Liam Cooper wants Scotland to ‘do ourselves justice’ at Euro 2024
Liam Cooper insisted Scotland are intent on doing themselves justice at Euro 2024 after failing to win a game in their last tilt at the tournament. The Scots go into their concluding two qualifiers – away to Georgia on Thursday and at home to Norway on Sunday – having already qualified for the finals in Germany next summer. Steve Clarke’s men suffered group-stage elimination at Euro 2020 – delayed until 2021 due to Covid – after taking just one point from three games against Czech Republic, England and Croatia. Leeds defender Cooper – speaking from the Scots’ training base in Turkey ahead of Thursday’s match in Tbilisi – feels they will be better equipped this time to make it to the knockout phase. “As professionals, I think we put that expectation on ourselves immediately after the last Euros,” he said. “I don’t think we did ourselves justice in that tournament. “It was a lot of lads’ first taste of a major tournament, including myself, and straight after that we agreed among ourselves that we didn’t really do ourselves justice. “We’ve got a lot of people, including ourselves, to prove to that we belong there and we can get through the group stages. “We’ve got an honest bunch of lads and we hold ourselves accountable. We want to be satisfied with the way we performed. We’ve done well in this qualification campaign, to qualify with two games to spare is amazing, but it can’t stop there. https://x.com/ScotlandNT/status/1724198526597415041?s=20 “To be even more successful, we’ve got to go and do ourselves justice at the Euros. I’m lucky enough to have been at the last Euros, but if the goalposts don’t change once you’ve had a taste of that and you don’t want to go and improve on it next time, then there’s no point in you being here.” Cooper admits it is a good feeling to go into the last two matches having already qualified but he is adamant the Scots will not be taking things easy over the next week, with top spot in Group A as well as a place in the squad for the finals at stake. “It’s nice to have qualified with two games to spare, but there’s also that carrot there that if Spain drop points, we can go and win the group,” said the 32-year-old. “That’s our motivation right now. We’ve got to be professional and take our chance if Spain slip up. “We’ve only got this camp and the next camp to get ourselves in the manager’s thoughts and get in the squad for Germany so that’s also added motivation. We’ve got to put ourselves forward and prove we should be on that plane to Germany. “I had a taste of that before and it was an amazing experience albeit in difficult times for the world (due to Covid). There were limited people in the stadium so you didn’t get the full experience. “It was still an amazing experience but I think the Euros next summer will be unbelievable. It’s something you always dream of as a kid so you’ve got to do all you can by playing well and being successful in these next couple of games and into the March camp as well.” Excitement is building among the Scotland support and players ahead of the draw for the Euros group stage on December 2. “We’re obviously buzzing for that,” said Cooper. “We can then get booked and our friends and families can start getting booked up. “It’s been a bit of a nightmare not knowing where we’ll be playing, every person I’ve spoken to has booked about 20 hotels on free cancellation so it will be nice to know where we’re going to be based. “Once all the logistics of it are sorted out then you can really start to look forward to it. But we’re professionals and we understand there’s a lot of football to be played before then and there’s still a big decision to be made by the manager (regarding squad selection) so there will be no getting too carried away.” Read More Virgil van Dijk backs Liverpool to challenge Manchester City for Premier League title Anybody can beat anybody on the day – Kane Williamson hopeful NZ can upset India Denver Broncos capitalise on second chance to beat Buffalo Bills World trampoline champion Bryony Page eyes landmark Olympic appearance in Paris Pep Guardiola not concerned that Manchester City only had eight subs at Chelsea John Carver urges Lawrence Shankland to make the most of late Scotland call-up
1970-01-01 08:00
Takarazuka Revue: Japan theatre company sorry 'overworked' actress took her life
The all-female Takarazuka Revue apologised for "loss of life" but has not offered compensation.
1970-01-01 08:00
99 per cent of Netflix users don’t use this one part of the service
Netflix is a popular streaming platform with over 250 million subscribers, but there's one feature that the majority of users do not use at all. The streaming services are not only home to thousands of TV series and films, but there are also plenty of video games to play. Gaming studios such as Night School Studios, which developed the Oxenfree games were acquired by the company. Despite the development of Oxenfree 2 exclusively for Netflix, the statistics show that most subscribers are not aware of or just don't use this feature that comes free with their subscription. There are up to 70 games on the app which are on the Netflix app under the 'Mobile Games' section, where there are games based on the most popular shows such as Squid Game, Stranger Things, The Queen's Gambit, Black Mirror, and reality shows such as Love Is Blind and Too Hot To Handle. Other award-winning titles also include Immortality, Kentucky Route Zero and Before Your Eye. Only 2.2 million Netflix subscribers (0.88 per cent approximately) play one of the streamer’s games daily, as per a CNBC report. But it appears there is a struggle to get subscribers to return to the video games after trying them, since more than 70 million subscribers at some time have downloaded a game. Perhaps, this issue could be due to games taking up more download space, and commitment for users. Although stats show subscribers are not playing video games, the streaming giant has been splashing the cash in this area since in the last year, the quantity of games available has tripled. But Co-CEO Greg Peters, says this is all part of the "crawl, walk, run" strategy that has successfully worked in the past. “This trajectory is not dissimilar from what we’ve seen before,” Peters said on the company’s prerecorded earnings call on Wednesday, CNBC reported. “When we’ve launched a new region, or when we launched new genres, like unscripted” we had to “crawl, walk, run, but we see a tremendous amount of opportunity to build a long-term centre value of entertainment.” How to join the indy100's free WhatsApp channel Sign up to our free Indy100 weekly newsletter Have your say in our news democracy. Click the upvote icon at the top of the page to help raise this article through the indy100 rankings.
