Rangers boss Russell Martin praises 'intelligent' new Motherwell gaffer as he reveals text exchange after sides paired in Premiership opener
The duo will face each other on the opening day
Rangers boss Russell Martin revealed he has already been in touch with new Motherwell manager Jens Berthel Askou after the old pals were paired together on the opening day of the new Scottish Premiership season.
The duo were team-mates at Norwich City and they will both make their dugout debuts in Scotland's top flight against each other on Saturday, August 2 when the Steelmen play host to the Ibrox side at Fir Park, live on Sky Sports.
Asked about facing Motherwell in the opening fixture, Martin told Sky Sports: "It is exciting. We have a lot to focus on before that obviously with a big European game [a Champions League qualifier against Panathinaikos] but it is one I am looking forward to.
"I played with Jens, the new manager at Motherwell so it will be interesting. We've exchanged messages this morning. Knowing Jens and how intense he was about his work as a player and how he is as a person - seriously professional, intelligent - he will have them very well oragnised and prepared. So we need to make sure we are ready for any challenge.
"It is really important for us to start well, for the supporters, for us, for the club but it won't define our season. We need to make sure we are ready to perform. We have a lot of work to do physically, tactically.
"The players haven't even been in the building yet - they are back on Monday which I am really excited about - but now we have something to work towards. It is going to be great."
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Times
2 hours ago
- Times
Andy Farrell: It's unacceptable. We were tentative and made too many errors
Read Alex Lowe's full report from the Aviva Stadium in Dublin as the Lions fell to defeat in their first game of the summer. The Lions head coach, speaking to Sky Sports, congratulated Argentina on their performance against his side, but said there was a lot for the Lions to work on: 'You can't win a Test match with an error rate like that. 'Throwing passes that were never on, losing aerial battles, it's not acceptable. Disappointed. We need to be honest with ourselves.' 'There was good and bad throughout. I won't single out individuals, but we were a bit tentative. 'The start of the second half was more like it, but we suppressed ourselves with that error count.' The head coach gave nothing away regarding any replacements in the touring party. Bundee Aki, who got the Lions going with his bulldozing try in the first half, told Sky Sports: 'This shows where we are as a group, we know the challenge ahead of us, and we have to keep building on today. 'The more and more we train together as a group, the better we will be, but we have to learn quick.' Julian Montoya, speaking to Sky Sports, praised his team's effort across the whole 80 minutes. 'We were sure we wanted to give our best and take our opportunities, which we did. 'We want to enjoy the win with the team and with the boys who played their first game.' The captain has provided a frank assessment of the game to Sky Sports, lamenting his team's inconsistency. 'When we were direct, we were awesome,' he says. 'There were glimmers of what we could do. 'Argentina showed us where we were lacking, it was a hard-fought game. Now we know where we are. The lesson is that we live and we learn.' He pays tribute to the fans who were in full voice in Dublin, and expects plenty of the same out in Australia. The Argentina fly half was outstanding, scoring his side's second try, landing two conversions and three penalties, and is rightly given the award. What a performance from the visitors. A huge effort against the Lions gives them a 28-24 victory in Dublin. Please enable cookies and other technologies to view this content. You can update your cookies preferences any time using privacy manager. The Lions have a penalty for head-on-head contact on halfway, still trailing by four points. Fin Smith goes for the touchline, and it falls just inside the Argentina 22. Last chance… The vice-captain has given away a crucial penalty at a crucial time, and the Lions must retreat a long way having been within spitting distance of the Argentina line. Could that be the game? A silly penalty is given away by Montoya, who boots the ball out of Williams's hands. The Lions go for the corner. It's a capacity crowd in Dublin, which will be welcome news to organisers after fears that tonight's fixture was undersold. Meanwhile, the Lions have made a couple more changes, and are probing away in the Argentina half. That's an absolutely astonishing try. Albornoz sends Tom Curry for a kipper, goes outside and overpowers Pollock on the way. The ball goes through the hands one way then the other, before Moroni sends a kick in behind for Cordero to chase. He outstrips Marcus Smith, no mean feat, and goes over in the corner. The kick is good from Albornoz, and Argentina are back in the lead. Please enable cookies and other technologies to view this content. You can update your cookies preferences any time using privacy manager. Tadhg Beirne picks a wonderful line for a flat pass from Tomos Williams and goes over uncontested to give the Lions the lead. But it's all about the initial break from Ellis Genge — the Bristol man lives up to his Baby Rhino nickname, making several metres before the Lions went wide. Another excellent scrum for the Lions brings a penalty, which Fin Smith hoofs downfield. There's a huge cheer as Ronan Kelleher, Tomos Williams and Henry Pollock, the youngest player on tour, make their way onto the field. The 20-year-old is familiar to the locals here after his fantastic performance in the Champions Cup semi-final victory over Leinster. That's a big moment in the game. the Lions rolling maul gets towards the line, collapses under Argentinian pressure, and the referee makes his way under the posts. The loose-head Vivas is sent to the bin and the deficit is reduced to four points. The home side have put some good phases together, and it ends with a penalty. Itoje orders Fin Smith to the corner for the lineout. Fin Smith gets the second half going. The Lions have a chance now to make sure they get on the plane to Australia tomorrow with a solid performance under their