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Daily Record
7 hours ago
- Sport
- Daily Record
Russell Martin broke my heart but as a Rangers diehard this is how I think he'll fare at Ibrox
Leeds United hero Stuart Dallas has swapped the pitch for the stands as he follows Gers across Europe Stuart Dallas has Follow Followed Rangers across the continent. And the former Leeds ace is convinced that with Russell Martin leading from the front, his Ibrox heroes are now heading back to the promised land. The retired Northern Ireland defender may be a legend at Elland Road but he grew up idolising the Light Blues. And since hanging up his boots last year, the 34-year-old has had plenty of spare time to join his big brother Marcus on foreign jaunts cheering on Gers in Europa League action. He was among the thousands of jubilant fans who celebrated last term's memorable away wins over Nice and Fenerbahce and has been a regular at Ibrox too down the years. Now Dallas can't wait to see how far Martin's new-look line-up can make it this season as they begin their Champions League quest with next month's multi-million-pound Panathinaikos clash. Dallas witnessed just how difficult it is to put the breaks on Martin's high-risk passing philosophy himself when he was given a front-row seat during his final injury-hit season at Leeds. He may not have been out on the pitch for the Lillywhites' fateful 2024 play-off final clash but he certainly felt for his team-mates as they were given the runaround by Martin's swashbuckling Southampton side on the day they clinched promotion to the Premier League with victory at Wembley. And he's vowed to be in among the Ibrox legions again this term as Martin's Rangers set out on the long road back to Uefa's top tournament. 'I think it's a great appointment,' he said. 'I was injured for the play-off final against Russell's Southampton team, but I've come up against his sides before. I'm a big fan of his. 'I know the appointment has caused a bit of divide in the fanbase because of how he fared in the Premier League. 'But if you give him the right tools, he's a very, very talented manager.' Russell's refusal to budge from his possession-heavy tactical plan cost him his job at St Mary's as Saints' lack of firepower was brutally exposed by their ruthless top-flight opponents. But Dallas expects to see the new Light Blues boss stick to his guns again at Ibrox. He said: 'He has a clear style of play. He knows exactly what he wants. 'This thing about him not being able to adapt is based on the fact he didn't do so well in the Premier League. 'But the year that Southampton went up, they beat Leeds in the play-off final, in fact they beat Leeds three times that year. "He was able to change his shape and adapt to different situations. So I think it's a great appointment. I'm excited again to see how he gets on. 'People think it's just passing, passing, passing for no reason, but that is mentally draining a player if you're having to chase the ball. 'I get it. There's a fine line in passing the ball around and doing nothing with it, but Russell Martin knows how to break down a low block. 'Ninety-five percent of the time in Scotland, you're going to come up against that, bar maybe when you're playing Celtic. 'He takes risks at the back, but with the high risk comes reward as well, doesn't it? I think it's good. 'Obviously, he's going to need players. Of course, he has a squad that needs an upgrade but again, I'm very excited for how it's going to go.' And Dallas is looking forward to taking in a few more European away days this season. Recalling his recent trips with Gers, the Bluenose from Cookstown said: 'I went to Fenerbahce, I was a Nice as well. Sadly I wasn't in Seville. I was supposed to go to Bilbao, but I was on holiday. 'But I've done Anfield, Old Trafford, a lot of away games. 'Obviously when you're playing, it's difficult to get up to games at Ibrox. 'But my brother's been a season ticket holder for years and all my pals are big Rangers fans. Going to more games with my brother was always something I said I'd do whenever I retired. 'It's enjoyable going away. My first game at Ibrox was back in 2002. It was Rangers-Hearts. 'I went with my brother, my mum and my granny. My grandad brought me over to the game. Me and my brother went. "I think we won 2-0. I would have liked to have been able to get more games throughout my career but it just doesn't work out that way. 'I took my kids up to the Bilbao home game. I drove all the way up there for a 0-0 draw! 'But the penalty save that night was worth it. It will be great to see Rangers back competing on all fronts. 'They need to close that gap to Celtic.'
