Latest news with #EnglishLeagueOne
Yahoo
11-07-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Welsh side Wrexham opens its Down Under tour with a 3-0 win over A-League's Melbourne Victory
FILE - Wrexham players celebrate after winning the English League One soccer match between Wrexham and Charlton Athletic at the Racecourse ground in Wrexham, Wales, April 26, 2025. (AP Photo/Jon Super, File) FILE - Wrexham co-owners Rob McElhenney, center, and Ryan Reynolds, second right, celebrate at the end of the English League One soccer match between Wrexham and Charlton Athletic at the Racecourse ground in Wrexham, Wales, April 26, 2025. (AP Photo/Jon Super, File) FILE - Wrexham co-owners Rob McElhenney, center, and Ryan Reynolds, second right, celebrate at the end of the English League One soccer match between Wrexham and Charlton Athletic at the Racecourse ground in Wrexham, Wales, April 26, 2025. (AP Photo/Jon Super, File) FILE - Wrexham players celebrate after winning the English League One soccer match between Wrexham and Charlton Athletic at the Racecourse ground in Wrexham, Wales, April 26, 2025. (AP Photo/Jon Super, File) FILE - Wrexham co-owners Rob McElhenney, center, and Ryan Reynolds, second right, celebrate at the end of the English League One soccer match between Wrexham and Charlton Athletic at the Racecourse ground in Wrexham, Wales, April 26, 2025. (AP Photo/Jon Super, File) MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) — Welsh soccer side Wrexham opened a three-match tour of Australia and New Zealand on Friday without their high-profile co-owners Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney making the trip Down Under. The result was a good one, though — 3-0 over A-League side Melbourne Victory — despite missing the Hollywood actors' star power off the field. Advertisement Midfielder Tom O'Connor scored for Wrexham in the 42nd minute, with Ryan Hardie (67th) and George Evans (78th) adding goals in the second half. Scottish striker Hardie, signed from Plymouth Argyle for the Red Dragons' long-awaited return to English football's second tier, was in place to poke home from close range after being introduced as a substitute at halftime. Evans ended the scoring when his long-range shot squeezed under Victory substitute goalkeeper Daniel Graskoski. The Wrexham squad is using the visit to prepare for a first season in 43 years in English soccer's Championship, having just secured a third straight promotion. Advertisement Playing in Australia and New Zealand — after recent preseason tours to the United States — is part of an effort to spread Wrexham's global footprint which has been enhanced by the popular 'Welcome to Wrexham' fly-on-the-wall TV documentary. The major reason for making the 16,000-kilometer (10,000-mile) trip to Australia? McElhenney, who recently changed his name to Rob Mac, previously said that Australia is the third-biggest audience for the 'Welcome to Wrexham' series after the United States and Britain. 'We're not here on a holiday,' Wrexham captain James McClean, who played 103 times for Ireland, said after the team arrived. 'It's great to come and see new things, new experiences but we're here to work, we're here to prepare for the new season. It's going to be the toughest challenge yet, by far.' Wrexham plays again next Tuesday against Sydney FC in Sydney and on July 19 against the Wellington Phoenix in the New Zealand capital. ___ AP soccer:
Yahoo
26-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Wrexham opens next season against ex-Premier League side Southampton
FILE - Wrexham players celebrate after winning the English League One soccer match between Wrexham and Charlton Athletic at the Racecourse ground in Wrexham, Wales, April 26, 2025. (AP Photo/Jon Super, File) FILE - Wrexham co-owners Rob McElhenney, center, and Ryan Reynolds, second right, celebrate at the end of the English League One soccer match between Wrexham and Charlton Athletic at the Racecourse ground in Wrexham, Wales, April 26, 2025. (AP Photo/Jon Super, File) FILE - Wrexham co-owners Rob McElhenney, center, and Ryan Reynolds, second right, celebrate at the end of the English League One soccer match between Wrexham and Charlton Athletic at the Racecourse ground in Wrexham, Wales, April 26, 2025. (AP Photo/Jon Super, File) FILE - Wrexham players celebrate after winning the English League One soccer match between Wrexham and Charlton Athletic at the Racecourse ground in Wrexham, Wales, April 26, 2025. (AP Photo/Jon Super, File) FILE - Wrexham co-owners Rob McElhenney, center, and Ryan