1970-01-01 08:00
Nvidia Adds $200 Billion as Winning Streak Set to Match Record
Nvidia Corp. shares are poised to extend gains for a 10th consecutive session, their longest streak of advances
1970-01-01 08:00
Yen teetering near multi-decade lows keeps markets on intervention watch
By Rae Wee and Alun John SINGAPORE/LONDON (Reuters) -The Japanese yen was under pressure on Tuesday, as traders waited for
1970-01-01 08:00
South Africa Bond Auction Sees Strongest Demand in Two Years
South African attracted nearly $1 billion of orders at Tuesday’s weekly auction of government debt, the strongest demand
1970-01-01 08:00
UK Geothermal Developer to Make Clean Lithium for Electric Cars
Britain’s leading geothermal power developer is raising £600 million ($737 million) to produce low-carbon lithium and boost supplies
1970-01-01 08:00
Germany’s Habeck Signals Siemens Energy Has Deal in Loan-Guarantee Talks
Economy Minister Robert Habeck indicated Siemens Energy AG has reached an accord with the German government and other
1970-01-01 08:00
Deco explains why Xavi's Barcelona job is safe
Barcelona sporting director Deco has insisted that Xavi Hernandez is 'the best coach for the project' despite a recent dip in form.
1970-01-01 08:00
Man City set to pay British-record fee for 15-year-old
Manchester City have agreed to sign Finley Gorman from Leeds United in a deal that could break the British transfer record for a 15-year-old. Add-ons could see the Premier League champions pay north of £2m for the midfielder.
1970-01-01 08:00
Canadian peace advocate Vivian Silver confirmed killed in Hamas attack
Vivian Silver dedicated her life to helping Gazans, and ending the Arab-Israeli conflict.
1970-01-01 08:00
People crave comfort food more during the winter season
People will be spending 30 per cent longer in the kitchen this winter compared to the summer months – as they crave comfort foods to keep them warm. A study of 2,000 adults who cook at home found they anticipate spending 72 hours rustling up meals from December to February, but just 55 hours from June to August. And 40 per cent spend more time cooking in the cooler months than they do during any other season. Among the reasons for this upward trend are a craving for more hearty, comforting dishes (65 per cent), wanting to feel warm and cosy (42 per cent), and the kitchen being the warmest room in the house (32 per cent). It also emerged 51 per cent are concerned about the impact more time spent in the kitchen will have on their household bills. As a result, 79 per cent are keen to learn more energy-efficient recipes. The research was commissioned by Smart Energy GB, which has teamed up with Michelin-trained chef, Poppy O’Toole, dubbed TikTok’s ‘Potato Queen’, who has crafted a selection of energy-efficient recipes and hacks She said: “Winter is one of my favourite seasons when it comes to the wealth of hearty, comforting recipes you can create - especially if they include potatoes. “And when the weather is colder and the days shorter, what better way to spend time than cooking your favourite winter warmers? “These dishes can take more time and energy to make, which is why I’m excited to show it doesn’t always have to be this way. “I’ve developed a recipe range of energy efficient takes on classic favourites - all with the help of a smart meter.” The study also found 25 per cent of those with a smart meter plan to monitor their in-home display more carefully during the winter. Of those, 42 per cent are doing so because it gives them a greater sense of control over their household bills, while 40 per cent want to reduce their energy use when cooking. One in five of all adults are searching for more cost-saving cooking methods, and 77 per cent said being mindful about energy use when cooking is important to them. It also emerged the typical home cook will use their oven for the equivalent of nearly three days (64 hours) from December to February, and their hob for nearly two days (46 hours). This amounts to at least £18 in energy usage in the kitchen alone between December and February, according to data from Smart Energy GB and Energy Saving Trust. A traditional roast, shepherd’s pie and sausage and mash are among the most popular meals made when then temperature plummets. The study, conducted via OnePoll, also found 39 per cent are using more kitchen appliances in their cooking endeavours than ever before. The oven was voted the top winter appliance of choice (43 per cent), with the economical air fryer (27 per cent) also featuring in the top 10. Victoria Bacon, director at Smart Energy GB, said: “As we head into the colder, winter months where many people spend more time in the kitchen, small changes to the way we cook can make a tangible difference to the amount of energy that’s used. “Smart meters are installed at no extra cost by your energy supplier and come with a handy in-home display which allows you to track your usage in near-real time. “These warming recipes created by Poppy are the perfect thing to help households rustle up hearty dish, while keeping an eye on energy use.” Read More Watch live as gun salutes mark King Charles III’s 75th birthday Woman defends her $7,000 cheese board How to host a dinner party for under £2 per portion Man shows the increase in grocery prices since 2019 Starbucks customer reveals comical result of her request for half sandwich Waitrose Christmas advert features Graham Norton cameo at kid-free festive party
1970-01-01 08:00
