Vladimir Romanov reveals bold tactic to stop Celtic move as Rangers hero gives ‘real deal’ advice to Ibrox ace
The latest Celtic and Rangers headlines following the latest Scotland international result.
Scotland have bagged their first win of the international break after a 1-0 win over Greece in their Nations League A play-off clash. A Scott McTominay penalty was enough to seal the deal in the first leg, but Steve Clarke has stressed the game ‘isn’t dead yet’.
Ahead of the second leg at Hampden Park, we’ve rounded up some of the latest Celtic and Rangers news, to keep you ticking over until the Scottish Premiership action returns.
Scott Arfield reveals what Rangers star needs to become one of the best
Hamza Igamane is back in business following his stunning goal against Celtic to snatch all three derby points for Rangers. The 22-year-old has been enjoying a clinical season at Ibrox but recently he suffered a dry 11 games without a goal.
In true centre-forward fashion though, Igamane broke his duck when it mattered most, claiming another win over Celtic right before the international break.
Former Rangers star Scott Arfield has taken some time to digest Igamane’s season so far, and the comparisons between his old teammate Alfredo Morelos. Igamane is proving his worth in his debut season with the Light Blues, but Arfield believes there’s a ‘long way to go’ before he matches up to Morelos.
“Something I’ve come to judge teammates on the older I’ve got as a player is how they train. Do they care to turn in day in, day out?” Arfield wrote for his Record Sport column.
“What I will say about Morelos is that he was an unbelievable trainer. Alfredo would run out at Auchenhowie and perform like it was a Europa League final!
“His body was crazy the way it would shift from one day to the next. The way he would eat, drink, retain fluid and then sweat it out was like nothing I’ve seen before or since. But for the most part, he was always at it on the pitch.
“Now young Igamane has to show he can be the real deal too. In Glasgow, you’re never as good or bad as they say you are. Cyriel Dessers - who gets a raw deal at times in my eyes - is nowhere near as bad as player as some critics claim while Hamza perhaps hasn’t been as good as some of the hype has suggested.
“But there’s a player in there alright - he just needs to keep grating like the Buff and hopefully he’ll hit those heights.”
Vladimir Romanov reveals bold tactic he used to stop Celtic transfer
Former Hearts owner Vladimir Romanov has revealed a bold tactic he used to stop a Celtic transfer in its tracks back in 2006.
Speaking on BBC Scotland's Romanov: Czar of Hearts podcast series, the Russian-Lithuanian businessman claimed how he convinced Craig Gordon not to make an initial move to Celtic, following public admissions that the Hearts players were unhappy with Romanov’s methods.
Steven Pressley and Paul Hartley were also involved, and both did make the move to Parkhead, but Romanov claims he issued a harsh verdict and promised him English Premier League football if he snubbed the Hoops and signed a new deal.
“‘Your contract is running out and I know Celtic has made you an offer, but you'll end up being their second-choice goalkeeper, not the first,’” Romanov revealed he told Gordon at the time.
“‘If you stay and sign with us, I promise you'll play in the English league’. He laughed, not taking me seriously. So, I said, 'If you don't believe me, here's a blank contract. Write down the amount you want’.
“Gordon wrote down a very large sum - something unheard of at Hearts and all of Scottish football. I looked at it, signed it, and handed it back. That's how we managed to keep him.”
Sure enough, Gordon signed for Sunderland in 2007, where he spent five years before finally landing his move to Celtic after a chunk of time as a free agent.