Ross County

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"I'd say I've probably let my standards slip, probably as low as I have."

An honest assessment from Ross County defender Will Nightingale in the aftermath of his side's "unacceptable" performance against Rangers on Saturday.

The Staggies headed to Hampden having been unceremoniously dumped out of the League Cup by League 2 side The Spartans, and left the national stadium with more concerns after a six-goal defeat.

Nightingale, who is on loan from Wimbledon for a second season, insists the blame lies with the players.

"I think the players have to take accountability," the 29-year-old said. "I think us players have to look at ourselves.

"I think we're the ones to blame because there’s simple footballing errors, that’s nothing to do with the tactical side of the game, so I think it should fall on the players.

"I'd say I've probably let my standards slip, probably as low as I have, so now it's about how I bounce back, personally.

"You can accept being beat, especially by a club like Rangers but it's unacceptable the scoreline that we let it get to.

"It's how we bounce back now. We have to be better. It's as simple as that."

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We asked for your thoughts after Ross County were beaten 6-0 by Rangers in the Premiership on Saturday.

Here's a taste of what you had to say:

Alistair: I can't believe we have another 35 games of this dross ahead of us. Last week was bad but this week is no improvement. No shape, no apparent game plan, just back passing all the time. So far I don't see us getting the relegation play-off place this season. We're not good enough for that.

Rick: Yes it was a bad beating, yes we were all over the shop, but these games don't define our season. Time to dust ourselves off and prepare for the Dons at home next weekend.

Ronny: Utter guff. Losing to Rangers is not a surprise in itself, but the manner in which we lost was so poor. As soon as the third goal went in we completely collapsed. There are some players in that squad that need to really buck up their ideas, because at the moment they're not proving they're good enough for this level.

Sanjay: County are boarding the relegation express - next stops are desperation, despair, and the drop.

Mike: When the Ross County players met each other for the first time, did they shake hands? You would think they had never met before, they reminded me of strangers walking about in fog. Their ability to control the ball, retain the ball, pass the ball, and defend are zero. Huge improvements needed - good luck to Don Cowie.

Cyriel Dessers and Rabbi Matondo delivered superb individual displays as rampant Rangers dismantled struggling Ross County in a six-goal Scottish Premiership victory.

In what could be their final league match at Hampden, Philippe Clement’s men delivered a terrific performance a week out from the season's first Old Firm derby.

Nigeria striker Dessers slammed in the opener at the national stadium when he latched on to Tom Lawrence's through ball and Rangers took total control thereafter.

Lawrence then pulled a golden chance wide before Matondo cracked the crossbar, but the latter found the second just before the break when he cushioned in James Tavernier's inch-perfect cross.

Rangers' intensity did not dip after the interval as Matondo provided two second-half assists, firstly teeing up Dessers to divert in his fifth goal in six games and setting up Lawrence to roll past a helpless Ross Laidlaw.

Matondo notched his second and the Ibrox side's fifth, turning in Vaclav Cerny's cross from the right, before comical defending allowed substitute Danilo to complete the rout by poking in his first goal since November.

Aside from two Ronan Hale efforts, one which forced Jack Butland into a fine stop and another that was headed wide, County offered next to nothing and were completely overwhelmed for the majority.

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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Ross County manager Don Cowie tells BBC Scotland: "The result shows it wasn't acceptable. When it gets to two and three you have to have that pride to make sure it isn't any more.

"We've got a very important game next week we need to dust ourselves down for.

"There are lessons to learn every single week. No knee-jerk reaction, but at the same time we recognise the last two results aren't good enough."

Cowie adds that there is nothing imminent on the transfer front.

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Never in their history have Ross County beaten Rangers away from home, so defeat at Hampden will not define their season.

The manner in which they lost could, though, especially with it coming in the week after a shock League Cup exit to fourth-tier Spartans.

Don Cowie's side were exposed massively whenever the ball turned over, leaving huge gaps in midfield.

