Scottish Premiership

NEIL WARNOCK slammed the Rangers ball boys for time-wasting after his first game in charge of Aberdeen ended in a 2-1 defeat.The legendary manager, 75, was appointed head coach of The Dons on Monday and was tasked with heading to Ibrox just 24 hours later.
Neil Warnock criticised the Rangers ball boys after losing his first game in charge of AberdeenCredit: Alamy
Todd Cantwell scored the winner for the home side at IbroxCredit: PA
Despite just one win in six league games coming into the match, the visitors pushed Philippe Clement’s side all the way.
After Rabbi Matonda put Rangers in front early on, Aberdeen levelled on the stroke of half-time through Bojan Miovski.
But ex-Norwich man Todd Cantwell fired Rangers back in front with 17 minutes remaining, before they held on to clinch a narrow win despite Dujon Sterling being dismissed in the closing stages.
After the match, Warnock took aim at the behaviour of the ball boys as he vented his frustrations.
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He said: “At the end there, you’ve got the ball boys adding five minutes on.
“They were really tuned in weren’t they, not giving them the ball back, make them climb over the wall.
“Do they have their own teachers?”
In his post-match press conference, he also accused them of “hiding” the balls “under their jumpers”.
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During the game, Warnock was embroiled in a heated exchange with the fourth official.
He then confirmed the topic of conversation to the BBC, saying: “I just telling him how the Rangers lads were getting away with murder.”
Aberdeen manager Neil Warnock declares ‘I’m a Rangers man’ but reveals which Scottish team he really supports
However, he did compliment the referee for sticking with his decision to send Sterling off for a late tackle, despite the VAR sending him over to the monitor to review the challenge.
Warnock added: “It makes a change doesn’t it for a referee to be brave and stick with his decision? We don’t get that in England.”
The result sees Aberdeen drop to ninth in the Scottish Premiership table, but they are still just one point adrift of the top six.
Meanwhile, Rangers have now won five league games on the bounce to move level on points with Celtic at the top. More

NOT all footballers take a conventional route into a new career when their playing days are over.And that’s certainly the case for one former Rangers and Hearts ace.
The former goalkeeper catches HUGE fish in his spare timeCredit: INSTAGRAM
But he’s also in a rock bandCredit: INSTAGRAM
He even has a business ventureCredit: X
He was signed by Walter Smith at Rangers
Having been one of Scottish football’s top stars in the late 1990s and early 2000s, this former international star’s life is rather different these days.
Antti Niemi spent five years of his career in Scottish football.
Snapped up in 1997 by Walter Smith, Finland goalkeeper Niemi was brought in to compete with long time first choice Andy Goram and Theo Snelders for the No.1 shirt.
After Rangers failed in their quest for 10-in-a-row, there was huge upheaval in the summer of 1998 when Dick Advocaat arrived as boss.

Niemi and Lionel Charbonnier were the two goalkeepers competing to play, but that all changed when Champions League winner Stefan Klos arrived in December 1998.
The German would go on to be Rangers No.1 for much of the next decade.
That meant Niemi, who made just 13 league appearances for the Light Blues, moved on.
But he stayed in Scotland and was between the sticks for Hearts between 1999 and 2002, making over 100 appearances for the Jambos.
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One of the top keepers in the Scottish game, Niemi earned a switch to the English Premier League with Southampton, and would later move to Fulham and Portsmouth before retiring in 2010.
Capped 67 times by Finland, Niemi has stayed in the game with punditry work, covering the Premier League and international matches.
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But outside of football, he’s a man of many different talents!
Now aged 50, Niemi is a huge fan of fishing.
The former goalie regularly posts snaps to his Instagram showcasing his incredible catches.
The waters in and around of Helsinki are prime fishing hotspots and Niemi can be seen regularly fishing for huge pike in the lakes.
When he’s not on the water, you might find Niemi performing with a ROCK BAND.
A keen guitarist, Niemi has been seen playing with band Alkamaton.
Playing bass, synths and acoustic guitar, Niemi and his band have performed up and down Finland.
Before that, Niemi also formed a three-piece rock band with the Finland national team’s doctor and physio called ‘The Staff’.
They covered classic 70s and 80s rock tracks, with Niemi on guitar.
Speaking about his music career, Niemi said: “I had always said I wanted to surprise people, even if it was just once in my lifetime, by stepping on stage at a friend’s birthday or wedding to perform one rock song.
“It didn’t matter what it was, I just wanted to learn one song. One song became another and another and before I knew it, I had a band.”
You might thing punditry, fishing and being a musician would be enough to keep Niemi busy.
But – you’d be wrong!
That’s because he also ventured into selling BEETROOT juice.
First launching a few years ago, Niemi is still involved today, helping run Nitrate Beet.
Niemi was a founding partner of the business that produces beetroot based energy drinks.
Launching in 2020, the specially designed drinks for athletes had been years in the making.
Niemi explained: “The idea came from Patrik Borg. He’s a top-notch nutritionist in London but I’ve known him since we played together for the Finland under-16s national team.
“A couple of years ago, we spoke on the phone because he’d just visited one of the top clubs in Spain and saw that their players were drinking beetroot shots before the game.
“He explained about the unique nitrates in beetroot and how they work in the body and I’d never heard of any of this.
“But when I studied it, I realised it’s a regular thing in the Premier League in England, Spain and Germany. It’s especially popular in endurance sports like triathlon and marathons and that sort of stuff.
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“Most people can’t guess that it’s beetroot. They always describe it as a sweeter liquorice taste.”
The former keeper is big into his fishingCredit: INSTAGRAM
Niemi plays guitarCredit: INSTAGRAM
Niemi competed to be Gers No.1 under Dick Advocaat
Niemi played more than 100 times for Hearts
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ABERDEEN are set to name Neil Warnock as their new manager until the end of the season, according to reports.The Scottish Premiership side sacked Barry Robson earlier this week with the team languishing in eighth in the league.
Neil Warnock looks set to take over as Aberdeen bossCredit: Getty
Warnock has enjoyed incredible longevity as a manager
Without a permanent head coach, they earned a 1-1 draw with champions Celtic on Saturday.
But now, according to BBC Sport, Warnock is preparing to take charge for the remainder of the campaign.
And he could be in place for Aberdeen’s clash with Rangers on Tuesday.
The Scottish outfit sit just one point adrift of the top six ahead of their trip to Ibrox.
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They are also into the last 16 of the Scottish Cup where they will play Bonnyrigg Rose on Saturday.
Warnock’s last job came at Huddersfield where he helped them survive relegation, before he departed in September.
A number of names had been linked with the Aberdeen job, including ex-Celtic boss Neil Lennon.
Former Sunderland and Stokes manager Alex Neil was another named mooted.
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But perhaps the most left-field candidate in the frame was ex-Arsenal and England midfielder Jack Wilshere.
The 32-year-old, who took over as Arsenal U18s head coach in July 2022, is understood to have applied for the position.
But Aberdeen wanted someone with more experience – and they are now set to appoint Warnock, who is closing in on 2000 games in management. More

