Ross County

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• Rangers have never lost in 23 previous meetings with Ross County in all competitions (W19 D4); this is the most the Gers have faced a side in all domestic/European competitions without ever losing.

• Ross County have lost each of their last eight league trips to Rangers by an aggregate score of 25-5 since a 1-1 draw in February 2017 under Jim McIntyre.

• Rangers have won all eight of their home league games under Philippe Clement. This is the longest winning home start by a Scottish Premiership manager since Brendan Rodgers won his first 14 in charge of Celtic in 2016-17.

• Ross County are winless in 10 away league outings (D5 L5), their longest such run in the Scottish Premiership since going 11 without victory on the road from September 2019 to February 2020.

• This will be Rangers’ 10th ever league match played on Valentine’s Day, and first since a 3-0 win over Hibernian in 2010. They lost none of the previous nine such fixtures (W6 D3).

Ross Morren, The County Corner, external

Derek Adams’ 79-day reign as Ross County manager was eventful to say the least.

Less than 24 hours after The Staggies’ embarrassing 5-0 defeat to Motherwell at Fir Park, Adams tendered his resignation to bring his third spell as County manager to an end.

The early signs under Adams looked positive, as he took seven points from a possible nine in his opening three matches. A 3-0 victory against Motherwell on 5 December had County fans feeling hopeful that Adams could repeat the miracles he performed during his previous two stays in Dingwall.

On the pitch, that early optimism crumbled as County went on a nine-match winless run, while off the pitch, Adams' post-match interviews made the headlines for all the wrong reasons.

Adams’ win ratios during his previous spells in Dingwall were impressive as he won 48.3% of his games during his first spell and 39.2% during his second spell. This time, Adams only managed a meagrely 16.7% during his 12 matches in charge.

It felt like there was no way back for Adams following the 5-0 defeat against Motherwell, which very few people would have predicted two months earlier following the 3-0 victory against the same opposition in Dingwall. It’s quite incredible how quickly things went from promising to disastrous.

The Staggies are now on to their third manager of the season, and it’s someone who’s adored by everyone associated with the club.

Don Cowie grew up in the local area, supported the club as a youngster, came through the youth academy, captained the club, won trophies, achieved promotions and started his coaching career here.

During his time away from Dingwall, Cowie played at the highest level in the English Premier League during his time at Cardiff, and also picked up an impressive 10 Scotland caps.

He has already worked as first-team coach and then assistant manager in Dingwall. He’ll know the players inside out after the years in these roles and exactly what they’re capable of.

As someone who played under managers such as Brendan Rodgers and Sean Dyche, Cowie will be able to use the lessons learned from those types of managers and implement his knowledge and style to try to salvage County’s season.

Listen to the latest episode of BBC Scotland's Scottish Football Podcast here.

Amy Canavan is joined by Rory Loy and John Walker – analyst and host of the Scots Abroad podcast – to discuss all the big talking points in Scottish football.

They give their thoughts on Don Cowie at Ross County, interim managers in general and the Michael Mellon head injury incident.

And, with the Euros looming into view, we take a look at the Scotland squad and assess some of the players hoping to force their way in, including Plymouth Argyle's Ryan Hardie.

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Ross County captain Jack Baldwin says there's "an upbeat environment at the moment despite losing the manager" ahead of Tuesday's trip to face Rangers in the Scottish Premiership.

Derek Adams resigned after last week's 5-0 thumping by Motherwell, with former County midfielder Don Cowie stepping up from assistant to interim team boss.

"I think we're in a good place despite the last week or so we've had," centre-half Baldwin told BBC Scotland. "We've had a few days off with no game this weekend and it's given time for the lads to go away and reflect and refresh."

Baldwin admitted that "atmosphere and environment is a tough thing when things are not going your way" but also that "changing managers is never easy".

However, he stressed: "Derek's done a lot for this football club over previous years and obviously it didn't work this time round, but we've got a manager now who knows the club inside out as well.

"He's a local guy so comes in with that added pressure, but he's got the respect of all the players and all the players want to play for him. So it's a chance for the new manager to come in and try to lift all the lads and put his own stamp on things."

Baldwin thinks Cowie is capable of securing the job full-time, adding: "He's worked with a lot of us boys and the whole squad respect him as a person, as a manager for what he's done in the game and also as a player."

Could there be a post-Derek Adams bounce for Ross County on Wednesday night?

They travel to Ibrox under the guidance of interim boss Don Cowie but who should be in the starting lineup?

