Latest news with #Diamonds
Daily Record
an hour ago
- Sport
- Daily Record
Airdrie 'saddened' as captain departs to pursue overseas move
Adam Frizzell has left the Diamonds after four years at the club Airdrie captain Adam Frizzell has called time on his spell with the Diamonds to pursue a chance at European football at an overseas club. The Championship side have announced that the midfielder has opted to end a four-year spell at New Broomfield. Former Kilmarnock man Frizzell, 27, has spent his entire career in Scotland, also featuring for the likes of Livingston, Dumbarton and Queen of the South, but he is ready for a new challenge outwith his homeland. A club statement read: "With four years and 17 goals under his belt, midfielder Adam Frizzell has called time on his spell at Airdrieonians after being made an offer by an overseas club with a chance of playing European football. "Influential midfielder Frizzell has been a mainstay in the Diamonds side since joining from Dumbarton in 2021, and his consistently classy performances saw him picking up this year's Players Player of the Year and Ian McMillan Player of the Year awards. "Among his 17 strikes for Airdrie were a number of Goal of the Season contenders, with last August's determined solo effort at Dundee every bit as easy on the eye as the previous season's outside-of-the-boot rocket against Raith Rovers. "Adam's influence on the park and in the dressing room saw him named club captain in 2023, a role which he has served with distinction while continuing to display the skill and work ethic which made him a hero to the Diamonds fanbase. "We are naturally saddened to see such an important figure at the club moving on, but we recognise the opportunity that the upcoming move affords to Adam, with the possibility of European football presenting a significant attraction. "We wish him every success with his new team. Thanks for everything, and good luck for the future, Frizz!" Airdrie players returned for pre-season training today and Frizzell's exit follows that of defenders Mason Hancock and Craig Watson, as well as striker Ben Wilson and winger Lewis McGregor, who both departed for moves to TNS and Coleraine, respectively, for undisclosed fees.
The Herald Scotland
11 hours ago
- Entertainment
- The Herald Scotland
First impressions of new Motherwell boss Jens Barthel Askou
This week, the press had their first meeting with new Motherwell manager Jens Berthel Askou. And to paraphrase from that famous scene in Jerry Maguire, he had me at 'I scored against Airdrie'. It wasn't only his willingness to dredge the dark corners of his memory bank to give the papers a colourful wee line about his strike against the dastardly Diamonds that impressed me, though. The Dane was affable, certainly, but he also came across as driven, direct, and a clear communicator. That will be most important of course in getting his message across to his new players as he looks to implement his style of play. It was striking just how clued up he already appeared to be not only on his own squad, but the playing styles of the other teams in the division, and it was intriguing to hear how he thinks a more 'modern' style of play could be effective in the Scottish Premiership. The cherry on top though is that he comes across well on camera and in print. (Image: GordonTerris/Herald&Times) Sometimes, I think the media can be guilty of overemphasising our importance. At the end of the day, if a manager is getting results on the park, fans probably couldn't care less about how his relations with the press pack might be or even what he is saying in his post-match MFC TV interview. Read more: And as we all saw when Ange Postecoglou was prowling around press rooms up here, the majority of fans actually love to see a journalist being chopped down to size and their ego being pricked when they put forward a daft question. Not that it ever happened to me. Not at all, mate. On the other hand, when things aren't going so swimmingly, the ability to convey a compelling narrative and explain what it is you are trying to do can buy managers a fair bit of time, and encourages more patience from the stands. There is an element of familiarity breeding contempt when a manager is wheeled out in front of the cameras for the umpteenth time in a season, particularly when they are on a poor run of results. Fans start to pick up on mannerisms, and start to get annoyed by them, like Stevie Hammell scratching his head, for instance. Or they get fed up with long answers, such as those preferred by Stuart Kettlewell, particularly in the latter days of his Fir Park reign. Otherwise small - even absurd - things, that become big things in the wrong circumstances. If Berthel Askou loses his first 10 games, I'm fairly sure he will be rubbing folk up the wrong way in his post-match briefings too, but the first impressions were good. Scottish football, and I include the media in this, can often be hostile to outsiders when they land one of our top managerial jobs. That doesn't necessarily have to be a foreigner, it could be a coach who hasn't played professionally or as simple as someone who talks a fair bit about xG and low blocks. That has changed significantly over the last few years, but getting the right balance between relaying your tactical plan to your fanbase while also being a personality that people can warm to is still more important, in my view, than some people might care to believe. And having impressed the fans and somewhat charmed the press (not just Motherwell media mafia sorts) in his first press outing, it inspires confidence that he will also be able to communicate what he wants clearly to the players. What he also conveyed, along with a sense that it probably wouldn't be wise to get on the wrong side of him, was a sense of calm. That after the tumult of the last few weeks following the departure of Michael Wimmer, things were back under control and a plan was in place for the new season. (Image: GordonTerris/Herald&Times) There is much work to be done, as he readily acknowledged. He needs an assistant manager for one, following the delayed departure of Ahmet Koc on Tuesday. Despite the still decent size of the squad, he also stressed the importance of getting some quality players in, and while not giving away any names, he hinted that he is already a good way down the road in identifying his targets. In short, it was all very reassuring. And more than a little exciting. After the bubble was burst a little following Wimmer's exit, the board seemed to have identified a candidate who inspires the same sort of intrigue around what he may be able to bring to the table and achieve with this team. The proof will be on the pitch, as it always is, but hopefully Berthel Askou's appointment, and his talk of 'breaking barriers' in Scottish football, will reinvigorate a bit of that optimism that was around at the tail end of last season within the fanbase. All he has to do now is give us a wee verse of that song I taught him about Section B and he'll be in with the bricks.
