Rangers

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Derek McInnes described under-pressure Rangers counterpart Russell Martin as "a fine man, a fine manager" as his Hearts side ended an 11-year wait for a win at Ibrox amid chants from the stands for the home head coach to be sacked.

Martin insisted afterwards that he had no intention of quitting despite becoming the first Rangers team boss since 1978 to fail to win any of his first five league matches in charge.

Asked by BBC Scotland whether he had any sympathy for the former Rangers defender, McInnes said: "More than a bit, a huge lot. I didn't like that today. It's so unfair on a manager, I don't like it at all.

"He is a fine man, he's a fine manager and, when results don't always come at clubs, especially clubs this size, it's more than just the manager for me. That is tough on him.

"It's early on in the season. He's a new manager and, likewise with myself, I am just in at Hearts and, if we were still sitting towards the bottom end of the table and integrating loads of players and trying to kind of implement what we want to do, you'd be asking for that understanding. And, as managers, that's all we ask for."

While Rangers sit third bottom of the Scottish Premiership after the 2-0 defeat, Hearts are three points clear at the top before reigning champions Celtic face Kilmarnock on Sunday after taking 13 points from a possible 15.

"I enjoyed my team, but it was hard to ignore that and it was hard not to have empathy of course," former Rangers midfielder McInnes, who has been previously linked with a return to Ibrox as manager, added after a chorus of boos greeted Martin's exit up the Ibrox tunnel.

Those close to Hamza Igamane suggest the Morocco forward left Rangers for Lille this summer because staff at Ibrox no longer gave him much confidence and not because of the 22-year-old's desire to leave the Glasgow club, or his refusal to come off the bench against St Mirren. (L'Equipe via Football Transfers), external

Former Rangers manager Philippe Clement has opened up on Hamza Igamane's time at Ibrox and said that the striker always showed humility and a desire to improve under his watch. (L'Equipe via Scotland On Sunday), external

Lille striker Hamza Igamane has praised Philippe Clement for his role in his development at Rangers. (L'Equipe via Glasgow Times), external

It is likely to cost Rangers six months' salary - around £600,000 - should they wish to sack Russell Martin if the under-pressure head coach is on a similar deal to predecessor Philippe Clement and could receive one year's salary (£1.2m) or the full remaining cost of his contract (around £3.3m), but these are considerably less likely, and the club would also have to find money to part company with his backroom staff, which could double the cost of the decision. (Football Transfers), external

Read Sunday's Scottish Gossip in full.

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Rangers head coach Russell Martin feels that his side were on the wrong side of three "tough decisions", having a goal wrongly disallowed, while he thought there was a handball in the lead-up to Hearts' first goal.

"There is a lot of anxiety, a lot of difficulty managing expectation," he tells BBC Scotland. "We have so many players trying to feel their way into their Rangers career in a really difficult situation.

"There's so much change, so many new players, they are coming into an environment that's really unique that they wouldn't have felt before. So we have to try to help them through that.

"We are not coming into a club that has been winning a lot and that has strong foundations, so there's been so much change.

"We knew that in-house and knew change could be messy."

Asked if he will continue to receive the support from Rangers' hierarchy, Russell Martin says: "We'll see."

As for winning over the fans, he adds: "Only results will convince them. My job is to convince the players and the staff inside the building after a difficult afternoon and give them enough support and detail to improve.

"It is not going to be an easy journey for me to win favour. It hasn't been from day one with a lot of people, but we'll keep working and make sure it does.

"Professionally, it hurts a bit because nobody sees how hard you work. No-one sees the stuff you have to deal with, but it is what it is and is the job of a football manager."

Rangers suffer a 2-0 defeat to Hearts at home as Russell Martin becomes the first Ibrox boss to fail to win any of his first five league games in 47 years.

Have your say here.

Read the match report.

Nick McPheat
BBC Sport Scotland

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Youssef Chermiti has "all the talent" to "achieve a high level" at Rangers, says the striker's former Sporting Lisbon youth coach.

But what sort of forward are the Ibrox side actually getting?

"He's very tall, like a reference striker, and so strong when he's running into space," Pedro Coelho, who coached Chermiti at under-15 and under-19 level, tells BBC Scotland.

