Rangers

Belgium goalkeeper Simon Mignolet has urged Rangers to keep faith in manager Philippe Clement, who signed him for Club Brugge in 2019, as his compatriot was "unbelievable" to work for and "knows what he's doing". (Sunday Mail), external

Forward Fabio Silva, who suffered a difficult time on loan to Rangers last season, scored Las Palmas' winning goal in their 2-1 La Liga victory away to Barcelona. (The Herald On Sunday), external

Malik Tillman, the midfielder now with PSV Eindhoven after a loan spell with Rangers from Bayern Munich, is now attracting interest from Aston Villa, Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur. (Sky Germany via Scottish Sun), external

Celtic have the highest average attendance in the Scottish Premiership this season so far with 59,022, with Rangers next on 47,878, followed by Heart of Midlothian on 18,527 and Aberdeen on 18,194. (Football Scotland), external

A £2m mansion bought by former Celtic and Scotland midfielder and now Ayr United manager Scott Brown was once owned by former Rangers owner David Murray. (Scottish Sun On Sunday), external

Read Sunday's Scottish Gossip in full.

Following Thursday's excellent Europa League win in Nice, attention turns back to domestic football for Rangers manager Philippe Clement.

The Belgian's European form has been impressive, but the Ibrox boss has faced intense criticism for Premiership performances and results this season.

So with a trip to St Johnstone to come on Sunday, we have crunched the numbers behind the Clement's league record.

His win percentage stands at 69% after losing seven and drawing six of his 42 Premiership games.

The most recent of those draws came last Saturday as Clement's side had to come from behind against Dundee United at Ibrox, meaning they are now 11 points adrift of leaders Celtic and eight shy of second-placed Aberdeen.

But how does the Ibrox boss' record compare with his predecessors?

Well, his win percentage in the league is the lowest of any Rangers manager since Graeme Murty, who departed his role in May 2018.

Michael Beale's stood at 77%, with Giovanni van Bronckhorst on 70%. Across a far greater sample size, Steven Gerrard's was 72%.

With a hectic schedule to come, and sizeable gaps to make up on both teams, Clement must ensure that win rate spikes or he will inevitably face the same fate as the two managers who came before him.

• St Johnstone have lost their last seven meetings with Rangers in all competitions, last suffering a longer losing run against them in December 1992 (10 in a row).

• Rangers have only lost one of their last 23 meetings with St Johnstone in all competitions (W18 D4), and one of their last 19 against the Perth men away from home (W15 D3), a 2-1 defeat in November 2022 under Giovanni van Bronckhorst in what proved to be their final defeat under the Dutchman.

• St Johnstone have won two of their last three home league games (L1), as many as their previous 15 beforehand (W2 D4 L9).

• With just four points, this is Rangers’ lowest tally from their opening five away games of a league season since 1987-88 under Graeme Souness (also 4).

• Rangers have won 25 of their last 26 league games played in December, although the exception was their most recent, losing 2-1 to Celtic last year.

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Thursday's stunning Europa League win over Nice will "give a lot of hope" to Rangers fans, says manager Philippe Clement.

The Belgian has been facing intense scrutiny from the Ibrox support as the team currently sit third in the Premiership, nine points behind Aberdeen and 11 adrift of rivals Celtic.

But a terrific 4-1 win in France, which lifted Rangers into the Europa League top eight, helped alleviate mounting pressure.

Despite there still being concerns from fans about their side's domestic form, Clement feels the victory shows "the team is starting to gel together".

"They are starting to understand everything better and better," he told RangersTV prior to Rangers' Premiership trip to St Johnstone on Sunday.

"For some players it's been two months together, some three months together, some four months together, it's still a short time so it's good already to have this level in Europe.

"Having 10 points, it's a very bright start and this will give a lot of hope to all our fans, also about the future of the club and the future of this squad."

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St Johnstone's Barry Douglas misses out with a knock. Saints are still without long-term absentees Uche Ikpeazu (knee), Cammy MacPherson (hip) and Sam McClelland (Achilles).

Danilo and Ianis Hagi return to the Rangers squad after missing out on the Nice game as they are not in the European squad.

Oscar Cortes has returned to training and Tom Lawrence and Rabbi Matondo are getting close to a return following their respective injuries, while Neysharo Kasanwirjo is out long term with a knee injury.

