Rangers

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Goalkeeper Jack Butland believes Rangers' new signings have already had a positive impact and that they have a "more settled" side than at the same stage last season under previous manager Michael Beale.

First-team stalwarts Connor Goldson, John Lundstram, Borna Barisic and Ryan Jack have all left current boss Philippe Clement's squad this summer.

"The start of last season was so difficult for so many reasons - lots of changes at the club," Butland said as he looked forward to Tuesday's Champions League qualifier against Dynamo Kyiv.

"I like to think we're more settled and we've started the season in a more positive way than we did last year. Although we didn't get the win we would want on the first day, there's a lot more optimism I think."

So far, Connor Barron has established himself in central midfield after his move from Aberdeen.

And their newest arrivals, former Twente centre-half Robin Propper and on-loan Wolfsburg winger Vaclav Cerny, also started Saturday's win over Motherwell, with the latter scoring.

"It's always important during the summer, transfers have got to make an impact," Butland added. "They've got to come in and be the right characters, which we have certainly seen so far.

"Some have already made some important contributions and hopefully we continue to see that. But, as staff and players, we've been really pleased how they've settled in.

"Vaclav's turned up with a brilliant goal at the weekend and Robin looks solid and offers us something different."

Andy Burke
BBC Sport Scotland Senior Reporter

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Rangers manager Philippe Clement has been talking to BBC Scotland before the second leg of his side's Champions League qualifying match against Dynamo Kyiv on Tuesday.

Here are the best bits from his sit-down chat:

• Leon Balogun is the only injury concern; there will be a call made on his fitness tomorrow.

• ⁠Clement says he is likely to rotate and manage the workloads of his players against Dynamo amid a very busy schedule.

• ⁠The Belgian says he loves being Rangers manager and everything that comes with it.

• ⁠Stressed the club will do what they can in the transfer window before the deadline, but believes it may take more than one window for the rebuild he is undertaking.

• Clement says he ⁠understands why it’s unsettling for fans that Rangers are playing their home games at Hampden. He spoke about how some of them have been in the same seat at Ibrox for 30-40 years. But he stressed the need to make Hampden a fortress while they're there.

• ⁠He wouldn't be drawn on any transfer speculation, with Jose Cifuentes reportedly poised for an Ibrox exit.

Jonathan Sutherland
Sportscene presenter

It wasn't a vintage weekend for keepers across the Premiership, but Jack Butland gets the nod in my Team of the Week.

His superb save from Zach Robinson proved vital in Rangers securing all three points against Motherwell.

Out-of-favour Rangers midfielder Jose Cifuentes is expected to arrive in Thessaloniki on Monday for a medical and to sign a one-year loan deal with Aris that includes a mandatory purchase of £4.3m for the 25-year-old. (BN Sports), external

Rangers will have to pay part of Jose Cifuentes' £860,000 per year salary when the 25-year-old midfielder joins Aris on loan. (Sport 24), external

Jose Cifuentes agreed terms with Aris last month, but the loan move from Rangers was delayed because Cruzeiro had to cancel his loan with them first and the Ecuador midfielder then encountered complications because of Brazilian work permit regulations. He is expected to be paraded at the weekend after completing his medical. (The National), external

Cagliari have reignited their interest in 29-year-old Rangers striker Cyriel Dessers amid the possible departure of Gianluca Lapadula. (Tuttomercato), external

Cyriel Dessers was initially targeted by Cagliari early this summer, but with the signing of Roberto Piccoli, Rangers' Nigeria striker is no longer seen as a viable option, although that could change should Gianluca Lapadula leave the Serie A club. (Soccernet), external

After his hat-trick in a 5-3 win over Derby County playing for Rangers' B team, Ianis Hagi posted a photograph of himself captioned "home is good", which is being interpreted by some fans as a suggestion the out-of-favour 25-year-old Romania midfielder now wants to stay at Ibrox. (Scottish Sun), external

Lennon Miller says his only focus is Motherwell despite the 17-year-old midfielder being linked with Celtic, Rangers and Premier League clubs. (Daily Record), external

Read Monday's Scottish Gossip in full here.