The Guardian
8 hours ago
- Sport
- The Guardian
Leeds sweep Leigh aside as title charge gathers momentum
Leeds Rhinos underlined their Super League title credentials with another eye-catching and entertaining victory, this time against third-placed Leigh to climb above the Leopards and close the gap on second-placed Wigan. The Rhinos have made enormous strides under Brad Arthur in 2025 and after languishing in mid-table for much of the last few seasons, look entirely capable of at least challenging for the Grand Final for the ninth time in the summer era. Led by an imperious display from Jake Connor here, who put in another performance to suggest he should be in contention for the England squad in this year's Ashes, Leeds were far too good for a Leigh time that although were below-par themselves, had no answer for what the Rhinos threw at them on occasions here. Most of the pre-match buildup had been about the battle between Super League's two most creative players in 2025, Leigh's Lachlan Lam and the Rhinos' Connor. And it was Connor who struck first after five minutes with a wonderful kick to allow Kallum Watkins to open the scoring. The Leopards replied when Isaac Liu capitalised on a rare Leeds error to force his way over but the Rhinos soon responded, and in some style. Harry Newman's half-break was halted by a Leigh defender but the centre's offload to Lachie Miller was sublime, allowing the full-back to score from inside his own half. Leeds thought they had a third try of the evening when Alfie Edgell appeared to miraculously touch down in the corner under pressure, but he was ruled to be in touch. And two minutes later Leigh had reduced the deficit as a fine team move led to Keanan Brand crossing. Gareth O'Brien couldn't convert though and as half-time approached, Leeds put daylight between the sides for the first time with two wonderful tries. Cameron Smith's fine solo effort was then followed by Newman's finish in the corner after a superb break from Brodie Croft. Connor converted both, and despite the game being in the balance for large stretches of the half, the Rhinos had suddenly forged a 14-point lead to take control. The see-saw nature of the game continued after the break when O'Brien claimed a fine offload from Umyla Hanley but Leeds would then emphatically settle matters with a blistering five-minute passage of play that yielded two more sensational tries. First, Newman claimed his second after Ryan Hall's clever work to pat back a Miller kick before an incredible pass from Connor sent Kallum Watkins away, and he dummied past O'Brien to make it 36-14, with Connor duly obliging from the tee for the sixth successive occasion. The Leopards, to their credit, pushed for points until the end. Brand would complete his hat-trick with two tries in four minutes but either side of that brace, Leeds had scored two of their own through Tom Holroyd and Mikolaj Oledzki, the latter after yet another sensational assist from Connor. There was one more late try for Leigh, this time Hanley claiming a Ben McNamara kick, but this night belonged to Leeds.
The Guardian
9 hours ago
- Entertainment
- The Guardian
Add to playlist: the year's best electronic debut from Sheffield's NZO, plus the week's best tracks
From Sheffield, via LeedsRecommended if you like Mark Fell, Jlin, Beatrice DillonUp next Live set at No Bounds festival in October It's thrilling and satisfying when an artist's debut album is so fully realised: as if they have their own hyperlocal dialect, and are saying something genuinely new with it. So it is with NZO, a mysterious Sheffield-based electronic artist whose album Come Alive is a defibrillating jolt of vitality. You can find affinities with other artists and styles here, for sure: the bookish but playful minimalism of another Sheffield musician, Mark Fell; Objekt's trickster vision for bass music and techno; the white-tiled cleanliness of some of Sophie's work; Jlin's paradoxically static funk. But the way it's all pulled together is totally NZO's, making for music that's so light on its feet despite its incredible complexity. After a brief intro piece, main opener Rolling Around has all the hallmarks of dubstep but it's as if a slight glitch is holding it back from a deep skanking rhythm. The little ripples of conga on AXMM, or the synthetic brass fanfares of Something's Changed, are sounds you often hear in Chicago footwork music – probably deliberate homages, yet the actual productions are totally different, the former fidgeting, the latter bumping. Her use of vocals is excellent, too, from the very quotable house-style command 'won't stop dancing til the DJ drops' on CFML, to faraway dream-pop singing on Something's Changed. There's more on half-stepping closer Looking For ': the kind of poignant snatch of pop that Burial reaches for, but rather than being cloaked in static, this lost transmission comes through with devastating clarity. This album is cute yet serious, danceable yet cerebral – very few people are operating at this level in British electronic music anywhere, much less with their debut. Blood Orange – The FieldA fever dream of collaborators join Dev Hynes' romantic return: the Durutti Column's guitar blur meets Eva Tolkin's racing production, Tariq Al-Sabir's composition and vocals from Caroline Polachek and Daniel Caesar. LS The Beths – No Joy'I don't feel sad, I feel nothing,' Liz Stokes rues on a classic Beths track: kinetic powerpop that blasts her melancholy – about the new numbness of life on antidepressants – with sunshine. LS Jonathan Richman – I Was Just a Piece of Frozen Sky Anyway 'Will I make my change?' the Modern Lover asks his mother on what might be a gnomic nod to mortality, as Spanish guitar does a brisk dance with a lovely, fluted whistle. [Not on Spotify: listen at Bandcamp.] LS Black Sites – C4Producers Helena Hauff and F#X unite as Black Sites, their debut LP led by this impressively insidious techno slither – one that feels as though it's hypnotising you into a particularly dark place. LS Case Oats – In a BungalowSomewhere between Kathleen Edwards' open-hearted country and Kimya Dawson's lovely naivete, Chicago's Casey Walker – and nimble, fiddle-accented band – belies the pressing nature of a crush with an enticing lightness of touch. LS Orcutt Shelley Miller – A Star Is BornGuitarists Bill Orcutt and Ethan Miller (Comets on Fire) blaze up the joint while former Sonic Youth drummer Steve Shelley plays it cool, steering them towards a surprisingly chill landing. LS Silvana Estrada – Lila AlelíThe Mexican songwriter essays the pain of longing in capital-R romantic terms, although her radiant delivery and some jaunty horns suggest that there's no small amount of pleasure in this purgatory. LS Subscribe to the Guardian's rolling Add to Playlist selections on Spotify.
