Rangers

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Striker Hamza Igamane came off the bench for his Morocco debut as they won 2-1 against Niger.

Morocco scored in injury time through fellow substitute Bilal El Khannouss to remain top of their World Cup qualifying group, with four wins from four.

They now face Tanzania on Tuesday.

Nedim Bajrami played just over an hour for Albania as they fell to a 2-0 defeat against England at Wembley.

Thomas Tuchel's side, in the German's first game in charge scored either side of the interval to top their World Cup qualification group, leaving Bajrami's Albania bottom after one game.

Albania face Andorra next on Monday evening.

The Union Bears supporters group has accused Police Scotland of "flagrant and unwarranted abuse of power" before Rangers' match against Celtic, revealing legal action has been pursued over a Section 60 order allowing officers to stop and search people where appropriate or necessary. (The Herald), external

Read Saturday's Scottish Gossip in full.

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We asked for your Rangers player of the year - and the biggest disappointment.

Here's what some of you said:

Martin: Player of the season Nico Raskin. Flop of the season Robin Propper.

Rab: Vaclav Cerny, for his consistency, goalscoring and being the only hope we had at various times.

Pete: My player of the year vote would go to Leon Balogun - he was Mr Reliable all season, but badly let down by his team-mates. Flop of the year is the Rangers team collectively, but choosing an individual it would be Nedim Bajrami - a waste of space.

Brian: Raskin all day long for player of the season. Bajrami unfortunately, a good player, but taking too long to adjust to our kick and rush league.

Peter: I think Cerny is player of season for us. His goals and assists have helped us a lot when needed a lift. Propper needs another season to see if he can get it together.

Chris: Favourite player, close-run thing between Cerny and Raskin. As for biggest disappointment, there are so many - Oscar Cortes, Danilo, Propper to name a few.

Andrew: Best player has without doubt been Cerny. He's too often been a game changer. Biggest letdown has been Propper. Despite admitting he's struggled to get to terms with the Scottish game, he's still not fully adapted and was a hefty investment. He's had a good showing in Old Firm games and European nights though.

Gordon: Cerny or Raskin for player of the season. Biggest flop would be our back four, especially Propper. We are weak at set-pieces and there is no commanding centre-back other than John Souttar.

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Rangers midfielder Nicolas Raskin has followed up his storming Old Firm performance by making his Belgium debut.

The 24-year-old came off the bench 10 minutes from time in the Red Devils' 3-1 defeat by Ukraine in Murcia in Thursday night's first leg of the Nations League play-off.

Raskin will hope to make his first home appearance for Belgium on Sunday as they look to overhaul the two-goal deficit and stay in League B.

Centre-half Leon Balogun feels capable of continuing to play for Rangers next season despite turning 37 in June. (Daily Record), external

The shirt Rangers winger Vaclav Cerny wore in Sunday's Old Firm derby win over Celtic has sparked a bidding frenzy, with the latest offer standing at a hefty £24,000 because the 27-year-old is the subject of a police probe as a result of a water throwing incident. (Glasgow Times), external

Read Friday's Scottish Gossip in full.

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Kheredine Idessane
BBC Sport Scotland Senior Reporter

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Rangers having nothing to fear when facing Athletic Bilbao in the Europa League quarter-finals, according to Alex Rae, as the former assistant manager challenged the club to return to the San Mames Stadium for the final in May.

Rangers progressed to the last eight with a penalty shootout win over Jose Mourinho's Fenerbahce.

Rae, who left Ibrox along with Philippe Clement last month, says his old side should enter the tie with "plenty of confidence" given their recent exploits in the competition, particularly reaching the final in 2022.

"Athletic Bilbao are a very decent outfit, they're fourth in La Liga," Rae told BBC Radio Scotland. "That tells you about the kind of opposition they're up against.

"But one of the key things over the last four or five years is that Rangers have pulled out some really big moments in this competition against big, big clubs, so they'll go into it with plenty of confidence.

"It suits them as well with this transitional moment they're in, with a low block, being compact, trying to hit teams on the break."

Playing in Europe has long suited Rangers' style, but Rae says building on last weekend's derby win by improving their domestic form is key for Ferguson if he wishes to secure the position on a permanent basis.

"Going forward between now and the summer, that's key for Barry and his team," Rae added.

