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Daily Record
3 days ago
- Sport
- Daily Record
Rangers are a million miles from being Champions League ready but hold the anger and hear me out
Record Sport's Scott McDermott is in Athens ahead of Wednesday's huge tie against Panathinaikos and shared his thoughts Let's put the cards on the table. Rangers under Russell Martin are nowhere near ready to be a Champions League side. This latest Ibrox squad are a million miles away from being equipped for the group stages of Europe's biggest competition. But before the Bears start rattling their cages, hear me out. It would be easy to have a go at the manager, Kevin Thelwell or even the club's new American owners for not getting things done quicker. If you were being mega-harsh, you could argue that - knowing for months the schedule of these Champions League qualifiers - there is no excuse for not being tooled up properly. But the bottom line is, circumstances over the summer dictated that. The timeline of Andrew Cavenagh and 49ers Enterprises' takeover at Ibrox - as well as their search for a new gaffer - meant it was always going to be near-impossible to be ready. And despite Gers' 2-0 first-leg victory over Panathinaikos in Glasgow last week, that's still the case. Put it this way, if you'd told Ibrox punters they'd kick off their Euro campaign with a forward line of Kieran Dowell, Danilo and Findlay Curtis, they wouldn't just have laughed in your face. They'd have been calling The Samaritans. Which is why, with Martin's squad heading to Athens for Wednesday night's return, he actually deserves huge credit for pulling off a result. Let's be honest - and the manager touched on it afterwards - Rangers were woeful in the first half against the Greeks and lucky not to be two down. If Panathinaikos had anything about them, they'd have killed the tie off early and left Martin and Co licking their wounds. But a bit of resilience, as well as two moments of magic from young Curtis and Djeidi Gassama, allowed them to put one foot in the next round. If they can avoid getting burnt in the Athens heat to progress - then potentially beat Swiss outfit Servette who are ahead in their tie - it would be a minor miracle from Martin. Because despite making several summer signings, he'll know there's still a mountain of work to do at Ibrox. His second string isn't good enough. That was proven at the weekend when a load of fringe players failed to take their opportunity in a friendly against Middlesbrough. Martin questioned the attitude of some of the players. But given what we've witnessed from this group over the last few years, he really shouldn't have been too surprised. He's still in the early stages of the weeding out process at Ibrox, irrespective of what he might say publicly. And in terms of more players coming in, expect at least a few more before the transfer window closes. It's no secret that Martin wants another two wingers. By my reckoning, he'll still want a centre-back, left-back, sitting midfielder and a striker as well. All of which goes back to just how ready - or not - they are to challenge for a place in the Champions League. A section of the support will believe this second leg in Greece is Gers' biggest game of the season, due to the lucrative prize money on offer. But it's not. In fact, I'd argue their Premiership opener against Motherwell at Fir Park on Saturday night is far bigger. Of course, reaching the group phase of the Champions League and pocketing more than £40million would be an unexpected God-send for Cavenagh and the Americans. But the best route for Rangers into that competition is to be champions of Scotland - and establish themselves again as the country's top side. When the owners arrived, they said their number one priority was to become Scotland's top club again and that means winning the title. For too long now, since Steven Gerrard turned up as gaffer, it feels like Europe has become the be-all and end-all for a generation of supporters who have been starved of domestic success. Obviously, they've been given some glory nights in the Europa League which culminated in reaching the 2022 final in Seville. Some punters wouldn't swap that for the world, so I get it. But too many fans - and players for that matter - have got used to being second best in Scotland. And until that attitude changes, they'll continue to trail Celtic in the league. That's Martin's biggest challenge, above everything else. It should be all that matters this term. He's not daft. He'll know that winning the Premiership this season has to be the main goal. And that means getting off to a flyer at Fir Park on Saturday. The last two Rangers managers - Michael Beale and Philippe Clement - took their eye off the ball early in their league campaigns. Beale lost to Kilmarnock at Rugby Park, while Clement could only muster a draw with Hearts at Tynecastle. They were preoccupied with other things like European qualifiers and, in the Belgian's case, having to play home games at Hampden. They were behind the eight ball from the off, couldn't recover to catch Celtic, and paid the ultimate price. Martin can't afford to do the same. So as much as this Panathinaikos test is a big game, like he said himself, it shouldn't define the season. Defeat to Motherwell might. With a 2-0 advantage in Athens, it should be enough to take Rangers through to a possible meeting with the beatable Servette. Whatever happens after that? Martin and the Rangers fans should treat it as a bonus, given where he's at in this latest Ibrox rebuild. See off the Greeks and they'll be guaranteed group stage football of some sort in Europe until Christmas. And at this point in his tenure, that would be a case of job done. Then he can concentrate on what really matters. To hit the ground running in the league, beat Celtic at Ibrox on August 31 - and give themselves a chance of delivering what Cavenagh and the Americans really want. To be champions next May.