Pick your XI here.

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Livingston boss David Martindale insists he did not mean to disrespect Derek Adams with comments made after the former Ross County manager's departure.

Speaking to BBC Scotland after his side's late defeat at Kilmarnock on Wednesday, Martindale said he was "gutted" to hear that Adams had resigned from his post after just 12 matches.

With the West Lothian side bottom of the Premiership, six points adrift of the Highland outfit in 11th, the manager said negativity at County boosted his team's chances of survival.

“I made comments after the Kilmarnock game that probably in hindsight were a wee bit disrespectful to Derek but I want to put that into context,” Martindale said in his media conference on Friday.

“I think it’s common knowledge Derek was unhappy being at Ross County, I think his previous press conferences tell you that. Scottish football’s a goldfish bowl and it’s common knowledge the players were unhappy.

“So you had an unhappy manager and unhappy players and of course it is better for Livingston for that unhappy environment to remain.

“Ross County having unhappy players in the changing room and an unhappy manager who is perceived to not want to be at Ross County, I would rather that situation remained. I’m not going to sit here and tell lies.

“So I was gutted that they made that change, or Derek made that change, because ultimately the more negativity at Ross County the better it’s going to be for ourselves. But I need to focus on Livingston rather than Ross County.

“That’s just to give my comments after the game a wee bit of context. I wasn’t just being disrespectful in terms of Derek.”

We asked for your thoughts after Derek Adams resigned as Ross County manager after just 79 days in charge.

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

Davie: Inevitable that Adams had to go. Disappointing, but I was never convinced it was a good appointment. No County fans wanted him to fail, as that means the team fails, but his comments after the Dundee game destroyed the dressing room. Are the players he brought in better than what we already have? I dont think so. They are definitely not 100 times better!

Dougie: It was always a massive gamble to bring Adams back. It's not worked and now we are left with the players he has brought in that against Motherwell didn't look up to the standard we need. I also think it was hasty to get rid of Malky Mackay.

Graeme: The supporters deserve better. In his 12-game tenure, Adams displayed minimal humility. His frequent outbursts tarnished the team’s reputation three times. We now require a manager with a more grounded perspective, one who doesn’t overestimate their ability.

James: When a manager is blaming everyone but himself, the writing is on the wall. The league is stronger without him.

Gerry: Good riddance to Adams. He treated Ross County and Scottish football with sheer contempt with his bizarre comments. Had the demeanour of a man who didn’t want to be there. Strange appointment to start with, would like to see County go for Rhys McCabe.

Gordon: Adam’s position was untenable immediately after he made the original outburst slaughtering the abilities of his players. He had to go and better for all concerned that he has.

Anon: Hard to believe it has unravelled so quickly. Del is a County legend, no-one would have expected this after 12 games. Unfortunately, he made some terrible judgements and appears to have lost support of the team. Sad outcome. We need to move on and rebuild the team spirit. We are still in with a shout for survival. We've come back from a lot worse.

Sandy: Unfortunatly the pressure of the job to appears to have been too much for Derek to handle. Roy MacGregor has made some shocking appointments over recent seasons and now needs to choose wisely or it's relegation, either by playoff or automatically. Bring back Yogi and give him time to build a team.

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What kind of challenge does interim manager Don Cowie face to get Ross Couny back on track?

The stats for Derek Adams' third spell in charge are a cause for concern, particularly going forward.

Since taking over on November 25, Adams' County had the second-worst points record in the top flight (nine points in 11 games) - with only Livingston below them (three points in 12 games).

The same goes for goals scored, with only Livi (six goals) posting a worse record than Couny's eight goals in 11 games, and for shot conversion with County 11th in the table at just 7.08%.

However, no team in the division had a worse expected goals rate than the Dingwall side - at 9.54.

At the other side of the park, while Adams' side did record three clean sheets during his tenure, they all came in his first three games in charge - with 20 goals conceded in the nine games that followed.

Lots for Cowie and the next permanent manager in Dingwall to address...

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Don Cowie has been appointed as interim manager of Ross County after Derek Adams' departure.

The former County captain made over 190 appearances for the club, and had been assistant manager under Malky Mackay and Adams.

The 5-0 thrashing by Motherwell led to Adams exiting the club on Wednesday.

Derek Adams' exit was not a surprise, according to Peter Mackay from the Staggies View podcast, because the Ross County manager "threw his players under the bus" and fans were subjected to "dross football".

