Rangers

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• This will be Nice and Rangers' first meeting since the 1956-57 European Cup first round – Nice won a deciding match 3-1 after both sides had won their respective home leg 2-1.

• Rangers are unbeaten in their last five away games against French opposition in all competitions (W2 D3), most recently a 1-1 draw at Lyon in December 2021.

• Nice came from 2-0 down to draw 2-2 with FC Twente on MD4 of this season's UEFA Europa League – the French side have spent 70% of their games trailing, with only Dynamo Kyiv behind for longer (72%).

• Rangers are unbeaten in their last five away UEFA Europa League matches (W2 D3), having lost their previous four in a row beforehand.

• Although he only has one goal and no assists in the UEFA Europa League this season, Rangers' Nedim Bajrami is one of only four players to have 10+ shots (10) and create 10+ chances (11) in 2024-25, along with Dries Mertens, Omar Marmoush and Yunus Akgün.

Alasdair Lamont
BBC Sport Scotland Commentator

Rangers, not for the first time in recent days/months/years (delete as applicable), are at a crossroads.

Guilty of woefully inadequate performances in the league, this is their worst start to a season since their first back in the top flight, when they were still readjusting to life back in the Premiership under Mark Warburton.

Philippe Clement, having lost just one of his opening 28 games as Rangers manager, has lost 10 of his last 36 games in charge which encapsulates the capitulation at the end of last season after turning round Celtic’s seven-point advantage, the insipid start to this campaign that meant no Champions League football and a whopping 11-point gap on league leaders Celtic, not to mention the eight points by which they trail Aberdeen.

I am struggling to find a Rangers supporter still making a case for Clement to be given more time. Were it not for Vaclav Cerny he might already be gone. Cerny and the Europa League form may be the difference between Rangers once again pulling the plug on a manager and deciding to persist with the Belgian's project.

The manager's position feels like the tip of the iceberg though, with boardroom upheaval and fan unrest pervasive throughout his year or so in charge. Those extenuating circumstances do not entirely excuse the Belgian's inability to maintain the initial upturn in Rangers' footballing fortunes, but they have to be considered when judging him.

I am still torn over the wisdom and practicalities of changing manager yet again. The expense involved (can Rangers afford to sack Clement or can they afford not to sack him is an interesting debate) not to mention the tumult that inevitably follows is massively unhelpful and though few Rangers fans appear to agree, I would suggest that a period of patience and the stability that might come with the new executive appointments would be more beneficial than starting from scratch once more.

I will get the chance to put some of these points to Clement at Wednesday’s pre-Nice news conference. Can he somehow eke out another impressive European performance from a group of players that, domestically, look bereft of ideas, verve, spark?

If so, and Rangers come away from the south of France with something to show for their efforts, then Clement will have bought himself more time – time in which he has to figure out why his team is under-performing so badly in the league.

Rangers want to sign Leeds United forward Joe Gelhardt on loan in the January transfer window. (Yorkshire Post)

Kevin Muscat was disappointed Rangers opted for Philippe Clement as their new boss last year and he is unlikely to move to Ibrox now, says ex-defender Craig Moore. (Go Radio via Daily Record)

Moore says Rangers only have one option if they sack Clement - Kilmarnock boss Derek McInnes. (Go Radio via Daily Record)

Rangers are facing a new injury concern over talented young striker Zak Lovelace after he limped out of a Glasgow Cup match against Clyde. (Scottish Sun)

Jim Goodwin is adamant there was nothing "sinister" about Dundee United's failure to be ready for a 3.45pm kick-off against Rangers after being accused of "trying to make a point" by Ian McCall. (The Courier)

Goodwin says he "really wasn't trying to be clever, just stating the obvious" with his comments before United's draw at Ibrox that irked Rangers manager Clement. (Scottish Sun)

Billy Davies has claimed Rangers were ready to offer him the chance to manage the club - but years later he is still waiting on the phone call he was promised to set up an interview. (Open Goal via Daily Record)

Former Rangers playmaker Ronald de Boer says his old club are struggling "big time" but Ally McCoist hopes new chief executive Patrick Stewart can bring much-needed stability at the top. (Daily Record)

A former Manchester United executive who worked closely with Stewart during his time at Old Trafford has applauded Rangers' appointment of the "heavyweight" figure as CEO. (The Herald)

Former Rangers midfielder Scott Arfield has lost his appeal against a Glasgow City council decision to reject his plans for a pub near Ibrox. (Scottish Sun)

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Does Partick Stewart have the "track record" and "pedigree" to provide strong leadership at Rangers in his new role as chief executive officer?

Mark Critchley, who covers Manchester United for The Athletic, believes so.

Stewart previously held the same position on an interim basis at Old Trafford during an 18-year spell in various boardroom posts.

He has also held roles within the FA, Premier League and European Club Association (ECA) and has acted as an arbitrator for the Court of Arbitration for Sport.

Speaking on the BBC's Scottish Football Podcast, Critchley said: "Chief executives are like referees in that it's probably best if you don't notice them and you don't know what they're getting up to.

"But I think he's got the track record, he's got the pedigree.