Lawrence Shankland's chances of joining Rangers appear to have gone amid the Heart of Midlothian striker's barren goals run even though the 29-year-old remains out of contract next summer. (The Herald), external

Joe Gelhardt, who previously came close to a loan to Celtic, looks set to leave Leeds United on loan in January, with Rangers vying with the likes of Plymouth Argyle, Portsmouth, Preston North End, Stoke City and Belgian clubs for the 22-year-old forward's services. (Yorkshire Evening Post), external

Former Aberdeen chief executive Keith Wyness thinks Rangers might be prepared to forgo £3m due in compensation should they receive an approach for Philippe Clement if Domenico Tedesco is dismissed as Belgium head coach. (Football Insider), external

Former Rangers manager Giovanni van Bronckhorst has been sacked by Besiktas, with the Turkish club releasing the terms of an agreement reached to terminate the Dutchman's contract. (Fanatik), external

Read Saturday's Scottish Gossip in full.

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Clive Lindsay
BBC Sport Scotland

Philippe Clement will have greeted Rangers' 4-1 Europa League win over Nice with a mixture of joy, satisfaction, relief and frustration.

The reason for the joy is obvious considering the win in the south of France not only shocked many around Europe means the Belgian's side are almost assured of progress to the knockout stage.

The satisfaction will have come from Hamza Igamane justifying Clement's decision to start the 22-year-old ahead of misfiring striker Cyriel Dessers with two goals and assists in his first European start.

The relief comes amid speculation about his future as manager after his side slipped 11 points behind leaders Celtic in the domestic title race after last weekend's 1-1 draw at home to Dundee United.

The frustration results from his side's Jekyll and Hyde contrast between patchy domestic performances and impressive ones in Europe.

With just four points, Rangers have the lowest tally from their opening five away games of a league season since 1987-88 under Graeme Souness.

However, meetings with St Johnstone, Kilmarnock and Ross County give Clement a chance to change the domestic narrative before new chief executive Patrick Stewart takes charge on 16 December shortly after more difficult matches with Tottenham Hotspur in Europe and Celtic in the League Cup final.

The omens are good for Rangers on Sunday despite Simo Valakari's side ending their own three-game losing streak by beating Kilmarnock 1-0 last Saturday.

Rangers have won both their meetings with St Johnstone this season and their past three visits to McDiarmid Park, all without conceding a goal, and have won their past seven games against the Perth side.

Read all the weekend Premiership picks

Tyrone Smith
BBC Sport Scotland Senior Reporter

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Simo Valakari insists Rangers' impressive Europa League win in Nice "doesn't make any difference to us" as St Johnstone bid to add to the Ibrox side's domestic struggles.

Third-place Rangers, who trail 11 points behind Premiership leaders Celtic, travel to Perth on Sunday on the back of a 4-1 victory in France.

"The one thing we cannot control is the form the opponent is in when they're going to play against us," said Saints boss Valakari.

"So basically, what happened in Rangers' last match doesn't make any difference to us. Now they play against us, and we start from zero.

"What I saw from the first minute from Rangers [against Nice] was a very determined team, who has been hurting because maybe they have not got the [domestic] results.

"They wanted to show they are a good team, they are good players and they put a performance on, but that was last night and Sunday is a new game.

"For me to see them play and score those goals, it was not a surprise because you see the quality of the players and it has been maybe just a matter of time before they start collecting these goals."

Valakari is refusing to get carried away after his side's victory over Kilmarnock last time out, which ended a three-game losing run and lifted Saints to ninth in the table.

"Of course we can talk about our process and where we want to take our club, but we need the results more for the outside noise to calm a little bit, like they are doing it the right way," he added.

"We know inside what we are doing. The results we have got lately have not been what we want but we see where we are going and we work towards it.

"We know where we are, we are not now ‘Oh we win one match and everything is good.' No, we are still a work in process."

We asked for your views on Rangers' 4-1 away win against Nice in the Europa League.

Here's what some of you said:

Matthew: I liked how quickly we attacked in general, good pressing and intensity took advantage of a vulnerable defence. There is no doubt that even on a bad day, a Nice side should be better than Kilmarnock or Aberdeen, so it begs the same old questions about why they're able to do the job in these matches. The intensity dropped hugely once Cyriel Dessers was on.

