Latest news with #McKinlay
STV News
12 hours ago
- Sport
- STV News
Tosh McKinlay excited by return of 'world-class' Kieran Tierney to Celtic
Tosh McKinlay says the sight of 'world-class' Kieran Tierney in green and white hoops again will have Celtic supporters excited for next season. The 28-year-old Scotland defender has returned to Parkhead after six years in the English Premier League with Arsenal. Former Hoops star McKinlay, who played in the same position as Tierney, is looking forward to seeing someone he rates very highly gracing the Celtic Park pitch once again by marauding down the wing and 'playing for the badge'. Speaking on Wednesday at the Taxi To Troon charity event in Glasgow, where he was representing the club and handing over a £7,000 cheque from the Celtic Foundation, he said: 'As far as I am concerned Kieran (Tierney) is a world class player and I am really looking forward to seeing him getting the hoops back on, and I'm sure the supporters are as well. 'When he's marauding up and down that left hand side, it will be fantastic. 'He's obviously had a spell in England and done very well, but I think he has always been looking to get back to Celtic Park, and everyone is looking forward to seeing him back in the strip again. 'It's in his blood, and it means a bit more when you're playing for the badge.' Greg Taylor has been Celtic's first choice left-back for the last five seasons, but his future is currently uncertain, with his contract coming to an end this month. He has been linked with a move abroad, but McKinlay is still holding out hope that he will decide to stay and compete with Tierney for the position. 'Special mention to Greg, I think he's been fantastic over the years and obviously it's still to be confirmed if he will be staying or going, but it would be great if he stayed and give Kieran some competition for that left back spot. 'He has been fantastic over this period of five or six years, and I'm sure he'll be wanting to stay as well.' 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
Daily Record
18 hours ago
- Sport
- Daily Record
Tommy Burns laid the Celtic foundations for success as former star insists class of '95 kickstarted Parkhead dominance
Hoops hero Tosh McKinlay played a major part in ending the club's trophy drought 30 years ago and it's been non stop silver since Celtic fans have got so used to securing silverware that even a Double can come with a tinge of disappointment. But there was a time when picking up a single trophy was something to really celebrate. And there's one in particular from 30 years ago that will always have a special place in the Hoops' history. It was Tosh McKinlay's trusty left peg that whipped in a pinpoint cross for Pierre van Hooijdonk to head the winner against Airdrie to claim the Scottish Cup in 1995 – and spark an outpouring of emotion. There were tears on the pitch with long-suffering heroes such as Paul McStay, Peter Grant and Packie Bonner savouring the return of success. The goal didn't just end six years of trophy agony for Celts though. McKinlay reckons the victory for Tommy Burns' side kick-started the revolution that led to the club's 21st century dominance. The former full-back is convinced his old gaffer laid the foundations for future success – and the late great would be beaming with pride at watching the current side at Parkhead. The loss of Burns in 2008 was devastating to family, friends and fans alike, but his legacy lives on, from the Hampden triumph to the coming within a whisker of winning the league with one of the most swashbuckling sides since the Lisbon Lions. McKinlay – who was presenting a £7,000 cheque to the annual Troon Taxi Outing on behalf of Celtic's Foundation – said: 'Tommy would be delighted. I've said many times we were unfortunate we didn't win the league. 'We were one game from being invincible, but we didn't win it. I think that team deserved to win the league. 'But Tommy would be delighted with how it's going for Celtic now. I think he laid the foundations for what you're seeing now for a very successful Celtic football club. 'It was six years without a trophy back then, but I think now there's about 40 odd trophies under Celtic's belt since. 'I remember when it was the Lions' 50th anniversary and I said they'd won a quarter of the trophies Celtic had won in their history. 'This team, all the managers, have now won 40 trophies in the last 15, 20 years. It's incredible and long may that continue.' McKinlay was part of a Celtic dressing room that was packed full of players who were steeping in the club. And he's thrilled it's a tradition that's been maintained during these glory days, with Kieran Tierney's return adding to the homegrown hardcore in the group. He said: 'In my time I was fortunate – Paul McStay, Tom Boyd, John Collins, Peter Grant, Packie Bonner and, latterly, Charlie Nicholas was still there. 'So there was a core of real Celtic men in that dressing room. It was easy to fit in. 'Then you sprinkle them with the Three Amigos – van Hooijdonk, Paulo di Canio and Jorge Cadete – plus Andy Thom, Lubomir Moravcik and Mark Viduka. 