Irish Independent
15 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Irish Independent
Wexford School of Ballet 60th anniversary show will be ‘a tribute' to generations of past students
To mark six decades, staff and students at WSBPA have spent the last few weeks busily preparing for a special show – Diamonds – which will take to the National Opera House Stage on Sunday, June 29. With shows at 2 p.m. and 7 p.m., Suzanne says that it will be a real celebration of how far the school has come from its humble beginnings in 1965. Indeed, Suzanne herself has put in 36 years with the school, having come on board in 1989 to help her mother to expand its reach, reputation and repertoire. 'Today, that legacy lives on in every leap, twirl and tap echoing through Studio 12 – our new purpose-built facility in Westpoint Business Park,' Suzanne says. "To see my mother's vision flourish into what it is today—hundreds of students, a purpose-built studio, and a sold-out opera house—is incredibly moving. Diamonds is not just a show. It's a tribute to the generations of students, teachers, and families who have made our journey so meaningful.' A limited amount of tickets for Diamonds remain on sale from the National Opera House website.
Daily Record
3 days ago
- Sport
- Daily Record
Walsall snap up popular Airdrie defender as ex-Aberdeen man is 'over the moon'
Mason Hancock has departed the Diamonds after a two-year spell in Monklands Airdrie have announced their third exit of the day after defender Mason Hancock decided to join English side Walsall. The Englishman was a popular player at the Diamonds and had spent the past five years in Scotland, having come through the youth ranks at Pittodrie and then gone on to play for Abroath and Stirling Albion. Hanock becomes the third player to depart after striekr Ben Wilson and winger Lewis McGregor both left for undisclosed fees, joining TNS and Coleraine, respectively. The 22-year-old old made 29 appearances in the Diamond last term under boss Rhys McCabe, scoring four goals, but admits he is thrilled to get a move back down south on a two-year deal. Hancock told the Walsall website: 'I'm over the moon to be honest. I can't wait to get started. Pre-season and the beginning of the season can't come quicker for me. 'I've been in Scotland for five years now and it's always been the plan to get myself back down south into the EFL. 'I've made a name for myself up there and it's about time I came down and did it down here. 'The way the gaffer talks, he wants to bring in young players that are hungry and really kick them on so everything that he wants this club to stand for fits right in with everything I want to do with my career and where I am now. In my opinion, it was a no brainer to make my decision and come here.' An Airdrie statement read: "Following the expiry of his contract, defender Mason Hancock has opted to move back home to England and has joined Walsall FC. "Mason leaves the club with our thanks for his efforts and our best wishes for the future."
Daily Record
3 days ago
- Sport
- Daily Record
Airdrie midfielder joins Coleraine as club pull in another undisclosed fee
The Diamonds have said their farewells to Lewis McGregor Airdrie have lost a second key player after announcing forward Lewis McGregor has completed a move to Northern Irish outfit Coleraine. The move comes hot on the heels of Ben Wilson's switch to The New Saints earlier today, in what was a club record fee for the Welsh side. Twenty-one-year-old McGregor joins for an undisclosed fee but the two sales completed today should give the Diamonds some cash to freshen up their squad for the 2025/26 Championship campaign. A club statement read: "Lewis McGregor has today completed a move to NIFL Premiership side Coleraine for an undisclosed fee. "Pacey forward McGregor joined Airdrie from Greenock Morton in January 2023, going on to notch 11 goals across 93 appearances for the Diamonds – including a memorable hat-trick in last season's 8-0 victory against East Kilbride. "As he makes the move to the Bannsiders, Lewis leaves with our thanks for his efforts and our warmest wishes for the future."