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Rangers winger Vaclav Cerny says it is his "one wish" to qualify for the Champions League this season, as Philippe Clement's side prepare for the second leg of the qualification tie against Dynamo Kyiv.

Cerny set up Cyriel Dessers in the 1-1 first-leg draw against the Ukrainian side, and scored his first goal for the club on Saturday in a league win over Motherwell.

"Yeah, it's something I really want to achieve with this club, with those guys in the dressing room," Cerny said about Champions League qualification.

"There is just one wish, and that's to get there, and we will do all we can to go through.

"It's good to see them live, to have this away game done, and basically it's just preparing for a game like every other.

"It's the second leg, and they know how we want to play, we know how they play, and let's prepare for it."

Cerny admits he isn't at full fitness, but says he is determined to contribute against Dynamo Kyiv, whether that be off the bench or from the start.

"I feel ready to start every single game, if you ask me.

"I just want to use those two days we have now to recover and get in shape again, and I'm going to do my best to be ready. It's on the manager obviously, but I'll do my best to be ready.

"So the fitness level is not ideal, but everybody knows that now and we are doing everything every day with a lot of people around me and the squad to get me where I want to be as fast as possible."

Watch highlights of Rangers' narrow Scottish Premiership win against Motherwell at Hampden. (UK only)

Rangers fans, we asked for your thoughts after Saturday's win over Motherwell.

Here's what some of you had to say:

Phil: At the moment we are still playing a game of two halves. First half we scored a couple and created a number of chances. On the other hand the second half was instantly forgettable.

Finlay: Before anyone criticises Robin Propper, it was not his fault for the own goal. An excellent performance all around the pitch and WHAT a goal from Vaclav Cerny! We were unlucky not to get more goals in plenty of chances. I will hope for this play to continue for Tuesday and have a decent starting XI to get us through to the next round of the qualifiers.

Jack: The players only seem to play for half a game. No midfield controlling the game puts the defence under pressure and mistakes are inevitable. Why did we get rid of Ryan Jack without a replacement? Why give away John Lundstram without finding someone better? Was this a question of getting rid of the old guard for the sake of it!

David: Not a vintage performance by any stretch but a huge three points and some good football played. Cyriel Dessers doing what he does best strong and physical and Cerny with a quality finish.

Allan: A good start to the match, very dominant, but the energy seemed to drain out of the team later in the second half, with the exception of Connor Barron, who looked like the Energiser Bunny! A win is a win, we need to play better than that on Tuesday and beyond. The team is still being built, I hope Philippe Clement is given time to build it.

Derrick: A very poor performance. Ridvan Yilmaz had another shocker, Scott Wright and Tom Lawrence are not good enough, James Tavernier looks leggy and the central defenders are all over the place. Massive overhaul needed.

Elaine: We started really well and the own goal seemed to spook us a bit. After Cerny’s superb goal, we lost our rhythm and were happy to keep the score at 2-1. Did we have Tuesday in our heads? Possibly but we are going to have to play like we did in the first 25 minutes to beat Dynamo Kiev.

Listen to the full episode here.

Philippe Clement says Vaclav Cerny will be "very important" for Rangers after the winger scored a fine winner against Motherwell in his first start for the club.

Match report: Rangers 2-1 Motherwell

Vaclav Cerny's fine finish earned Rangers their first Scottish Premiership win of the season as depleted Motherwell were edged out at Hampden.

The on-loan Wolfsburg winger curled in a delightful effort on his maiden start, securing a much-needed victory following back-to-back draws with Hearts and Dynamo Kyiv, in Champions League qualifying.

Cyriel Dessers' second goal in as many games had given Philippe Clement's men an early advantage at the national stadium, Rangers' temporary home as delayed construction work continues at Ibrox.

