Celtic manager Brendan Rodgers hopes Sunday’s trip to Rugby Park is among the last few times his team have to play on artificial pitches in the cinch Premiership.
Kilmarnock aim to install a grass pitch in their stadium once their new training ground is up and running, although that is still at the planning application stage.
Reports claim that discussions will be held in the new year over potential rule changes to ban artificial pitches in the top flight.
Livingston manager David Martindale this week claimed that moving from plastic to grass could cost them £2.5million but other teams in the top division would likely welcome a rule change.
Rodgers said: “It’s a constant conversation. It’s clear that every coach would want to play, I’m pretty sure, on a grass pitch.
“The sooner that is the possibility up here then the better it would be for everyone.
“I understand the economics of it all and what it would mean for some clubs, but there should be a certain level or a certain standard of which every team, if you are playing in the top flight, should have a grass pitch.”
Celtic suffered a 1-0 Viaplay Cup defeat on Kilmarnock’s pitch in August, but Rodgers believes his side are better equipped for Sunday’s trip to Ayrshire.
“Certainly where the team is at now is a far different place to back then,” Rodgers said.
“It was probably a good time to play us with players coming in and the challenges we had. It’s a different team – the structure and attitude is different.
“That doesn’t mean it’s going to be an easy game. Derek (McInnes) has really put his team in a good place in the top six and they are hard to beat.”
Oh Hyeon-gyu affirmed his hopes of playing in the Asian Cup in January after netting two goals in Wednesday’s 4-1 win over Hibernian in only his second start under Rodgers.
With Kyogo Furuhashi and Daizen Maeda also in the running for the Japan squad, Rodgers is poised to go into the transfer market for a striker and his club were this week linked with a move for Aberdeen’s Bojan Miovski.
“It will depend,” he said, when asked about his plans for a new striker in January. “Clearly we are trying to anticipate over the last few months the guys that will go away to the Asian Cup.
“Clearly if Daizen is away, Kyogo is away and Oh is away, we would have to do something in the market.”
Mikey Johnston was also given a rare start against Hibs but Rodgers told the winger in a post-match media interview that he had to “do more”.
When asked about how to get the best out of players, Rodgers said: “That’s always the challenge of a coach. You are having to find many different ways to do it but, of course, you are always best being honest.
“Mikey knows that. The reason Mikey is still here, from the summer, is because I rate him as a player. I could easily have put him out on loan but I know his talent and I want to do everything I possibly can to allow him to maximise that talent.
“He has made great strides in his training performance just in terms of his consistency, and made an impact coming off the bench, but I know how much he wants to play for Celtic and start for Celtic.
“I know he was disappointed himself the other night. But without forcing it you hope you can see his qualities on a regular basis.
“He is a very, very talented player, one of the very best to come out of the academy here in terms of talent, individual quality, one v one, speed, he’s got stronger as well.
“But he’s not a baby anymore. He is 24 and if you want to start regularly for Celtic you have to have a robustness, you have to be mentally strong, you have to be competitive and physically brave.”
Reggae Boyz head coach quits following 3-0 loss to Venezuela, amid reports of souring relationship with JFF, key players
The Jamaica Football Federation (JFF) has announced the immediate resignation of Heimir Hallgrímsson, head coach of the Senior Men's National Team. The decision was communicated by Hallgrímsson to the JFF president and players earlier today.
According to a statement released Sunday night by the JFF, Hallgrímsson, who took over the role more than two years ago, has been instrumental in raising the standards of the national team. His tenure has brought significant benefits to the JFF and the wider Jamaican football community. Despite his efforts, recent events have led to his departure from the position.
In the statement, the JFF expressed gratitude for Hallgrímsson's contributions, acknowledging his commitment to the team and wishing him success in his future endeavors. The JFF's Technical Committee will now begin the search for a new head coach as the Concacaf Nations League and the FIFA World Cup qualifiers loom on the horizon.
Hallgrímsson's resignation comes on the heels of Jamaica’s 3-0 loss to Venezuela on Sunday, which marked their third straight defeat in the Copa America. Meanwhile, a report in the Sunday Observer indicated that the relationship between Hallgrímsson and the JFF had soured, with the coach also losing favour with several key players in the Reggae Boyz squad.