"[He's had] the responsibility for maintaining relationships with key people at the Premier League, FA and Uefa.

"He also worked with the ECA, so he's somebody who has been in the room in big situations, even if you haven't heard his name before.

"He has the relevant experience, the necessary experience, and there's no reason to think he hasn't got the knowhow to do a job like this properly."

Jamie Currie
Fan writer

We now find ourselves closer to St Johnstone in ninth spot than the top of the table.

We have scored 17 goals in 12 league games. And you have to bear in mind that six of those goals came at Hampden against Ross County.

There is hope Philippe Clement can turn it around, but sadly it isn't happening. The football is boring to watch and the players look bored trying to play this style whatever it may be. It just isn't working.

There is one player, Vaclav Cerny, who looks a threat in the final third. The rest seem to have had the life sucked out of them – in Nedim Bajrami's case – or are a busted flush like Cyriel Dessers.

I said a few weeks ago that things will only end one way, and yes, I have sympathy for the manager given the basket case of a club we have been since his arrival. However, the level of performance and league position is unacceptable.

With new CEO Patrick Stewart starting on December 16, hopefully we will begin to get the proper people in the right positions and start acting the way a club of our size should. But he will have big decisions to make just days into his tenure.

As for the team, we have to go on Thursday and try to get something from Nice and then follow it up with a difficult trip to St Johnstone. But as it stands we are just staggering along waiting for the next poor result.

We all knew this season would be a tough one, but at this point, I want it consigned to the bin. It's been pathetic.

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Kevin Muscat is focused on his current job as Shanghai Port manager and their Asian Champions League campaign amid fresh speculation linking him with former club Rangers. (Record), external

Philippe Clement's position as Rangers manager is safe at least until after Thursday's Europa League meeting with Nice as there are no plans for an immediate decision on his future despite Saturday's home draw with Dundee United. (Football Insider), external

Rangers' Dutch defender Robin Propper reflects on the lack of "patience" in Scottish football and the prevalence of "long balls". (Sun), external

Former Romania striker Adrian Illie, who is a friend of the family, has claimed Rangers midfielder Ianis Hagi could sign for Borussia Monchengladbach in a £2m transfer in January. (National), external

Meanwhile, Rangers are edging closer to the signing of Hearts and Scotland striker Lawrence Shankland, who is out of contract next summer, in the January transfer window, with a possible cut-price deal on the cards. (Football Insider), external

Read Tuesday's Scottish gossip

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Former Rangers striker Ross McCormack says there's no "right" time to get rid of manager Philippe Clement, with the Belgian under increasing pressure at Ibrox.

After Saturday's 1-1 draw with Dundee United, Rangers are 11 points behind league-leaders Celtic and eight adrift of Aberdeen in second.

Rumours falsely swirled on social media on Sunday regarding Clement's security in the role, and McCormack believes fans would be "happy" if the club were to part ways with Clement.

"Nothing shocks you in football but if they were going to do it they would probably have before the international break," McCormack said on the BBC's Scottish Football Podcast.

"By all accounts it's not happened yet but I think it might be delaying the inevitable, most Rangers fans probably would be happy with the news.

"I don't think there's a right or wrong time to do it, but I just look at things that are happening right now at Ibrox and I'm not really comfortable with it.

"Even you look at the game at the weekend when he takes Cyriel Dessers off at half time, is that really deserving? I mean, he brought them back into the game in the semi-final. He brought them back into the game away to Olympiacos in the Europa League.

"There's a lot going on at Ibrox right now. Sometimes you can see the tide turning, maybe they get a performance, a result, but at the minute it just doesn't, nothing seems to be going right."

Jonathan Sutherland
Sportscene presenter

Vaclav Cerny scored his fifth Premiership goal of the season in Rangers' drab 1-1 draw against Dundee United on Saturday.

A player who consistently delivers for Rangers despite the underwhelming team performances around him.

Rangers goalkeeper and vice-captain Jack Butland insists the Ibrox club are still in a title race, despite being eight points behind Aberdeen and 11 off Scottish Premiership leaders Celtic. (Mail), external

Steven Gerrard would have liked to take Michael Beale to Al-Ettifaq sooner, had Beale not been in charge of Rangers at the time. (Record), external

Read Monday's Scottish gossip

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Jack Butland understands the frustration of supporters in light of Rangers' recent performances but insists not all of the blame lies with the manager.

The Ibrox club drew 1-1 when they hosted Dundee United on Saturday and are now 11 points adrift of league leaders Celtic and eight behind Aberdeen in second.

"We know we need to perform better if we want to be in a title race," Butland said.

"By no means are we out of it, but we've given ourselves way too much to do at this point.

"We need to start closing that gap and performances like that aren't going to help us."

When asked about pressure facing manager Philippe Clement, Butland added: "It's part and parcel of it.

"If you're not winning at Rangers, it's on all of us.

"Ultimately, the manager faces that and he has to face that more than any of us, but it's on us all.

"We're not going to be pointing fingers. We've got to stick together.

"Completely understand the fans' frustration, rightly so, they turn up and support us everywhere we go.

