Rangers

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Rangers interim chairman John Gilligan says the recruitment of a new chief executive is his "main priority".

The Ibrox club have been without a chief executive since James Bisgrove departed for the Middle East in the spring.

Gilligan - who is in interim charge after John Bennett stepped down for health reasons - expects movement in the next "few months".

"I will stay on as long as required," he said. "The main priority is to get a chief executive.

"We are working on that right away. I can stay on indefinitely, I am expecting a few months and a chairman to come in too."

When asked what he would be looking for in a potential hire, Gilligan said: "Recruitment in any walk of life is of the moment. The person needs to be multi-faceted and good at everything.

"He needs to be an assertive character and we are looking much more to provide for the CEO via the chairman.

"And also for the CEO to have a lot of power day to day and the chairman to be slightly behind that."

Gilligan also dismissed the prospect of an extraordinary general meeting, as proposed by major shareholder Dave King, who wants to return to his previous role as chairman.

"Again, it is a bit unrealistic because EGMs are invariably called by people who wish to change something," Gilligan said.

"But the current board don’t wish to change. So why would we call an EGM?"

Rangers interim chairman John Gilligan calls on major shareholder Dave King to cease public criticism of the way the club is being run.

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The dates and kick-off times for the two Scottish League Cup semi-finals have been confirmed.

Celtic take on Aberdeen on Saturday, 2 November (17:30), while Rangers face Motherwell on Sunday, 3 November (15:00), with both matches taking place at Hampden.

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Malmo head coach Henrik Rydstrom lauded Anders Christiansen after the fit-again captain fired a double in a 4-0 win over Hacken that extends their unbeaten run to four games before Thursday's Europa League opener at home to Rangers.

The 34-year-old midfielder scored the opening two goals on his return from injury on Sunday before being withdrawn after 56 minutes as Malmo extended their lead at the top of the Swedish Allsvenskan to 11 points.

"Anders is brilliant in the decisive moments," Rydstrom told the reigning champions' club website. "He scores in situations where others don't."

It took Christiansen only six minutes to make an impact, finding the bottom corner from long range before thumping high into the top corner from 15 yards shortly after the break.

Isaac Kiese Thelin headed the third after 80 minutes, with fellow striker Erik Botheim clipping in another three minutes later after coming on as a substitute.

Rydstrom played down their second consecutive home 4-0 win, insisting there were "small margins", that his side were too cautious in the first half and stressed: "It's not that we smashed Hacken, but we were better at the decisive times.

"It was wonderful to see the enthusiasm of all the players. We've scored a lot of goals even if our strikers haven't, but it was extremely nice that they both found the net."

Rydstrom had made six changes to his side after the midweek 0-0 draw with GAIS in Gothenburg, with Johan Dahlin also returning to the starting line-up despite the coach having praised Ricardo Friedrich while the first-choice goalkeeper was being rested.

Sweden striker Thelin had also returned from injury, while former Manchester City youth centre-back Colin Rosler, Peru international Sergio Pena and fellow midfielder Hugo Bolin also came into the side.

New Norway cap Botheim, Otto Rosengren, the midfielder who recently debuted for Sweden, 19-year-old centre-back Nils Zatterstrom and Taha Aliy dropped to the bench, with another winger, Soren Rieks, missing out.

Malmo remain unbeaten since losing 2-0 home and away to Sparta Prague in their Champions League play-off and consolidated their place at the top of their domestic table after Djurgardens lost 3-0 away to GAIS.

A Far East investor is weighing up a potential attempt to take over Rangers, according to former Aberdeen chief executive Keith Wyness. (Football Insider), external

Kilmarnock's Derek McInnes is a potential candidate to replace Philippe Clement, who is one defeat away from being sacked as Rangers manager, but the Ibrox club's priority is to resolve their boardroom battle and a lack of money that limited their summer transfer spending. (Football Insider), external

Scotland Under-21 international Lyall Cameron has admitted he would love to follow in the footsteps of his former Dundee midfield partner, Luke McCowan, and win a move to a major club like Celtic or Rangers in future. (The Herald), external

Former Scotland and Rangers midfielder Graeme Souness has revealed he underwent an emergency heart operation after falling ill earlier this month. (Scottish Sun), external

Read Monday's Scottish Gossip in full here.

