Latest news with #Charai
Scottish Sun
5 days ago
- Sport
- Scottish Sun
Rangers fans say ‘you know what to do' as ex-Ibrox coach gets inside info into Champions League rivals Panathinaikos
Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) AS recently as a month ago, Issame Charai was a vital part of the coaching team at Ibrox. But when he moved on by mutual consent as Russell Martin arrived at the club back in June, the Belgian can scarcely have imagined he would get a front row seat when it comes to the Ibrox side's rivals in a huge Champions League showdown. Sign up for the Rangers newsletter Sign up 3 Former Rangers assistant coach Issame Charai is now at Westerlo in Belgium Credit: Alamy 3 Facundo Pellistri in action during Panathinaikos' Austrian training camp Credit: Shutterstock Editorial That's because it just so happened that his new team Westerlo were the opponents for the last match of Panathinaikos' Austrian training camp. A cool £40m is on the line when the Greeks visit Ibrox for Tuesday's second qualifying round tie first leg, with the prospect of a fraught second match to come in Athens the following Wednesday. So the Ibrox men could do with all the help they can get - and just perhaps one phone call they will put in will be to former first team coach Charai. His Westerlo side were unable to prevent the Greeks running out 3-1 winners on the day. Goals from Adam Cerin, Facundo Pellestri and Adrianu Bregu did the damage for the Greeks, with Kyan Vaessen scoring the only goal for the Belgians. But he took to social media afterwards to hail the latest stage in an 'intense and valuable pre-season'. Charai wrote: "Great experience for the Westerlo boys in Athens against, their last game before facing Rangers. "Closing out the final weeks of an intense and valuable pre-season." Supporters of the Ibrox club were certainly of the opinion that a phone call to their former assistant coach should go in. One wrote simply: "You know what to do Issame." Rangers boss Russell Martin opens up on transfer plans as he delivers updates on Dessers and Igamane A second said: "Let Hamza know the defenders' weaknesses before Tuesday!" A third said: "Straight on the phone to Martin." When he left Charai said he had fond memories of the "constant" support. He said: "This is a really special club, and as it enters a new era, I want to wish everyone associated with the club the very best for what comes next. "Above all, I want to thank the Rangers supporters for their amazing backing across the period. "We had some high moments and some low moments, but their support was the constant. It is something I will always remember and be forever grateful for." Appointed Philippe Clement's assistant manager in January, Charai continued to serve under Barry Ferguson's interim reign. Chief executive Patrick Stewart said Charai was "a real asset" to the Ibrox club. "Through the managerial transition in February and beyond, he handled himself superbly and was a real asset to Barry and his staff during their period in charge of the team," he told the club's website. "As the men's first-team moves forth into this new era under Russell, it has been agreed between the club and Issame for him to move on." 3 Keep up to date with ALL the latest news and transfers at the Scottish Sun football page
Daily Record
6 days ago
- Sport
- Daily Record
Rangers chances against Panathinaikos rated by insider who has just warmed Greeks up for Champions League clash
Issame Charai's Westerlo were in friendly action against the Greek giants on Wednesday Former Rangers assistant coach Issame Charai admits his old team are big underdogs to overcome Panathinaikos in the Champions League qualifiers. Russell Martin will make his official debut in the Ibrox dugout when they host the Athens giants next Tuesday in the first leg of the crunch second round qualifier clash. The former Southampton boss has bolstered his squad with seven new additions so far, and more are expected to follow. Martin is bidding to become the first Gers manager since Giovanni van Bronckhorst to reach the Champions League group stage - which has now been revamped into a league phase - in the 2022/23 season. But having just come into direct contact with the Greeks in their final warm-up game ahead of the trip to Glasgow, Charai reckons it could be a tall order. The Belgian-Moroccan coach joined the Light Blues at the start of the year while Phillippe Clement was still in the hotseat and while he remained in his post under interim boss Barry Ferguson following the former's dismissal, Charai eventually left the club when Martin took up the reins. He has since landed the top job at Belgian top-flight club Westerlo and saw his team fall to a 3-1 friendly defeat to Panathaniakos on Wednesday at the Olympic Stadium in Athens. Speaking to COSMOTE TV, after the game, Charai said: "Congratulations to Panathinaikos. Friendlies are about learning a lot, like your mistakes. "We conceded three goals from a team that will play in the Champions League qualifiers. We fought as hard as we could, I would say we were brave. Rangers is a great team, but Panathinaikos is also a great team. The pressure will be great for both, they are always looking for victory. Rangers made many changes this summer. I think Panathinaikos will have its chances to qualify." Panathinakos midfielder Adam Cerin is mindful of the atmosphere at Ibrox but is confident that the Athens giants can come away with a positive result on Tuesday to set them up for the return fixture in the Greek capital. He added: "These matches are always different from the official ones. "Things are not easy, but we showed that we are in good shape. There are other factors, such as the atmosphere at Ibrox. "We prepared well and we will give everything. We will give our best there, so that we come to OAKA with a positive result." You can get all the news you need on our dedicated Rangers and Celtic pages, and sign up to our newsletters to make sure you never miss a beat throughout the season. We're also on WhatsApp where we bring all the latest breaking news and transfer gossip directly to you phone. Join our Rangers community here and our Celtic community here.