Parity was restored when debutant Robin Propper poked into his own net, but Cerny's first Rangers goal restored a deserved lead before half-time.

Clement's side should have killed the game after the break but their performance level regressed against a Motherwell team who travelled to Hampden without seven players.

Visiting manager Stuart Kettlewell watched new striker Apostolos Stamatelopoulos limp off in the first half, but his players fought on in the second period and passed up chances to snatch a draw.

Were you at Hampden or following the match elsewhere? Either way, we want your views on the game – have your say here, external.

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Rangers manager Philippe Clement: "The intensity we started with was really good. We score the first goal then out of nothing a goal against that's really unlucky.

"It's important that the team continues in that way and doesn't start to doubt. The team did that, there was no doubt and we scored a very good second goal.

"We kept on pushing to score the third and fourth. Our finishing could have been better in that way."

On match-winner Vaclav Cerny, he adds: "He loves the way we want to play football. He's felt at home from the first minute. He's going to be very important for the squad."

Nick McPheat
BBC Sport Scotland

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Rangers made real hard work of it in the end after setting the tone in the first half with an electric start.

Vaclav Cerny, who was removed after 54 minutes, is still working his way to full fitness but has demonstrated potential to rectify a long-term issue on the right of the Ibrox side's attack, which was highlighted when he dipped in off the right to curl in a stunner.

The Czech winger was joined in making his first start for the club with centre-back Robin Propper, who had a comfortable debut alongside John Souttar despite scoring a first-half own goal and picking up a yellow card.

The start of a nervous finale for the 50,000 Rangers fans at Hampden coincided with Propper's 74th-minute substitution, with his replacement Leon Balogun looking uneasy in the closing stages.

That conclusion to the game will be a concern for Philippe Clement, but at least he will be able to analyse it in the knowledge his team have a first win under their belt after a problematic pre-season.

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Robin Propper could make his Rangers debut while attacker Oscar Cortes will be out for around a month after picking up a knee injury against Hearts last week.

Nicolas Raskin is still out through injury and new signing Hamza Igamane continues to work his way towards the level of fitness required by boss Philippe Clement.

Motherwell will be without eight players if Lennon Miller fails to shake off a knock. Shane Blaney, Callum Slattery, Sam Nicholson (all knee), Ross Callachan, Filip Stuparevic (both hamstring), Harry Paton (ankle) and John Koutroumbis (calf) are all missing.

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Robin Propper says joining Rangers was a "no-brainer" after current and previous Ibrox players sold him on the move.

The 30-year-old Dutch defender, who had spent all his career in his homeland, is in line to make his debut against Motherwell this weekend after moving from FC Twente earlier this month.

"I tried to do my career step by step and I think I find now the right option to go abroad," he said.

"I was feeling confident it was going to happen. I had a few times earlier in my career that there was a possibility to go abroad, but that wasn't the club for me.

"And now, Rangers came, so it was a no-brainer for me."

The defender heard "only good things" about the club from people he spoke to about his potential transfer.

"Yeah, a few Dutch players played for Rangers and also a few coaches," he added. "It was nice to see that a few big players played here and made history here.

"I talked to some of the players who already were here and played for Rangers.

"Cyriel Dessers, I played with him at Heracles and played sometimes against him, so I directly called him.

"Sam Lammers, I talked to. Of course, the coach I talked to a few times. So, yeah, I tried to do it in a quick amount of time. I tried to do most of the research I could do."

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Rangers manager Philippe Clement admits he didn't expect to utilise summer signing Jefte as an attacker so soon.

The Brazilian is a left-back by trade but also able to play further up the pitch, and was thrust on to replace Scott Wright at half-time of Tuesday night's 1-1 draw with Dynamo Kyiv.

"I thought it was a possibility but I didn't think I had to do it now," Clement said.