ABERDEEN could make a shock move for legendary veteran boss Neil Warnock. SunSport understands the Dons board are considering whether to now turn to someone who can take control until the summer after sacking Barry Robson. 
Dave Cormack, AberdeenCredit: Willie Vass
Neil Warnock could be in the frame for Aberdeen jobCredit: Getty
And should they go down that road, it would bring Warnock, 75, firmly into the frame. 
The Englishman is out of work following his departure from Huddersfield in September but this week announced he’s ready to get back into the dugout again if the right opportunity arises. 
Robson paid the price for poor results around Aberdeen’s European campaign, with his side trailing third-placed Hearts by eighteen points. 
And they have failed to pick up since the winter break, losing to the Jambos and drawing with both St Johnstone and Dundee. 

Warnock has long made his desire to work in Scottish football clear and has a home north of the border. 
Despite his advancing years, he remains hungry to stay in football. 
The massively experienced gaffer has a reputation as a firefighter and has been called in by several clubs over the years to steady the ship. 
Aberdeen have placed coaches Peter Leven and Scott Anderson in charge for this weekend’s clash with Celtic while they plot out a plan for the future. 
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But the experience of last season, where Robson won the gig on the back of a caretaker campaign while chairman Dave Cormack and CEO Alan Burrows searched for a long-term appointment, has them considering a high-profile stop-gap.
Robson’s record as boss
Bringing in someone with a wealth of experience until May would let them make a serious attempt to save the season, while also buying valuable time to sift through candidates. 
Cormack is now looking for his FIFTH manager since taking over in November 2019, having dispensed with Derek McInnes, Stephen Glass, Jim Goodwin and now Robson. 
So the Atlanta-based businessman knows he must get this appointment right and that could mean waiting until the summer for the right candidate to be available.

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FENERBAHCE have reportedly frozen Ryan Kent’s contract after the winger rejected several transfer offers this month.The ex-Rangers star could now stay in Istanbul but with no wages in a shock twist, despite many reports linking him with several clubs.
There’s been a huge update regarding Ryan Kent’s future in TurkeyCredit: Getty
He could now stay in Europe for the rest of the seasonCredit: Getty
Kent, 27, has been linked with English Championship clubs Cardiff City and Hull City, while there was also talk over a move to Croatia with Dinamo Zagreb.
It was also claimed that Kent had agreed terms with former boss Steven Gerrard’s Al-Ettifaq after a fee of £3.4million was tabled.
However, those links have since led to nothing and Kent remains out-of-favour in Turkey after starting just one league game all season.
He hasn’t featured since November after being frozen out of the squad – and now his wages have too.

That’s according to TRT Sports – who claim Fenerbahce have taken action after Kent rejected several offers this month, despite the club accepting the bids.
It’s a bizarre turn of events as it was suggested last month that the wideman had asked to leave the Turkish giants just days before the window opened.
Kent has started eight games for Fenerbahce since his free transfer switch in June.
He spent five years at Ibrox – one season on loan – and was a fan favourite in Govan, helping the Gers win the Premiership title in 2020/21 and reach the Europa League final the following year.
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But Fenerbahce fans don’t rate him as highly in Turkey.
And it all went from bad to worse when the Istanbul outfit crashed to a devastating 6-1 loss to FC Nordsjaelland in November, their heaviest defeat in 31 YEARS.
Some branded him the worst footballer they have ever seen following his flop performance and that was his last outing in a yellow and blue shirt.
He has been on the bench on a couple of occasions but he has well and truly fallen out of favour under manager İsmail Kartal.

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