Neil Warnock spoke about the Ibrox ball boys’ tactics after his first game as Aberdeen boss ended with a tense 2-1 defeat by Rangers which took the hosts level on points with cinch Premiership leaders Celtic.
The 75-year-old, appointed until the end of the season, saw his side go behind early to a Rabbi Matondo goal and while Dons striker Bojan Miovski levelled at the end of the first half, Todd Cantwell restored Rangers’ lead in the 73rd minute.
Rangers second-half substitute Dujon Sterling was shown a red card by referee Don Robertson in the 88th minute for a tackle on Jack MacKenzie – the official sticking with his decision despite the VAR asking him to check his pitchside monitor.
But the Light Blues saw out eight added minutes to move on to 58 points with Celtic, who have a superior goal difference.
Warnock said: “It was my type of game that. My type of atmosphere. When you get the ball boys wasting time at the end in the last 10 minutes you know you’re doing well, don’t you?
“They must be coached very well, are they coached with the first team? They throw it back when they are losing and when they are winning they hide the ball under their jumpers.
“I didn’t think you did that at this level. That was a new one for me that.”
Warnock was impressed with Miovski who scored his 20th goal of the season with a clever finish.
He said: “I said to him yesterday, ‘I’ve not seen one of you in the Premier League, never let alone in Scotland. I think he’ll get 30 goals for me this season. I said to him, ‘I’m glad the window is closed. You’ve got me now and I’ve got you’
“He’s super, a good lad with a good attitude. You don’t normally get strikers who work their socks off but he does that.
“And it was great to see a referee go across (to monitor) and not change his mind. We don’t get that in England.”
Rangers boss Philippe Clement will consider whether to appeal against Sterling’s red card, which he thought was harsh.
He said: “Yes, that’s something we need to decide as a club. I never make these decisions alone. It was a harsh decision for me. Dujon slipped and he hits the toes of the opponent.
“I didn’t see until now many red cards that you touch the opponent at his toes. If I look back, I cannot remember one moment.”
Clement was pleased with the unity shown in what was a hard-fought victory.
He said: “You get a knock there just before half-time and then it is important to stay calm and to continue what you are doing, not start to doubt.
“It is a big difference with a few months ago that the belief stays and everybody keeps on pushing to get the result. That was one circumstance and then the second is the red card 10 minutes before the end of the game.
“You need to struggle in those minutes, although it was not really a struggle. We even had chances to score a goal because we kept on going but it made it more difficult to finish the game.
“Maybe at the end it is good to show everybody how aligned everybody is in the club now, the fans and players, because it was amazing to feel this energy out of the stands in the last 10 minutes.”
Postecoglou praises Pochettino's success at Spurs
Ange Postecoglou says Mauricio Pochettino’s time at Tottenham was a success despite him not winning any trophies.
Spurs will face their former manager’s Chelsea side at Stamford Bridge on Thursday, with both teams needing points in the race for a top-seven finish.
Pochettino led Spurs to a Champions League final and three consecutive top-three finishes in the Premier League during his five-year spell between 2014 and 2019.
The Argentinian failed to lift a trophy in his time at the club, but Postecoglou thinks it is unfair to use that as a baseline for Pochettino’s success.
"I mean it's a funny one you know because if all we measure sort of success on is just trophies, then okay. You know, but I don't think that's what life's about,” he said.
"I think anyone who doesn't think that Mauricio's five and a half years here were successful, doesn't really appreciate, I think, football for what it is because, you know, to get to the Champions League final, to, you know, come runners-up in the toughest league in the world.
"There's no silverware but in my mind, particularly the way he developed that group, I think he was a success.
"This is the business we're in and we get measured by – most of us get measured by other things so we've got to accept that."
Spurs have not won a trophy this season, but they are still in the race for a Champions League spot and sit seven points behind Aston Villa with two games in hand.
Asked about his own success in his first season at the club, he added: "They're not questions I need to ask, or I need to sort of investigate.
"As I said, I go by what I see now, today, what's important to me today. What's important to me is how the lads train and get ready for a big game."
Rangnick turns down Bayern to stay in Austria job
Ralf Rangnick has confirmed he will remain in charge of Austria's national team beyond Euro 2024, having turned down Bayern Munich's interest.
Rangnick confirmed last week that Bayern had been in touch regarding the possibility of him taking over ahead of next season.
Bayern are aiming to fill an impending void, with current coach Thomas Tuchel set to leave the club at the end of the campaign.
But Rangnick has now confirmed he will be staying put, though he insisted he did not "reject" Bayern.
"I am national team coach of Austria with all my heart," he said in a statement released by the Austrian Football Association (OFB).
"This task brings me a lot of joy and I am determined to continue down the road we have started.
"I want to clearly stress that this is not a rejection of Bayern Munich but rather a decision for my team and our common goals."
"We are fully focused on the Euro. We will do everything we can to go far."
There have been calls from some Bayern fans for Tuchel to stay in charge, with some going as far as to sign a petition.
Bayern wanted to appoint Xabi Alonso as Tuchel's successor, but the former midfielder has elected to stay with Bayer Leverkusen.
While Leverkusen stormed to the Bundesliga title to end Bayern's 11-year dominance of the competition, Tuchel's team can still salvage silverware in the form of the Champions League.
Bayern head into the second leg of their semi-final tie with Real Madrid on the back of a 2-2 draw in Munich in Tuesday's first leg.
Dortmund boss Terzic not surprised by Sancho's quality
Borussia Dortmund coach Edin Terzic said he was not surprised by Jadon Sancho's quality after the on-loan forward helped the German side to a 1-0 win over Paris Saint-Germain in the first-leg tie of their Champions League semi-final.
Sancho joined Manchester United from Dortmund for 85 million euros ($91.11 million) in August 2021 but failed to hold down a regular spot and returned to Germany after becoming embroiled in a row with manager Erik ten Hag.
After impressing on the right wing against PSG, Terzic said he always sees Sancho's quality in training.
"It's maybe not so easy to bring it onto the field, especially when you haven't had rhythm for a while," he told reporters.
"We know his quality, and we saw it again today. We knew we needed a performance like that from Jadon."
Dortmund bagged the winner in the 36th minute through Niclas Fullkrug to take a slim advantage going into Tuesday's return leg in Paris.
Despite winning the first leg, Terzic knows that the tie is still all to play for in the second leg.
"We showed a very good game, a narrow win but a deserved one. It was a great teamwork performance that got us there. We wanted that small advantage. We know next week will most likely be tougher than today," he said in a press conference.
"This is just half-time and next week will be a different story. It won't be easy to deal with their power play in front of a home crowd. We felt it today from the 45th to the 60th minute.
"We felt their quality. We showed our best game against PSG, but next week they will have a euphoric backing of their fans, and they will want to turn the tie around.
It is a victory that, coupled with Bayern Munich’s draw with Real Madrid on Tuesday, secures Germany a fifth automatic Champions League spot next season.
"We wanted to qualify for the Champions League through the Bundesliga and not this way. But the fact that it will be enough to qualify as fifth is also partly down to our success, our contribution," Terzic added.
"Our minimum goal was to qualify for the Champions League. Now it [added spot] does not improve our Bundesliga season, but it does offer a softer landing."
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