Red Army. MacKenzie said: 'At that point, Rangers had hardly lost to anyone at home outside of Celtic in the league. 'It felt like it was a big deal and it was bit of a big deal for me. It was a turning point for me to go and kick on. 'It gave me a massive confidence boost. A few weeks before that I had given away the penalty against Eintracht Frankfurt and it had felt that things just weren't going my way. So the Rangers game kicked me on.' So did getting called up by Steve Clarke for Scotland's Nations League games against big guns Croatia and Portugal just last year. 'It feels like a long time ago because so much has happened since then,' he joked. 'I didn't expect it at all. I am not daft – the position I play in is one of the strongest positions we have got. 'There were a lot of injuries and I got the call. I was playing well and it worked out fine. 'To experience that was incredible because I'd never played for Scotland at any age. 'It was all new for me and to go away with the full squad was really something. It was also good to be in the squad with Nicky Devlin. 'To see him get his cap was also amazing. I just need to keep playing as well as I can.'