"When he has space behind defenders, he's very good in that moment. He must improve his connection with midfielders, but he protects the ball very well.

"In the box, he has good mobility, but his best behaviour is attacking the back post - he's so, so good at that."

The 21-year-old arrives at Ibrox having failed to score a goal in a two-year spell at Everton.

Injuries and a lack of minutes severely impacted his time in Merseyside after he broke through at Sporting.

However, Coelho has no concerns about the forward's mindset after enduring a tough time in the Premier League.

"He has a good mentality and works well," the ex-Sporting coach adds. "He wasn't the captain but was one of the leaders, everyone respected him.

"He respected the staff and coaches. I never had a problem with him. He's a normal boy with great talent.

"At 21, he has all the talent and all the character to achieve a high level in football."

Read more: No goals in 28 months - so why have Rangers spent big on Chermiti?

Nicolas Raskin turned down moves to Everton and Leeds United despite Rangers engaging in talks with the Premier League duo over the 24-year-old Belgium midfielder, while Brentford also held discussions with the Scottish Premiership club. (The Boot Room), external

Besiktas and Fenerbahce made tentative enquiries about Nicolas Raskin before Friday's Turkish transfer deadline, but no serious offer was tabled for the 24-year-old for whom FC Copenhagen explored a move earlier this month before it was confirmed the Belgium midfielder had no intention of leaving Rangers. (Rangers Review), external

Read Saturday's Scottish Gossip in full.

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Nicolas Raskin remains out of the Rangers squad despite boss Russell Martin insisting any issues between two men are resolved.

Canada defender Derek Cornelius, on loan from Marseille, and Youssef Chermiti, the 21-year-old Portuguese attacker who signed from Everton, both go into the squad.

Hearts pair Ageu (hamstring) and Frankie Kent (knee) are set to be sidelined until next month at least but new German goalkeeper Alexander Schwolow comes into contention.

Kenneth Vargas is fit again, while Jamie McCart, Craig Gordon and Christian Borchgrevink are all close to returning but unlikely to feature this weekend. Ryan Fulton (groin) and Finlay Pollock (hamstring) are still out.

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Thelo Aasgaard hopes learning from the "monster mentality" of compatriot Erling Haaland can help him become a success at Rangers.

Midfielder Aasgaard, who joined Rangers from Luton Town this summer, scored four for Norway in the 11-1 midweek thrashing of Moldova, but was upstaged by Manchester City superstar Haaland, who hit five.

"First of all, [Haaland] is a brilliant character off the pitch. He's a leader," said Aasgaard.

"He's not a senior, I would say, but he's a real big personality off the pitch and obviously on the pitch he speaks for himself.

"He gave the penalty to me for my hat-trick and that speaks volumes about his character.

"He's a great example, his has been a career progression and it is clear to see he has a monster mentality - it is really important to stay strong.

"Every time I go away, I learn so much not just from him, but from all the players. There are a lot of quality players. We've got a really good team.

"I really enjoy going away, but I just need to focus on this next block of games before the next one and hopefully I can do it as well as I can. I'm just desperate to do well at this club."

Aasgaard believes it is "massive" for Rangers to try and get their first win of the Premiership campaign against Hearts.

The Ibrox side have drawn their opening four league games in a turbulent start to head coach Russell Martin's tenure.

"I feel like with a solid performance against Celtic and quite a lot of the lads have done well over the international break, it's been an opportunity for the lads to train as well and gel together more," Aasgaard said.

"Obviously, it's a new group and some new faces while I was gone [with Norway] as well."

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The SPFL are investigating the use of smoke bombs by Rangers supporters in the Premiership match against Motherwell in August.

Rangers were fined £17,291 and had a suspended one-match ban imposed by Uefa on away supporters after the use of pyrotechnics by fans during last month's Champions League play-off against Club Brugge.

The club have already had the ticket allocation for their next Premier Sports Cup semi-final reduced after the use of pyrotechnics at Hampden last season, while they have a suspended closure of the Copland stand hanging over them after a banner "deemed to be discriminatory" was displayed against Fenerbahce last term.

The SPFL investigation is the latest action taken because of Rangers fans' behaviour.