'I was very fortunate to play with a lot of these guys. But the core of the Celtic dressing room is very important and Kieran will add to that being back. 'Callum McGregor's already there, people like that, Anthony Ralston, James Forrest too. So, it's very important. 'Jamesy's obviously smashed the record with trophies won, another absolute legend at the club, which was held by the fantastic Bobby Lennox. 'Jamesy's another very important figure in the dressing room.' McKinlay was renowned for having a left foot that could open a tin of beans and he'd regularly fire over cross balls for the Amigos to lap up. He reckons it will be a similar story for the current side with Tierney back in town. The Scotland star earned his blockbuster £25million move to Arsenal on the back of his rampaging runs that helped the likes of Moussa Dembele and Leigh Griffiths score a barrel load of goals. KT is looking to pick up where he left off and strikers such as Adam Idah will be licking their lips at the prospect of his precision supply line. McKinlay said: 'Again, I was very fortunate, van Hooijdonk was 6ft 12, so I couldn't really fail! 'And Jorge wasn't too bad in the air either. So I was fortunate. 'Obviously, the goal in the Cup Final, everybody talks about. But there were plenty of other assists for van Hooijdonk and Cadete as well. 'I think Kieran will be looking forward - on that side where the Green Brigade are – to be marauding up and down that line. I'm really looking forward to seeing him getting the Hoops back on. I have to give special mention to Greg Taylor too. 'Obviously, it's still to be decided what he's going to be doing, but he got plenty of deliveries in for strikers also. One goal I can remember at Fir Park, a fantastic delivery for Idah. 'But I'm sure Adam will be looking forward to Kieran coming back.' McKinlay was thrilled to hand over the huge donation to the famous Troon Taxi Outing, where Glasgow's black cab drivers help give kids with support needs a memorable day out. He said: 'Time just flies, but it's another year I'm going to be doing the Taxi day for Celtic. 'It's a fantastic day in the calendar for me to come and lend a hand to setting the kids off for a brilliant day out.' Tune in to Hotline Live every Sunday to Thursday and have your say on the biggest issues in Scottish football and listen to Record Sport's newest podcast, Game On, every Friday for your sporting fix, all in bitesize chunks.
Daily Record
a day ago
- Sport
- Daily Record
Kieran Tierney is 'world class' as Celtic hero compared with all time Parkhead great
Hoops fans are looking forward to seeing their old favourite in action and there is set to be a flurry of new faces this summer Tosh McKinlay insists returning hero Kieran Tierney is up there with Tommy Gemmell as one of the all-time Celtic great left-backs. The former Hoops ace is thrilled to see KT back at Parkhead after almost six years with Arsenal in the English Premier League. McKinlay is convinced Celtic have landed a world-class full-back in the prime of his career. And he believes Tierney is already on a par with the Lisbon Lions legend. McKinlay said: 'We've had some decent left backs over the years, but I think Kieran's right up there with the best of them – Tommy Gemmell being one of them. 'I think you need to defend well, but obviously the other but of the job is getting forward and getting crosses into the box for the strikers. 'So, I'm sure Kieran will be looking forward to marauding up and down the line like he did the last time. 'It's absolutely brilliant to see him back, he's a world-class left-back. 'Obviously, he's had a stint in England, but delighted to have him back. 'It's in the badge, it's in the blood. I'm really looking forward to seeing him in the first game, getting the Hoops back on. Everybody's delighted he's back. 'I'm sure the supporters will be excited about seeing him play for Celtic again.' McKinlay was delighted Celtic claimed another Double last term and he's convinced Brendan Rodgers will be determined to make the squad even stronger next season. Tierney is already in the building, youngster Callum Osmand and keeper Ross Doohan are all but confirmed and a deal is close for Swedish star Benjamin Nygren. Celts are also in the hunt for several others, such as Royal Antwerp's Michel-Ange Balikwisha and Japanese defender Hayato Inamura. McKinlay said: 'It's the silly season, there are names being thrown out there left right and centre. 'But the one that's confirmed now is Tierney, so that's a very good start as far as I'm concerned. 'We just have to wait and see what Celtic bring in, but I'm sure the manager will be keen to add to the fantastic squad that he's got at the moment. 'It's a position of strength and it's what the manager's always looking to do. 'Certain positions he'll want to strengthen and I'm sure he'll be working hard over the summer to do that.' Tune in to Hotline Live every Sunday to Thursday and have your say on the biggest issues in Scottish football and listen to Record Sport's newest podcast, Game On, every Friday for your sporting fix, all in bitesize chunks.