And when they retreated and went into damage-limitation mode, it was not much better.

Ronan Hale's performance perhaps provides a crumb of optimism. The striker, who has four goals this term, is a livewire at the top end of the pitch and looks dangerous when given service.

Philippe Clement makes four changes following Rangers' League Cup win over St Johnstone last weekend.

Leon Balogun is fit again and replaces Robin Propper at centre-back, while Connor Barron and Tom Lawrence come into midfield in place of Kieran Dowell and Mohamed Diomande.

In the final switch, Danilo drops to the bench as Cyriel Dessers returns up front.

Ben Davies is nowhere to be seen amid reports the centre-half is set to join Birmingham City on loan.

• Follow live text coverage and listen to commentary from Hampden

Meanwhile, Don Cowie switches three in the County side following their shock League Cup defeat by fourth-tier Spartans last Saturday.

Defenders Akil Wright and Michee Efete are back in the XI, replacing Ryan Leak and James Brown.

The final change is in attacking midfield, with Noah Chilvers dropping out for Jack Grieves.

New signing Joshua Nisbet, the midfielder previously with Central Coast Mariners, is on the bench.

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Rangers defender Leon Balogun is fit again and midfielder Nico Raskin has returned to training after an ankle injury. Scott Wright and Robin Propper are doubts, while Oscar Cortes (knee) is expected to return to training next week though left-back Ridvan Yilmaz remains out.

Akil Wright, Scott Allardice and Michee Efete are back in contention for County while Max Sheaf (thigh) and Ricki Lamie (Achilles) are longer-term absentees.

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"Hard-working" Joshua Nisbet took time to weigh up his move to Ross County, one which he believes is the "best step" for his career.

The Australia international helped Central Coast Mariners to a domestic treble of Premiership, Championship and AFC Cup glory last term and was named A-League player of the year.

Now the 25-year-old is keen to show his skills in Scotland.

"I have always wanted to come to Europe and showcase my football here," he said in a club video.

"I spoke to the club a few months ago and at the time I was weighing up my decision and what the best step for my career was - Ross County and the project here is what I think it is.

"I’m very excited to be here. Fans can expect hard work, I will always work and hopefully contribute to goals and assists."

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Jordan White is hoping Ross County can bounce back against Rangers after their hugely disappointing 1-0 defeat against Spartans in the Scottish League Cup last weekend.

The 32-year-old striker says his team have "belief" before their trip to Hampden Park, having beaten Philippe Clement's side 3-2 at the end of last season.

"It's a different challenge, we had a lot of the ball on Saturday," said White.

"It's going to be different against Rangers, they control possession more.

"It's a different venue for them and it's a different venue for a lot of the boys here as well but we're looking forward to going and embracing it.

"It is what it is, it doesn’t matter, if you're away from home it doesn't matter where you play.

"You saw what a win against Rangers did last year, it galvanized a lot of people.

"It was a great result, it wasn't a fluke, the boys did really well that day.

"You've got to have a bit of luck in the game, you've got to be on your best and we're confident.

"We've had a good reaction in training and we've got to go in with belief that we can get something from the game."

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• Rangers have never lost at home to Ross County in 11 previous such matches in all competitions, winning the last nine in a row (D2).

• Ross County's 3-2 win over Rangers in April last season was their first ever win over the Gers in 25 meetings in all competitions (D4 L20).

• Rangers have won 14 of their 16 home league games under manager Philippe Clement (D1 L1) whilst scoring multiple goals in 15 of those matches (47 scored, 15 conceded).

• Ross County have drawn each of their last four Scottish Premiership games, with the last team to record five successive draws in the competition Hibernian in October 2019.

• Cyriel Dessers has scored 10 goals across his last 15 starts in the Scottish Premiership, a run that includes a brace against Ross County at Ibrox on Valentine's Day this year.