Rangers have now warned that future incidents could directly weaken the club.

"While these incidents involved different circumstances and different groups, the risk of reduced ticket allocations and potential stand closures is now very real," a club statement said.

"Additionally, while the fines received do not have the same direct impact on fans, they divert resources from other areas and weaken the club.

"We know that many supporters are frustrated as a result of this and we have received requests to take action against the fans responsible. We are reviewing our next steps internally and will discuss with fan groups, including the fan advisory board, to ensure a fair and responsible outcome.

"Ultimately, we all want the same thing, a strong Rangers, backed by a support that lifts the team and reflects the very best of who we are and what we stand for."

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Russell Martin is convinced striker Youssef Chermiti will be a "brilliant investment" for Rangers and says the club had to fend off "a lot of interest" from European sides to land the 21-year-old.

Rangers paid a reported £8m - the second-highest transfer fee in the club's history - to sign Chermiti from Everton on deadline day.

The Portuguese forward, who has a four-year contract at Ibrox, failed to score for Everton in 24 appearances - only two of them starts - after a reported £11.5m move from Sporting in 2023.

"It's a long-term investment for the football club, I think it will be a brilliant investment for the football club," said head coach Martin.

"I think he'll do extremely well for us. There won't be any expectation on him in here, I'm sure externally maybe that changes.

"He wants to learn, he wants to grow and he wants to help the team.

"Youssef has tools that you'd really want in a number nine. Good athleticism. Great kid. Wants to learn. Brilliant record at youth level.

"He hasn't really had the chance he probably wanted at first-team level yet. Obviously in the toughest league in the world as well.

"We'll judge him on here and now and what he does for us.

"We're really excited to have him in because he's a seriously talented player and also there was a lot of interest throughout Europe in top leagues for him."

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We asked for your views on Russell Martin's decision to continue to omit key midfielder Nicolas Raskin from the Rangers squad.

Here are some of your comments:

Jordan: We don't actually know anything about the Raskin situation. All we have are soundbites from Neil McCann about Raskin last season. If his attitude has been poor then Martin is handling things the right way.

Andy: Martin can't do anything right. He cares more about his ego than the club and team. Raskin is an excellent player and as such should be involved in our games when fit. Martin as Rangers manager is not fit for purpose and I'd be questioning those that think he's the man for the job such as Patrick Stewart and Kevin Thelwell, who are both as unimpressive as Martin.

Jamie: It's absolutely scandalous. He's by far our best midfielder and is being consistently omitted from the squad. I don't know why he and Martin have fallen out, but when we haven't won any of our first four league games and our best players aren't being played, that's on the manager.

Billy: What a disaster Martin is turning out to be! The problem with Raskin is apparently resolved, but he leaves our best midfielder out of the squad. Unbelievable, but it isn't.

Iain: He is being left out for a reason. The manager obviously has his reasons why this situation has occurred and no player is bigger than the club. Connor Barron and Lyall Cameron look more than capable.

Martin: As a manager you pick your best players, Martin doesn't seem to know who the best players are, he's an awful manager and has a terrible record at every club he's been at, so why we appointed him I have no idea.

Martin Dowden
BBC Sport Scotland Senior Reporter

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Rangers head coach Russell Martin has been speaking to the media before this weekend's home Premiership fixture against Hearts.

Here are the key points from his press conference:

• Belgium midfielder midfielder Nico Raskin is again omitted from the Rangers squad after being left out of the 0-0 draw with Celtic.

• "He won't be in the squad tomorrow," Martin said. "We have a lot of conversations, as we do with every player, but he's back training with the squad, which is a good step."

• Martin says issues with Raskin are "resolved" but adds: "Now, like every player really, he has a duty to make sure that he earns the trust of all his other team-mates and the coaching staff and the staff in the building to help us win football matches."

• When pressed on exactly why Raskin continues to be left out, Martin says: "We have to be on the pitch with trust and feeling and clarity and that's it. I think the most important thing is that Nico knows why, the players know why, and we all move forward."

• Martin insists "it's not about me, it's not about Nico, it's about everyone" and stresses his job is to do what he feel is "best for the team".

