Hearts linked with Stromsgodset winger Farji
Aberdeen are not among the clubs looking to sign Iraq winger Marko Farji despite a report suggesting they are vying with Heart of Midlothian to sign the Stromsgodset 21-year-old. (Press & Journal), externalHuddersfield Town have decided against appointing Joe Savage to their recruitment team after holding talks with the former Hearts sporting director. (Football Insider), externalRead the rest of Friday's Scottish gossip.
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BBC News
an hour ago
- BBC News
Furness 'didn't want to hang on and hate the game'
Rachel Furness stood in the changing room and said a few words in front of her Northern Ireland team-mates as she fought back the decision to retire had not come overnight, but that did not make the moment any less oversized shirts and paying to play, to breaking records and making history on the biggest stage, she had seen it all in a career that had spanned 20 in the season, Furness had been in line for a Northern Ireland recall before she picked up an injury which ruled her out until the new was throughout that period when retirement crossed her mind."I thought it might have been my body telling me it had enough," Furness told BBC Sport NI."I'm happy with what I have achieved in the game and I didn't want to hang on and hate the game, so it's the perfect time to step away." After announcing her retirement, Furness jumped on a plane and went on holiday for a week. It not only gave her a chance to reflect, but celebrate a career in which she had achieved so much. From a teenager in a re-formed national team, Furness would become her country's record goalscorer and win 95 caps. She played a key role as Northern Ireland qualified for a major tournament for the first time at the Euros in 2022, and even assisted Julie Nelson's famous goal against admits she almost "downplays" her achievements but, after working with a leadership coach, she has realised "it is something to shout about"."I'm so proud that I've got that record. There was blood, sweat and tears to score that many goals for Northern Ireland, in a team that traditionally doesn't score that many goals. "Every one one of those 95 caps was special in a different way and every one of them has a story attached to it." 'I never thought I'd get that moment' A standout message from her speech was leaving the Northern Ireland shirt in a better place than she found it, and that was certainly the case. Her passion, as was so often evident on the pitch, was clear for all to Furness made her debut as a teenager in 2005, Northern Ireland's senior team had just been re-formed, the players had to pay to play and their shirts were oversized hand-me-downs from the men. "We were always the underdogs. We were budget girls who fought for each other, and what a 20 years it has been with the transition that has happened with coaching and the tournaments. "Alfie (Wylie) paved the way, then with Kenny (Shiels) it was doing what we thought was the impossible, and now Tanya (Oxtoby, the current manager) is leading the new generation. "I can step aside happy knowing we are going in the right direction. "We've still so much to fight for and just because I'm retired doesn't mean I'll stop fighting for what I think we need to compete." Despite her achievements, those final moments with her team-mates in a changing room in Bosnia-Herzegovina may never have happened at all. After Euro 2022, Furness had stepped away from playing for her country to focus on her mental health - something she later opened up about in an interview with BBC Sport. She returned to the fold the following year, but injuries limited her involvement. A final call-up came for May's Nations League matches, and while she did not get any minutes in those fixtures, her experience off the pitch helped guide a young squad to a League A promotion play-off."As a competitor, you are always disappointed when you don't get on, but for me it was the bigger picture of being in camp, being around the girls and having an input off the pitch."It was me able to say goodbye and I never thought I'd be able to do that on my terms. I'm fit and I'm healthy, and I never thought I'd be able to retire and it was in my own hands." 'A little girl's dream came true' Furness didn't only get a fitting end with her country, but also with Newcastle United - the club she had supported since she was a little girl. Her playing career had taken her across the WSL, at clubs such as Sunderland, Reading, Tottenham, Liverpool and Bristol it was the north east of England where her heart was calling, and she signed a one-year contract with Newcastle, who had been promoted to the Championship. As Furness says, it was a "full-circle moment"."My dream was always to walk out at St James' Park and to do that in front of 38,000 people this season was a little girl's dream come true."Early in the season, when she picked up the injury that swayed her towards retirement, it did not look like it would be a fairytale ending. But after recovering, she played a key role at the end of the season and she scored in her final home match and captained the side the following week in her final game."I've not retired sitting on the bench, I've retired on a high playing for the team I support, to the point where people have questioned why I've done it when I've still so much to give. "I would have bought the shirt and paid someone to play, so I feel very lucky and fortunate that I got to wear that shirt and got paid to do it." 'I'm big on being happy' Furness is someone who lives and breathes football. Her passion for the game remains, and now she has hung up her boots she intends to give something back."I'm hoping to go into coaching and stay in the game in some capacity. "I've got a few opportunities. I'm starting again with such knowledge and experience behind me, and such confidence in what I can give."Furness is excited for the future, and no matter what the next chapter brings, her priority is to remain happy and healthy."Life's short so if I'm not enjoying it then I'll find something I do enjoy."I'm big on being happy and mentally being in a good place, which I am at the moment. "We'll see what opportunities come across, and whatever it'll be, there will be a smile on my face and I'll be happy with the decisions that I make."
