Archive August 1, 2025

A club world cup victory, lavish US tours, and $800 million stadium construction projects that will be on the horizon. Pah.

Yes, there are some advantages to the Premier League. It’s not the Scottish Premiership, though.

On Saturday, the juggernaut of Scotland’s top flight revves up once more. You can bet that your most recent Donald Trump-autographed Chelsea trophy photo will have jaw-dropping drama and more compelling arguments than you can shake a kebab pie at.

Whisper it, but there might be some tension between the big two this season.

13 of Celtic’s previous 14 titles, totaling 55, are a result of Celtic’s dominance. Will this campaign, however, signal a turning point in the rankings?

As unease grows among fans in Glasgow’s east end, Celtic finished 17 points clear last time. Under new manager Russell Martin, Rangers have already had a positive start, though not entirely convincing, by defeating Panathinaikos in the third round of Champions League qualifying.

Nine players have been signed by the new American ownership group at Ibrox, with the promise of more to follow.

While Brendan Rodgers’ side will start as favorites to win the 56th title, the race may be in one of the closest for a while this year.

With new investment and high expectations being met, this is one of the most highly anticipated seasons in years, aside from the Old Firm.

Will the traditional big clubs of the Scottish Premiership hold onto the top five spots in the table because they are arguably inarguably the best position they have been for a while?

After a sour struggle last term, Hearts fans are prepared for a fairy tale season under new boss Derek McInnes, who is plugging the Tony Bloom supercomputer into the Tynecastle mainframe. The former head coach of Aberdeen and Kilmarnock currently has a formidable squad that needs to be overcome in order to pursue both Europe and silverware.

Hibernian, led by David Gray, changed their fortunes in 2025, and they will hope to pick up where they left off, going from last to third after a remarkable run, despite having European football to contend with as they drop into Conference League qualifying.

Key players have been kept in a settled side at Easter Road, Jamie McGrath and Josh Mulligan have been fired from league rivals, and Kieron Bowie is a force to be around after an injury-related first-season slump.

After a long wait for the Scottish Cup glory, Aberdeen are aware of how important it is to balance European and domestic football until the end of the year, so it’s no wonder fans have turned out record numbers for their season books.

Scottish sides have recently found it difficult to perform such a juggling act, but manager Jimmy Thelin is another who has enjoyed good support from Pittodrie’s stables.

Meanwhile, Jim Goodwin is getting ready for his Dundee United side on Tayside after a terrifyingly impressive return to the top flight.

They continued to lead the newly-promoted side, finishing fourth overall and securing some European travel opportunities for fans in the process. Next week’s Conference League qualifying round includes a quick run by Rapid Vienna.

The SPFL had a record 5, 336, 353 supporters attend games last season, which is the highest total since 2012-13.

Nearly four million punters (3, 986, and 145) were on the top flight.

After numerous promotions, the addition of Falkirk to the top table has resulted in a rousing anticipation among the Bairns fans. With only a small number of fans still standing in the ground, the Kevin McAllister Stand and the Main Stand, or roughly 5,700 punters, had signed up for each home game by mid-July.

St Mirren claim to be at “record numbers again” for their regulars after securing historic back-to-back top-six finishes.

Away tickets are becoming more scarce as homespots are crowded up and down the country.

Brighton owner Bloom has invested £10 million in Hearts, Aberdeen are on a spending spree, and Hibs broke their transfer record by signing Luzern’s Thibault Klidje from Togo.

The Premiership Hills have gold in them.

Attendance increases, and revenues typically increase, and the club’s capacity to combine sponsorship deals with increased revenues, which eventually lead to big-money signings.

Every top-flight organization has so far reportedly “undisclosed,” with the exception of Dundee United and recently promoted Livingston, for which no one has ever paid a transfer fee.

No fewer than five clubs will have a new manager, with John McGlynn and David Martindale both making major changes to the faces in the top flight dugouts.

Martin and McInnes are the “new” boys at Rangers, McInnes at Hearts, Stuart Kettlewell at Kilmarnock, Motherwell’s Jens Berthel Askou, and Steven Pressley at Dundee.

After being prematurely excluded from the League Cup as a result of losing his first two games to lower league rivals, the latter is already under some pressure.

The coverage on BBC Scotland is extensive.

Open All Mics on television will present you with the highlights of the opening day of BBC One Scotland at 14:25 BST, followed by Sportscene highlights at 20:00.