• On fan disquiet after opening the Premiership with four draws: "We have to win football matches, simple as that."

• Martin expects the same level of energy and aggression shown against Celtic but called for his side to "create more" and be "more attacking".

• New signings Derek Cornelius and Youssef Chermiti are available for debuts for this weekend.

• Martin was "delighted" with Rangers' business in the transfer window and says of new big-money striker Chermiti: "He has tools you'd really want in a number nine. Good athleticism, great kid, wants to learn, brilliant record at youth level and hasn't really had the chance he probably wanted at first-team level yet and obviously in the toughest league in the world as well. We're really excited to have him in because he's a seriously talented player and also there was a lot of interest throughout Europe in top leagues for him and he was desperate to be here."

• On defender Cornelius: "He has played at Marseille in a club, big demands at Marseille, it's not easy, so I think that will be fine for him here. I spoke to [Canada head coach] Jesse Marsch at length about Derek and his character and personality and I think he's someone we think can really help us. He's flexible on the back four as well, so we'll be able to tweak shape a bit more than we have done now with the additions we've got, and it's exciting for us."

• Martin praises "forward-thinking" Hearts and says "you can see why they've started the season so well".

• On the prospect of a Hearts title challenge: "Derek [McInnes] will be telling his players and his team that there's an opportunity for them this season for sure, so I think it's up to us to make sure that it doesn't become that."

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Belgium midfielder Nicolas Raskin will not be in Rangers' squad to face Hearts on Saturday, head coach Russell Martin has confirmed.

The 24-year-old was one of Rangers' best players last season but has fallen out of favour under the former Scotland defender.

There has been much speculation about the reasons behind Martin's decision, which the team boss says has been "resolved", but is he right to make Raskin wait for a return to the match-day squad?

Here is what Martin told Friday morning's pre-match media conference.

"He won't be in the squad tomorrow," he said. "We have had a lot of conversations - as we do with every player - but he's back training with the squad, which is a good step and now, like every player, has a duty to make sure he earns the trust of all his other team-mates and the coaching staff to help us win football matches."

Asked to explain the reasons for his decision, Martin added: "We have to be on the pitch with trust and feeling and clarity. I think the most important thing is that Nico knows why, the players know why and we all move forward.

"He is part of the squad in training and has to help that and has to put himself back in the squad and team to help us win matches."

As for Raskin's future at Ibrox, Martin added: "It is resolved, he is still here and training with the group now. It's never a personal thing, it's always professional.

"My job is to do what I think is best for the team and the club. It is not about me, it is not about Nico, it is about everyone."

Let us know your thoughts on Martin's decision to omit Raskin again.

Despite Nicolas Raskin being quoted publicly saying he had no intention of leaving Rangers during the summer transfer window, the 24-year-old Belgium midfielder will not be in the Scottish Premiership club's squad to face Hearts on Saturday following talks with head coach Russell Martin. (STV), external

Former Rangers striker Jermain Defoe, who coached Mikey Moore for two years at Tottenham Hotspur, says he advised the 18-year-old winger that it was an unbelievable opportunity to join the Ibrox club on loan this season. (Daily Record), external

Nedim Bajrami, who has only started one of Rangers' games this season - against Alloa Athletic in the Premier Sports Cup, hopes his starring role with Albania during the international break can kick-start his season after the 26-year-old midfielder was left out of the Premiership club's Europa League squad. (The Herald), external

Former Rangers player-coach Jermain Defoe, who has since worked in Tottenham's academy, has revealed he tried to work his way back to Ibrox over the summer. (The Scotsman), external

Read Friday's Scottish Gossip in full.

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Chris Bertram
BBC Sport Senior Journalist

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Necessity being the mother of invention means Nicolas Raskin's exile from the Rangers first team is unlikely to be a prolonged one.

The Ibrox midfield needs his skillset too much for the Belgium player to be left out of a struggling side led by an under-pressure manager for much longer.

Raskin is poised to return to training after being left out of the squad for the draw against Celtic before the international break.

He scored his first goal for Belgium this week and has said he is eager to regain his place in the side after a "complicated" summer, at the end of which he fell out with boss Russell Martin.

