Source - BBC Football

Scotland will lose one of their two Champions League places from the season after next, the Scottish Premier League have confirmed.

Rangers forward DaMarcus Beasley has spoken of his shock after his car was deliberately set on fire.

The American's blazing BMW 6-Series was found in Queen's Gardens in Glasgow's west end around 11pm on Monday night.

Police said they were treating it as wilful fireraising and were trying to trace the occupants of a white car seen in the area.


Beasley's BMW was parked outside his home when it was targeted and he hopes it is not because of the Gers' rivalry with Celtic.

"I don't know how to take it really. It's pretty crazy," he told the Daily Record.

"If it is a Celtic-Rangers thing then it's obviously not good.

"It has shocked me - you don't expect to be targeted like this. But I'm not going to be too upset by it."

Beasley has confirmed on his Twitter page that he is okay and is glad no one was hurt while also confirming he is in the market for a new car.

Tottenham striker Robbie Keane is shaping up to be the biggest name on the move during Monday's transfer deadline day.

Keane has fallen out of favour at White Hart Lane with Harry Redknapp viewing Jermain Defoe and Peter Crouch as his preferred strike partnership.

Sunderland are the latest club to be linked with a swoop for the Republic of Ireland captain, who is valued at around £9million.

Celtic had a bid turned down earlier this month while West Ham, who were trumped by Spurs in their attempt to sign Eidur Gudjohnsen, have also expressed an interest.

However, the Hammers' shortage of striking options is set to addressed by the imminent arrival of Benni McCarthy in a £2.5million move from Blackburn.

Kilmarnock have confirmed that manager Jim Jefferies along with his assistant have left Rugby Park by mutual consent. The team are currently 11th in the SPL having failed to win on their last three outings after beating St Johnstone in early December.

Jefferies had been with the Rugby Park outfit for eight years having joined in 2002. The former Hearts and Bradford boss' only success was helping the Ayrshire side to the Scottish League Cup final in the 2006/07 season. Kilmarnock have confirmed that Jefferies, along with assistant manager Billy Brown have departed.

"An agreement has been reached among Kilmarnock football club, team manager Jim Jefferies and assistant team manager Billy Brown which will allow Messrs Jefferies and Brown to leave the employment of the club with immediate effect," read a statement on the club's official website.

"The agreement was reached by mutual consent. Everyone at Kilmarnock wishes to thank Jim and Billy for their eight years of service to the club, a period which witnessed several "top six" SPL finishes and the League Cup final in 2007.

"The Club will now seek a new manager with a view to restoring its position in the "top six" of the SPL and challenging for this year's Scottish Cup."

Kevin Kyle faces disciplinary measures from Kilmarnock chairman Michael Johnston over controversial comments attributed to him in newspapers.

In the Daily Record, the Killie captain criticised the lack of a club doctor.

And this week in The Sun, Kyle said Johnston had asked him for his opinion on manager Jim Jefferies' tactics, a claim that Johnston refutes.

"The question of tactics was raised by Kevin. If I wanted to talk tactics, I'd discuss it with the manager," he said.

Kyle claims the chairman asked him if he would discreetly mind talking about the manager's decisions and, after refusing to comment, immediately informed Jefferies of what had happened.

But on BBC Radio Scotland on Saturday, Johnston gave his version of the conversation that took place between him and club captain Kyle, denying that he was the one who chose to discuss tactics.

"It was a subject raised by Kevin. I telephoned him to invite him to a discussion about a press article which appeared in the Daily Record on 1 January in which he made some comments about internal matters relating to medical facilities," said Johnston.

"I also said it would be an opportunity to discuss his contract extension.

"In the telephone conversation I asked Kevin about the match at St Mirren which we had lost 1-0 the previous day and he complained about a lack of service in the box.

"The question of tactics was raised by him. I acknowledged his concern over tactics but I certainly didn't raise the subject and I didn't question him on it and I didn't ask him to a meeting to discuss tactics."

Johnston wants to establish that Kyle has, in fact, been quoted accurately in both newspaper articles before taking punitive measures against the club's main goal threat.