Scotsman
12-06-2025
- Sport
- Scotsman
Hearts chief Andrew McKinlay speaks out on his future, abuse from fans and explains why he is angry
Edinburgh club had a disappointing 2024/25 campaign in the SPFL Sign up to our Hearts newsletter Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to Edinburgh News, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... Torrents of abuse raining down on Hearts directors became almost a weekly occurrence last season. Supporters turned on senior officials during the worst start to a campaign in club history, including an early League Cup exit, then a catastrophic European elimination, derby defeats against Hibs and, finally, a seventh-place Premiership finish. One man suffered the brunt of the flak. Chief executive Andrew McKinlay endured months of unforgiving criticism which still continues as Hearts prepare for season 2025/26. There is a new management team led by Derek McInnes, plus four permanent signings with several more to follow. McKinlay, however, remains a focal point for fans' ire. Chants against him and chairwoman Ann Budge were heard several times at matches last year as some Tynecastle followers called for boardroom change. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad As a former Scottish Football Association executive, public carping is not new to McKinlay. He is determined not to be derailed in efforts to restore Hearts to a challenging position. In the third of an exclusive three-part interview with the Edinburgh News, he explained the impact of vocal condemnation from fans. 'It's not nice, it's very stressful,' said McKinlay. 'I've got pretty high resilience because of previous roles I've done. I'd like to think that it's not really personal. I know it's aimed at me personally or aimed at others personally, but what do I mean by 'it's not personal'? Well, as far as I'm aware, no-one that's sang my name or shouted my name or abused me actually knows me. Once people abuse you who know you, that's a very different situation. 'These are people who are, understandably, massively frustrated with what they've seen this season and they want to take that out on someone. I totally understand it. I don't like it of course because it's aimed at me, but I totally understand it. Football is a hugely passionate sport and, for a huge number of our fans and fans of other teams, this is their life. 'During the week, they may work in a job which they just do to genuinely almost make money so they can come to the football and pay for their season ticket. I'm well aware that when we don't perform on the pitch, we've ruined their week, we've ruined their weekend. They're angry and they're frustrated. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Anger at Hearts and the quest for SPFL success in Scotland with Tony Bloom's £10m 'I can assure them that I'm also angry, I'm also frustrated, but they are entitled to their views. They're entitled to be angry at me. All I can say back is that I genuinely am working as hard as I can, trying my best for this club and I believe that I can help us and have helped us up to now have some success. We've had a bad season but we will bounce back from that. I'm also the first to admit - and I don't think anyone that I know could say anything else - but we all make mistakes. The big thing about any mistakes you make in life is that you learn from them and you go forward. 'I think in life these days - football very much so - you're almost not allowed to make a mistake. Second chances aren't given in life any more, you're cancelled immediately. I'm not talking about football, I'm talking more generally in society. I find that quite disturbing actually that people make a mistake or whatever and that's it, they shouldn't be entitled. It's almost like, 'well that's it, fire them, end of their shelf-life,' and I struggle with that. This is a tough sport, it's a passionate sport and our fans are entitled to their passion.' While others might question their own longevity or desire to continue amid such pressure, McKinlay's resolve is clear. He feels Hearts are embarking on an exciting new chapter with Tony Bloom's £10m investment and Jamestown Analytics' involvement. He insisted he has not thought about walking away from Tynecastle. 'No, not at all. I love working at this club, I love working in football,' he said. 