Bill: Rangers seem to have two teams, albeit the same players in each. The European team plays fast, free-flowing football. The same players in the domestic league seem to lack ideas and can't break down a stubborn defence, getting caught on the break.

Alex: Great performance! So proud of the players for really going for it. I had doubts about Hamza Igamane starting, but didn't he deliver! So frustrating we can't play like that in the league. We need a big performance against St Johnstone now.

David: No sooner has a Celtic player kicked a ball and word goes out that they're worth £25m, which somehow then becomes fact. If we want the player trading model to work for us at Rangers then it's time to also start the big talk. Therefore, Igamane - he's easily worth £25m.

Peter: Yes, a really good win away from home, to be honest I didn't think we would have got four, but hey, we take that all day. Igamane must start all games. The manager said he took a risk as he's still young, but boy he proved to the manager that he merits a start before Dessers.

Steve: While Nice were poor, Rangers were composed and never looked threatened. Igamane deserves to start in Perth and I was glad to see Vaclav Cerny get rested for the last half an hour, he's our big player. We must find a way of harnessing European form and replicating it domestically. Glad points are in the bag as I expect zero against Spurs and Man Utd, but we can still make the play-offs.

Alasdair Lamont
BBC Sport Scotland in Nice

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Rangers' Dutch defender Robin Propper has admitted he may have underestimated the challenge of playing in the Scottish Premiership after signing in the summer from Twente Enschede.

The 31-year-old helped his side thump Nice 4-1 away from home in the Europa League on Thursday to put them eighth in the table on 10 points.

Propper and his team-mates produced another excellent European performance in stark contrast to some of their domestic displays and Propper acknowledged that personally he has been better in continental competition.

"Maybe I underestimated it [the Scottish Premiership] a little bit," he said. "Of course you know about Rangers and how big the club is, but you don't know that much about the competition.

"I took some time, played some good games and some not-so-good games. I need to be at my highest level possible again. I think you see that in European games. I can be more myself, I'm more related to the European games maybe than the Scottish ones but I think I can adjust.

"It's really different. Of course I needed time but I needed to adjust really fast because we play every three or four days.

"Sometimes it's more easy to play on the counter-attack than if you play at home at Ibrox.”

Rangers are currently sitting in one of the automatic qualification spots for the last 16 with three games to play.

But with Tottenham up next at home before a trip to Old Trafford to play Manchester United in January and a final home game against Union Saint-Gilloise, Propper is not yet setting his sights on a top-eight finish.

"That’s difficult," he said. "We have a lot of big opponents coming but we want that of course. Ten points is a really good start so we can build on that."

Brilliant in Europe, brutal in Scotland.

That's the contrast Rangers have frustrated their fans with this season as they charge towards the Europa League knockout rounds while floundering in the Premiership title race.

Philippe Clement's men delivered a stunning 4-1 win over Nice in France to Thursday to sit eighth on 10 points in the Europe League standings and all but ensure a play-off spot at worst.

Scott McDermott, chief football writer for the Sunday Mail, told the BBC's Scottish football podcast: "Incredible. This Rangers team is becoming one of the great mysteries of Scottish football in terms of how they can perform so well in Europe, especially away from home, but struggle so badly domestically.

"Nice are a good team, doing well in the French top flight. Everything that we'd read and been told said they were going to be as good as Lyon, who dismantled Rangers at Ibrox earlier in the competition.

"But, my word, what a performance away from home.

"It was a thoroughly deserved win, textbook in terms of playing in the counter-attack, and Rangers could have scored even more goals.

"The contrast and performances between European and domestic is quite incredible."

On just his third Rangers start - and first in Europe - 22-year-old Moroccan forward Hamza Igamane stole the show with a fine double against Nice after being preferred to the erratic Cyriel Dessers up front.

"He certainly looked more composed in front of goal than Dessers," added McDermott.

"It was a really big night for Igamane. He had made a couple of starts for Rangers domestically and looked a million miles away from being ready, but he certainly stepped it up last night.

"It was a big gamble by Clement but it paid off. And I hope for the boy it is a big turning point for him at Rangers and in his career because he was excellent."

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• Rangers scored four or more goals in an away European game (exc qualifiers) for just the eighth time. This was the first time they’ve done so since a 4-2 win at Borussia Dortmund in February 2022.

