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Neil Lennon has opened up about the incident that led to a Scottish Government summit. In the wake of Celtic’s 1-0 Scottish Cup Replay win over Rangers, the Celtic manager clashed with Ally McCoist in an evening that saw three Rangers players dismissed.
The firebrand Irishman refused to backdown when confronted by McCoist after the Final Whistle but both big personalities have refused to be drawn into what happened that infamous night. Speaking to Open Goal, Lennon revealed what actually happened.
This is likely a PG version from Lennon, who has cut out expletives shared between himself and the renowned co-commentator. The pair have since reconciled their differences but at the time, in a fierce season, both refused to concede any quarter.
Lennon revealed that both he and McCoist were on the receiving end from Rangers boss Walter Smith after the game. No surprises that veteran Smith was less than impressed with the touchline antics that sparked a melee.
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Real Madrid Transfer News: Vinicius Jr., Rodrygo, Konate, Saliba & More - August 17, 2025
There have been plenty of rumours surrounding the Brazilian pair, Vinicius Jr. and Rodrygo, about possible transfers out of Real Madrid. Los Blancos are said to have opened contract talks with one of their star players, looking to tie him down at the club. Below are the latest transfer news and rumors surrounding Real Madrid from football publications and websites around the world. Real Madrid Transfer News and Rumors Real Madrid have reportedly opened contract talks with forward Vinicius Jr. again. Despite significant interest from Saudi Pro League teams, Los Blancos have not abandoned discussions and look to agree on a deal soon. The Brazilian's agent is said to have been spotted at the Madrid training ground. - Defensa Central Liverpool defender Ibrahima Konate has been linked with a move away from the club this summer, with one year left on his contract. Real Madrid are said to be ready to offer $35 million (€30 million) for Konate this summer - plus another $6 million (€5 million) in bonuses to beat Barcelona and Chelsea to his signature if the Frenchman gives the okay for a move. - Defensa Central Manchester City's main target is Real Madrid forward Rodrygo if Savinho leaves the club. City's Brazilian talent is rumoured to be moving to Tottenham Hotspur this summer, but nothing concrete has been discussed. If he does depart, Pep Guardiola will step up the pursuit of Los Blancos' own Brazilian Rodrygo. - Fabrizio Romano The London club has knocked back Real Madrid's sensational swap deal for Arsenal center-back William Saliba. Head coach Mikel Arteta has said the Frenchman is happy to stay in North London, with Los Blancos ready to offer Rodrygo as part of a deal. - SPORT Portuguese side Benfica have reached out to Real Madrid regarding a possible loan of forward Brahim Diaz. The versatile player does not look to be available, with Xabi Alonso seeing him as an essential part of the squad. - Mundo Deportivo
Chicago Cubs’ surprising unsung hero may be gone after this season
The Chicago Cubs have had a lot of highlights this season, despite their recent downward trajectory and the bundles of frustration that go along with that. Surprisingly, there are almost as many breakthroughs and redemption stories among the pitching staff as there are among the more well-publicized position players. Playing the role of unsung hero and/or under-the-radar linchpin is the unlikely veteran Brad Keller, who seamlessly slid into a middle-relief role and has excelled. A Chicago Cubs’ unsung hero Brought into spring training as a non-roster invitee, the then-29-year-old Keller showcased more than a bit of the brilliance that he had occasionally touched upon over the previous seven years in his major league career. Thought to be little more than a depth piece by most, Keller surprised just about everyone, except manager Craig Counsell, who reportedly played a pivotal role in bringing him to the team. He even added upwards of 3.5 mph to his four-seam fastball en route to earning a spot on the Cubs’ 26-man roster. Keller’s top notch spring training run has extended into the regular season. So far this year, in 54.1 innings over 51 appearances, he’s posting an impressive 2.48 ERA with 55 strikeouts vs. 16 walks and a 58.3% groundball rate. Under-the-radar, but not unappreciated On Saturday, filling in for an under-the-weather Daniel Palencia, he struck out the side in the ninth inning to close out the Cubs’ 3-1 win over the Pittsburgh Pirates. “If you’re not the closer, maybe, it doesn’t have a lot of fanfare on it, but Brad’s had an excellent season, a really valuable season for us,” Counsell told reporters after the game. “If there is such a thing as an unsung hero for this team so far, I would definitely nominate Brad for that…This is a different role for him starting this season and he’s responded really well to every challenge put in front of him…” The rocky road here Keller was drafted in the eighth round by the Arizona Diamondbacks in 2013, but was then selected in the Rule 5 Draft by the Cincinnati Reds, who proceeded to trade him to the Kansas City Royals. He impressed in his 2018 rookie season, working as both a starter and a reliever, with a 3.08 ERA in 41 games. He would eventually go on to earn a full-time starter gig with the Royals, but have diminishing success in that role after the Covid-shortened 2020 season. He was then put back in a swing man role before eventually becoming a free agent at the end of 2023. Last season, he delivered a 5.44 ERA in 16 games split between the Chicago White Sox and Boston Red Sox. He was brought to spring training by the Cubs as a non-roster invitee, eventually earning a roster spot in the bullpen and a modest $1.5 million contract. He’ll be a free agent once again at the end of this season and there’s zero doubt that his asking price will go up significantly. “This is a pitcher who had big success in the league at a younger age,” Counsell told The Athletic back in late February. “I always take note of that. It’s in there. That’s the guy we want.” And the Cubs got that guy they wanted. Now, the question turns to whether the team will pay the price to keep him.