'I'd give anything to bring success to this club. If I thought I couldn't do the job or I wasn't good enough to do the job or I couldn't take us through the next stage, then I would give thought to it but as I sit here right now, I think I can. I think even the fact that we've got to this stage, having investment from someone, the whole analytics piece, I'm sure the fans must appreciate that hasn't just happened. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad 'For us to get to here, there's been a lot of work by me, other members of the board and my team. The guys who work in my team put in a huge amount of work to get us the best front-of-shirt sponsor we've ever had, the best kit deal we've ever had, the stadium we've got out there now. 'You compare that to others - and I totally understand that if the men's first team have a bad season then no-one really is interested in all that other stuff. But we have a lot of really good things going on here, so we just need to get the number one thing right now and that's what I'm absolutely committed to doing.' READ MORE: Andrew McKinlay interview Part 1 READ MORE: Andrew McKinlay interview Part 2
Daily Record
10-06-2025
- Business
- Daily Record
Tony Bloom Hearts cash plan revealed as chief admits 'difficult' financial season coming up but profit isn't the end game
Andrew McKinlay acknowledges that there's a gap to plug after the Jambos failed to qualify for Europe this season Andrew McKinlay has revealed how Tony Bloom's £10million investment will help Hearts in one of their "hardest ever seasons" financially. The Brighton owners' cash injection is set to be approved at a club EGM next week after being voted through by majority shareholder, the Foundation of Hearts. However, the Jambos' failure to qualify for European football this season after a bottom six Premiership finish will leave a gap in their finances that they are not used, McKinlay freely admits. The plan is to get back there under new head coach Derek McInnes. But in the mean time, Bloom's dough means they won't have to tighten their belts when it comes to recruitment this summer. 'It's a big gap, there's no doubt about that,' said McKinlay. 'We're not looking to decrease the investment in the squad, so the Tony Bloom investment is very important to allow us to do that for at least a season. "We don't want to just spend the Tony Bloom investment on plugging gaps, but the timing is quite important whilst we establish a better player trading model than we've had. "When we talk about the analytics, bringing in better players, there's two pieces to that. Firstly, we're better on the pitch and we do better. But then if those players do better and we do better, then their value is likely to increase and we're likely to sell. 'If you look at the models of Brighton and Union, that's the way it works. Union, without player trading, I don't know the numbers off the top of my head, but there would be significant losses. "If you look at Scottish football, at most clubs it's losses without someone putting money in or player trading. Hopefully we'll be back in Europe this time next year but, as we all know, the guaranteed group stage for finishing third or winning the Scottish Cup won't be there. So, it harder again to get that." Player trading will be key to the capital club in the longer term - essentially, buying quality for as low as they can and selling it for maximum value when the time is right. McKinlay admist that turning a profit isn't the aim of the game, but reinvesting as much as possible back into the playing squad and the club as a whole. 'We are envisaging next season being one of our hardest seasons financially," the Tynecastle chief executive told the Edinburgh Evening News. "It's not going to be the hardest season financially compared to historical seasons. "It's like everything in life. You get used to having a certain level of income. You spend based on your level of income. As a football club, that's very difficult because of Europe having such ups and downs. But that's the reality and that's where we are at the moment. 'So, the investment that we're expecting to come in soon will be very helpful in allowing us almost to transition and change the business into a business that does break even. "We're not looking to make profits, we're looking to get all the money back into the club. We're not looking to pay dividends or anything like that. It's to break even, but part of that will be significantly better player trading.'