"That might strengthen his hand in terms of getting the job permanently.

"It would be great to go to Bilbao again in the summer having been to Seville a couple of years ago, but the domestic form needs to be a lot more positive, particularly the away form.

"The home form in the league was fine, up until the St Mirren game a few weeks ago.

"It was competitive - the type of form would have given you a crack at the title - but unfortunately we couldn't maintain that away from home."

With just eight Premiership games left, we're down to the business end of the season.

Player reputations have been enhanced - or sullied - with their performances throughout the campaign.

As thoughts begin to turn to end-of-term awards, we want to know your Rangers player of the season so far - and the biggest flop.

Share your views

Rangers' 22-year-old striker, Hamza Igamane, is a priority target for Marseille. (But Football Club), external

With paperwork for the takeover of Rangers by 49ers Enterprises filed, the Scottish Premiership club can expect a transfer budget of around £25m per season, which could allow them to make winger Vaclav Cerny's loan deal from Wolfsburg permanent, but they could offload seven players, including striker Cyriel Dessers.

Meanwhile, interim head coach Barry Ferguson stands a chance of getting the role on a permanent basis and 49ers will use its American connection with celebrities to push the brand. (TeamTalk), external

Read Thursday's Scottish Gossip in full.

Alasdair Lamont
BBC Sport Scotland Commentator

What an incredible few days for Barry Ferguson and his team as they secured a Europa League quarter-final berth before recording a rare victory at Celtic Park against the champions in waiting.

In a largely forgettable season, they have restored a measure of pride and positivity, meeting one of Ferguson's non-negotiable demands of displaying real character to show the supporters what they are truly capable of.

Of course, such achievements have brought about the inevitable debate of whether the interim management team could and should be tasked with the job on a permanent basis beyond the summer.

Obviously, much will hinge on the thoughts of the key players involved in the ongoing takeover talks, but Ferguson and his coaching staff are doing themselves no harm at this stage in building a case to be kept on under the prospective new owners.

All they can do is continue in their endeavours, win as many games as possible domestically and give those in charge something to think about.

The tie against Athletic Bilbao could be the key. The Basque club are heavy favourites to progress as they hope to contest the final in their own San Mames stadium in May.

If Ferguson and company could somehow get past Athletic, their collective CV would become much more difficult to ignore.

Rangers winger Vaclav Cerny has described as "absurd" the Police Scotland probe after he celebrated Hamza Igamane's dramatic late winner at Celtic Park on Sunday by allegedly spraying water into a section of the home fans behind the away dugout. (Daily Record), external

The special powers that Police Scotland officers were handed in a bid to prevent crowd trouble breaking out at the Edinburgh derby match at the start of this month and the Old Firm game last weekend are set to remain in use for the foreseeable future. (The Herald), external

Read Wednesday's Scottish Gossip in full.

Rangers midfielder Tom Lawrence is relishing his first Wales call-up in four years after being frozen out under previous boss Rob Page.

Read more from Lawrence here.

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If there ever was a Rangers man in the dugout, Barry Ferguson is that.

The former midfielder and ambassador was drafted in the take the reins on an interim basis as there was a strong belief he'd be able to galvanise and, in his own words, "put an arm around some players and give some others a clip behind the ear".

It's safe to say so far, he's succeeding.

But former striker Rory Loy believes there's much more to this Rangers revival than simply having "a man who gets it" in charge.

"A lot of people put it down to Barry Ferguson being an ex-Rangers man, someone who knows the club and who has this heart and drive to take the team," Loy said on the Scottish Football Podcast.

"That's all a small added bonus, to me.

"I think he's able to convey clear instructions, that's the difference.

"It's almost like the players know the gameplan now. They know the instruction and they just need to go and carry it out.

"Under the previous manager, the last couple of managers, it was almost like they just didn't know what they were doing.

"The difference now is Barry Ferguson has been able to convey a clear message that players can understand and follow."

Jamie Currie
Fan writer

In a season of so many lows, last week is about as good as it's got. Thursday night we showed we can knock out a very good Fenerbahce side and on Sunday we went to Parkhead and won in the best fashion possible.

Our shape in both games, especially Sunday, was great. We pressed Celtic in the first half aggressively and in a smart manner.