Telegraph
an hour ago
- Telegraph
Key Tottenham detail revealed as Fabio Paratici's worldwide ban nears end
Fabio Paratici has a consultancy contract with Tottenham Hotspur that runs to the end of August, meaning the club are under no pressure to hand him a new staff role despite the fact his worldwide ban is nearing an end. New head coach Thomas Frank did not mention Paratici, who can apply for British citizenship next summer, when discussing the people he anticipated working closely alongside at Tottenham in his first interview as head coach last week. Frank picked out chairman Daniel Levy, chief executive Vinai Venkatesham and technical director Johan Lange, but Telegraph Sport understands that Paratici will continue to play an active role under the terms of his consultancy contract. Paratici resigned from his job as managing director of football in April 2023 after being banned from working within football for his role in alleged false accounting at his former club Juventus, although that has not stopped him acting as a contracted consultant for Tottenham. Paratici's worldwide football ban is due to expire on July 20, but Spurs do not immediately need to decide on a staff position for him given his contract as a consultant is understood to run to the end of August, with the summer transfer window shutting on Sep 1. There remains a possibility that Paratici will eventually return to a full-time role. He could alternatively extend his consultancy contract and there is confidence that a civil trial he is part of will not affect a decision either way. Lange survived the Tottenham cull that saw former head coach Ange Postecoglou and three members of his staff sacked, along with chief football officer Scott Munn, and the Dane was vital in the appointment of Frank who he is an old friend and colleague of. Despite the appointment of Lange in October 2023, Paratici has remained an active and visible figure around Tottenham with the Italian attending games. Paratici is understood to be keen to make a swift return to a full-time job in football once his ban ends and is thought to have prioritised staying in England over moving back to Italy or heading to Saudi Arabia. The 52-year-old can apply for British citizenship from June next year. It remains to be seen whether the long-term destination of Paratici has a bearing on the future of his 16-year-old son Lorenzo, who is a highly-rated youth footballer currently at Sampdoria. Referencing his working relationship with Levy, Venkatesham and Lange, Frank said: 'Of course, it's not just me. I think it's very important to say 'yes, the head coach is an important person', but if I don't have good people around me, it's impossible. You can't do anything alone, in my opinion. 'If you want to do something quick, you can go alone. If you want to do something big or achieve something big, you go together. So, it's definitely about doing things together – me, the staff, the players. 'I think alignment is key – from top to bottom. Of course it starts from Daniel, Vinai, Johan, and me – and the more the four of us can be aligned, just like a unit, an unbreakable unit, the stronger we'll be. 'There'll be ups and downs – right now, it's a fairytale. Everyone's happy, the sun is shining, it's fantastic. 'We haven't played one game yet. Hopefully we'll win a lot. We'll work very hard every single day to make sure we create as many magic moments for the fans and put them together and at the end of the season we'll have had a very good season.'
STV News
an hour ago
- STV News
Gray challenges Hibs to keep momentum and embrace Europa League challenge
Hibs head coach David Gray is excited about the team's Europa League challenge and wants his side to carry their momentum from last season into the new campaign. A strong second half to the season saw the Leith side climb to a third-place finish in the Premiership after a difficult start. That achievement looked set to guarantee group stage football in Europe in either the Europa League or at worst the Conference League but Aberdeen's surprise Scottish Cup final triumph over Celtic meant the Dons took the Europe League play-off spot and left Hibs facing three knock-out ties to reach the League Phase. The Easter Road club have been drawn to face Danish side Midtjylland in the second qualifying round next month and with pre-season training now underway, Gray says they can look forward to the tie. 'Everyone's come back with a spring in their step, as you'd expect off the back of last season,' he said, while speaking at the club's annual Ron Gordon Football Festival. 'And it's just trying to build on that momentum from last year.' Gray admitted it was difficult seeing Aberdeen's cup success make his own qualifying task more difficult but said the club had prepared for all scenarios and he didn't want it to detract in any way from how well his side had done in reaching Europe. 'We now know exactly what's happening,' he said. You know, you've got the added bonus of knowing exactly who your opponent is well in advance, so you can do all your work and make sure you're ready for that. 'Everyone will have their pre-season friendlies getting in place to try and get the players up to speed as quickly as you can. 'But it's certainly a really good one to look forward to. 'Something that's worked really well for us as a group was taking one game at a time, and I know that was where we found ourself last year. 'But clearly, because it is a knockout stage at this point, that is the way you're gonna have to look at it. 'There's no better one you start with. It's a brilliant opportunity. They're a real top side. 'We know that, but that is the reward for finishing third. That's the reward for coming to this football club and being successful and qualifying for European competitions, that you get the opportunity to test yourself against a really good side. 'The players I'm sure are going to be looking forward to, because I certainly am.' Gray also anticipates an exciting Premiership season and thinks the new faces in the league will bring a freshness and also a lot of competiveness. 'We had a fantastic season, finished third, and rightly so,' he said. 'The league does not lie by the end of the season, but the challenge now for myself, for the staff, for the players, is to make sure we keep improving. 'Because the league is so tough, we know that. And the teams coming up are going to add to that. 'You've obviously seen there's new managers in place that are going to want to implement their own styles as well. So it's going to be really competitive. 'It always is, but our challenge is, can we keep improving as a group?' Get all the latest news from around the country Follow STV News Scan the QR code on your mobile device for all the latest news from around the country