The manager sparked controversy in the wake of his side's loss at Dundee in December, when he criticised the "shocking" standard of Scotland's top flight.

"I think a large part of the blame for him losing his job has to come down to that [interview], as well as a couple of other interviews where he suggested that he regrets returning to the club in the first place," Mackay told the BBC's Scottish Football Podcast.

"Which I think as a fan is pretty unforgivable considering he didn't even utter a mention of the supporters in terms of giving them thanks or praise for supporting his team when they were playing some pretty dross football.

"But I think it's clear to see as a supporter when you're watching on the pitch that the dressing room and the players weren't united after that interview. I think there was maybe a sizable rift after that. And to be fair to the players, you can see why because at every given opportunity they were the ones being thrown under the bus, when in reality there were probably bigger issues at play.

"Not very surprised [at the exit] - if anything, I'm maybe surprised he lasted this long. I think it was all a bit of a shambles to be honest. For one, I was quite happy when he got appointed. Coming into the club, he was a bit of a club legend, being one of our best ever managers. I think overall just a bit of a nightmare."

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County fans, what are your immediate thoughts following the news of Derek Adams' resignation?

Have your say here.

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Ross County manager Derek Adams has resigned after just 79 days in charge.

Adams succeeded Malky Mackay in November last year, taking charge of the club for the third time, and took nine points from his 11 league games.

The 48-year-old described the standard of Scottish football as "shocking" after a 1-0 defeat to Dundee not long after taking charge - comments which were roundly criticised - and his tenure ended with a 5-0 loss against Motherwell on Tuesday.

"After much consideration in recent weeks, I have made the decision to resign from my position as manager," Adams said in a statement.

"Over my twelve games in charge, we moved six points clear of the team directly below and have been extremely close to gaining more victories and draws along the way.

"Ross County is close to my heart after twice playing here and managing for a third time. I would like to take the opportunity to thank chairman Roy MaGregor and Steven Ferguson and wish them well for the future."

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Ross County players look like they have "given up" playing for Derek Adams, nd his reign has been "baffling", according to The Athletic's Jordan Campbell.

"To come and say that the team bottom of League Two with the smallest budget is miles better than the players that he's coaching, I don't think that's going to be on any coaching courses in the years to come as a motivational tool," Campbell said on the BBC's Scottish Football Podcast.

I don't know what the conversations were that he expected in the dressing room after that, but it's not going to encourage buy-in for the players. I mean, you watched that last night. It looked like the players had given up by the end, there were people walking in the fourth and fifth goal. That's never a great sign when you see the body language go like that. Could have been six or seven, to be honest

They have two points from the last 18 since that comment, and going out the Scottish Cup to Partick Thistle in such a convincing fashion, it really does look like they're on the slide. And the only thing really saving Derek Adams I think is that Livingston look like they're finally sort of catching up with the budget constraints they've got.

And it might be a step too far for them this year. So I think that's the only thing really, you know, making his time look slightly less disastrous than it has been the last couple of months.

We asked for your thoughts after Ross County were demolished by Motherwell 5-0.

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

Kenny: I have never called for a County manager to be sacked. Usually there is something redeemable about the club, but right now we have nothing. Player exodus following Derek Adams' arrival has killed us. Successive relegations loom, I fear. He called Scottish football an embarrassment in November, but right now, the only thing embarrassing about it are us.

Anon: Adams out before, Adams out still. A toxic, rotten core at this club. Jobs being handed out to pals and qualifications be damned. No long-term plan, no future, no point. Get that man gone and stop letting Roy McGregor make footballing decisions. Leave it to the professionals. You brought this on yourselves, hang your heads in shame.

Alistair: Adams is a fraud and, just like his "hundred times better" English league signings, completely out of his depth in the Scottish top flight. He should go now. Sack him.

Reuben: Adams needs to go. He comes into the club after a perfectly fine Malky Mackay and comes in only because his dad is close to Roy MacGregor. He sends some real role models out on loan and then criticises the player and Scottish football. We should get rid of him and look to bring in Robbie Neilson.

Anon: Adams out. Take the mediocre players he signed with him, he's destroyed his reputation and the memory of the good things he did in his last stints at the club. Wasnt a fan of Mackay but at least he was respectful and had the dressing room, he should've been given more time to turn the bad run around. There is a good core there that are underperforming.

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Were you at Fir Park on Tuesday or following the match from home? Either way, we want your views on the game – have your say here.