"I have to establish with Kevin if he has been accurately reported," he added. "If that is the case, there will be a disciplinary hearing.

"He is, on the face of it, in breach of his player contract.

"It is hugely disappointing when the team captain, who has been treated as a hero at Rugby Park, goes to the press with something like this.

"I don't think he realises how disruptive it is for the club, for the supporters and sponsors.

"I don't think he has thought through the consequences of his actions."

And in an interesting twist, Johnston claims that Jefferies' anger will be directed not at him for questioning the club manager's judgement, but at his centre-forward.

"Jim Jefferies will be seriously let down by all of this because he phoned Kevin Kyle on Thursday evening before this article in the Sun was published and instructed him to withdraw his comments because Jim recognised that this wasn't a good thing for the club," said the Rugby Park chairman.

"He has let down the manager and the club and it is a huge distraction for the players at a critical time of the season.

"There is too much of Kilmarnock's affairs being paraded in the media. I don't know who is doing it or why but it's distracting and unprofessional and it has to stop."

Relations between Jefferies and his chairman have been strained and, if Kyle's claims are true, the manager is likely to see this as an attempt to undermine his position, who have slipped to second bottom of the SPL after winning just one of their last nine games.

The manager, who is under contract until May 2012, has lost coach Gary Locke, chief scout John Harvey, the club doctor and a video analysis editor in a series of cuts.

Kyle, meanwhile, is out of contract in May and Johnston says it was his intention to offer the former Sunderland striker an extension.

He said: "When Kevin joined us, initially he wanted only a six-month contract and I said 'no, it's an 18-month contract minimum'.

"He agreed to that and was very successful last season. He has been treated as a hero so we are keen to keep him.

"I wanted to talk to him about an extension in the summer, and he wanted to wait until the turn of the year to see what his options were.

"He is clearly frustrated that he is not getting the opportunity to put himself in the shop window that he thought he would this season. There has been no interest in him whatsoever."

Source: BBC Football

AIK Stockholm defender Jos Hooiveld has emerged as a transfer target for Celtic, amid reports Hoops duo Gary Caldwell and Barry Robson are closing on moves to Middlesbrough.

Boro boss Gordon Strachan, who quit Parkhead last summer, has confirmed he is in talks with his former side about signing players, two of whom are believed to be defender Caldwell and midfielder Robson.

Celtic could use the cash gained from any sale to fund a move for 26-year-old Hooiveld, whose agent Alex Kroes told STV: "He has had a very good last two years of his career. He is really going step by step quickly forward. Celtic is a bigger club than AIK. AIK still is a big club, they play weekly for 35,000 people.

"It's a great club, they won the cup last year, they won the league title, but of course Celtic is another step forward in his career. If a move could happen and things become concrete, it would be very good for both Celtic and for the player."

He added: "[AIK] will never allow their best player to go on loan somewhere. If it will be happening, they will have to put some money on the table."

The 6ft 3in centre-back reportedly visited Glasgow to tour the facilities at Parkhead and Lennoxtown. He was part of the AIK team that recently won the double in Sweden and can play at the back or in midfield. He would likely be a replacement for Caldwell, who is out of contract in the summer.

In-form Rangers striker Kris Boyd has issued a come-and-get-me call to new Scotland boss Craig Levein.

The 26-year-old wants to return to the international fold after walking out on the George Burley regime within hours of being left on the bench for the goalless draw against Norway in the last qualifying campaign.

He denied a bust-up with Burley for his exit, merely claiming that his club career was suffering as a result of pointless trips with the national team.

But the striker is back on top form at Rangers and believes now is the right time to pull on the dark blue jersey of Scotland again.

He has been boosted by Levein's promise that he will not rule out any players when he ponders his squad for his first game in charge against Czech Republic in March.

Boyd said: "I want to go back in, I want to be involved. It's up to the manager if he picks me but I'm ready to go back and I want to play for my country again.

"I'm looking forward to going back to Scotland and hopefully I can be involved and we can qualify for the next championship.

"We know it's going to be hard but hopefully I can go back a far better player and offer more than what I did before."