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The Scottish Premiership match between Ross County and St Johnstone scheduled to take place on Wednesday, 4 December will now take place on Saturday, 21 September, the SPFL have announced.

The clash has been moved at the request of both clubs, and will kick off at 15:00 BST.

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Ross County have announced the signing of Australia international Joshua Nisbet on a three-year deal.

Nisbet, 25, was most recently contracted to Central Coast Mariners, where he was part of a treble winning side last season.

The diminutive midfielder also won the Johnny Warren medal, awarded to the best player in the A-League, and made his Australia debut in 2024.

"Joshua is a really exciting addition to the group," manager Don Cowie said.

"He had an exceptional season last season, winning both team and individual accolades which has resulted in him breaking into the Australian national team.

"There has been a lot of interest in Joshua from all over the world but we are absolutely delighted that he has chosen to join the Staggies for the next steps in his career."

• All 12 Premiership sides provided a total of 15,101 minutes to Scottish players aged under 21 in the 2023-24 season.

• Those minutes average out to just 1,258 per club, which is the equivalent of only 14 full 90-minute matches.

• Six teams failed to reach a total above 700 minutes.

• Celtic and Rangers were the worst offenders in the division, with Celtic managing just 89 minutes all in, while Rangers' total was even lower at only 26.

A lack of first-team action given to youngsters in the Premiership backs up the Scottish FA's assertion that Scotland is not bringing through enough emerging talent.

Just three of the 12 top-flight teams are able to say they provided over 2,000 minutes to Scots aged under 21 across last season's pre-split fixtures.

Dundee sit top of the 2023-24 table with 3,538, but a large chunk of that was clocked up by the one player - Lyall Cameron.

The same applies to the three next best clubs on the chart, Aberdeen (Connor Barron), Kilmarnock (David Watson) and Motherwell (Lennon Miller).

At the bottom of the table are both Old Firm clubs, with the pair posting concerning figures - Celtic just 89 minutes and Rangers only 26.

The report uses Hungary's top flight - a 12-team league - as a direct comparison. It shows Honved provided 6,544 minutes to Hungarian under-21 players, PAFC reached more than 5,000 and two more clubs achieved over 3,000.

Click here to read more on how Scottish football is failing young players.

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Clubs in Scotland are failing to bring through enough young players, a report, external by the Scottish FA has said.

The governing body says Scottish football is "significantly underachieving its potential" in youth development compared to countries of a similar size.

Using a range of data to compare leagues across Europe, it shows players under the age of 21 in Scotland are playing fewer minutes in the top-flight than countries such as Denmark, Norway, and Croatia.

Meanwhile, game time for young Scottish players in major European club competitions ranks below countries with smaller populations and fewer resources, such as Montenegro and North Macedonia.

It also stresses clubs are missing an opportunity to reduce wage costs and increase transfer revenue by developing their own players.

The report was commissioned by the SFA's professional game board at the end of 2023, and a working party comprised of SPFL and SFA representatives will now consider its findings.

Read the full story

Former striker Lee Miller, who turned out for Dundee United, Aberdeen and Kilmarnock among others, recounts his experiences of being on the move on transfer deadline day during his playing career.

Listen and subscribe to the Scottish football podcast on BBC Sounds

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Australia midfielder Josh Nisbet, 25, has received visa clearance to complete his proposed move from Central Coast Mariners to Ross County. (Press & Journal - subscription), external

Read Wednesday's Scottish gossip

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Manager Don Cowie says Ross County must "embrace" the occasion at Hampden when his side travel south to face Rangers.

The 41-year-old is relishing his first managerial experience at the national stadium but is keen to see a response from his team after their shock League Cup exit.

The Highlanders were dumped out at the last-16 stage on Saturday, losing to fourth-tier Spartans.

Despite that, Cowie says his squad retains belief that they can be a match for anyone, which will be put to the test in a "difficult match" against Rangers.

"We believe in ourselves against any team," the County boss added. "It's something different in terms of the game being at Hampden, which will be exciting for the group that's maybe never played there before.

