Rangers

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Tottenham Hotspur are weighing up a move for Rangers captain James Tavernier in the event they are relegated to the Championship. (TeamTalk), external

Jamie Currie
Fan writer

After the win at Falkirk, I warned a first 25 minutes like that against Motherwell would prove to be fatal.

Yet here we are. Going two down was always a big ask against a team that, in no uncertain terms, gave us a chasing in the first half.

The change in shape - from 4-2-2-2 to 4-2-3-1 - and three half-time subs helped us get a foothold in the game and retrieve the two goals.

Chances were spurned and then came the naivety - letting Stephen O'Donnell run and run without a challenge and losing the late goal was infuriating.

I must admit one change I did find crazy was Connor Barron on for Thelo Aasgaard when we have Oliver Antman and Andreas Skov Olsen sitting on their behinds.

The result is a killer. Any notion of a title win is fanciful at this stage. We now have to win four from four and hope for favours.

But going on Monday to face a Hearts team that are still unbeaten in the league at home all season now seems such a massive ask.

It was bad enough not winning against Motherwell, but to lose it is utterly deflating as a supporter and I can only imagine the psychological damage it has done to this group of players.

'Keep believing' and such platitudes are great, but ultimately they mean little when you shoot yourself in the foot with a double-barreled shotgun.

There have been so many games we've thrown away this season: Dundee at home, Motherwell three times, and that's before you talk about Livingston and the collapse against Celtic.

It feels done, it probably is done, and if we don't finish third I'll be surprised.

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John Beaton has been confirmed as the referee for the huge meeting of title rivals Hearts and Rangers at Tynecastle on Monday.

Andrew Dallas will be on VAR duties while Beaton is assisted by David McGeachie and Jonathan Bell.

Hearts remain unbeaten at Tynecastle in the Premiership this season and a home victory would put them seven points clear of Rangers with three games remaining.

Beaton has presided over four Hearts games this term - none of which Derek McInnes' side have won. Three were draws - against Motherwell, Dundee United and Kilmarnock - plus a 3-2 derby defeat at Easter Road.

This will also be Beaton's fifth match in charge of Rangers, with the Ibrox side having won three and drawn one.

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Will the latest Old Firm ticket row signal the end of away allocations in the fixture?

The SPFL are this week due to decide whether to uphold Celtic's refusal to give Rangers tickets for the derby at Parkhead on 10 May unless the Union Bears ultras group is excluded.

The row comes in the aftermath of disorder at the Scottish Cup quarter-final on 8 March when spectators from both clubs entered the pitch after Celtic won on penalties at Ibrox.

It is an issue "so toxic" that the league sub-committee responsible for the adjudication should be "wearing hazmat suits", says The Herald football writer Stephen McGowan.

Speaking on the BBC's Scottish Football Podcast, he added: "You fear for away allocations as we know them at the moment, I think they'll do well to survive us.

"The SFA are having an independent inquiry at the moment where they will try and pin exactly where responsibility should be attributed for what happened on 8 March.

"They will make their findings known probably in the summer, the problem is they've got a game at Parkhead to get to before then on 10 May, and basically this comes down to a dispute between the two teams on how you should handle the Ultra problem.

"Celtic think, as they've shown - they banned the Green Brigade for five months - it should be collective punishment, you should hit them en masse. Rangers take the view it should be more of an individual thing. Celtic clearly think Rangers have been a bit weak on this issue.

"Rangers say no, they can't lay down the law to us on who we can sell tickets to. It's the eternal story of football in Glasgow, it's two bitter rivals who will not yield to one another.

"It's going to be to some poor souls on the SPFL board to decide who's right and who gets their way over this.

"I think if the SPFL uphold this Celtic stance then Rangers absolutely will reciprocate and that would be regrettable.

"But equally if we see that the police are struggling to deal with large-scale allocations, it might be unavoidable in the long term, it might well be the way we have to go just to try and kind of cool minds and bring some sanity back to the situation."

