Rangers

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John Souttar says his Rangers future is "on the back-burner" as a summer of change looms at Ibrox.

Scotland defender Souttar, who joined Rangers from Hearts in 2022, is out of contract at the end of next season.

Rangers are in the midst of a takeover involving US-based 49ers Enterprises, the investment wing of the San Francisco 49ers NFL franchise, and there is also managerial uncertainty with Barry Ferguson in interim charge until the end of the season.

Ibrox CEO Patrick Stewart has stated his intention to prevent the loss of key players for free after Alfredo Morelos and Ryan Kent ran down their contracts in recent years.

Souttar, speaking in the build-up to Saturday's visit of Hibs to Ibrox, said of his contract situation: "To be honest, I've not spoken about that for a while.

"There has been loads of changes at the club so that situation has gone on the back-burner.

"I've not spoken to anyone about it for a while. I'm just concentrating on my football and let others deal with what they have to deal with. Hopefully it then gets resolved.

"There is so much going on at the club just now. I'm sure that when there is some stability that'll get sorted."

Despite Rangers following up their derby win at Celtic with a 4-3 away victory over Dundee, Souttar admits they need to tighten up after falling 2-0 behind in five of their past seven matches, including four of six under Ferguson.

"A lot needs to improve from how we started the game against Dundee, conceding the goals we did," the 28-year-old added.

"Obviously it's good that we came back and scored the goals. But we shouldn't need to score four goals to win a game.

"It's something we've been looking at and something we need to improve. That's something we simply cannot allow to happen, whether we're at home or away. A lot of the mistakes were basic errors."

Rangers have warned fans that they may scrap the singing section at Ibrox, mostly frequented by the Union Bears ultras group, over "issues of concern" after the club were fined by European governing body Uefa and threatened with a partial stadium closure. (The Herald), external

Read Friday's Scottish Gossip in full.

Martin Dowden
BBC Sport Scotland Senior Reporter

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Rangers assistant Neil McCann is in favour of expanding the Scottish Premiership, saying it would remove the "fear factor" and allow more opportunities for young players.

Talks have taken place at senior levels and an SPFL working group will explore options to alter the structure of the Premiership to a 10, 14 or 16-team division in an attempt to help reduce fixture congestion.

"'I've always liked the idea of a bigger league," said McCann.

"How that's configured is everybody's guess, but I think we've got teams that would enhance the top league.

"A lot of people say there's dead rubbers, but I believe you can always get something from that, whether it's introduction of young boys, whether it's more places up for grabs, a couple of relegation places and a play-off position.

"There's ways of trying to find the middle ground, but the most important thing, if it was bigger, I see it being more opportunity for young boys to be cut in because maybe it would take away a lot of the fear factor that exists right now."

Martin Dowden
BBC Sport Scotland Senior Reporter

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Rangers assistant Neil McCann has been speaking to the media before the Scottish Premiership home match against Hibernian this weekend.

Here are the key points:

• McCann stressed that while many people perhaps looked at Barry Ferguson's CV and thought he might not be ready for the Rangers job, he has "proved that wrong".

• The coaching team wanted to change the mindset among the squad and McCann believes they have achieved that.

• He adds: "There needs to be a real willingness to win. Sometimes you need to dig deep. Sometimes you have to go right to the end."

• McCann says they have changed how Rangers attack but are still conceding goals and it is something they have to "eradicate", but the players are "showing a wee bit of guts and determination".

• "A draw is not a good result at Rangers, domestically," he continued. "The whole DNA of this club has not been lost on the four of us (the new coaching team). The players have embraced it."

• He sensed the group towards the end of Philippe Clement's time "lacked a bit of spark, energy, tempo and aggression in their play" and that was something they looked to address quickly.

• McCann praised the squad being "accepting of changes made within a game and showing an ability to be adaptable," adding that Ferguson has shown he is prepared to adapt if things aren't working.

• Vaclav Cerny is "making good progress" after missing the win at Dundee but the winger won't be risked before the Europa League quarter-final against Athletic Bilbao.

• McCann says Hibs, on a 15-game Premiership unbeaten run, have "got something going" and it is a "huge" game for Rangers.

• On potential league reconstruction, the Ibrox assistant "likes the idea" of a bigger Premiership which "may bring opportunity for young boys to break through".