BBC News
10 hours ago
- Sport
- BBC News
Leeds up to third with emphatic win over Leigh
Betfred Women's Super LeagueLeeds (20) 48Tries: Northrop, Walker (2), Howard, Dainton, Whitehead, Bruce, Brown, Cousins, Nuttall Goals: Howard 4Leigh (4) 12Tries: Blackwood, Howard, Taylor Leeds Rhinos moved into third place in the Women's Super League table with an emphatic 48-12 victory over Leigh Leopards at table-topping Wigan Warriors have scored more points than the Rhinos this season and added 10 more tries to their tally as Leigh struggled to contain their tries from Izzy Northrop, Mel Howard and two from Ruby Walker were followed the other side of the break by scores from Bethan Dainton, Liv Whitehead, Ruby Bruce, Shannon Brown, Evie Cousins and Sophie who had taken a fourth-minute lead when Toryn Blackwood went over, added two of their own in the second period through hooker Katie Howard and centre Mackenzie in truth, they had few answers to the superior running patterns of the Rhinos who led comfortably at the break and were always in to follow. Leeds: Stead, Whitehead, Nuttall, Greening, Cousins, Howard, Walker, Northrop, Bennett, Donnelly, Brown, Boyd, Sykes, Bruce, Short, Dogus, Blackwood, Taylor, Cobain, Johnston, Burke, L. Morris, Dainty, Howard, Baggaley, K. Morris, Melvin, Fisher, Johnson, Higson, Owen Taylor
BBC News
11 hours ago
- Sport
- BBC News
Leeds apologise after fans blocked from Germany games
Leeds have apologised "unreservedly" after German authorities said their fans are unable to attend pre-season matches in the Whites will travel to Germany for an eight-day training camp as they prepare for their return to the Premier Farke's side made a similar trip last summer and were asked by police and local authorities not to bring supporters because of the resources needed to host Euro say they had "written assurances" from the German Football Association and their tour operator that fans could attend this year, but have now been told they cannot."Frustratingly, despite having matches agreed for a number of months, we have in the last week been informed that the police and local authorities will once again not grant a permit for us to play matches in front of spectators, will prohibit us from providing live updates and video streams, and have requested we discourage supporter travel," Leeds said in a statement."This comes despite multiple attempts to find a solution including offering various assurances, pursuing alternative scenarios that would allow for fan attendance, and even evaluating moving camp to a different location on short notice. "Unfortunately, those efforts were fruitless due to the last-second nature of our change in circumstances. "This result is deeply frustrating to all of us, just as it is sure to frustrate and anger you, our loyal supporters, to whom we apologise unreservedly for this outcome."The Leeds United Supporters Trust said the club had not received "any sensible explanation" for the decision and will be contacting the German authorities."We respect the club and Daniel Farke's desire to keep a successful training camp in Germany, but would expect a valid reason from the authorities as to why once again Leeds United fans are being unduly excluded," the group fans are able to attend pre-season friendlies against Manchester United in Stockholm and AC Milan in Dublin next month, as well as a home match against Villarreal on 2 side begin their Premier League campaign at home to Everton on Monday 18 August.