Scoring from a corner was one thing, but the move for Mohamed Diomande's goal was superb.

Second half we lost our way but we slowed things down when Celtic were getting frantic and played ourselves back into the game. That was smart game management.

Then you have the willingness to keep going against the run of play for Hamza Igamane's goal. We could have sat on the 2-2 and been happy in the end but no, his hit was unstoppable.

Fair play to the players and Barry Ferguson for delivering two fantastic results to send us into the international break with a smile on our faces.

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John Souttar has stressed it is "important we back up" Rangers' long-awaited away win at Celtic or else "it doesn't mean anything".

Hamza Igamane's late lash into the top corner delivered a first victory in the east end of Glasgow in eight attempts and continued Barry Ferguson's steady start as interim manager.

And while defender Souttar is urging his team-mates to "enjoy the moment" he adds it must be the start of "consistency".

"It's important we remember it is just three points," the Scotland international told RangersTV, "But we can enjoy it, it is a big moment for us.

"We have put a lot into the last week, but it is important we keep our feet on the ground and find that consistency.

"It's something we have struggled with this year, and it is something we are going to look for going forward, but it was a big performance and we showed a lot of character.

"If we don't find that consistency, then this win doesn't mean anything so it is important we back it up.

"I'm sure the boys will enjoy the break, a few people will be going away on international duty and when we come back, we are hungry and we keep going."

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Premier League clubs will face opposition from Marseille and Sevilla should they make a move to sign 22-year-old Rangers striker Hamza Igamane this summer. (Football Insider), external

Rangers are to consider a summer move for Nantes winger Gaoussou Diarra, but Besiktas, Fenerbahce and Galatasaray are also considering the 18-year-old as an option. (Football Insider), external

Guirassy is attracting interest from clubs such as Leeds United and Celtic. (Le Republicain Sportif), external

Athletic Bilbao head coach Ernesto Valverde has lashed out at Spanish football chiefs because of their hectic schedule before their Europa League showdown with Rangers. (Herald - subscription required), external

Interim head coach Barry Ferguson has given himself every chance to be in the reckoning for the permanent job with Rangers after wins over Fenerbahce and Celtic. (Football Insider), external

Police Scotland is probing Rangers winger Vaclav Cerny after he allegedly soaked Celtic fans with water during celebrations at Sunday's Old Firm derby. (Sun), external

Cerny could face a Scottish FA ban while defender team-mate Dujon Sterling is under investigation for comments made about Celtic Park on social media. (Record), external

Read Tuesday's Scottish gossip

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Ex-Rangers midfielder and assistant manager Alex Rae feels the "belief" his former side "can go toe-to-toe" with Celtic has been restored after they earned their first win at Parkhead in over four years.

Rae, who exited along with manager Philippe Clement last month, says Rangers now enter the Old Firm derby with "confidence they can get the job done".

That is reflected in the nine goals Rangers have scored in the last three meetings, winning two of those.

"If you look back at the last few Old Firm games, we've managed to score several goals against them," Rae told BBC Radio Scotland.

"So from that perspective, you're going into these games feeling confident you can actually score goals.

"There seems to be a belief, particularly in this derby now, that they can actually get the job done."

Rae has no doubt that mindset has stemmed from getting a "pivotal" win against Brendan Rodgers' side in January, which was Clement's only victory in the fixture at the seventh time of asking.

"We couldn't get a positive result against Celtic, even though we felt as if we'd done enough in games to actually warrant a result," Rae added.

"Obviously Barry has played a different shape, but I think the belief within that squad now is that they can actually go toe-to-toe with Celtic on any given day."

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Mohamed Diomande says Barry Ferguson is proving an inspirational figure after the Rangers interim boss guided his side to a first win at Celtic Park in five years.

Ferguson's men booked a Europa League last-eight spot against Athletic Bilbao on Thursday with a dramatic penalty shootout win over Fenerbahce and they followed that up with a thrilling derby win on Sunday.

Goals from Nico Raskin and fellow midfielder Diomande gave the visitors a deserved two-goal lead at Parkhead before Celtic levelled through Daizen Maeda and Reo Hatate.

However, Rangers rallied and in the 88th minute substitute Hamza Igamane fired in from the edge of the box to snatch a 3-2 win.