Rangers captain James Tavernier is likely to snub transfer interest from English clubs in favour of a move to Saudi Arabia this summer. (Football Insider), external

Ibrox legend Kris Boyd has suggested some Rangers players are going missing as the Scottish Premiership title race heats up. (Glasgow Times), external

Former Rangers boss Giovanni van Bronckhorst - currently Arne Slot's assistant at Liverpool - is a candidate to become Feyenoord's technical director. (Daily Mail), external

Scott Parker's future as Burnley manager is in the balance following the club's Premier League relegation and former Rangers and Aston Villa manager Steven Gerrard, 45, could be in contention to replace the 45-year-old. (Talksport), external

Gerrard, who left Saudi Arabia's Al-Ettifaq by mutual constent after 18 months in charge in 2025, is also being targeted by Championship side Bristol City. (Independent), external

Leon King has not ruled out staying at Ayr United beyond his current loan spell, with the on-loan Rangers defender out of contract at Ibrox at the end of the season. (Herald), external

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Rangers winger Mikey Moore insists they are not out of the title race despite Sunday's 3-2 home defeat by Motherwell.

The result leaves Rangers four points behind Hearts and one behind Celtic, who they visit in their next two matches.

"Obviously it was massively disappointing because we didn't start the game well enough," Moore said.

"We showed good character to come back and I genuinely thought we had a good chance of going on to win the game, but it obviously wasn't meant to be.

"But now we need to bounce back from that and just show a real good mentality. We're calm.

"But now we know that it's all or nothing really, so we need to be at it from the very first minute."

Moore acknowledged that Rangers will need to win all four of their remaining league matches, but is not giving up hope.

"I don't think it's an impossible task," he said. "If we show the best versions of ourselves, we have more than enough to win every game left.

"There's only one focus. We're not thinking about a negative side of it now, because you can't dwell on it. So there's full positivity in the group."

Moore's parent club Tottenham are at risk of relegation from the Premier League and there is some uncertainty over where he will be playing next season.

"I want to keep playing games," he said. "I want to know that every week I've got a chance of playing.

"I'm not going to rush into playing somewhere higher than I can play, where I'm going to maybe sit on the bench and not get as many minutes. I want to keep building on what I've built this year.

"I've loved every second of my time here. And if it was the right thing for me and my career to stay here, then 100%, I'd love it.

"But it's not just down to me. I don't just make the decision. We'll have chats and wherever that will take me in the summer, it will hopefully be best for my career."

ARE HEARTS DESTINED TO WIN THE TITLE? 🏆

It was a seismic weekend in the hunt for the Scottish Premiership crown. Are you rejoicing, are you quietly optimistic, or are you chucking it?

Join the debate with Ray Bradshaw at 18:00 BST TONIGHT on the BBC Sport Scottish Football YouTube channel, external to give us your views in the chat. The show is fully interactive, so have your say.

Remember to like and subscribe to not miss it!

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Dundee's Luke Graham, Arbroath's Findlay Marshall, Rangers' on-loan Tottenham winger Mikey Moore and Falkirk's Barney Stewart have been nominated for the SPFL young player of the year award.

Centre-back Graham has been a key figure for Dundee in their fight against relegation and has also chipped in with three goals in all competitions.

Moore has scored six goals and contributed two assists in an impressive campaign at Ibrox, while Stewart has been prolific all season - scoring six in 11 Championship matches on loan at Dunfermline before finding the back of the net eight times for Falkirk in the top flight.

Midfielder Marshall - who is on loan from Aberdeen - has 12 goals in 35 games in the Championship as Arbroath chase promotion.

Former Rangers midfielder Kevin Thomson believes Danny Rohl's team made it too easy for Motherwell to play on the break as the Steelmen won 3-2 at Ibrox on Sunday.

Motherwell went 2-0 up thanks to goals from Lukas Fadinger and Emmanuel Longelo, before Rangers hit back through Youssef Chermiti and Nicolas Raskin.