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• Rangers are unbeaten in their last 24 league meetings with Hibs (W17 D7) since a 2-1 defeat in February 2018 under Graeme Murty.

• Hibs have lost their past 11 league visits to Rangers by an aggregate score of 27-7 since a 1-1 draw in December 2018 under Neil Lennon.

• Rangers have lost their past four home games in all competitions – the longest losing run at home in the club's history.

• Hibs are unbeaten in their past 15 league games (W10 D5), the longest unbeaten run within a single season in the Scottish top fight in the 21st century by any side other than the Old Firm clubs. Hibs started the day of the first game in this run (14 Dec) bottom of the table, but now find themselves third.

• Rangers have conceded 2+ goals in each of their past five league games (11 conceded in total); in their entire history, only from December 1893 to April 1894 have they ever conceded twice or more in six successive league fixtures.

Numerous clubs in the UK, including Wrexham, and abroad are keeping a check on Tom Lawrence's situation as the 31-year-old Wales midfielder approaches the end of his Rangers contract but with the Ibrox club having the option to extend his stay by a year. (Daily Mail), external

No plans have been put in place ahead of expected celebrations at the end of this year's football season despite a "productive discussion" last week after MSP Kaukab Stewart brought together community councils for Merchant City, Trongate and Calton and representatives for Celtic, Rangers, the Scottish Professional Football League, Police Scotland and Glasgow City Council in a bid to avoid the 'disruption' seen in previous years. (The Herald), external

Read Thursday's Scottish Gossip in full.

Jack Herrall
BBC Sport Scotland

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After the weekend win over Dundee, Rangers fans on this page voiced discontent with goalkeeper Jack Butland following his latest blunder.

"Butland has to go as he makes far too many errors" and "Butland proves yet again why he was never good enough" reflect the sentiment after he gifted Dundee their second goal in Rangers' chaotic 4-3 win.

Just over a year ago the 32-year-old was in contention for an England recall in recognition of his stellar club displays.

However, Butland's consistency has faltered in his second season at Ibrox and he has developed a propensity for a clanger.

Against Manchester United in January, he inexplicably punched the ball into his own net. In early March, he fumbled it into the path of Motherwell forward Luke Armstrong, then repeated the error against Dundee at the weekend to allow Joe Shaughnessy to profit.

His mistakes, though, cannot be highlighted without context. Rangers have struggled domestically this season and even though Barry Ferguson has taken interim charge they have fallen two goals behind in five of their past seven games, amplifying glaring defensive frailties.

That does not make Butland immune from criticism. Opta stats show that he has made the joint most errors (four) leading to a goal in the Premiership this season.

He ranks just fifth in save percentage (67.9) and while he is second for clean sheets (10), Celtic's Kasper Schmeichel has almost double that tally with 19.

Butland concedes a top-flight goal every 86.5 minutes this campaign, while Schmeichel only lets one in every 135.

Might Rangers, who are set for new ownership and new management this summer, be on the lookout for a new goalkeeper too?

Or perhaps should Scotland cap Liam Kelly, who is waiting for a chance to impress, be handed the chance to prove he can step up from understudy?

Alasdair Lamont
BBC Sport Scotland Commentator

Rangers' 4-3 victory at Dens Park last weekend was as thrilling a game as you'll see in a long time and Barry Ferguson and his players do deserve credit for a comeback that appeared massively unlikely with 15 minutes to play.

But as sweet as it was for the travelling Rangers fans in the end, they were made to suffer for large parts of the game and Ferguson acknowledged afterwards his team had allowed "old bad habits" to creep back in to their play.

With a massive European tie against Athletic Bilbao on the horizon, Ferguson and his coaching staff have glaring defensive issues to address. The startling statistic of having gone 2-0 down in five of their past seven games underlines that.

Indeed, the goals they shipped to Dundee meant that for the first time since April 1986 – the bad old days of the pre-Graeme Souness era – Rangers conceded two or more in the league for a fifth straight game.

Unlike Souness, Ferguson cannot open a cheque book to sign a couple of England internationals to shore up a leaky backline, so the solution must come from within.

Different formations and personnel have been tried with varying degrees of success, while Jack Butland has gifted a couple of goals to the opposition in recent weeks.

Another unwanted record attained recently was a fourth successive home defeat for the first time. With a buoyant Hibs visiting on Saturday, Rangers will have to have sharpened up defensively if that record is not to be extended.