Glasgow Times
01-07-2025
- General
- Glasgow Times
East Dunbartonshire education service praised by inspectors
East Dunbartonshire Council's education service received high praise from His Majesty's Chief Inspector of Education during a thematic inspection in September 2024. The inspection, part of a national review of how Scottish local authorities support school improvement, found a culture of "high levels of trust, high aspirations and high expectations." Councillor Lynda Williamson, convener of education, said: "The report published by HM Inspectors following their recent inspection of our education service was nothing short of excellent. Read more: Charai opens up on Rangers exit and hopes for Martin at Ibrox Free dementia support clinics return to Glasgow and East Kilbride "Inspectors found the service operates within a strong culture of openness and transparency, with joint working across all schools and highly effective professional learning activities focusing on school improvement for all staff." Inspectors highlighted the service's relationship-based approach and strong collaboration across the authority, the West Partnership, and beyond. They also praised staff understanding of self-evaluation and school improvement, as well as the central team's deep knowledge of individual schools. Councillor Williamson said: 'Inspectors also reported positive relationships between staff in schools and the central Education Service, with all staff sharing a proficient understanding of self-evaluation and school improvement processes, ensuring everyone is continuously fine-tuning practice to provide the very best educational experience for all learners within East Dunbartonshire. "I am absolutely delighted with this report, and congratulate the chief education officer, quality improvement managers, educational psychologists and school planning and improvement manager on this endorsement of all their success in providing outstanding support, guidance and leadership to East Dunbartonshire's schools."
Glasgow Times
01-07-2025
- Business
- Glasgow Times
Issame Charai opens up on 'respectful' Rangers exit
The Moroccan coach, who had joined Rangers earlier this year under Philippe Clement, left the club after Russell Martin's appointment brought in new staff. He has now secured a head coach position at Belgian top-flight club Westerlo. Charai admitted that he saw his departure coming when Matt Gill was introduced as Martin's assistant. He said: "I had a good chat with Russell and with Kevin. "We talked about my situation in the club. Read more: "But I saw that Russell was coming in with an assistant Matt Gill." Charai said the decision to part ways was mutual, and taken after a conversation about job descriptions. He said: "It was actually very respectful. "We had a good chat, and then we talked about our job description, and it was quite the same [as Matt's]. "And then I said, you know, 'I think it's better that we take a decision as soon as possible so I can try to get something else'." Charai's phone started ringing with job offers as soon as his departure was announced, leading him to accept the head coach position at Westerlo. The 43-year-old shared his views on what his former club needs moving forward - stability. He said: "Oh, absolutely. "And I think that's the job of Kevin. "He's trying to find out exactly what the club needs together with Russell and then drive it forward." Charai highlighted the pressure at Rangers, with everyone wanting to win every game and the competition with Celtic being of utmost importance. He hopes that Martin is given the time to get things right at Ibrox, something he feels was not afforded to Clement. Charai said: "That wasn't an ideal situation for Philippe. "And I think a certain moment after the Queen's Park loss, it went more than normal. "I think he did a good job at the club. "He was working hard and OK, it wasn't easy because it took some time before Patrick Stewart to come along as CEO. "Also, with the club's finances, it wasn't an ideal situation. "So I feel for him and also for Nils Koppen because they did actually hold the club very high. "They worked very hard for the club. "But OK, obviously there's a decision that was taken at that moment." Charai continued to explain that he was asked to stay and help the new staff, which he did. He believes people should consider the circumstances under which Clement was operating when judging his time in Glasgow, as he feels it became personal towards the end. He said: "Should people take on board the circumstances Philippe was operating under when they judge his time in Glasgow? "Of course. "Because you can see also that after a certain moment, I had the feeling it was more personal with them. "At first, all that mattered was what the players did on the pitch - but then it became a little bit more personal. "But you can see that afterwards the same problems recurred again. "I think at a certain moment, the pressure from the supporters and from maybe the press became a little bit too much."