• Hamza Igamane became the youngest Rangers player (22 years, 26 days) to score two goals in an away European game (exc qualifiers) since Davie McPherson scored four against Valletta in Malta in September 1983, aged 19.

• This was the first time Rangers had scored three goals in the first half of a European match (exc qualifiers) since November 2018 against Spartak Moscow in the Europa League.

• Nice conceded three goals in the first half of a European match for the first time in 64 years, since doing so against Real Madrid in a European Cup match in March 1960.

• Vaclav Cerny has been involved in five goals in his last three Europa League appearances (three goals, two assists). In all competitions, Cerny has seven goals and three assists in his last nine appearances.

• Rangers have scored in each of their last five games in the Europa League, netting 12 goals in that run.

The Scottish FA is poised to pay tribute to former Motherwell and Rangers winger Davie Cooper when the national side play Greece on 23 March - 30 years to the day since he died at the age of 39. (Scottish Sun), external

Shanghai Port head coach Kevin Muscat is the bookmakers' favourite to be the new Rangers manager should Philippe Clement be sacked, just ahead of fellow former Ibrox player Derek McInnes of Kilmarnock. (The Scotsman), external

Former Rangers manager Giovanni van Bronckhorst faces the sack after just five months in charge of Besiktas after his nightmare season continued with a shock 3-1 defeat by Maccabi Tel Aviv in the Europa League. (Daily Record), external

Rangers have pocketed a further £375,00 in a win bonus from Uefa from Thursday's 4-1 Europa League win away to Nice. (The National), external

Former Rangers winger Ryan Kent has paid out £375,000 for Mehmas, his second racehorse, while looking for a new club after being released by Fenerbahce. (Scottish Sun), external

Former Rangers winger Eros Grezda is rumoured to be one of the participants in the next edition of Big Brother VIP Albania. (Pamfleti), external

Read Friday's Scottish Gossip in full.

Vaclav Cerny, so often Rangers' saviour this season, watched his deflected strike wrong-foot goalkeeper Marcin Bulka, before Mohamed Diomande audaciously flicked in a second within three minutes

The Ivory Coast international capitalised on some horrendous defending by the much-changed hosts, and another comical error from Nice gifted Rangers a third before the break.

Hamza Igamane, who inexplicably squandered a chance earlier, pounced on a dreadful blind back-pass to spark bedlam in the away end.

In truth, it was a night where everything went right for Rangers.

The disastrous defending carried on into the second half as Igamane intercepted a poor pass from Issiaga Camara before nutmegging the defender and rolling in a fantastic fourth.

On an otherwise chastening night for the hosts, Bouanani curled in a classy free-kick late on as some sort of consolation.

Give us your thoughts here., external

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Rangers manager Phillipe Clement: "It was close [to perfect]. If we would have scored more goals then it was really close to perfection.

"We still had really good chances we didn't finish but I saw a really impressive performance. You saw the team on the pitch being compact all the time, using the spaces and the ball in the right way. If you see how many new players were on the pitch, we are starting to see everything gelling together. That's what we want, that's what we're working hard with the staff to achieve.

"I know it's been a really difficult season, starting at Hampden it created a lot of negativity from fans and a little bit of a toxic environment. There were a lot of new players, people didn't know their value. but people are starting to see the potential with why these decisions are made.

"We have a lot of players who are high potentials who need to work hard and still learn a lot, they don't have experience of the level at Rangers but these nights can show there is a lot of potential in this squad.

"I'm not somebody who starts to calculate and this system is already quite special so we didn't do that in advance. I want to create a mentality, a culture, in the dressing room of always going for the three points.

"Whether it's Dumbarton or Manchester United, there shouldn't be a difference in the way we approach the game mentally. We're working hard in the dressing room to create the culture that the new players understand what Rangers is about. That is one of my big tasks.

"The synergy with the fans was amazing today, hopefully we can get it back domestically but it starts with the performance."

Amy Canavan
BBC Sport Scotland

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The big news pre-match was Igamane starting a European game for the first time.

When the 22-year-old stuttered taking his first shot, there were shadows of Cyriel Dessers frustrating play - which the substitute exhibited again late in his own cameo.

However, that moment of hesitance was the only one from Igamane, who quickly announced himself as a potential new leader of the line for Rangers.