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Is the Scottish Premiership in need of a shake-up? If so, how do you go about it?

News emerged on Tuesday that the SPFL is considering changing Scotland's top flight to a 10, 14 or 16-team division in an attempt to help reduce fixture congestion.

In its current 12-team form, the clubs split into a top and bottom six after 33 rounds of matches, with 38 rounds played altogether.

That format has been in place since 2000-01 and retaining that model is also an option, but reports have also suggested the split could be scrapped.

For any fresh structure to pass, it needs the backing of 11 of the 12 Premiership clubs, and eight out of 10 from the Championship plus 75% of League One and League Two combined.

And judging by the fan reaction to the mere thought of reducing the league to a 10-team division, you would have to assume that idea is already unlikely.

Speaking on the BBC's Scottish Football Podcast, former Premiership players Cammy Bell and Cillian Sheridan provided their views on a potential restructure.

Expansion is the only option for former Rangers and Kilmarnock goalkeeper Bell, while ex-Celtic striker Sheridan would like to see the split retained.

"I think we need a little bit of freshness about our game," Bell said. "So, if we can expand that league, then absolutely do it. We've got big enough clubs now that can generate good crowds.

"We're at a time just now where we've got the potential of trying to change it and certainly for me it's got to be expansion."

"The split works now," Sheridan added. "When I first came over and saw the whole split thing, I just never really got it. But in the past few years it has been quite interesting.

"If the league is wrapped up, if relegation is wrapped up, it does add a little bit of excitement to things in terms of teams getting into the top six and having to get European football."

Rangers have been scouting left-sided Ghana defender Ebenezer Annan, but several other European clubs have been eyeing the 22-year-old who is under contract to Red Star Belgrade until the summer of 2027. (MaxBet Sport), external

Montpellier centre-half Boubacar Kouyate, Liverpool left-back Owen Beck, Leeds United forward Joe Gelhardt and Ipswich Town striker Ali Al-Hamadi would be dream additions to Rangers' squad for next season along with an extended stay for winger Vaclav Cerny, according to AI tool Grok. (The Scotsman), external

Rangers will be in pole position to sign Vaclav Cerny permanently if and when their takeover by 49ers Enterprises is completed, but Wolfsburg could auction the 27-year-old Czech international if the Ibrox club do not take up their £5.5m option in time. (Football Insider), external

At £6.3m, fringe striker Danilo is the most valuable member of Rangers' squad, just ahead of new Belgium international midfielder Nicolas Raskin. (The Scotsman), external

Former Scotland forward Johnny Russell says his Rangers-supporting father would never have forgiven him if he had signed for Celtic before Derby County outbid the Glasgow club to take him from Dundee United. (Scottish Sun), external

Former Scotland midfielder James McArthur has revealed he is a lifelong supporter of Rangers but is relieved he never played for the Glasgow club for the sake of his family. (PLZ Soccer), external

Former Rangers winger Ryan Kent's football exile has ended having agreed to a short-term deal with MLS club Seattle Sounders after being released by Fenerbahce five months ago. (TalkSport), external

Rangers will struggle to lure highly-rated German head coach Marco Rose, who was sacked by RB Leipzig on Sunday, to the Ibrox club this summer. (Football Insider), external

Former Rangers manager Steven Gerrard is the bookmakers favourite to be their new manager this summer, just ahead of interim head coach Barry Ferguson and former Ibrox defender Russell Martin, with sacked RB Leipzig boss Marco Rose straight in at number four. (The Scotsman), external

Former Rangers manager Giovanni van Bronckhorst could be set to be the new technical director of former club Feyenoord. (Glasgow Times), external

San Francisco 49ers chief executive Jed York, talking amid 17-player exodus at the NFL club, has stressed that the process of acquiring Rangers is still in the early stages despite a deal being agreed in principle last month. (Glasgow Times), external

San Francisco 49ers chief executive Jed York's coy update has minimal bearing on consortium leader Andrew Cavenagh's plan to wrap up the deal to purchase Rangers this month. (Daily Record), external

Read Wednesday's Scottish Gossip in full.

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"The minute you start to think that they've turned a corner and they've cracked it, they'll invariably let you down."

Is this a spot-on assessment of Rangers this season, despite a revival of sorts under Barry Ferguson?