However, Longelo's deflected strike in the 90th minute won it for Motherwell and put a large dent in Rangers' title aspirations.

"How Motherwell countered on Rangers - it was so easy," Thomson said on Sportscene.

"The biggest issue for Rangers was how passive they were out of possession.

"Motherwell were excellent on the day and you could tell the atmosphere changed in the stadium."

We asked for your views after Rangers suffered a damaging Scottish Premiership defeat to Motherwell at Ibrox.

Here's what some of you had to say:

Brian: Five cup finals left, the manager keeps saying. With this display, it will be another four finals lost. The wrong team selection, the wrong formation and the wrong approach. You would think Rangers had already won the league, the way they played against Motherwell.

David: Worst performance since Danny Rohl took over. If we lose to Hearts at Tynecastle next week, the league is over. On the other hand, if we beat them, it's all to play for again.

Lex: Rohl says "it's not over". But another defeat against Hearts will condemn Rangers to third place and the Conference League qualifiers. This Rangers set-up believes its own hype but can't conceal its fundamental deficiencies.

Willie: A season of turmoil. We've ridden high on belief and (false) confidence in what Rohl has achieved. The Motherwell result is a dose of reality that proves we are not yet worthy of being champions. Hearts probably deserve the title more than any of us. Keeping the faith, though.

Sally: Unless Rangers can beat Hearts, the season is over. Thelo Aasgaard, Jayden Meghoma and Djeidi Gassama were not at the races. I seriously question the drive and desire of some of these players. Mikey Moore, Mohamed Diomande, Connor Barron and Tuur Rommens need to play in the remaining fixtures.

Jimmy: Once again, they let everyone down. It was in our own hands - how many chances do these players need? That's two games in a row we've given the opposition a two-goal start. I think our luck has finally run out. Gutted. Our defence has once again let us down.

Rangers head coach Danny Rohl believes his side could have had a penalty for Lukas Fadinger's first-half challenge on Djeidi Gassama in Motherwell's 3-2 win at Ibrox on Sunday. (Sun), external

Monday's Scottish gossip

Motherwell's Emmanuel Longelo scored a stunning 90th-minute winner to dent Rangers' Scottish Premiership title hopes in a fabulous, five-goal epic at Ibrox.

MATCH REPORT

HAVE YOUR SAY

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Rangers head coach Danny Rohl: "It's tough when you are 2-0 down. You have to fight and you have to do a lot of things right in the second half and we did until we conceded the goal at 3-2.

"Second half, we played a good game, then created a lot of chances for the 3-2, 4-2 for our side. Yeah and finally, it was then unlucky, we conceded one more goal and then it's tough to come back.

"I must say I've been complimenting my players about the reaction, how much courage we put in, quality, intensity and it was good to see. Today, it's a little bit tough to take but we keep believing and this is the most important thing - four more finals.

"My job is to lift the group. I will lift, I will stand in front and lead them and then we go again. We showed in the last couple of weeks and months how strong we are growing as a group.

"There will be no negativity from my side after one game. We have to go forward. I'm strong enough and it's not over.

"We will prepare [for Tynecastle]. We will be ready and we will show again a reaction and then we go again and then let's see which direction it goes."

The SPFL hope to make a call on the latest Old Firm away tickets row by Monday evening, with Rangers complaining after Celtic refused to hand over the 2,200 allocation for the 10 May derby unless the Union Bears ultras group are barred. (Daily Record - subscription required), external

Former Rangers player and coach Jimmy Nicholl reckons Rangers would be in safe hands with Northern Ireland goalkeeper Pierce Charles, with the 20-year-old heavily linked with a move to Ibrox. (Daily Record - subscription required), external

David Currie
BBC Sport Scotland Senior Reporter

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Emmanuel Fernandez says he felt "shellshocked" when captain James Tavernier told the team he was leaving at the end of the season.

The central defender, who is in his first campaign with the Ibrox club, says he and his team-mates want to give Tavernier the "perfect send-off" by winning the Premiership title.

