Football news: Rangers inside track on Sima signing, 'horrible' Celtic concerns, Rooney recalls alcohol ‘release’

A Rangers scout lifts lid on how Sima was identified, while Strachan fears an Atletico Madrid backlash this evening

We wrap up some of the best stories this Tuesday morning across the football world …

How Rangers landed Sima

Rangers scout Piotr Kasprzak has revealed how the club brought forward Abdallah Sima to the club. The Senegalese is on a season-long loan from Brighton and Kasprzak, who specialises in central and eastern Europe, has explained how Sima – one of the club’s best signings this season – was identified. “We remembered him from the times of Slavia Prague,” said Kasprzak. “He played in a satellite club, joined Slavia and made a sensation. He even scored a goal for us in the European cups. We rated him highly, but we simply couldn't spend that much money on him at the time. He went to Brighton, then went on loan to France, came back and now has been loaned to Rangers. Probably if it weren't for the fact that we had him in our database from the times of Slavia and he was stuck in our memory, we wouldn't have gone for him in the summer, because his name wouldn't mean much to us. And now he is one of our best players. This past work has come to fruition, albeit with a delayed start.”

Rangers' Abdallah Sima has been successful since arriving on loan from Brighton.

McGregor feels a win in Madrid would change Celtic’s European mentality

Captain Callum McGregor feels Celtic’s improving performances in Europe are gradually changing their mindset but he knows a big result in Spain could transform the club’s outlook. The Hoops drew 2-2 with Atletico Madrid at Parkhead two weeks ago to collect their first point in Group E after three matches. But they twice lost the lead, following a narrow setback against Lazio in their previous game, to continue their long wait for a group stage win in the Champions League. Celtic have not taken three points from each of their last 12 games at this level and McGregor knows they need to change the narrative. “I spoke before the last game that for us in European football there has to be a mentality change, there has to be a shift, where when we go on to the pitch then we believe and we don’t want to come off the pitch until we get a result,” the midfielder said. The performances have been getting better and better but the biggest thing that the players can take from that is trying to change that mentality – that there’s almost an expectation to succeed and to get through the group. We need a result that is going to change that mentality, and the way you approach the game, if you go into them full of confidence and almost expect a result."

Strachan’s Atletico fears

Former Celtic manager Gordon Strachan is wary of the Glasgow club’s Champions League match against Atletico Madrid clash tonight – because he fears a reaction from their La Liga defeat. Diego Simeone’s men surprisingly lost to Las Palmas on Friday night and Strachan said: “The horrible thing about this game is that Atletico were beaten at the weekend in La Liga. They don’t often lose two games in a row – they will want to respond. They are a team that are masters of the dark arts. Beelzebub! Even at the end of the Celtic match where all their players just walked off – they’re the embodiment of their manager.”

Callum McGregor during a Celtic MD-1 training session at Parkhead.

Frail: Levein appointment at St Johnstone won’t affect Motherwell

Stephen Frail claims former team-mate Craig Levein’s appointment as St Johnstone boss will have no impact on Motherwell’s focus ahead of their crucial clash on Tuesday night. The 59-year-old former Scotland boss signed a contract for the cinch Premiership’s bottom side which runs until May, 2026. Levein, whose previous clubs include Hearts, Dundee United and Leicester, succeeds Steven MacLean, who left the Perth club last week and he will face the struggling Lanarkshire side in his first game at McDiarmid Park. Well assistant manager Frail, who played with Levein at Tynecastle, said: “Craig is a very experienced manager, I know him well from my playing days at Hearts and I wish him well in the job. The last time he was involved in the dugout was probably 2019. I haven’t spoken to him in a while, the last time I spoke to him he was at Brechin (club advisor) and I was briefly working with East Fife so it will be nice to see him and catch up because we were close as players at Hearts, he took me under his wing a little bit. They will be looking to get up the league but in terms of what we are doing – it doesn’t impact what we do. I am sure Craig will be trying to do as well as he can for St Johnstone but as I say it doesn’t impact on anything we are trying to do tomorrow night.”