The dramatic 4-3 weekend win over Dundee was a microcosm of the Ibrox side's season so far, showing their ability to score goals and look threatening in attack while highlighting their glaring defensive frailties.

"I think Barry Ferguson touched on it after the game, he mentioned bad habits coming back and I agree with him," Sunday Mail chief football writer Scott McDermott told the Scottish Football Podcast.

"He's not daft, he knows he's delighted with some of the results, but he knows the performances still aren't there."

Despite rallying from 3-1 down at Dens Park, many still aren't convinced by the mental fortitude of this Rangers side and whether they are able to find consistency.

McDermott added: "These players, they've been so up and down the last four or five years, the minute you start to think they've turned a corner and they've cracked it, they'll invariably let you down because I don't think mentally they're strong enough to go and win trophies and titles, I think that's been proved.

"So it's all a bit wild at the moment for Rangers. It's a bit of a rollercoaster ride with Barry Ferguson.

"Obviously, they've got the European tie coming up, but don't think for a minute that everything's turned round and everything in the garden is rosy."

Jamie Currie
Fan writer

After the derby win at Parkhead before the international break, I was hopeful Rangers would go up to Dens on Saturday and deliver a drama-free evening with a victory.

This is Rangers, though, and things don't happen like that. Seven goals, 12 Cyriel Dessers shots and a dramatic 93rd-minute winner after looking like a shambles for most of the game.

Last time I was at Dens we got a late winner under Giovanni van Bronckhorst from Connor Goldson. This time we get one from Dessers.

It's all fine and well winning a few games in that manner but we can't afford to start matches the way we have been doing.

It's all very lacklustre and lacking in control and intensity and when you throw in a goalkeeping howler it doesn't bode well.

However, those are things that can be and should be worked on this week prior to facing Hibs. David Gray's side are far better than Dundee and if we start like we did at Dens, the visitors have it in them to pull off a Motherwell-type result.

Where I will give the players credit is their ability to fight back and dig in. That's a massive improvement and that mentality needs to remain in the dressing room no matter who is in the dugout next season.

But for now, we have to try to win at Ibrox on Saturday and continue adding to the confidence before the Europa League quarter-final with Athletic Bilbao comes around.

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Red tape around 49ers Enterprises' proposed takeover for Rangers could be resolved by the end of April. (Record), external

Kasper Hjulmand, Sean Dyche and David Wagner are the latest names linked with the Rangers manager's job. (Scotsman - subscription required), external

Kris Boyd suggests former club Rangers should sign Celtic's Greg Taylor when the Scotland left-back, 27, becomes a free agent this summer. (Sun), external

Police Scotland has ended its investigation after Rangers winger Vaclav Cerny was filmed squirting water towards home supporters as he celebrated his side's winning goal at Celtic Park last month. (Herald - subscription required), external

Cerny, 27, will not face any police action. (Record), external

Rangers chief executive Patrick Stewart is expected to hold a forum with supporters. (Glasgow Times), external

Meanwhile, Arsenal's Jason Ayto has been linked with a recruitment role at Rangers. (Record), external

Read Tuesday's Scottish gossip column in full.

Nick McPheat
BBC Sport Scotland

Cyriel Dessers' 100th Rangers appearance epitomised his time at the club. In fact, the striker might just epitomise the entire team and their season.

The Nigerian is unpredictable, but his character is unquestionable. This was again evidenced in an extraordinary seven-goal thriller at Dens Park.

Rangers fans in the away end would have been pulling their hair out as the forward passed up chance after chance, but Dessers would eventually send the visiting support into raptures with a dramatic 93rd-minute winner.

The strike marked his 45th goal in 100 games for the club. Only Kris Boyd (68), Alfredo Morelos (57) and Shota Arveladze (48) have netted more goals in their first 100 Rangers matches this century.

Dessers' winning moment in Dundee, a deft finish over goalkeeper Trevor Carson, was one of 12 shots he had in the game.

In the five other Scottish Premiership fixtures over the weekend, seven teams had fewer than 12 shots.

Excluding the strike he had ruled out for offside, nine of Dessers' efforts were on target, with all 12 of them coming from inside the box. Opta rated six of them as 'big chances'.

After being denied on almost every occasion, Dessers saved his goal for stoppage time, sealing an incredible three points for Barry Ferguson's men.