Reynolds, second right, celebrate at the end of the English League One soccer match between Wrexham and Charlton Athletic at the Racecourse ground in Wrexham, Wales, April 26, 2025. (AP Photo/Jon Super, File) MANCHESTER, England (AP) — Wrexham will play relegated Premier League team Southampton in its opening game of the season. Wrexham will begin its first campaign in 43 years in English soccer's second tier away at St Mary's on Aug. 9. Advertisement The Welsh team has enjoyed a spectacular rise under celebrity co-owners Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney. Just two years ago, Wrexham was playing non-league soccer in England's fifth tier. After three straight promotions, it is one tier below the Premier League and faces a Southampton team that was rubbing shoulders with the likes of Manchester United, Liverpool and Arsenal last season. The game will be screened live in the U.K., another sign of the growing interest in Wrexham. Fixtures for the second-tier Championship were published on Thursday. Wrexham plays former Premier League champion Leicester on Sept. 30. Advertisement It plays Ipswich, also relegated from the top flight last season, on Nov. 22 and Sheffield United on Boxing Day. The Championship is renowned as one of the toughest divisions in soccer. That was illustrated last season when Luton — in the Premier League a year before — dropped down to the third tier after back-to-back relegations. ___ James Robson is at ___ AP soccer:
Yahoo
13-06-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Rangers transfer latest as Birmingham stance on Davies and Dowell revealed and Hagi told his 'last option'
All the talk at Rangers is over the incoming next manager and the soon to be 49ers Enterprises takeover. But behind the scenes talk over players' futures will be well underway as planning kicks up a notch. Advertisement The Light Blues return to pre-season on June 23 with crucial Champions League qualifiers one month later - but will Ben Davies and Kieran Dowell be part of the plan? READ MORE: There might just be one Rangers manager candidate no one's talking about and it wouldn't surprise me if it came out soon READ MORE: 12 stars leave Aberdeen as Jimmy Thelin summer transfer drive kicks off with host of exits from Scottish Cup winners The Daily Mail report that Birmingham City - where both enjoyed English League One title glory - are willing to wait until a new manager is in and settled before asking about the duo. Advertisement They played key roles for the Blues' return to the English Championship with boss Chris Davies keen to turn the loan deals into full-time stays. The same report states City are still putting packages together for the duo - despite a decision being unlikely until a new head coach gets a look at the squad. But while they are willing to be patient they won't hang around forever as they line up alternative targets if they can't get the pair back on board at St Andrew's. Elsewhere, Ianis Hagi has been told a return to his native Romania should be his LAST resort this summer. The former Rangers playmaker can move on a free and speaking earlier in the week, Hagi himself confirmed he has received phone calls and will weigh up everything that is offered to him. Advertisement But Romania legend Ciprian Marica has told the media in his homeland that Spain would be perfect - despite his Alaves loan not working out - as he told Ianis what he must find in his next club. Ianis Hagi is on the hunt for a new club as he leaves Rangers He told "It would be the last option for me if I were Ianis, to go back home. That should be the last, last, last option. "His father has a football club. He could come back to Farul at any time. At home, the door is always open. I would try to stay out. "Ianis didn't seem to have the best chance in Spain. I see him playing in Spain. I think if there's an opportunity for him to go to Spain I see him playing there. Advertisement "Now, you have to have a coach. That's the most important thing about a team when you arrive. A coach who wants you. "If he wants you, then he forces you, puts you in, supports you. He comes after an injury, he needs the support of the club, to feel loved, to feel important. No matter how good you are mentally, you need a coach or a man to know that you can always lean on him. "It's important that he goes where the coach wants him to go. I really thought it wasn't easy, it's a delicate situation. "I hope with all my heart that he stays out, that he finds a team and a coach who believes in him. But the timing is not good at all."