At 19:15, Jonathan Sutherland from BBC Scotland will bring you Sunday’s highlights.

With a mix of news, views, and analysis, Sportsound will be broadcasting live over the weekend on radio and over the weekend with games played on Saturday, Sunday, and Monday.

Second round leaderboard for the AIG Women’s Open 2025

-11 Yamashita (Jpn), -8 Takeda (Jpn)

others were screened.

-2 Harry (Wal), Korda (US), Woad (Eng), -1 Nordqvist (Swe), E G Hall (Eng), + 2 Ko (NZ), + 7 Vu (US)

Miyu Yamashita, a Japanese player, shot a bogey-free 65 to claim a dominant lead at Royal Porthcawl.

Yamashita was one of the people who took advantage of the slightly calmer weather on Friday morning in south Wales. Wind speeds are anticipated to increase in the afternoon.

Before a triple-bogey seven on the par-four 16th derails her progress, England’s Lottie Woad was on course to post a score comparable to hers in her second round.

The 21-year-old eventually shot a two-under-70 to finish the round nine shots back of the leader.

On Saturday, Yamashita, who turns 24 years old, birdied her first two holes and added four more shots to her score.

The final round of the tournament was ended by her seventh birdie of the day, leaving the clubhouse target at 11 under par.

Steph Kyriacou also made the first hole-in-one attempt of the year’s tournament at par three eighth.

At two over after a second straight round of 73, defending champion Lydia Ko may not have done enough to participate in the final two rounds because the cut mark is expected to be either level par or one over.

The pre-tournament favorite, who was born in Farnham, shot a level-par 72 in her opening round, but with three holes to play, she had already climbed into the top five.

Woad completed the next ten holes with six birdies and one bogey after five straight pars.

Then, on the par-four 16th, all of her encouraging momentum was lost:

Woad put together two strong pars to finish after that setback.

After her round, Woad commented, “I believe it to be one of the most challenging holes on the course.”

The fairway is difficult to hit, and the result is a three-wood into a strong wind. Anything that misses the mark will be exaggerated.

I then pushed it, which was a pretty unlucky lie. I couldn’t really do much with that because it wasn’t too thick elsewhere besides where I was.

After a difficult opening day, she continued, “I’d definitely take it two under par] now, but not when I was standing on the 16th tee.

Late on Thursday night, Louis Rees-Zammit said, “It’s time to come home,” but it hasn’t been foretold where the Wales wing’s next destination will be.

The speedster will return to rugby on the eve of the 2024 Six Nations to compete against the Jacksonville Jaguars, Kansas City Chiefs, and then Jacksonville.

With new Wales manager Steve Tandy given a lift before he even clocks in at Principality Stadium, the 24-year-old will return in top shape and be in demand.

August may seem like the wrong time to be looking for a club, but Rees-Zammit’s skills and profile suggest that many people will be eager to fit their budgets.

Richie Rees, a former Wales scrumhalf, told BBC Radio Wales Breakfast, “He’s still very young.”

He “is explosive, and his repeated speed, his lateral movement is one of the best in the industry, and that’s why he recently traveled with the British and Irish Lions.”

Rees-Zammit can play outside of Wales and still be eligible for Test rugby thanks to the Welsh Rugby Union’s (WRU) selection policy.

Before making his move to American football, he was linked with several Top 14 clubs and had connections to both Japan and France.

Gloucester, where he made his name with stunning displays at Kingsholm, would appear to be a good fit on the playing front, but there will be salary cap issues.

The news that Red Bull are planning to invest in Newcastle might have caused Rees-Zammit to start groggily.

There is a fast track at Kingston Park, and the Falcons might be interested in hiring a poster boy.

R360, a potential breakaway franchise league, also wants to entice superstars with a goal of a first season between September and December 2026.

Rees-Zammit has made his rugby return at a time when the WRU might reduce its roster from four to three or two.

Without the assistance of a governing body with its own financial difficulties, Dragons, Ospreys, Scarlets, and Cardiff, which are owned by WRU, will not be able to compete with other clubs.

After Rees-Zammit left the capital and headed to Hartpury College, his uncle Paul Rees played for the Blue and Blacks, so it would be natural to move to The Arms Park.

At the start of the year, Dragons chairman David Wright made a promise to at least one marquee signing for fans at a Q&amp, A, but that promise has since changed at Rodney Parade.

A return to a Welsh club would seem unlikely at this early stage unless Rees-Zammit actually wants it for personal reasons.