Milwaukee Brewers: Craig Counsell Blasts Former Team’s 14-Game Winning Streak, Gets Caught Lying
Vikings GM Kwesi Adofo-Mensah's biggest find is ready to take a huge step forward, and it could be huge for Brian Flores' defense
After joint practice on Wednesday between the Minnesota Vikings and New England Patriots, I was asked by some members of the Patriots beat about just one player. "Who's 61? He's a dude." That player is Jalen Redmond, who has quite the story heading into his second season with the Vikings. He was playing in the UFL in the spring of 2024 with the Arlington Renegades. He was a signing the Vikings made on June 18th, 2024, which came after mandatory minicamp. Redmond was the 90th player on the roster and excelled throughout training camp to earn a roster spot. That ability is showing up once again. Jalen Redmond is taking another step forward The signing of Redmond was a massive win for general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah and his scouting staff, especially Ryan Grigson, who was given a lot of credit for finding him. "I remember he [Grigson] called me and said, 'I like this guy.' I think it was late May," Adofo-Mensah explained. "You have to ask yourself, what's your standard for bringing people in, because a lot of good players are on teams already, so there's going to be something there that's not perfect, not clean, and earlier he had injuries, so you've got to understand why he's available, but ultimately here's why he might be a good bet. "And you saw the flashes for an interior guy with burst, his run defense kind of jumped out to me. That's the other thing, when you've been together for two or three years, and my history with Grigson before, he knows how to communicate with me, makes a cut-up, knows exactly what we look for." You can see the power and explosiveness in Redmond's game. He rarely gets washed out by the offensive line, and often penetrates the backfield with his ability. Where things have gotten really interesting with Redmons is seeing how good he can be from a short and long-term perspective. Last season, Redmond played in 13 games and flashed in a major way. While he went undrafted out of Oklahoma, it wasn't so much due to talent, but a health issue that kept him from being selected. He certainly looks like a player who should have been selected. Over the course of the season, Redmond got one sack and 6.0 tackles for loss to pair with 18 tackles. His ability to be a penetrating force on the line earned him a starting role at the end of the season, with two starts in his first year with the Vikings. Going into year two, Redmond shouldn't be overlooked. He won't be a starter with the additions of Jonathan Allen and Javon Hargrave, but it shouldn't be much of a surprise if he approaches 500 snaps as a rotational player. His teammates believe he's a stud, something that Jonathan Greenard emphasized last week. "Redmond is a dog," said Greenard after Redmond's great practice on Thursday. "Jalen's been a dog since last year in training camp. I knew he was a dog when he got thrown out of practices last year. So I was like, listen, from that day forward, he got thrown out, he came back in just completely, just dominating. And at that point even to see it during the season and see him continuously build. Now I'm like, man, everybody knows, but when you see, obviously, you bring in two guys like JA [Jonathan Allen] and Grave [Javon Hargrave], you kind of think that he gets put in the wayside, making the same place he was last year, if not more. And that just helps us out to know that it's not gonna drop off whenever those guys get a breather or something like that. If I'm coaching, I'm putting him in." Don't sleep on Redmond going into this season, as he's only getting better.
Red Sox Land Silver Slugger, Gold Glove Winner: Breaking
The Boston Red Sox have had questions at first base since Triston Casas suffered his season-ending knee injury. There have been questions about the position ever since, but it seems like Boston is at least trying to bring another slugger to town. Recently, the Washington Nationals designated Nathaniel Lowe for assignment in a somewhat surprising move. Lowe had 16 homers and 68 RBIs for the Nationals before the decision was made. While this is the case, he was slashing .216/.292/.373 in 119 games played. Lowe was one of the best hitting first basemen in baseball over the last few years, but the 2025 season hasn't quite been his year. In 2024, he slashed .265/.361/.401 with 16 homers and 69 RBIs in 140 games played for Texas Rangers. The year before, he won a Gold Glove Award while slashing .262/.360/.414 with 17 homers and 82 RBIs in 161 games. The best season of Lowe's career so far came in 2022 with the Rangers as he slashed .302/.358/.492 with 27 homers and 76 RBIs in 157 games played. Red Sox adding Silver Slugger, Gold Glove winner to Boston This season has been uncharacteristic by his body of work throughout his seven year big league career. Once Lowe was DFA'd by the Nationals, immediately speculation popped up about how he would make sense in Boston. Well, it sounds like the Red Sox's front office agrees. MassLive.com's Chris Cotillo reported that the Red Sox are in talks to bring Lowe to town. "Red Sox are in talks to bring in Nathaniel Lowe and are working on getting it done, sources say," Cotillo said. ESPN's Jeff Passan followed up by reporting that the Red Sox and Lowe were finalizing a deal. "First baseman Nathaniel Lowe and the Boston Red Sox are finalizing a deal, sources tell ESPN. Lowe was DFA’d by Washington earlier this week and will head to Boston and join one of the best lineups in the league," Passan said. Since Casas got hurt, the Red Sox have been getting by with Romy González and Abraham Toro getting the vast majority of the work. González is still thriving but Toro has fallen back to earth after a red-hot start to his Boston stint. Now, Lowe will come to town and help fill in at first base down the stretch as Boston pushes for a playoff spot. It's been a good run for Boston -- despite a bad day on Sunday -- and now the club will add another slugger into the mix.
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