Rooney recalls alcohol ‘release’

Former England captain Wayne Rooney has described his abuse of alcohol early in his football career as a “release”. The Birmingham manager appeared on the new podcast of ex-rugby league star and Motor Neurone Disease campaigner Rob Burrow, and opened up on the difficulties he faced in finding a way to deal with the pressure of fame as a young man. Rooney first broke into Everton’s senior side at the age of 16, became an England international at 17, and joined Manchester United at 20, but has said his high profile came with a cost. The 38-year-old told Burrow: “My release was alcohol when I was in my early 20s. I’d go home, and spend a couple of days at home and not leave the house. I’d drink almost until I’d pass out. I didn’t want to be around people, because sometimes you feel embarrassed. Sometimes you feel like you’ve let people down and ultimately I didn’t know how else to deal with it. When you don’t take the help and guidance of others, you can be really in a low place, and I was for a few years with that. Thankfully, now I’m not afraid to go and speak to people about issues.”

Birmingham City manager Wayne Rooney.

Rashford tells Man Utd fan channel to ‘stop spreading malicious rumours’

Marcus Rashford has told a Manchester United fan channel to “stop spreading malicious rumours” over his future. Popular fan channel The United Stand published a video on Monday titled: ‘Rashford’s future in doubt?’, with one contributor questioning his commitment to the club. Rashford was not involved in United’s 1-0 Premier League win at Fulham on Saturday as manager Erik ten Hag said the England forward had picked up an injury and failed a fitness test on the morning of the game. “Please STOP spreading malicious rumours,” Rashford wrote on social media in response to The United Stand video.

Postecoglou laments VAR’s impact

Ange Postecoglou lamented that VAR has diminished the authority of referees after he watched nine-man Tottenham lose 4-1 to Chelsea. A frenetic meeting between the two rivals saw five disallowed goals, two red cards, a penalty and two Spurs players forced off during the first half with injury, as Blues boss Mauricio Pochettino marked his return to north London by ending the Premier League’s last unbeaten record. But the match was dominated by VAR’s involvement with the red cards two of nine decisions referred to the video referee. Even with nine men the hosts continued to take the game to Chelsea and were well in the contest before Nicolas Jackson twice sprung their high line in stoppage time to add his team’s third and fourth goals and complete an unlikely hat-trick.

Ange Postecoglou cuts a dejected figure during Spurs' defeat by Chelsea.

Postecoglou’s team had been comfortably on top in the first half before Cristian Romero’s red card in the 33rd minute, dismissed for a dangerous challenge on Enzo Fernandez and conceding the penalty from which Cole Palmer equalised Dejan Kulusevski’s deflected goal. Destiny Udogie followed 10 minutes into the second half, receiving a second yellow card for a foul on Raheem Sterling, but it took a further 20 minutes before Chelsea finally took the lead for the first time through Jackson. Spurs’ night was compounded by the loss of James Maddison and Micky van de Ven to injury, on top of what is likely to be a three-game ban for Romero. But it was VAR’s impact that dominated Postecoglou’s thoughts after the game after a total of 21 minutes were added on at the end of each half.

“It’s hard to analyse from a football perspective,” he said. “We’re left with a result which is disappointing, but (I’m) super-proud of the players’ efforts and will and desire to get something from the game. (Lengthy VAR pauses) are going to become the norm, I think it’s where the game is heading. Unfortunately it’s how we’re going to have to watch and participate in football from now on. I don’t like it. I don’t like the standing around, the whole theatre around waiting for decisions. But I know I’m in the wilderness on that. In my 26 years, I was always prepared to accept the referee’s decision, good, bad or otherwise, and I’ve had some shockers in my career. I’ve had some go my way as well. I’ll cop that because I just want the game to be played. But when we’re complaining about decisions every week, this is what’s going to happen.

“People are going to forensically scrutinise everything to make sure they’re comfortable it’s right, and even at the end of that, we’re still not happy. It’s just diminishing the authority of the referee. You can’t tell me referees are in control of games. They’re not. Control is outside of that, but that’s where the game’s going. You have to accept it and try and deal with it.”