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Holders Rangers will face Motherwell in the Scottish League Cup semi-finals.

Celtic take on Aberdeen in the other tie.

The games will take place on the weekend of 2-3 November.

Rangers beat Dundee 3-0 at Ibrox to reach the last four while Motherwell edged out Dundee United 2-1.

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Cyriel Dessers says "scoring at Ibrox is a different feeling" as he helped Rangers mark their homecoming with a double in the 3-0 League Cup quarter-final win over Dundee.

"It's a good feeling to be back and we wanted to show something to the fans and we gave them a beautiful night," the striker told Rangers TV.

"It was nice to score at Hampden, but scoring at Ibrox is a different feeling.

"I thought we played a good game and it was good to see some connections with the players up front with Nedim [Bajrami], Tom [Lawrence] and Vaclav [Cerny].

"You could see there was something building and growing and that's exciting. It's nice to play with the boys, they are all very good football players and that helps as a striker to have them around me.

"We want to defend our trophy. We had success last season and it was a beautiful moment. We know the feeling and we want to have that feeling back and defend the trophy."

Rangers' focus now turns to Thursday's Europa League opener against Malmo in Sweden.

"We have a beautiful, but hard draw, but these are the games you want to play in Europe," Dessers added.

"Malmo away is not an easy start, but we are excited and looking forward to that. Hopefully we can put in a good performance and win."

Interim Rangers chairman John Gilligan has vowed he will not shy away from making unpopular decisions. (Herald, external, subscription required)

Read the rest of Sunday's Scottish gossip.

Rangers fans, were you at Ibrox to watch Philippe Clement's side reach the semi-finals of the League Cup, or were you following along at home?

Either way, we want your thoughts on the game. Have your say here, external.

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Cyriel Dessers led the line expertly for Rangers and could have scored more than two on another day.

It takes his tally to seven for the season.

Martin Dowden
BBC Sport Scotland Senior Reporter

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Rangers started brightly as they sought a route back to Hampden, having only just vacated those premises.

Cyriel Dessers' early opener pointed to a potentially comfortable afternoon, but the lack of a second goal in the opening half left the game in the balance at the break.

However, James Tavernier's penalty at the start of the second half was decisive in cementing their semi-final place as they seek to defend this trophy.

The two-goal cushion allowed them to play with freedom for the rest of the contest, and the three-goal margin of victory could have been greater with some glaring chances not taken.

It was a deserved win that will boost confidence in the squad and the stands as they re-enter the European arena on Thursday in Malmo.

Offensively, Rangers look strong but there are question marks over their defending, which Dundee should have exploited at least once.

That Europa League test will have a big say in how supporters view their progress after what was a positive evening.

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Rangers manager Philippe Clement tells Premier Sports: "It's been a really crazy period, feeling like you're only playing away games.

"[Nedim Bajrami] has just been a week with us, not longer than that, but he's somebody we've been following a long time and we were happy to get a signing like that.

"We needed time to train with [the new signings], work with them, let them know how to run, how we run together, defensively also. You see it week by week getting better and better.

"They've already shown quality and that's important for the fans. I feel also from the fans that the [recruitment] team did a really good job with the money we could spend."

Rangers: Butland, Tavernier, Souttar, Propper, Jefte, Barron, Sterling, Lawrence, Cerny, Bajrami, Dessers.

Substitutes: Kelly, Cortes, Diomande, Dowell, Kasanwirjo, Balogun, Igamane, Raskin, McCausland.

Dundee: Carson, McGhee, Portales, Koumetio, Braybrooke, Sylla, Tiffoney, Cameron, Larkeche, Adewumi, Murray.