Yahoo
18-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Lucky guest at Las Vegas casino wins more than $1M
LAS VEGAS (KLAS) — A first-time visitor at the Palms Casino Resort struck big this week, winning a more than $1 million jackpot. According to a release from the casino, the lucky winner made a $4 bet on the Wheel of Fortune 4D Collector's Edition slot machine. The total winning was $1,142,107.97. The winner and his wife were in Las Vegas from Washington to attend a food truck convention. The couple owns a burger food truck and plans to use some of their winnings to buy a second truck and grow their business. 'This is the kind of magical Vegas moment we love to celebrate,' said Scott McDermott, Director of Slots at Palms Casino Resort. 'What makes it even more special is that this same game paid out more than $2.1 million last year to a 34-year-old single mom. These wins show that dreams really do come true at Palms—and the Wheel of Fortune slots just keep delivering.' Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Solve the daily Crossword
Daily Record
10-05-2025
- Sport
- Daily Record
Rangers next manager clues decoded by the Jury with four high profile names pitched to Ibrox takeover kings
If you had to pick a Rangers manager with no previous connection to the club, who would you go for? Scott McDermott: Sean Dyche. He's out of work, has vast experience of the British game and will be aware of the demands and expectations at Ibrox. He'd bring organisation and discipline. Also, going up against Brendan Rodgers won't faze him. Andy Newport: Jose Mourinho gave a glimpse of his box office value during his run in with Gers earlier this year but the Special One will require a special wage packet. Marco Rose is a name that won't go away and shouldn't be discounted. He's averaged almost 2 points per game as a boss and has big club experience. He's worth considering Scott Burns: I would try for somebody like Gareth Southgate. He did well with England. He has a profile and a presence and really progressed their national team. He has also worked in a high-pressured environment where results are everything. Can you see Brendan Rodgers giving some of his fringe players a chance over the final three games? Scott McDermott: He doesn't like tinkering too much with a huge game around the corner and he'll want momentum going into the Scottish Cup Final in a fortnight. I'd expect Yang to get some minutes and it would be nice to see Johnny Kenny get a chance to impress. Andy Newport: He's already made clear the likes of Cameron Carter-Vickers and Callum McGregor will get a rest so expect the likes of Dane Murray, Luke McCowan and Johnny Kenny to get some minutes. Scott Burns: I would expect the likes of Auston Trusty and Luke McCowan to get more game time over the final three league games. They can give their manager something to think about ahead of the cup final. Do you think St Mirren can get back into Europe or do you expect Dundee United to end their dream? Scott McDermott: I've got a sneaky feeling the Buddies could win at Tannadice and put themselves right in contention for that Euro spot. United have gone off the boil a bit whereas St Mirren are playing with nothing to lose. A victory on Tayside could set up some finish. Andy Newport: It's certainly in United's hands with a five point lead and three games to play. A draw would pretty much secure fifth given Saints go to Parkhead on the final day so maybe the Buddies shouldn't be in a rush to dig out the passports. Scott Burns: If St Mirren can win at Tannadice then the cat would certainly be amongst the pigeons. Dundee United have injury problems but I think they can still avoid defeat against the Buddies this afternoon and that should get the job all but done. Ross County are currently in 11th place in the Premiership. Who do you think will finish in the relegation play-off position? Scott McDermott: I can't see the Staggies getting out of 11th. If they pick up something at McDiarmid Park today they'll give themselves a chance but I think Kilmarnock and Dundee will have enough to steer clear of the dreaded play-off. Andy Newport: It will come down to next Wednesday Dens dust up between Tony Doc's Dark Blues and Don Cowie's Staggies. I fancy Simon Murray to provide the goals that edge the Dees clear of danger.