belts. A breathless first half comes to an end with Argentina leading 21-10. The visitors have looked very slick, and have made the most of half-chances presented to them by the Lions, particularly late on. They scored ten points in the final 60 seconds there. The Lions have certainly showed flashes in attack, and you'd think they wouldn't be too disheartened by the half-time score, but there's certainly work to be done. A huge moment in the game. Albornoz makes the most of a turnover inside the Argentina 22. Carreras draws Marcus Smith in before passing to the onrushing fly half on the touchline, who goes under the posts and into the arms of his team-mates. The visitors lead 21-10. Please enable cookies and other technologies to view this content. You can update your cookies preferences any time using privacy manager. Albornoz slots the simplest of penalties in front of the posts to make it 14-10, after a fair bit of pressure on the Lions line. The full back goes scampering after a kick and does well to collect it, but is under immediate pressure from the pursuing Argentinians. He grounds it for a five-metre scrum. Tom Curry is penalised for holding on at a ruck, and the Argentina fly half gratefully slots the three points. 11-10 to the visitors. That's why Aki is in the team. He receives the ball about ten metres out, makes to fling one out to the wing, checks inside and accelerates through three burly Argentinians to score the first Lions try of the summer. The conversion from Smith is good. Lions lead 10-8. Please enable cookies and other technologies to view this content. You can update your cookies preferences any time using privacy manager. Argentina take the lead after some gorgeous footwork from Ignacio Mendy on the left wing. A nice missed pass finds Santiago Carreras, whose dummy draws in Marcus Smith. He flings it to Mendy who waltzes round the attempted tackle by Fin Smith for the game's first try. The conversion is missed, so it stays 8-3 to the visitors. Please enable cookies and other technologies to view this content. You can update your cookies preferences any time using privacy manager. Fin Smith has a penalty from the ten-metre line, just to the right of the posts. It's a flush connection and sails through. Up go the flags and it's 3-3. A frantic start in Dublin. Argentina make significant ground after a bit of kick tennis, and win a penalty on the Lions five-metre line, which is duly knocked over for three. And we are under way. As the red smoke drifts away into the sunny Dublin sky, James Doleman's whistle calls a start to the Lions' summer. The Lions' assistant coach Richard Wigglesworth has accused the Wallabies head coach Joe Schmidt of trying to distract touring side with jibe about nationality switches of Bundee Aki and Sione Tuipulotu, which the New Zealander called the 'southern hemisphere partnership'. The pair start for Andy Farrell's side tonight. Click here for more from Will Kelleher. The Edinburgh prop and walking anecdote machine qualifies to play for Scotland on residency grounds, but also has a family connection to the country. His great-grandfather's great-grandfather was a postman from Peebles, a town in the Scottish borders. Read Will Kelleher's rip-roaring interview with the loose-head, who starts on the bench for the Lions tonight. Fans are descending on the stadium in preparation for kick-off in about 30 minutes time, with a good few Argentina fans in the mix amongst all the red. Let's leave Dublin for a moment, and consider the state of play in Australia, where rugby union is competing with the hugely popular rugby league and Aussie rules for the nation's attention. Stuart Barnes believes a humiliating series defeat for Joe Schmidt's side could be the final nail in the coffin for the sport in the country. Despite a torrid time for the Welsh national team, the 25-year-old flanker has been a bright spark amid the despair, and starts for the Lions tonight. Read Steve James's piece on why the Wales captain deserves a spot in an incredibly competitive back-row set up. Fin Smith starts at fly half tonight, and his mum Judith will be in a unique position as she arrives at the Aviva Stadium, as her father, Tom Elliot, also played for the Lions. A connection between a grandfather and grandson has never happened in the 137 years of Lions tours. Read Alex Lowe's full exclusive interview with the 23-year-old, who fits surprisingly well into his grandad's Lions blazer. Maro Itoje and Tadhg Beirne start together tonight, with the pair striking up a bromance during the Lions training camp in Portugal this month. The Irishman Beirne reckons he is smarter, but slower, than his room-mate, but the two have a lot in common. Read Peter O'Reilly's full piece on the pair here. Andy Farrell has named his first squad of the summer, but who would make it into your starting team? Use our interactive selector tool to see how your picks compare with our writers'. History suggests that five players from the first Lions match will be in the squad for the first Test of the tour, which falls on Saturday, July 19 in Brisbane. In his analysis piece from this week, Will Kelleher looks at why tonight's game in 'Costa del Dublin' will shape Andy Farrell's thinking for the headline fixtures. Despite the vast majority being seasoned Test players for their countries, this summer's squad are pretty inexperienced when it comes to Lions rugby. Click here for a reminder of the full squad for the tour to Australia. Hello, bore da, dia duit and g'day! Welcome to the Times' live coverage of the first British and Irish Lions game of the summer. Argentina are the opponents in a sunny Dublin as Andy Farrell's side look to hit the ground running before leaving for their six-week tour of Australia. We'll be bringing you build-up before kick-off at 8pm and live updates from the Aviva Stadium throughout the game. A quick reminder of the XVs for tonight's match… Nine Englishmen, three Irishmen, two Scots and a Welshman make Andy Farrell's first squad as Lions coach. The visitors meanwhile, who are ranked fifth in the world, above all the home nations save Ireland, field a slightly weakened side, with several of their France-based players missing due to club commitments with the likes of Toulouse and Bordeaux-Begles, who are involved in the Top 14 play-offs. Full teams below.