Substitutes: McCracken, Ingram, Astley, Mulligan, Main, Reilly, F Robertson, Palmer-Houlden, Vetro.

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Phillipe Clement is "fully focussed on the sport side" of Rangers' operations as the club remain without incumbents in key roles.

When John Bennett stepped down as chairman last week for health reasons, the club were already searching for a new chief executive, sporting director and academy director.

While Clement conceded unity at the club was crucial, “of course, if there’s no unity you cannot have a good club, that’s clear," he said, he also added, "but I’m not a board member here, I’m not a politician".

"I’m the manager of the club. I’m here to focus on football, on sports, on the team, on making them better, on the project for the future," the Belgian said.

"I’ve engaged myself in the long term in that way, so I’m focused on that, on the sport side. The rest is for other people to arrange really well.

"But it’s important that they support the sport side and that’s what I feel at the moment."

Steven Gerrard, currently in charge of Saudi Pro League side Al-Ettifaq, is a potential candidate to return to Ibrox and become the next Rangers manager with Philippe Clement just one defeat away from losing his job after a tumultuous start to the season. (Football Insider), external

Rangers midfielder Tom Lawrence is gearing up for further discussions with Wales manager Craig Bellamy as the 31-year-old seeks to end his three-year international hiatus. (The Herald), external

Read the rest of Saturday's Scottish gossip.

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Clive Lindsay
BBC Sport Scotland

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Huge sighs of relief will ring round Ibrox on Saturday as Premier Sports Cup holders Rangers return from their temporary Hampden home in the second of two all-Premiership ties following Motherwell's victory over Dundee United on Friday.

The Copland Stand will not be full as delayed renovation work continues, but the switch from the other side of Glasgow will be a welcome boost not only financially but also in terms of atmosphere.

Dundee's chances of a cup shock would also be greater if their nine-game unbeaten start to the season had not been ended last weekend as Rangers got back to winning ways after their own Old Firm reality check.

The Dark Blues' 2-0 defeat by Ross County in Dingwall means they have now gone three games without a victory, while the Light Blues recovered from their derby loss to Celtic by beating Dundee United 1-0 to secure their first away win.

It kept Rangers five points behind early Premiership leaders Celtic and Aberdeen and, just as importantly, eased some of the tension around the club after John Bennett's announcement that he was standing down as chairman citing health problems exacerbated by fan criticism.

Even playing at Hampden, Philippe Clement's side have won all three of their domestic home games, their only reverse coming against Dynamo Kyiv in Champions League qualifying.

History is also heavily on their side, with Dundee having to go back to October 1951 for a League Cup win over Rangers - 3-2 in the final.

A Steven Davis goal was enough for the Glasgow side to win their last League Cup meeting two years ago at Ibrox.

And, overall, Rangers are 13 unbeaten against Dundee since losing at Dens Park in November 2017 and have won 17 in a row at Ibrox since goals from Claudio Caniggia and Steven Milne secured the Dark Blues their last win there in March 2001.

However, Tony Docherty's current side have shown they can give Rangers a bit of a fright, following up April's goalless draw at Dens Park a month later by leading twice at Ibrox before losing 5-2.

The visitors will be hoping Clement and his players this time have one eye on Thursday's Europa League visit to Malmo.

Read Premier Sports Cup Picks in full here.

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Tom Lawrence wants to replicate his performance against Dundee United on a regular basis as he look to provide "influence" and "variety" for Philippe Clement's side.

The Wales international scored the only goal of the game at Tannadice last weekend and could have added to his tally in an impressive attacking display.

Lawrence, 30, has struggled with injuries since signing for Rangers in 2022, but believes a full pre-season will allow him to affect games week in, week out.

"Wherever I play I want to have that influence on the game," he said.

"I felt like I had a good variety [against Dundee United]. I was able to drop deep, get on the ball, and get it higher up as well. That's the influence I want and I should have scored more as well.

"Last year was sticky with injuries, but this year I've had a full pre-season and I want to add more goals and assists to my tally.