Martin needs results, though, and with in-form Hearts next on the horizon, Raskin will surely be in his thinking.

Victory for Hearts on Saturday would move them a daunting nine points ahead of Rangers in the Scottish Premiership and pile further heat on the new manager.

In Raskin's absence, Martin fielded Connor Barron and Mohamed Diomande - as well as substitute Joe Rothwell, who has been underwhelming since joining in the summer - in midfield against Celtic.

They were assiduous and kept Celtic at arm's length, but the combination of aggression and tidy passing that Raskin offers was conspicuous by its absence.

It was not an isolated match; Rangers trail Celtic in every aspect of passing statistics this season and are no better than mid-table in terms of duels won among Premiership teams.

Both Old Firm managers have possession-based philosophies, yet while Celtic have hardly been on top form this season, they are still out-passing Martin's side.

Celtic's 2,737 total of passes dwarfs Rangers' 2,217, with far more (1,341 to 1,038) in their own half and, more importantly (1,396 to 1,179) in the opposition's.

Celtic have made 784 forward passes to Rangers' 656 this season, with 21 more into the final third (284 to 263).

Rangers have less of the ball than their city rivals, and when they do have it, they are less progressive with it.

But it gets worse. Rangers are sixth best in terms of duels in the league so far, with a 49.7% success rate.

And ominously for Martin, Hearts are top of that table, winning 293 duels to Rangers' 190 - giving Derek McInnes' new side a league-best 54.3% success rate.

Raskin's return will not solve all of Rangers' issues instantly, but his presence would surely help.

He was the club's player and players' player of the year last season, scoring five times in the second half of the season and providing 10 assists - the joint-highest in the Premiership with Celtic pair Daizen Maeda and Alistair Johnston.

He ranked fourth for possession won (187) in the Premiership last season and is in the top 10 for duels won as well as chances created.

Martin is not in a position to make arguably his best midfielder sit and sweat on the sidelines over past disagreements.

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• Rangers are unbeaten in 18 meetings with Hearts in all competitions (W14 D4); only from October 1998 to March 2004 have they ever had a longer run without defeat against the Tynecastle side (24).

• Hearts are winless in 17 visits to Rangers in all competitions (D3 L14) since winning 2-1 in the Scottish Championship in August 2014. It's their longest ever winless run away to the Glasgow outfit.

• Rangers have failed to win any of their past five league matches (D5), their longest winless run in the top flight since a sequence of six between October and December 2005 under Alex McLeish (D4 L2).

• Hearts are unbeaten in eight league matches, winning seven of those (D1) and scoring 2+ goals in each of their past four. It is the club's longest unbeaten run in the competition since going 10 without defeat between December 2023 and February 2024.

• Hearts' Harry Milne has won 37 duels in the Scottish Premiership this season, the most of any player in the competition, while only team-mate Cammy Devlin (19) has made more tackles than him this term (17).

Nicolas Raskin will return to Rangers first-team training after talks with manager Russell Martin - but knows he has to earn his spot back in the side. (Scottish Sun)

A leaked document reveals one of the metrics potential Leeds signings are based on is the ability to score headers from set-pieces, which could explain Rangers' emphasis on players over 6ft in the summer window, given the clubs have the same ownership group. (Scottish Sun)

Read the rest of Thursday's gossip.

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Rangers have been fined £17,291 and given a suspended supporter ban by Uefa after the "lighting of fireworks" during last month's Champions League play-off defeat by Club Brugge.

The incident took place during the second leg of the tie in Belgium, which Rangers lost 6-0 after a 3-1 loss in the first leg at Ibrox.

Uefa say Rangers could be banned "from selling tickets to its away supporters for the next...Uefa competition match" but that this measure is "suspended during a probationary period of two years, starting from the date of the present decision".

The Ibrox side will play in the league phase of the Europa League this season, starting this month with a home tie against Genk.

In March, Rangers said they were "in the process of issuing lifetime bans" to those responsible for a banner that led to Uefa issuing a suspended closure of the Copland Stand.

The stand at Ibrox, which holds around 8,000 fans, will be shut for one game if there is "a repeat of racist and/or discriminatory behaviour" during European matches within the next 18 months.