Daily Record
01-07-2025
- Sport
- Daily Record
Russell Martin warned Rangers is no quick fix as former Ibrox lieutenant preaches patience to new regime in a hurry
Issame Charai recently negotiated his exit from Govan after a sit down with the new boss before landing a top job elsewhere Issame Charai was happy to accept there was no longer a place for him as a new era began at Ibrox. But the former Rangers first-team coach sincerely hopes the American regime now in charge can make space for a more patient approach. Charai made the move to Glasgow only as recently as January as he signed up to join Philippe Clement's coaching staff. But within less than a month, the man who hired him was gone as the Belgian boss paid the price for an alarming drop off in results. While Clement and the rest of his backroom team departed Ibrox, former Morocco Under-23 coach Charai was kept on board to help caretaker gaffer Barry Ferguson steer the side through to the end of the season. It's now Russell Martin at the wheel, however, with the former Southampton head coach chosen by new chairman Andrew Cavenagh and his partner Paraag Marathe to lead the club towards a fresh dawn. As for Charai, he's heading off on his own journey now having decided to call it quits following sit-down talks with Martin and new sporting director Kevin Thelwell. There's no hard feelings, especially not now that the 43-year-old has quickly landed a new job managing Belgian top-flight outfit Westerlo. 'I had a good chat with Russell and with Kevin,' Charai told Record Sport. 'We talked about my situation in the club. But I saw that Russell was coming in with an assistant Matt Gill. 'It was actually very respectful. We had a good chat, and then we talked about our job description, and it was quite the same [as Matt's]. 'And then I said, you know, 'I think it's better that we take a decision as soon as possible so I can try to get something else'. 'And then when we announced that we'd agreed mutually to part ways, my phone started ringing! 'So then it was about making the right decision about which club to join.' Rangers have had a string of major calls to make themselves lately. Axing Clement was the one they did their best to hold off from making but in the end the anger of an increasingly furious fanbase left the previous Light Blues board with no choice. Martin is the new regime's pick to become the club's fourth boss in as many years. But Charai has warned Rangers is no quick fix. Asked if the club needed stability and a fresh start, Charai said: 'Oh, absolutely. And I think that's the job of Kevin. 'He's trying to find out exactly what the club needs together with Russell and then drive it forward. 'Obviously with the knowledge that Russell has about Rangers, they're going to have to come up with a good plan together. 'And it has to be a plan that can sustain the club for a long number of years. 'What I felt when I was at Rangers was that everybody wanted to win every game. So there was this pressure that you cannot change. 'And you can feel also that the competition with Celtic is so important. They want to stay in competition with Celtic. 'The best thing for Rangers would be to have a short and a long-term vision. 'So that means that you work on the long-term vision, but at the same time, you would have also something where you can deliver quite fast results. 'The teams in the Scottish league have a level. 'You make your analysis on what you have to do directly to get results, but then you have to build for sustainability in those results. And this is the most difficult one.' When it comes to the short-term, there's hardly a second left to waste, with the club's opening Champions League qualifier just 23 days away. So far, the only new faces Martin has welcomed are former Dundee playmaker Lyle Cameron and Bournemouth loanee Max Aarons. The more jittery section of the Ibrox faithful are already in full-on panic mode as this summer's transfer dealings stutter into action. But Charai said: 'They know when they have to be ready. So that means I believe that they should be ready. And they will be ready. 'It's not like they didn't know there was going to be a European game and they had to be ready at that time. 'The takeover took some time and then they were appointing a manager, which took some time too. 'And then obviously you cannot go and bring in players that the manager wouldn't support, they he wouldn't want. 'So that took a little bit more time than expected.' Charai just wishes Clement had been afforded a little more time too. The pressure on the former Club Brugge and Monaco gaffer became intolerable in the days after his side's disastrous Scottish Cup exit at the hands of Queen's Park. But having had to contend with off-field issues, including a temporary move away from Ibrox and the slashing off his budget last term, Charai hopes in time that his friend's critics will take into account the mitigating factors. 'That wasn't an ideal situation for Philippe,' he said. 'And I think a certain moment after the Queen's Park loss, it went more than normal. 'I think he did a good job at the club. He was working hard and OK, it wasn't easy because it took some time before Patrick Stewart to come along as CEO. 'Also, with the club's finances, it wasn't an ideal situation. So I feel for him and also for Nils Koppen because they did actually hold the club very high. They worked very hard for the club. 'But OK, obviously there's a decision that was taken at that moment. 'And yeah, they asked me to stay and help the new staff. So, that's what I did. 'Should people take on board the circumstances Philippe was operating under when they judge his time in Glasgow? Of course. Because you can see also that after a certain moment, I had the feeling it was more personal with them. 'At first all that mattered was what the players did on the pitch - but then it became a little bit more personal. 'But you can see that afterwards the same problems recurred again. 'You had a positive vibe at one point - but then you saw a lot of things coming back again. 'So, that doesn't mean that it was all solved. 'I think at a certain moment, the pressure from the supporters and from maybe the press became a little bit too much. 'But actually if you can see there were some good results, obviously the Celtic game. 'But there were also a lot of losses so they have to question that it's not always been the coach. 'It was also the fact that there were some financial issues. And we couldn't bring in the players that everybody wanted to bring in. 'But I have to be honest, my time in Glasgow was a good experience. A lovely experience because I was working in a new competition that I didn't know. And I also had the privilege to work with Philippe and Barry. 'They had different ways of thinking which was interesting for me. 'At the same time, also playing in Europe was actually a very good campaign. 'And working for a top club with a lot of pressure. 'So that was, that was something that I added to my experiences that I really enjoyed."