Reuters
2 hours ago
- Reuters
Inter's Acerbi threatens PSG fan over Champions League taunting
MIAMI, June 20 (Reuters) - Inter Milan defender Francesco Acerbi lost his cool after a Club World Cup fan wearing a Paris St Germain shirt in Seattle taunted him about last month's Champions League final, with the Italian threatening to beat him up if the teasing continued. The fan brought up a humiliating moment from Inter's 5-0 defeat by the French champions in Munich, in which Acerbi was left sprawling after some dazzling footwork by Bradley Barcola. On a video that went viral on social media, the visibly annoyed Italian international sought the help of a translator during a meet-and-greet with fans. The translator told the fan in English on Thursday: "You must be serious with him." Seconds later, Acerbi stepped in to say in Italian: 'I'm serious. Don't make fun of me — I don't like it. ... I'm crazy, I'll beat the crap out of you.' Acerbi then quickly moved on, posing for photos with other fans. Inter were not immediately available for comment. Inter take on the Urawa Red Diamonds in Group E on Saturday.
Scottish Sun
2 hours ago
- Scottish Sun
Rangers set to offer star man bumper new deal as Russell Martin plans to build team around fan favourite
Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) RANGERS are preparing contract talks with top asset Nico Raskin. New Ibrox boss Russell Martin wants to build his team around the Belgian midfield dynamo. Sign up for the Rangers newsletter Sign up 3 Nico Raskin is set to be handed fresh terms at Ibrox Credit: Willie Vass 3 Russell Martin has high hopes for the midfielder Credit: Willie Vass 3 He's attracting interest from clubs across Europe Credit: Willie Vass Raskin is approaching the final two years of his current deal — and a growing number of clubs are looking at him. The Belgium international cost £1.75million when arriving from Standard Liege in January 2023 and his value is soaring. Both sporting director Kevin Thelwell and the club's new US owners are determined to construct a far better transfer model. And they recognise there's a need to protect the club's interests while rewarding Raskin with increased terms. SunSport understands Thelwell is keen to tie down the 24-year-old for longer — and ensure any club coming in with bids know they'll have to be serious with their offers. Discussions have yet to kick off, but they are on the agenda. There is a belief the player is happy at Gers and open to agreeing an extended stay. News on Raskin came as Martin completed his first signing with a season-long deal for Bournemouth's Max Aarons. The clubs reached agreement last night for the 25-year-old defender but it's been reported there ISN'T a clause allowing for a permanent move. Aarons managed only four appearances for the Cherries last season before going on loan in January to La Liga outfit Valencia where he played five games. Rangers star Nicolas Raskin spotted at Disney World - before Wag turns trainer by putting him through his paces SunSport revealed Martin's interest in the full-back, a former England under-21 ace, at the start of the week. Now it's believed he's homing in on the signing of Peterborough United attacker Kwame Poku, 23, who is out of contract but will cost a cross-border fee in the region of £350,000. Having the ambitious Raskin put pen to paper would be welcomed by the supporters and viewed as a statement of intent equal to a new signing. Originally signed by Michael Beale, the tenacious Raskin was one of few stand-out performers in a trophyless 2024-25. He captained Gers to a remarkable 3-0 victory over bitter rivals Celtic in January. He then brilliantly opened the scoring in a 3-2 win over the champions at Parkhead in March. Even more impressively, Raskin is now beginning to establish himself as a key part of Belgium boss Rudi Garcia's plans. In World Cup qualifying earlier this month, Raskin shone in a 1-1 away draw against North Macedonia before proving a super sub in a thrilling 4-3 victory over Wales. Keep up to date with ALL the latest news and transfers at the Scottish Sun football page