Former Ospreys and Wales winger Alex Cuthbert stated on the Radio Wales phone-in program, “Not in a million years is he going to come to Wales.”

“It’s unfortunate because we’d love to have him back, he’s going to bring people to stadiums,” he said.

The NFL is extremely difficult to crack, so it didn’t go wrong as such.

Rees-Zammit deserves praise for trying his luck at a new sport and aiming to achieve new heights in rugby.

Prior to moving to wide receiver, former elusive Wasps, Gloucester, and England winger Christian Wade tried to make it with the Buffalo Bills while he was a member of the NFL’s International Player Pathway.

He signed with the Chiefs at the beginning of the year, but he was fired after having a difficult pre-season game in 2024. He then rejoined the Jaguars for practice.

With the end of their 18-test losing streak in Japan, Wales now has a fresh start under Tandy and Rees-Zammit, which offers them another chance.

When his club’s destination and anticipated return to action are announced, it will become clearer whether he is ready for an immediate comeback in the autumn series against Argentina, Japan, New Zealand, and South Africa.

Former Wales flanker Josh Navidi said, “We know what he can do on the field and he won’t have lost his speed.”

Maybe his conditioning isn’t like NFL, but after a month or two of work, he’s back to where he was. He’s probably driven to get stuck in and disprove something.

On their summer tour, Wales chose Josh Adams, Tom Rogers, and Keelan Giles, while Rio Dyer, Ellis Mee, Josh Hathaway, and Mason Grady hope to make it back in November.

Rees-Zammit’s commercial success, however, makes the WRU eager to return in time to help them deal with the economy.

England vs. Spain warm-up for the Rugby World Cup

Location: Mattioli Woods Welford Road, Saturday, August 2nd Kick-off: 00 BST

Marlie Packer, England’s flanker, admits she felt “emotional” about the possibility of taking the Red Roses back against Spain on Saturday in the women’s rugby world cup warm-up game.

After two seasons in the role, Zoe Aldcroft took the 35-year-old to the England skipper in January.

Packer, who is 111-captain, will still lead the team in Aldcroft’s absence in Leicester this weekend despite head coach John Mitchell choosing Aldcroft to take the place of him for this month’s World Cup.

What’s more enjoyable than playing at home World Cup? I’m going to give everything I can to help with this. That will begin against Spain this weekend, according to Packer.

I mentioned my role in the first couple of games in the pre-season with Mirch in a conversation that occurred quite early in the season.

I got a little emotional when he said, “I am going to name you as captain for the first warm-up game.”

You just don’t know if you’ll get the nod again because Zoe has been doing amazing work.

Packer last played for the Red Roses against Scotland on April 19 at Mattioli Woods Welford Road Stadium, where the game will be played.

In their final warm-up match against France in Mont-de-Marsan on Saturday, Mitchell’s side will face Sunderland’s Stadium of Light on August 22 against the United States.

Packer will face difficult competition to start the opener in the back row despite being one of only four World Cup winners from the squad from 2014.

Packer has also had a busy off-field career, with Rosie Galligan making an England team-mate’s proposal.

Galligan discovered the ring she wanted while taking a city trip to Bath a few months ago, but Packer claimed the expense and blatant reference to the upcoming World Cup made it too expensive.

Packer then made a covert call to the store to secure the purchase.

She continued, “That same week, I got it sized up and ordered.”

“We had a week off after Treviso, so I knew I had to do it.” I inquired about visiting on that day with her father and the rest of the family.

She inquired if she would mind if she had her hair done and went to get her nails done. Everything worked flawlessly.

“We initially began speaking at a reservoir just outside Guildford,” I said.

She texted me to meet me at this location because she was on her way. It was flawless, and there was no better way to do it. She was incredibly surprised.

Due to upcoming family weddings in 2026, 2027 is still likely the wedding year, but Packer is aware of the British and Irish Lions’ first women’s tour to New Zealand that September.

Galligan, 28, is likely to be considered for a squad spot because she is in her prime.

Parker, 36, isn’t certain if she will be competing by that time.

Packer joked, “With the back row at the Red Roses and every other nation, I think I would only be going to the Lions.” Although I would like to play there in some capacity, there will be some truly outstanding world-class players in 2027.

He is the son of an Irish sporting legend who was a hero to Roy Keane and a disciple of Pep Guardiola in charge of his coaching.