According to the Observer report, sources within the JFF suggested that frustrations on both sides had reached a breaking point, leading to an early separation. Hallgrímsson, who led Iceland to its first-ever FIFA World Cup appearance in 2018, was brought on board in 2022 with the goal of securing Jamaica's qualification for the 2026 tournament. Despite a fairly respectable record Halgrímsson's tenure has been marred by internal conflicts and less-than-convincing results.
The report went on to say that coach's relationship with the JFF reportedly began to deteriorate significantly earlier this year and that Hallgrímsson vacated his residence in Jamaica and returned to Iceland in January, only traveling to Jamaica for team assignments. Additionally, his attempts to reintegrate controversial Aston Villa attacker Leon Bailey into the squad for the Copa America were met with resistance from other players, further straining relations within the team.
As the JFF begins the search for a new head coach, the focus will be on finding a leader capable of uniting the team and steering Jamaica towards success in the Concacaf Nations League and the FIFA World Cup qualifiers.
Jamaica exits Copa America with 3-0 loss to Venezuela
Jamaica bowed out of the 2024 CONMEBOL Copa America with a 3-0 defeat to Venezuela in their final Group B match on Sunday at Q2 Stadium in Austin, Texas. This loss marked Jamaica’s third consecutive defeat in the tournament, concluding their participation without a win.
The match started with a glimmer of hope for Jamaica as Michael Hector, making his record-extending ninth Copa America appearance, struck on target in the sixth minute. However, the early optimism quickly faded as Venezuela began to assert their dominance.
Jamaican goalkeeper Jahmali Waite made a crucial save in the 42nd minute, deflecting a powerful shot from Darwin Machis to keep the score-line level at half time. Despite Waite’s efforts, Venezuela broke the deadlock early in the second half. Eduard Bello headed home a cross in the 49th minute to give Venezuela the lead.
The South American side doubled their advantage in the 56th minute when Salomon Rondon found the back of the net with a precise hit inside the box. Jamaica continued to search for their first goal of the match, with Kaheim Dixon coming close in the 77th minute, but his attempt was off target.
Venezuela sealed their victory in the 85th minute as Eric Ramirez scored their third goal, ensuring their place at the top of Group B. Jamaica had one final attempt from Alex Marshall in stoppage time, concluding their eight attempts on goal for the day.
Despite a valiant effort, Jamaica exits their third Copa America participation at the bottom of their group. The Reggae Boyz managed to score their first goal of the tournament on the second matchday through Michail Antonio but could not secure any points in their three group matches.
Douglas Luiz completes €50m Juventus transfer
Juventus have completed the signing of Brazil international Douglas Luiz from Aston Villa.
Luiz was a pivotal feature in Unai Emery's midfield last season, as Villa qualified for the Champions League.
However, the club required sales in order to comply with the Premier League's Profit and Sustainability Regulations (PSR).
Villa have sold youngsters Tim Iroegbunam and Omari Kellyman to Everton and Chelsea respectively, with winger Lewis Dobbin signing from the Toffees and full-back Ian Maatsen joining from the Blues.
Luiz, though, was always likely to be the big sale Villa required to get over the line, and that deal, worth €50million (£42m) has now gone through.
The 26-year-old, who is on international duty with Brazil at the Copa America, has signed a five-year deal with Juve.
In return, Villa are expected to sign Juve youngsters Samuel Iling-Junior and midfielder Enzo Barrenechea in a separate deal worth up to £18.6m (€22m).
They have also been linked with a move for Luton Town's Ross Barkley, who played for the Villans in the 2020-21 season.
Over the past two league campaigns, Luiz has created the most chances (98), teed up the most shots from a set-piece (42), made the most interceptions (63) and tackles (130) of any player in Villa's squad.
SportsMax is the Caribbean sports channel of choice, committed to providing sporting content of the highest quality to the Caribbean, delivered by a team of highly innovative, passionate and qualified professionals.
(876) 619-7629
digitalmedia@sportsmax.tv