The Moroccan was merciless in his finishes but his role in Cerny's goal particularly was impressive and important.

He was not the only one, though, who impressed in this superb show.

Once the deserved celebrations are over, some will surely scratch their head again at the wild difference in performance and result from domestic duties.

The set-up is different, of course. In Nice, there was no need to break through a low-block or 11-man defence but, even still, Rangers dealt with the challenge with aplomb.

Two goals and an assist. Not bad going for a first European start.

He's far from the finished article but there was an abundance of hunger and excitement on show from the Moroccan which should please the Ibrox support.

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Rangers manager Philippe Clement says "it's not the reality" to talk about progress in his first year in charge because "there has been a rebuild" on and off the pitch for the last four months.

Alasdair Lamont
BBC Sport Scotland in Nice

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Rangers defender John Souttar hopes a positive result against Nice can be the catalyst for a successful season.

Rangers have seven points from their first four Europa League games and face Nice in France tonight knowing victory would put them on the cusp of reaching at least the play-off stage.

Souttar feels such a result could benefit the season as a whole, with Rangers 11 points behind Celtic and eight below Aberdeen in the Premiership.

"I think when everyone saw the group come out, they knew it was a tough group for us and we've got some big results at home and away and on Thursday night it would be brilliant to get the three points," he said.

"It would be a big thing for the team. It creates belief when you get big results and brings everyone together so it's something we're all aiming for.

"We’ve had some really good performances in Europe against some top teams, we've come away from home and won one and drawn one, which is a difficult thing to do.

"As a group, we've got a gameplan and we're here to win. It's another great opportunity for us.

"I don’t think it's anything to do with style. We've performed better in Europe more consistently than in the league. That's obviously something we're trying to correct in the league."

Souttar has been a virtual ever-present at the heart of the Rangers defence this season and one of few to emerge with credit from a difficult campaign so far, having found it difficult to secure a starting place previously.

"I think it's just hard work," he said, when asked what were the keys to the turnaround.

"My first season I had a lot of problems, but the last two seasons I've felt really good and this season I feel I'm in a really good spot physically, playing every three days.

"That’s a credit to the club and everything that goes on behind the scenes because I feel comfortable playing every game.

"That's a good feeling as a player and you feel you can do that because when you're at a big club, if you want to play centre-back, you have to be consistent so it was important for me at this stage in my career to get to that level and thankfully this season I have."

Philippe Clement is safe in his role as Rangers manager at least until next month’s Scottish League Cup final against Celtic, with a decision on the Belgian's future being made after new chief executive Patrick Stewart officially joins the club the following day. (Football Insider), external

Rangers-linked forward Joe Gelhardt has been told by Leeds United, who want to offload fringe players in January, he can go out on loan in the winter transfer window, but while the Ibrox club would prefer an option to buy, they may not be able to match the asking price for the 22-year-old whose contract runs until 2027. (Football Insider), external

Nice have cancelled home-end tickets purchased by Rangers fans travelling to France for Thursday's Europa League tie, claiming it was "due to circumstances beyond the club's control". (The Herald), external

Read Thursday's Scottish Gossip in full.

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Rangers manager Philippe Clement insists he is not treating his return to the south of France as a "holiday", as his side prepare to face Nice in the Europa League on Thursday.

Clement spent 18 months as Monaco manager before taking over at Rangers, and says it is "special" to return to that part of the world.

"It's special to be back," Clement said. "I had a really good time here. I enjoyed living here. I met some really nice people.

"So a lot of friends will come to watch this game.

"So yeah, this feels like a place where you were in a really good way, so I’m happy to be back in that way.

"But I'm not here for a holiday or to meet people tomorrow or to have talks with a lot of people. I'm here to work."

The Ibrox side have seven points from a possible 12 and can take a giant step towards qualifying for the knockout stages against Nice, who have just two points to their name.

"I'm here to win together with the guys, or to do everything to win this game, because it’s a massive game for Nice even more than for us," the Belgian boss added.

"They have to win this one. Clearly, we're going to go like always against every opponent. We will try to go for the win. We never play for a draw.

"So if you can win here, I think we make a really big step in the qualification, or you're almost certain of that.

"And taking a point can also be a really important point at the end. But we will go full for the three points against a really good team."