Mohamed Diomande (Rangers): A consistent performer in the middle of the park for Barry Ferguson's side. Offered so much offensively in a rollercoaster seven-goal victory away to Dundee.

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Rangers defender Ben Davies, currently on loan at Birmingham City, admits he will consider all his options in the summer (Daily Record), external.

Watch all the highlights as Rangers came from behind to beat Dundee 4-3 at Dens Park in the Scottish Premiership.

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Cyriel Dessers is "proud" to be among some of Rangers' 21st century greats when he made his 100th competitive appearance for the club.

The 30-year-old scored a dramatic late winner as the Ibrox club came from behind to beat Dundee 4-3 at Dens Park.

The strike marked his 45th goal in 100 appearances for the club, which ranks behind only Kris Boyd (68), Alfredo Morelos (57) and Shota Arveladze (48) for goals in their first 100 Rangers appearances this century.

"I had difficult times at this club, especially when I came in, but when you're amongst among these names I think you're doing something right," Dessers said.

"I know the people in the building see how hard I work in the gym, on the pitch, in training, and this is the reward so when you when you tell me this, that's a very nice thing to hear from you. These are big names in the history of this club."

Dessers has split opinion among Rangers fans, but his goalscoring feats are undeniable during a turbulent spell for the club.

"I know it has been two hard years for everybody with a lot of ups and downs," the Nigeria international added. "We have had some unbelievable moments in Europe and winning a League Cup, but we didn't get the big prize last season, which we all fight for, so got some stick.

"I think that's normal when you don't win the league at Rangers, but on a personal level to hear that [record] fills me with pride.

"Obviously I want more, I think the fans want more, the gaffer wants more so I'm working hard for that every day."

Rangers fans, we asked for your views after that dramatic win at Dens Park on Saturday.

Here's what some of you had to say:

William: Difficult game to watch as a Rangers supporter, far too many errors, however what an exciting match! I feel Cyriel Dessers is unfairly criticised by Rangers fans as he gives 100% every game. Jack Butland has to go as he makes far too many errors for a Rangers goalie.

Murray: Have to give credit to Barry Ferguson for making the changes but this team is a mess. I thought maybe Barry should get the job but not so sure now.

Ronnie: Incredible game, incredible result. Absolutely no way Rangers win that game under Philippe Clement. Barry rang the changes and the players rolled their sleeves up. Our three goals in the second half were brilliant. Yes defensively we were shocking and Dessers remains an enigma but we won the game and that's the main thing. Give Barry the job, he has us fighting for the jersey once again.

Sue: Rangers could easily have lost the game but somehow won it in a thrilling match. Butland proves yet again why he was never good enough at the top tier of football with a basic goalkeeping mistake plus he continues to slice the ball into touch when kicking out from his box. Ridvan Yilmaz's performance was laughable it was that bad. Credit to Dessers for his resilience but not the top striker that Rangers need.

Peter: Here's a simple tactical change, play the first third of the game like you play last third. Get that urgency and effort on the go as soon as the first whistle blows. Stop continually going on the back foot through complacency early doors. Simple! You can do it lads.

Ian: We will continue to have these rollercoaster games as the defence is a shambles. We have players like James Tavernier, Jefte and Yilmaz who are soft and cannot defend, John Souttar is our only decent centre-half. These players will ensure Barry will not be manager.

Allan: Yes we eventually got the win but not much has changed as far as I can see. Once again we showed our vulnerabilities and only the likes of James Tavernier tried to take charge and make a game of it. We need a manager with a winning track record who will bring back pride in the club and have us playing all in from the first whistle.

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• Dundee have lost 23 points from winning positions in the Premiership this season, more than any other team.

• Dundee have conceded 14 goals in the last 15 minutes of the second half, only Ross County (17) and Hibernian (16) have conceded more in the Premiership this season.

• Simon Murray has scored five goals in his last five games in the Premiership, scoring 13 league goals this season.

• Dundee have scored 28 first-half goals in 31 games, only Celtic (42) and Rangers (29) have scored more in the Premiership this season.

• Rangers have won 12 points from losing positions in the Premiership this season, only Kilmarnock (13) and Hibernian (13) have recovered more.

• Cyriel Dessers scored his 12th goal of the Premiership this season, more than any other Rangers player.

• The striker attempted 12 shots, the highest total for a single player a match in the Premiership this season.