Belarus defender Dmitry Verkhovtsov is eager to sign for Celtic after flying into Glasgow for transfer talks. The Belarus international is wanted by manager Tony Mowbray and is believed to be available for around £500,000.

The 23-year-old, who plays for Naftan Novopolotsk in his homeland, has won 12 caps for his country. Verkhovtsov insists joining the Bhoys would be a chance of a lifetime and that he is eager to put pen-to-paper on a deal.

"I want to play for Celtic and I believe I can make a difference," Verkhovtsov told the Scottish Sun. "I'm strong in the air and two-footed. This is the chance of my life - and I want to sign for Celtic as quickly as possible."

EDINBURGH (AFP) - Rangers boss Walter Smith has been dealt a double Old Firm blow with Algerian defender Madjid Bougherra and US winger DaMarcus Beasley poised to miss the crucial clash with Celtic next weekend. Bougherra was a member of the Rangers side that overcame the shock of going behind at Easter Road after just 12 seconds on Sunday before the Scottish Premier League leaders and reigning champions recovered to beat Hibernian 4-1.

It had been thought Bougherra would be called up by Algeria for African Cup of Nations duty after the clash with Celtic, who are four points behind Smith's men in second place, at Parkhead on January 3. But Smith believes Wednesday's match at home to Dundee United will be Bougherra's last before the centre-half joins up with the rest of the Algeria squad for the January 10-31 tournament in Angola.

"That's the way it's looking at the present moment," said Smith.

Meanwhile, Beasley suffered a thigh injury in training that kept him out of the Hibs match.

"He has a tear in his thigh," said Smith. "I'm not sure how long that will keep him out - two or three weeks maybe. "It's disappointing in the sense that he is just back in the team and doing exceptionally well so it was disappointing it happened."

However, there was more encouraging news for Rangers in the form of strike duo Kris Boyd and Kenny Miller, who both scored against Hibernian as the Gers took their December goal tally to an impressive 19 in five games.

"They are doing well in all aspects of their game for the team and they are still managing to get goals, which is a good thing for us," Smith said.

In the stands at Easter Road was new Scotland manager Craig Levein but former national team boss Smith was coy when asked if his strike duo should be lining up at international level.

"That's up to Craig," he said.

Hibs had a dream start as Anthony Stokes scored the quickest-ever recorded Scottish Premier League goal but Miller's double, plus goals from Boyd and Nacho Novo saw Rangers recover in style. The home side remained third, despite this defeat, but were left eight points behind Rangers and Hibs manager John Hughes said his side were out of the title race, which would yet again be a two-horse race.

"Over the course of the game Rangers ran out convincing winners," Hughes said. "Did they have to do much to beat us? I think we beat ourselves at times. But I'm not going to be too hard on my boys. We got some answers today and possibly the biggest is that we can't match the Old Firm, which is disappointing."

South Korea midfielder Ki Sung-Yueng is confident he will quickly settle at Celtic, but admits his World Cup ambitions could be in jeopardy if he does not play regularly. Ki is set to complete his move to Scotland from FC Seoul on 1st January after signing a four-year contract with Tony Mowbray's side.

He is confident he will make an impact with Celtic, but he acknowledges that he is risking his dreams by moving before the 2010 World Cup.
"It is very important for me to be playing regularly, otherwise my manager with South Korea is not going to be too happy," Ki said.

"I join Celtic in January and that means there is not much time. The manager is gambling also because he doesn't know much about me. But it won't take a long time to settle in and I am confident that I can show the fans and players what I am capable of, so it is not a big problem.

"I am really looking forward to hopefully playing in the World Cup, it is my first one and it will be a good experience to be playing against the best players in the world."

Ki, the 2009 Young Asian Player of the Year, has all but ruled himself out of an Old Firm derby debut at Celtic Park on 3rd January.

"I haven't trained for a while so I need a couple of weeks to build my body," he said.

"In my opinion, I'm not ready for the Old Firm game but if the manager wants me to play then maybe I will get an opportunity."

Dundee United goalkeeper Nicky Weaver has hailed Craig Levein ahead of his move away from the club next month. The 30-year-old joined the SPL outfit on a free transfer in the summer from Charlton, where he had been languishing in the reserves until his contract expired.