"Certain aspects tactically [are different to last year]. A little bit more freedom to get on the ball, and a bit more rotation, so it's nice to have that."

Manager Philippe Clement says it will be a "special feeling" when Rangers play at Ibrox for the first time this season in Saturday night's League Cup tie last-eight against Dundee.

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Phillipe Clement insists it is his job to be "stable" and create an environment that "blocks out the noise" during Rangers' rebuild.

The Belgian reduced the club's wage bill in the summer, with Connor Goldson, Sam Lammers and John Lundstram among a slew of departures while 12 new sigings were brought in.

Clement has long said patience would be required this season and stressed any grumbling from the support has no bearing on how he chooses to do things as he "sees what's going on inside the building every day".

"We work hard with everybody, every day to improve things," the Rangers boss said as he previewed Saturday's League Cup quarter-final with Dundee.

"I know it was incredibly challenging to get a squad like that together with the budget that we have and seven players going out without one pound coming into the club.

"I think a lot of good things have happened, we could not do everything in one transfer window, it was not possible. We didn't have the resources for that, so we need to build but I'm also happy now that people start to see already the good things that have been done and I've heard also from many people.

"My job is not to go in the hype of things, but also not to go in the low of things and to be objective and keep balance in things, to be stable in that way.

"In a club where you make a rebuild that strong, where you have to cut wages that hard, where you have to replace so many players, where you need to bring in so many players, it's important to have an environment where you can work and not to be busy with all the noise.

"In that way I'm positive about what the team has done until now, because they could have been stuck in the noise and they're not doing that. They're working hard to become better and they know they still need to work hard to get to the level we want to get to."

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Phillipe Clement has been addressing the media before Rangers' Premier Sports Cup quarter-final against Dundee this weekend.

Here are the key lines:

• Clement said it "is a buzz, something you can't out into words" to return to Ibrox on Saturday as it "is special" and gives us something extra".

• He admits Hampden "was more difficult" but the "enthusiasm of the fans" at Ibrox is "different and a big help", though it "can be difficult if you're not performing".

• His "goal in life is to win everything" and he wants the same desire from his team as Rangers continue their defence of the League Cup.

• Clement said it is his responsibility "to remain stable in a club in a rebuild" and to "create an environment to work away from the noise".

• On Dundee, he said Tony Docherty's side "play good, physical football".

• The manager confirmed the squad is the same as last week, with Ridvan Yilmaz, Danilo and Rabbi Matondo still missing.

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Dave King, Rangers' largest shareholder, has challenged the current board to call an emergency meeting to let shareholders decide who should succeed John Bennett as chairman after the South Africa-based businessman's offer to return to the role was given short shrift by fellow directors. (Record), external

Former manager Steven Gerrard did not want to leave Rangers to join Aston Villa when the Premier League club approached him in November 2021, King has claimed. (Herald - subscription), external

Rangers' commercial revenue could increase to around £30m next season after agreeing two new deals, an extension with the Kindred Group for the Unibet brand to continue as the club’s front-of-shirt sponsor in addition to Elior becoming their new food and beverage partner. (Football Insider), external

Meanwhile, Rangers' biggest-ever shirt sponsorship deal, which will enjoy an increase of £1.5m per year to nearly £3m if all targets are met, was more than matched by city rivals Celtic in one game this week in the Champions League. (Record), external

Hibernian do not know what their ticketing situation will be for their trip to face Rangers at Ibrox on 29 September, which will be the first Scottish Premiership match to take place at the ground this season. (Sun), external

Hibs have engaged the SPFL to clarify the away ticket allocation for their trip to Ibrox. (Scotsman - subscription), external

Former Rangers and Scotland Under-21 striker Dapo Mebude will be given the chance to impress in Dunfermline Athletic's reserve game against Falkirk next week as the 23-year-old continues to train with the Scottish Championship club after leaving Oostende. (Courier - subscription), external

Read Friday's Scottish gossip