"Horrible conditions, great conditions, whatever it may be, they expect to see more. That's not just on the manager, that’s on all of us."

Watch highlights as Rangers draw 1-1 against Dundee United in the Scottish Premiership.

We asked for your views on Rangers' 1-1 draw against Dundee United.

Here's what some of you said:

Jim: Another utter shambles, when will the manager change the system with only one up front. It's getting worse and at this rate don't bother turning up for the League Cup final it will be a total embarrassment.

Lennie: Manager said we would throw everything at them, everything except shots on goal, I'm fed up of excuses for this team. Unfortunately, we need another complete team rebuild. Time for the manager to go.

Fraser: Once again we can't finish a team off, is it because we have a really poor talentless squad of players, or is it that the manager can't motivate them, or maybe a bit of both?

Robert: We are rudderless from top to bottom at the club. Clueless with absolutely no direction or vision to change our direction. Fans are getting tired of the way the club is being run. AGM will be usual farce with no real decisions being made, the title is gone, the League Cup final could be embarrassing and if so, change has to happen.

Alan: We have no plan, a very poor squad, shocking strikers and a coach who is out of his depth. Not a single player of ours would get in the Celtic team. Poorest Rangers for 20 years. We need a Scottish manager who gets us playing high tempo and with some good players. We should have signed Lennon Miller, David Watson and other young Scots.

Jimmy: How long are we going to stand by and watch this manager stumble from one bad performance to another? When is someone going to say Phillipe Clement, enough is enough. Teams used to be frightened to death coming to Ibrox, not anymore.

David: Absolutely shocking performance again by Cyriel Dessers. We need to sell him in January and target a proven striker. There is no point in sacking the manager and starting yet another rebuild. The board need to back him and give him the funds to bring in better players.

Gerry: There has been no real level of improved performance on the pitch in the past few seasons, in fact it sometimes looks like we're going backwards. Clement looked and sounded assured to begin with but even on him the cracks are showing and getting wider. As we approach the festive season I’m afraid for me it's out with the old and in with the new.

Rangers are expected to name former interim Manchester United chief Patrick Stewart as their new chief executive officer. (Rangers Review, external, subscription required)

Malcolm Offord is the leading contender to become chairman at Rangers, with the 60-year-old member of the House of Lords lined up to replace John Bennett. (Scottish Sun), external

Rangers could beat English clubs to the signing of Peterborough winger Kwame Poku in January, with the 23-year-old out of contract at the end of the season. (Football Insider), external

Vincenzo Ierardo, assistant manager to Kevin Muscat, insists the Australian remains focused on Shanghai Port in the wake of revived speculation over a move to Rangers. (Daily Record), external

With Europa League opponents Nice adopting an "aggressive, attacking style", former Ibrox player Gregory Vignal says Thursday's game will be "a big challenge" for Rangers but thinks they can hurt the French side on the counter. (Daily Record), external

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• Dundee United have lost eight points from winning positions in the Premiership this season, only Hibernian (11) have lost more.

• Rangers have scored in their last four games in the Premiership, their longest scoring streak this season.

• Dundee United are undefeated in their last three games in the Premiership, their last joint longest unbeaten streak was from 28th September 2024 to 19th October 2024.

• Vaclav Cerny has scored five goals in the Premiership this season (1 in this game), more than any other Rangers player.

Did you take in Rangers' 1-1 draw with Dundee United or were you following from home?

Have your say on the match., external

Rangers manager Philippe Clement: We don't need to speak about titles now, we need to speak about raising our level because we don't have control over how many points other teams take.

"It's totally not acceptable to lose that many points [13 so far this season]. We all know, I know, the players know so there's hard work to be done to make that better the next couple of months.

"Frustration about losing points in a game where you have much more chances than the opponent, much more possession also. But also frustration about our first half and the performance there. That was not good enough with not enough quality in the final third, not enough initiative there, not enough availability also for some players.

"I'm much more pleased about second half because second half, we see the football that I want to see and that we produced in the past, that we can do but we need to get that kind of performance 90 minutes long and then you win all these kind of games - what we did in the past."

Andy Campbell
BBC Scotland

Though Rangers boasted a 100% Premiership record at home this term prior to Dundee United's visit, recent performances had been unconvincing and the visitors knew they would have a chance if they restricted their hosts.

And, much like Rangers' recent League Cup semi-final win over Motherwell, they fell behind to a player ghosting in between two defenders to score, giving them another uphill task.

Going forward, Philippe Clement's side lacked urgency, tempo, width and conviction.

The half-time introductions of Ianis Hagi and Danilo for Mohamed Diomande and Cyriel Dessers addressed some of those issues, with the second-half display much improved.

The connection between scorer Vaclav Cerny and Danilo in particular worked well but Danilo and Hagi's exclusion from Rangers' European squad means neither will be able to feature away to Nice in Thursday's Europa League fixture.

Vaclav Cerny was Rangers' best performer before and after his equalising goal.

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Captain James Tavernier is among the Rangers replacements, with Dujon Sterling at right-back.

Leon Balogun also makes way, with Robin Propper returning to the centre of defence.