Weaver is now set to move on in January as Slovak keeper Dusan Pernis, who signed a pre-contract deal in the summer, arrived from MSK Zilina earlier this month and will be available for selection in the New Year.

While Weaver prepares to go, Levein could also be moving on as the Dundee United manager is set to meet with the Scottish Football Association to discuss the possibility of succeeding George Burley as national team boss. The former Manchester City keeper has got nothing but praise for Levein after the United boss resurrected his career.

Weaver told the Daily Record: "I've done exactly what I wanted to do. I've come up here and played for the last five months and thoroughly enjoyed my time under him.

"I have nothing but good things to say about the manager. He's taken Dundee United where they are on a limited budget. That's been recognised and now he could get his reward for it.

"Nobody has actually said he will leave but it's a possibility. If he does I will always be grateful to him. He will be a massive loss and everybody at the club knows that. But he has been here for three years and has left some good foundations.

"He's brought in some good players and tied them to long contracts. A lot of them are young players and they are only going to get better. He has made big strides with the youth development and if the worst comes to the worst for United at least he will be leaving them in good shape.

"I don't know what will happen but as players you just get on with playing. He's obviously declared his interest in the job and the SFA are interested in him. But the players still come in every day and prepare for each game as normal. It doesn't affect us."

Weaver is looking forward to the challenges ahead, adding: "I have three games left and then I will be a free agent. I've spoken to a few clubs and there are a few others aware of the situation.

"I have fully enjoyed my time up here on and off the pitch. I hadn't spent much time up here before and I've found the Scottish people very welcoming. I will look back on my time here with fondness.

"I think I've re-established myself here. I was disappointed not to play for Charlton after Christmas last year so to come up here and be part of a successful side has helped me. The main reason I came here was to play football. I could have gone to a few other clubs and sat on the bench but I didn't do that.

"I've got the bug back now and wherever I go I want to play. I'm 30 years old now so the next three or four seasons will be a big part of my career."

Rangers keeper Neil Alexander has hinted his future lies away from Ibrox after failing to secure first-team football.

The former Ipswich and Cardiff City shot-stopper has made just one SPL start this season after playing second fiddle to Allan McGregor.
Alexander has made no secret of his love for the Glasgow giants, but feels he is at the stage of his career where he needs to be playing first-team football.

The 31-year-old knows scouts may be taking note of his situation, however, he wants to play well for himself and Rangers before trying to impress interested parties.

"There is maybe only so long before I feel I need to get back playing," Alexander told the Daily Record. "If it's not here, maybe it will have to be somewhere else. I've got another year on my contract and I have plenty of time.

"Allan is doing well, so we'll have to wait and see. Myself and Allan get on well and work well together but, at the end of the day, it's my career. As much as I love it here and I would love to stay for a long time, I feel I need to be playing. I've got something in mind and we'll see what happens.

"You never know, there might be clubs looking at my situation and taking note of it but I can only do well for myself. If I'm here and Allan leaves, or I leave and Allan's here, that is just a situation that will be weighed up. But if Allan stays, it is something I will have to think about."

Willo Flood admits his move to Celtic has not gone according to plan. The 24-year-old midfielder only moved to Parkhead in January after spending 18 months on loan at Dundee United from Cardiff City. But he has started just two games since his move and admits things have not gone well for him.

"I think it's fair to say that me moving to Celtic has not gone according to plan," he said.

"At the time, it was the chance of a lifetime and the chance to join a club like Celtic, where you could win things and play in the Champions League. It was not something I could turn down, but it hasn't turned out the way I wanted it. I'm not involved, I'm not featuring and at this stage of my career I need to be playing regularly."

Flood admits a loan deal is likely in January with his future then further assessed in the summer.

"They will decide what I do, but it's best that I go out on loan, at least, and see what happens then," he continued. "I've spoken to Tony Mowbray about it and he's been great with me. He's one of the most honest people I've met in football, he hasn't messed me around in any way.

"He says it would be best for me to go out on loan next month, get some games in and get my sharpness back and we'll assess things again in the summer."