"But if other players don't perform at that moment at the level they should perform to play, then you need to look for other solutions."

Jefte's impact in the second half in Lubin impressed the manager as Rangers fought back to level with Cyriel Dessers' last-minute strike.

"It was what I expected, he’s a very talented player that's why we made a big fight during six months to get him here," Clement added.

"But from January on we kept a lot of contact with him and he was really convinced to come to Rangers, although a lot of teams were interested in him.

"He's a very talented player for the future who for sure needs to learn still a lot, but it's normal as he’s only 20 and he has one year experience in Europe.

“But he has the right mentality to fight and to be there for the team, and he has a lot of physical and technical qualities."

Rangers manager Philippe Clement reveals the club considered playing in an English stadium while Ibrox is out of use, but says Hampden was the "best scenario".

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An under-the-weather Rangers manager Philippe Clement has been talking with the media before their home Scottish Premiership match against Motherwell, which will take place at Hampden Park due to renovation works at Ibrox.

Here are the key points from his press conference:

• Clement admits that Rangers will have to adapt to playing at the national stadium but stressed they will have 50,000 fans behind the team, the same amount as Ibrox.

• He added that he was involved in the decision to play there and believes it is the "best scenario for players and fans", adding other options such as Murrayfield or a stadium in England would not have been as appealing.

• Clement confirmed there is no timescale for the renovation works to be completed at Ibrox, saying: "Have you ever built a house?"

• On potential transfer exits, Clement described reports of Ianis Hagi being let go to find another club and Todd Cantwell's potential exit as "rumour" but did confirm that Cantwell continues to train separately to the first-team squad.

• There are no fresh injury issues following the 1-1 draw away to Dynamo Kyiv and Clement's main focus is trying to get certain players integrated and up to full fitness.

Rangers could be prepared to free Ianis Hagi from the final year of his contract as the 25-year-old Romania midfielder is not part of manager Philippe Clement's plans. (Tuttomercato), external

Both Celtic and Rangers are set to miss out on long-term target Tommy Conway as Bristol City's 22-year-old Scotland striker is closing in on a £5m-plus transfer to Middlesbrough, with the clubs haggling over the structure of the fee. (The Scotsman), external

Former Celtic striker Frank McAvennie says he has been told by insiders that the Scottish champions hope to hijack Rangers' bid to sign 21-year-old Manchester United midfielder Hannibal Mejbri. (TeamTalk), external

Rangers and Celtic are among clubs interested in taking 19-year-old Liverpool midfielder Bobby Clark on loan. (Paul Gorst via The Redmen TV), external

Tyrese Campbell, the 24-year-old striker who has been linked with Rangers after leaving Stoke City, is undergoing a medical with Sheffield United. (Sky Sports), external

Rangers' Champions League opponents, Dynamo Kyiv, have denied that Ukraine midfielder Mykola Shaparenko is set to move to Trabzonspor. (Glasgow Times), external

Polish referees Bartosz Frankowski and Tomasz Musial, who were dropped as VAR officials for Rangers' Champions League qualifier against Dynamo Kyiv in Lublin for being drunk and getting arrested by local police, have now been suspended by the Polish FA for 90 days. (Scottish Sun), external

Read Friday's Scottish Gossip in full here.

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Rangers must qualify for the league stage of the Champions League if they are to "keep pace" with rivals Celtic, says former defender Alan Hutton.

Philippe Clement's side drew 1-1 in the first leg of their qualifying tie against Dynamo Kyiv thanks to a last-gasp equaliser from Cyriel Dessers and host the Ukrainian side at Hampden in the return leg on Tuesday.

If the Ibrox side progress, they will face either RB Salzburg or FC Twente in a play-off to reach the competition proper.

"It is a huge part of Rangers moving forward," Hutton said.

"I know it is going to be really difficult getting into the Champions League, they have some big games ahead, first and foremost next week.