"There will be that excitement and buzz of playing at a new venue and it's something we’ve got to go and embrace.

"It's about keeping [the home fans] as quiet as possible, making sure they don't get momentum and that real lift to get behind them.

"We will go with a game plan and try to execute it as best as we can. We understand the strengths of the team we're playing but at the same time need to look at how we can be a threat going forward."

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Ross County boss Don Cowie has been speaking to the media prior to Saturday's league fixture at Rangers.

Here are the key points:

• Cowie re-emphasises his disappointment at the defeat to fourth-tier Spartans and says his team "lacked quality and creativity".

• He acknowledged they need to improve going forward but says they still "believe in ourselves against any team".

• Cowie says the addition of Josh Nisbet will give County "real quality" and "be positive for the group".

• He knows it will be a difficult match at Hampden - which will be "exciting for the group that's never played there before" - but it's an opportunity "we've got to go and embrace".

• County will try and keep the Rangers fans "as quiet as possible" and make sure the team "don't get momentum".

• Max Sheaf and Rickie Lamie are still out injured but "everybody else is fit and raring to go".

Ross Morren
Fan writer

First of all, huge credit has to go to League 2 Spartans. They carried out their game-plan to perfection in the huge League Cup shock.

They were very compact defensively and nullified County’s attacking options while at the other end, Blair Henderson was a constant menace for Will Nightingale and Ryan Leak in the backline.

Henderson’s header just 20 seconds into the second half was a phenomenal finish and proved to be the difference between the two sides. The striker was unfortunate not to double his tally with another header but Ross Laidlaw pulled off an excellent point-blank save.

Spartans thoroughly deserved their place in the quarter-finals and have been rewarded with a tie away to Aberdeen.

From a County point of view, it was a hugely disappointing afternoon in the capital.

The Staggies dominated possession for large spells but failed to move the ball quickly enough and allowed the Spartans players to get back into their defensive shape.

On the rare occasion Don Cowie's side did speed up the tempo in their play, the creativity and quality required to create chances was severely lacking.

The reaction from the County players after a such a disappointing result has the potential to make or break a season even at this early stage.

Cowie will be keen to use Saturday’s upset as a way to galvanise his side going forward and not allow a performance or result like that happen again.

Things don’t get much easier for the Staggies as they return to Premiership action to face Rangers at Hampden this weekend.

The County fans travelling down the A9 will hope their side can draw inspiration from the last meeting between the sides, when Cowie guided us to a 3-2 victory in Dingwall.

Things can change very quickly in football. Having been on the wrong end of a shock result in Edinburgh, can County cause one themselves in Glasgow this weekend?

Ross Morren can be found at The County Corner, external

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Ross County "know they've let themselves down," according to manager Don Cowie, who demands a positive response to their League Cup embarrassment.

The Premiership side crashed out at the last 16 stage after going down 1-0 to League 2 team The Spartans and Cowie said "everyone is unhappy".

But the manager insists his team must start righting their wrongs from their flop against the Edinburgh-based part-timers when they return to action with a trip to Hampden in the league on Saturday to, followed by a home match against Aberdeen prior to the international break.

“The fans are rightly unhappy,” said the Staggies boss. “We’re all unhappy, we’re an honest group and football club and we know when we’ve let ourselves down.

“The fans came and supported us, as they always do, and like us they were thinking this was a great opportunity to progress in the cup.

“We can put that right now going into the league campaign by showing them that we’re hurting from this defeat.”

Henderson’s goal came just 20 seconds into the second half when he exquisitely headed home Jamie Dishington's fine cross.

“The frustration is we conceded so early after half-time,” added Cowie. “We spoke about it, about not giving them any encouragement.

“To concede within 30 seconds of the restart, that was really disappointing but we had more than enough time to bring the game back into our hands and we didn’t do enough. We huffed and puffed and that’s the biggest frustration.”