Speaking about the influence of former Rangers captain Ferguson, Diomande said: "You can see how amazing it is, he went there and brought the tactics and we got the win.

"He is really pushing the players and he's an example that we followed. We know all about what he did for Rangers and what he can bring to the club.

"We use him as an example and we try to push on ourselves. I am happy that he is helping us.

"Personally, I've seen some videos of him and he's helping me because he's the same position as me.

"He was a good player and I'm just happy that he's giving me the advice that I'm trying to deliver for him on the pitch."

Despite a memorable derby win at Parkhead, Diomande revealed there were no over-the-top celebrations in the dressing room afterwards.

"Three points was the most important thing and (in dressing room) it was just chill, cool, and we just move on," he said.

"We know we are still behind by a lot of points and it is just a win. We are happy with that, but we are not celebrating like we are winning the league or something like that."

Nico Raskin: Outstanding impact by the midfielder as Rangers earned an impressive Old Firm victory. Not the biggest but times headers to perfection.

Mohamed Diomande: A big goal and an all-round impressive display full of energy, with and without the ball.

Hamza Igamane: Barely on the pitch but makes the team of the week for sheer impact. The game looked like it was starting to go Celtic's way, but Igamane's credentials took another step forward. Proved he can be the big match game-changer with a blockbuster finish to seal the win.

Watch highlights as Barry Ferguson's Rangers stun Celtic to win a thrilling five-goal Old Firm derby. (UK only)

We asked you for your views following Rangers' win at Celtic Park on Sunday.

Here's a flavour of what you said:

Pete: After the fine performance against Celtic and getting into the last eight of the Europa League... Give the job to Barry Ferguson and his team who has instilled passion, fire and belief into this group of players which was lacking under both Beale and Clement. Raskin was magnificent and full marks to Souttar and Tavernier. I'm still buzzing!

Margaret: Great show, as was our last league meeting against Celtic but when we can't beat teams like St Mirren and Motherwell, it's a hollow victory. It has been a great few days for Rangers supporters, but so frustrating!

Allan: Great first half but we still showed our vulnerabilities in the second half. For those who think Barry Ferguson has done enough to get the managers job remember under Clement we won 3-0 last time out...

JDM: Where has this team been all season? We now look like a proper Rangers team again full of fight and who never give in.

Frazer: Great game to watch. Ferguson has definitely lit the fire that was missing, however there were three managers in the Rangers dugout today. The entire coaching staff barking orders for the full 90 minutes, demanding a passionate performance. I would like to give Ferguson and co the chance next season, but regardless, let's enjoy them while they're here!

Paul: Terrific performance in the first half, we were well worth our lead. Celtic upped it a bit in the second half and I was really worried when they equalised but the players showed fantastic character to win it at the end especially off the back of their exertions on Thursday night. Delighted.

Ross: Where's this been all year? Best performance domestically this year (apart from the new year game) and Igamane comes out with a brilliant goal to cap it off. Raskin was superb, but the defending still looks a bit patchy in places. Just hope Barry keeps the manager job for next year.

Rangers' incoming owners face a massive dilemma after interim manager Barry Ferguson's achieves victory at Celtic Park with a team of perennial underachievers. (Daily Record)

Rangers defender John Souttar has been impressed with the job Ferguson has done since taking over from Philippe Clement on a temporary basis - but refused to be drawn on the caretaker manager's future. (The Scotsman)

Almost 100 Rangers ultras were denied entry to Sunday's Old Firm game at Celtic Park after refusing to be searched for weapons and pyros. (Scottish Sun)

Ex-Celtic midfielder Alan Thompson says Rangers' celebrations after the Old Firm game were "slightly embarrassing" considering they are 13 points behind in the Premiership. (Scottish Sun)

Alex Rae, who was a coach at Ibrox a month ago, joined the Rangers fans in the away end at Celtic Park as he lapped up the derby victory. (Daily Record)

Rangers are being sued for up to £2m by finance firm Reputation Exchange for allegedly reneging on an agreement over an axed deal to offer cash cards to fans. (Scottish Sun)

Bilbao's mayor has revealed they will take extra security measures when Rangers visit in the Europa League - because Athletic Bilbao fans rioted in the last round. (Scottish Sun)

Read the rest of Monday's gossip.