Although Cardiff City’s new head coach is a man of considerable stock, Brian Barry-Murphy has made his own way.

The Irishman is the ninth person to take on this enormous job in just four years.

Most managers leave because their careers are sorely lacking because of the club’s potential.

Also noteworthy is Barry-Murphy’s habit of accepting responsibility. Thanks to his father’s heroics, Jimmy Barry-Murphy, who won numerous hurling and Gaelic football titles during a stellar dual-sport career, his surname is still relevant in Ireland.

When asked what are his three favorite athletes of all time, former Manchester United captain Keane, another Cork son, named the great Barry-Murphy alongside Muhammad Ali and Barry McGuigan.

The younger Barry-Murphy has switched from playing football in England to becoming a Manchester City coach.

As Cardiff prepare for their first season in the third tier for 22 years, the 47-year-old left his position as Leicester City’s assistant coach to become the club’s main man in League One.

Guardiola is a generous coach in addition to being one of the most powerful and highly regarded managers of his generation.

He travels with coaches from all other teams and shares his methods and session plans wherever he goes. Guardiola leaves behind a ton of coaching material to assist his former colleagues, whether it be Barcelona or Bayern Munich.

It is heartening to note that so many of his former players or assistant coaches, including Vincent Kompany, Enzo Maresca, and Mikel Arteta, have now established themselves as successful managers.

In his three years in charge of City’s top development squad, Barry-Murphy learned from Guardiola while assisting in the removal of Cole Palmer.

In 2024, he then joined Leicester’s coaching staff, and his fellow coaches would rave about the intensity and attention to detail in his training sessions.

In less than a month, Barry-Murphy has already had a similar effect at Cardiff, where fans who have spent decades there have praised him as the most impressive coach they have ever seen on the training ground.

The players are taken with him as well, so it’s obvious that full judgment won’t be available until the start of the competition.

Yousef Salech, a Cardiff striker, says, “Training is very specific on what we want to improve and how we want to play the games.”

There is a significant improvement in that, I believe. He understands the structure and method of playing football very clearly.

When you inquire about Barry-Murphy’s coaching, specifics and intensity are frequently the subjects of conversation.

How exactly will his Cardiff team play, despite what has been said so far?

It has a very strong position and is very attack-minded, and I think the more we attack, the more we can control the opposition’s attacks. According to Barry-Murphy, it is a fundamental belief.

For instance, I don’t always concentrate on the individual defenders or goalkeepers’ profiles. I believe this style of play will help us dominate games, dominate games, and reduce chances for opponents to score our goal.

Barry-Murphy’s first taste of senior management was at Rochdale, where he received praise for his League One possession-based approach.

The former Preston midfielder spent three years in charge of City’s under-21s, who won successive Premier League 2 titles, before leaving in 2021.

Trophies are expected at a club with such high levels of wealth, but Cardiff’s attention was drawn to Barry-Murphy’s track record of working with young players and his clear vision for a particular playing style.

Fans have turned off by turgid, directionless football at the Bluebirds over the past few years because the team has failed to instill a coherent playing style.

Barry-Murphy intends to address the glaring issue while also achieving negative outcomes.

He says, “I’m telling the supporters that I want them to be excited about what they see.”

It will depend on how well we play, but if they see a team that wants to attack as much as they can, it will be pretty straightforward.

“We can’t guarantee that we’ll win,” the statement read. We can guarantee what we look like in terms of personality and aggressiveness.

Because it hasn’t been a long time since we have been together, but the players have shown a brilliant attitude and an open-mindedness to everything we’ve suggested, I suppose the most important challenge is in a team is the concept. I’ve had a great time.

Cardiff’s League One opener will be played at home to Peterborough United on Saturday, with Barry-Murphy taking the field.

With disappointing results and performances, fan protests, and a general feeling of dissatisfaction, Cardiff City Stadium has recently been a miserable place.

Barry-Murphy, who was not there, is fortunate to be able to enter the new season unhampered by Cardiff’s recent failures.

At the conclusion of last season, he says, “It’s probably hard to quantify what that feeling was.”

“I genuinely serve as a role model for the players for the supporters,” he says. Everything has been about this season, this pre-season, the games coming up, and what they hope to achieve in terms of what they want to see, not even one mention of the previous season.

And in the end of the season, I believe that I should look forward and take advantage of the opportunities that are available to us and comprehend the steps and steps we must take to get there.

Barry-Murphy is asked to specify where that is. Promotion ?