"No one really spoke up after he told us, but I feel like we all congratulated him at the end and showed our love," Fernandez said.

"And I feel like it was a moment that we all knew now we've got to really kick on for the rest of the season and bring something back for him.

"I feel like this would be the perfect send-off for him if we could lift the title. I think it's something we want to fight for even more now."

The Nigeria international was playing League One football in England last season with Peterborough, and says Tavernier played a big part in making him feel welcome at Ibrox.

"When I first signed, it was a difficult moment for me," he added. "I didn't know what I was coming into. A club the size of Rangers - you never really understand.

"But I feel like his calm leadership kind of carries you through. He's not a loud leader, he's not very prominent in the way he goes about things.

"Even on the pitch, it makes you feel calm and makes you feel like you can just play your game.

"I feel like from when I first came in, if there was someone who had my back, it was Tav. I feel like he supported me in moments where I needed support, and even from when I began playing, he was someone pushing my corner for me to play."

The 24-year-old defender sees Tavernier as something of a role model.

"There are moments in your career where you may go through harder times - especially here, you can go through hard times - and I feel like someone like him is someone you can learn from," Fernandez said.

Fernandez is the only Rangers player to make it into the PFA Scotland Premiership team of the year - something he is a little surprised by.

"It was a bit of a shock, you know, because I started playing a bit late," he said. "I think I started playing around November time. But to be named in it, I can't be more grateful to my team-mates, to the staff here, and also for the recognition from the other players in the league."

As well as earning him a spot in that PFA Scotland XI, his performances in the Premiership earned him a call-up to the Nigeria national team.

He scored on his debut last month against Iran in a friendly and made his first start against Jordan.

He has also apparently been attracting the attention of other clubs, according to reports, and has been linked with Borussia Dortmund and Manchester United.

Fernandez says that's news to him.

"I haven't heard anything," he insisted. "I've still got four years left on my contract. I see myself being here. I'm happy I'm here. I'm happy to be here. I'm happy to carry on being here."

Danny Rohl feels a Scottish Premiership title triumph this season would feel more special for Rangers than the 2020-21 success as it would be in front of fans. (Daily Record), external

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Rangers remain without Ryan Naderi and Tuur Rommens but Danny Rohl is upeat about the chances of their return soon.

Motherwell midfielder Callum Slattery returns from suspension while Regan Charles-Cook is back from injury.

Eythor Bjorgolfsson and Johnny Koutroumbis are set to rejoin training soon following muscle injuries while long-term absentee Zach Robinson remains out.

Jack Herrall
BBC Sport Scotland

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Despite being in the midst of one of the most compelling title races in years, Rangers head coach Danny Rohl is already ramping up plans for next season.

At the club's warm-weather training camp in Spain last week, Rohl and his staff prepared the squad for the title run-in and had daily discussions with the board over summer recruitment.

"Yeah, I look at a lot of videos at the moment, not just games, also players," said Rohl.

"I think it was a really great spirit in this camp.

"We had a daily meeting every day with the board. I think we have a good group together at the minute, we are very clear what we want.

"It's good to start and to prepare a lot of things now. It will be a long summer, especially with the World Cup.

"You never know what happens, but it helps that we have a clear direction in which way we want to go.

"I can just say a big thank you also to [chairman] Andrew [Cavenagh] to make this camp happen.

"It was a big wish from my side, now it's going to the final five games.

"This is the most important thing that you can be... how can I describe it? Be happy that we are in a good way to prepare also for the summer."

Rangers' training camp was a chance for Rohl to work with his squad uninterrupted for the first time since his arrival, and he reckons they struck a good balance between hard graft and team bonding.

The German, whose side return to action against Motherwell on Saturday, said: "It was a good mix between hard working on the pitch and good togetherness off the pitch as well.

"I think it was a strong atmosphere in the last couple of days. I think everyone felt it. It was nice to have some fans around us in the camp. We invited them for dinner. All in all, it was nice to be there for five days."