Scottish Sun
07-06-2025
- Sport
- Scottish Sun
‘I feel like I could have done more' – Tomoki Iwata opens up on his Celtic struggles as he reveals why he had to leave
Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) TOMOKI IWATA has had a fine season for Birmingham City who comfortably won English League One ahead of Wrexham. However, he failed to set the world alight when he was plying his trade for Celtic, moving south after just 18-months. 3 Game time at Celtic was sparce for Tomoki Iwata Credit: Kenny Ramsay 3 It was clear Hoops' boss Brendan Rodgers didn't fancy the midfielder Credit: Reuters 3 He has had a great first season since moving to Birmingham City Credit: Getty The Japanese was brought in by ex-boss Ange Postecoglu from the Aussie's old club, Yokohama F. Marinos, in 2023, originally on-loan. When his move was made permanent, Postecoglu had departed for Spurs, with Celtic then under the stewardship of Brendan Rodgers. But Iwata admits he hadn't even heard of the Northern Irishman when he took over at Parkhead. He told Japanese outlet Soccer Digest Web: "Manager Rodgers was a famous coach in Scotland, but I didn't know of him at all. "At first I wondered, 'What kind of person is he?' The team actually got going and the football they were trying to play was interesting." The midfielder felt he had so much to offer the Hoops, but didn't get the chance under Rodgers. He said: "There were some areas where I wasn't able to fully showcase myself. It was partly because there was an absolute player in Callum McGregor in the same position, but honestly, I feel like I could have done more." "For players in the front line, the numbers are clear, but my strengths are my one-on-one strengths and my ability to steal the ball. "At Celtic, it's difficult to show that. The teams that are overwhelmingly strong in Scotland always have the ball and take the lead. "I would take it positively that I was able to concentrate on the offensive side, but I can't show my strengths much and I don't get many playing time". Celtic fans would never let their club die says Hoops hero Peter Grant The former J-League MVP knew he had to leave Celtic to show what he can do. Iwata said: "The level of the Scottish first division is a little lower than the top five European leagues, so I often felt that it was a difficult environment for me. "I wasn't impatient, but more than that, I couldn't help but feel the regret that I, a soccer player, wasn't playing in the games. "At that time, I had a very strong desire to play soccer. Seeing my wife taking care of our children in a foreign country where I was not familiar with them, cooking meals and doing housework, I couldn't help but feel the emotion. Interest in the Japanese began to grow after his first full season in Hoops, and he was determined to get his move, saying: "Birmingham made me an offer as soon as the off-season began, and they patiently waited until August 31st, the final day for transfers. "I thought to myself, 'If they feel that way about me, I want to go,' and immediately packed my bags and headed for my new home. I didn't have any negative feelings about it being in the third division, and my biggest motivation at the time was wanting to show my family that I was working hard". There was still a Celtic connection at his new club in the English third tier which he knew about: "In addition, the manager, Chris Davies, had previously been a coach at Celtic and had recently been a coach under Ange at Tottenham. "The two managers had heard about me and offered me the position with confidence that we could work together, so I was able to go with peace of mind." The midfielder racked up 47 games for Birmingham in his first season, scoring eight goals. Keep up to date with ALL the latest news and transfers at the Scottish Sun football page
The National
27-05-2025
- Sport
- The National
Every first-team loanee returning to Rangers this summer
The club has had several men out getting game time elsewhere in the 2024/25 campaign, and they will soon come back to Ibrox ahead of the new season. As it stands, Ben Davies and Kieran Dowell will both report for pre-season training at Rangers. Read more: The former spent the full campaign at Birmingham City, helping them to win English League One and earn promotion to the Championship. Dowell joined the club halfway through the campaign, scoring five goals and assisting as many in his 23 appearances. Elsewhere, Robbie Fraser is due to return to Ibrox. He was on loan at Livingston for the second half of this season and just last night, helped them win promotion to the Scottish Premiership, completing 90 minutes in their comeback play-off win over Ross County. The young left-back is contracted at Rangers until 2026. Rabbi Matondo and Jose Cifuentes are two fringe men whose deals in Govan expire in 2026 and 2027, respectively. The Welsh winger had an uninspiring few months on loan at Hannover recently, while Cifuentes scored once in 23 Greek top-tier appearances for Aris Saloniki after joining them last summer. Homegrown trio Cole McKinnon, Adam Devine and Kieran Wright all spent time on loan in the Scottish Championship this season, although their Rangers contracts expire this summer. Finally, Leon King, who joined Queen's Park at the end of February, returns to Ibrox after making eight second-tier appearances.