"But you have to keep pace with the likes of Celtic who are in the Champions League year after year. They are talking £40million [for qualifying], I think you need that to reinvest.

"Rangers have had a turnover of players and managers in previous years. Philippe Clement signing a new contract and Rangers putting their faith in him hopefully allows him to build what he needs and move forward.

"He will need [funds], it is as simple as that. Rangers can’t stand still."

Hutton also praised Dessers' all-round performance against Dynamo, and hopes his first-leg goal can help kickstart a hot streak of scoring.

"I thought he played really well," Hutton added. "He held the ball up, he was a nuisance to defenders, he was physical and to get his goal at the end, that matches up to his performance, he deserved that.

"And the confidence that will give him moving forward, you really hope he will kick on from there and score the goals you need."

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• Rangers lost their last home league game against Motherwell 2-1 in March last season, ending a 38-game unbeaten run in the league at home to the Steelmen (W31 D7). They have never suffered successive such defeats, with this their 139th such meeting.

• Motherwell's victory at Ibrox in March ended a 57-game winless run against Rangers in the league (D15 L42). The Steelmen last won back-to-back league games against Rangers in April 1960.

• Rangers have won their opening home league game in each of the last six seasons by an aggregate score of 20-1 since a 3-2 defeat to Hibernian in 2017-18.

• Motherwell have only won their first away league match in one of the last seven seasons (D3 L3), beating St Mirren 1-0 in 2022-23.

• Having drawn 0-0 with Hearts in their opening league game of 2024-25, Rangers are looking to avoid failing to win either of their opening two games in a season since 1989-90 under Graeme Souness.

Alasdair Lamont
BBC Sport Scotland Commentator

In a matter of a few days or arguably as a result of 90 minutes in Lublin, Poland, the mood surrounding Rangers appears to have brightened considerably.

A markedly improved performance against Dynamo Kyiv compared to the one against Hearts on the opening day of the league season has given them a solid platform from which to improve further and go on to secure their place in the final Champions League qualifying round.

Before that can be achieved there is the intriguing prospect of their first ‘home’ league game at Hampden Park against Motherwell.

Clearly, having dropped points already and with Celtic starting the season in formidable fashion, there is no room for error, no bedding-in time allowed as Rangers prepare to play several games at the National Stadium.

There is likely to be a debut for recent signing Robin Propper at the heart of the defence, while Vaclav Cerny may start for the first time, having come on to provide the cross for Cyriel Dessers to score that all-important equaliser against Dynamo on Tuesday.

Philippe Clement was pleased with the "step forward" taken by his team in that game but he acknowledges there is still much work to do if Rangers are to be capable of progressing in Europe and providing a stern challenge to Celtic at home.

Chelsea have been contacted by Rangers over a potential move for 19-year-old academy midfielder Leo Castledine, but the London club want a straight loan while the Ibrox outfit want an option to buy, with Aberdeen also having registered an interest in the Englishman. (Football Scotland), external

Manchester United are only interested in a permanent transfer, not a loan, for 21-year-old midfielder Hannibal Mejbri and, at the moment, that could be quite difficult for Rangers. (Fabrizio Romano via GiveMeSport), external

Hannibal Mejbri says he is tired of being on the bench and wants regular first-team football as the Manchester United midfielder contemplates his future after Sevilla decided not to exercise their £14m right to buy the 21-year-old midfielder following last season's loan. (The National), external

Rangers have informed Alex Lowry it would be in his best interests to move away from the Ibrox club this summer and clubs have already enquired about the 21-year-old midfielder. (The Scotsman), external

Polish referee Bartosz Frankowski has expressed great remorse and apologised to everyone for his behaviour after making "a fatal mistake, which I am not able to explain well" after he and Tomasz Musial were removed from the VAR team for Rangers' Champions League meeting with Dynamo Kyiv following their arrest for drunken behaviour the night before. (TVP Sport), external

Read Thursday's Scottish Gossip in full here.