The club were fined around £25,000 for the banner, which was displayed during the home leg of their Europa League victory over Fenerbahce.

Clive Lindsay
BBC Sport Scotland

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Three goals in four games, the fourth worst total in the Scottish Premiership. On the surface, it is easy to see where Rangers' early-season problems lie.

For a side with ambitions - and expectations - to challenge Celtic for the title, it is a damning statistic as they prepare to host a Hearts side currently second to the reigning champions only on goal difference.

So where are Russell Martin's side falling short?

Despite drawing all four opening Premiership games, they are not lacking in terms of possession - being second only to the league leaders.

That is hardly surprising considering Rangers' head coach, as he previously did with Southampton, is remaining true to his philosophy of playing out from the back.

It means Rangers play fewer long passes than any top-tier team, their 151 being nearly half as many as Livingston's 299. Celtic's 182, in comparison, makes the league leaders the fifth most likely to resort to long balls.

Perhaps it is just as well Rangers keep it short considering their long-ball success rate is the second worst in the division behind Dundee United.

In contrast, the Ibrox side have the best passing accuracy in the opposing half, but that is obviously not translating into goals.

Penetration could be part of the problem considering Rangers have attempted only five through balls - 10 fewer than Celtic and half as many as Motherwell.

They also have the worst crossing accuracy from open play - 13.6% compared to Dundee United's 34.8% and Celtic's 26.3%.

Two of their three goals this season have come from corners, but that is primarily down to the fact Martin's side have forced more of those than any other team.

With the other goal coming from the penalty spot, it means Rangers have not yet scored from open play - the worst in the division along with bottom-placed Aberdeen - despite their chances created from such being third behind Celtic and Hearts.

Six chances have been created from set-plays - twice as many as Celtic, third best in the league, but half as many as Hearts.

However, it appears to be the quality of those chances and the ability to take them where the biggest problem lies.

Only three of what Opta describes as 'big chances' have been created - eight fewer than Celtic - with only Dundee creating less.

Rangers also have the third worst shooting accuracy and the second worst conversion rate (5.9%, excluding penalties), despite having the second most goal attempts.

Not surprisingly, it means they only have the fifth best expected goals (xG) rate - 4.51 compared to Hearts' 6.4, Motherwell's 5.86 and Celtic's 5.75.

With Cyriel Dessers and Hamza Igamane sold and Yousseff Chermiti and Bojan Miovski bought as replacements in the final days of the transfer window, Martin will be hoping his new recruits inspire the creativity and killer instinct that has been missing up front.

Alasdair Lamont
BBC Sport Scotland Commentator

It's difficult to overstate just how big a game the Rangers v Hearts fixture is this weekend.

For Hearts it is a major opportunity to lay down a marker in their quest to at least split the Old Firm, but from Rangers' perspective, it is a chance to kickstart their campaign following an improved performance before the international break against Celtic.

I said last week I felt Rangers had to win all four of their remaining games in September to earn Russell Martin a bit of slack from those who already want him out the door. And in terms of a title challenge, this first game in that run is a must-win.

The way the match begins will set the tone. If Rangers can start on the front foot and get an early goal, they can try to impose their own style on Hearts and ease the tension around the stadium.

But if Hearts start the better side and Rangers struggle, that tension will grow, the fans will voice their displeasure and it could make for another difficult afternoon for the Rangers head coach and his players as they seek that elusive first league win.

Some of Rangers' international players should come back in good fettle. John Souttar played very well in both Scotland games and has to return to his favoured position on the right side of central defence with Derek Cornelius, who scored a fabulous free-kick for Canada against Wales, coming in for a debut as his partner.

No one enjoyed a better international window than Thelo Aasgaard though, coming off the bench for Norway to score four in the 11-1 win over Moldova.

Much is expected of him in a Rangers jersey and if he can begin to show that kind of form, it would be a massive boost to Rangers' chances of success.

It will be very interesting to see how Martin accommodates his two new big-money strikers, Youssef Chermiti and Bojan Miovski, while the other source of real intrigue is whether Nico Raskin, who scored for Belgium, can resolve his differences with the manager and find a way back into the team. All will be revealed on Saturday.