Rangers

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St Mirren hope to welcome back Jonah Ayunga, but have a number of injury problems.

Marcus Fraser and Mika Mandron both face lengthy spells out with shoulder injuries, while Colin McMenamin and Malik Dijksteel are out with groin problems. Kion Etete is also a potential absentee.

Rangers have lost Mohamed Diomade to a minor shoulder injury, while Connor Barron (knee) and Derek Cornelius (muscle) are still out.

Danny Rohl is primed for "nine cup finals" as he attempts to defy the odds and lead Rangers to title glory this season.

Rangers are winless in three games and were knocked out of the Scottish Cup by Celtic at Ibrox on penalties last weekend despite registering 24 shots compared to the visitors' one.

Rohl's men, with just two victories in their past six league outings, occupy third place in the Premiership and could be nine points behind leaders Hearts by the time of Sunday's trip to St Mirren.

Having analysed the derby defeat with his players, the German said: "We spoke about two things. There's the performance and there's the results.

"Especially now when you go into the nine cup finals, it's all about results. You get nothing from good performances.

"Compare the first game at home against Celtic where we dropped after 50 minutes to this game, then you see that we can carry on over 120 minutes how we want to play football. There was a lot of positive things but ultimately, football is all about results and we got nothing.

"There was disappointment over the three games because I'm totally convinced that we should have won all three games and we deserved to. But ultimately we gift them too many opportunities to win or to take the draw.

"We created a lot of opportunities in the box. We have done a lot of finishing and this was also part of this week. We need to keep our defensive structure. I think in open play, teams have not really had chances against us in all three games.

"You see it also in set-plays at the moment, at both ends. This is what we did really well in January and this is what we need again.

"But I totally believe in our process also there because we very often create situations where we can score."

Rohl was encouraged when he watched the cup game against Celtic again.

"I watched it back and there are so many patterns, how we are connected," he said. "Even how much we improved in open play from the first to the second game.

"When you look back at the chances, sometimes you have to give credit to the opponents' defender, so often they made the right block at the right moment. Sometimes we blocked our own [shot] on the line.

"We have to create more and more opportunities and then I am sure we can score again and again.

"The problem is we have conceded goals with less chances against us. This is what we have to stop so it is good to get in the lead and stay on the front foot."

Youssef Chermiti says his incredible Old Firm overhead kick will "live with me forever" after the Rangers striker took the Scottish Premiership player and goal of the month awards for February.

The 21-year-old netted a hat-trick in the 4-2 win over league leaders Hearts before scoring a double - including a stunning bicycle kick opener - in the 2-2 derby draw with Celtic on the final weekend of February.

"I am delighted to win this award," said Chermiti.

"My first goal against Celtic is something that will live with me forever. As a striker you want to play and score in these games and thankfully I have been able to do that several times this season.

"But I couldn't have achieved anything without my team-mates and the staff here at Rangers who have helped me settle at the club.

"Now I want to repay them and the supporters by continuing to score goals and help us win matches."

Martin Dowden
BBC Sport Scotland Senior Reporter

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Head coach Danny Rohl has been speaking to the media before Rangers visit St Mirren in the Scottish Premiership on Sunday.

Here are the key points:

• On the ugly scenes after their Scottish Cup quarter-final penalty shootout loss to Celtic, Rohl says: "Nobody likes to see this. It was over 120 minutes, an exciting game. It should not have happened. The emotional part was great during the game. This is great and makes football exciting. I like to have this Old Firm with supporters from both sides. I think there is an investigation and then finally there will be some consequence. Let's see what happens."

• Rohl fears the disorder will lead to away allocations in the derby being cut or removed: "Yeah, it would be a shame for all of us. I really enjoyed this game with the supporters on both ends, I think this is great. It makes the football exciting and hopefully we can carry on. But of course, if such a thing happens then you have to be careful because it could be that there's a consequence."

• On being knocked out of the cup in that manner, Rohl said: "It was important to clear the mind. In cup it is all about results. You get nothing from good performances, we know this. The result was not what we want. There was a lot of positive things but football is all about results then we got nothing."

• Rohl dismissed the idea there is extra pressure on his side in the title race having missed out on cup silverware.

• "It's not extra pressure because our demand is still in the league to win the nine cup finals," he explains. "We need a good position and then in the split I think everything is possible. We took a lot of good points against the teams around us and this should be our goal."

• Having been within two points of leaders Hearts at one stage and now trailing by six, Rohl conceded his side have to "bring the momentum back" after just three wins in their past nine fixtures in all competitions.

• "I expect in the split the results will be sometimes tight and crazy," he says. "Everyone can beat everyone and this is a good situation to reduce the gap. We beat Celtic, we beat Hibs, we beat Motherwell and we beat Hearts. I think that makes me very positive that we can do this again."

• When questioned on mentality given results have dropped at a crucial stage of the season, Rohl adds: "Sometimes it's football. It would be more this kind of problem if you dropped after the first game against Celtic and you cannot come back in the second game again to this point. I felt from the first minute we dominated a team who thought they can play just the second half against us again and they will win this game."

• He adds that Rangers have a "big trust in ourselves" and the title race is "still close, six points, it's two match days. Our goal difference is not so bad. This is also important".

• With St Mirren now searching for a new manager after Stephen Robinson's departure to Aberdeen, Rohl doesn't expect too much difference in approach. "I think at first the old manager did a good job there," he says. "I'm not sure if they change so much. I think there's stability in this group of players."

• Mohamed Diomande is not available this weekend because of a minor shoulder injury.

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Former striker Rory Loy thinks "serious questions" are starting to be asked of head coach Danny Rohl after Rangers failed to beat a depleted Celtic side in last weekend's Scottish Cup quarter-final.

Rangers had 24 shots and almost 60% possession over the 120 minutes at Ibrox, while Celtic had one shot and still took the tie to a shootout where they converted all their penalties as Rohl's side missed two.

That cup exit followed Rangers squandering a two-goal lead to draw at home to Celtic in the Premiership, where the Ibrox side's title challenge has faltered with a run of two wins in the past six league games.

"I don't think he's under serious pressure at this moment in time," Loy told the BBC's Scottish Football podcast.

"But I think serious questions will be asked of Danny Rohl as to how they didn't manage to beat Celtic, given the possession and dominance they had.

"His substitutions were questionable and serious questions will start to be asked about his in-game decisions.

"And there's not a lot of time in Glasgow between serious questions being asked about decisions to being under serious pressure. Because if you continue to make the wrong decisions and drop points, then the pressure mounts quickly.

"Some of the substitutions on Sunday baffled me, like Mikey Moore coming off. I know he looked a little bit tired, a little bit leggy, but he was the best player in the second half in a creative sense.

"Tochi Chukwuani should have started the game. When he came on I thought he was Rangers' best player in terms of getting on the ball and actually calming things down.

"At this moment in time, no, I don't think Rohl's under pressure for his job or anything like that, but that can change quickly."

Brian McLauchlin
BBC Sport Scotland Senior Reporter

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Falkirk boss John McGlynn says the fan disorder at last week's Old Firm match has set Scottish football back "30 or 40 years".

Celtic fans initially spilled on to the pitch in celebration after a 4-2 win on penalties in the Scottish Cup quarter-final at Ibrox before some Rangers supporters charged towards them.

Flares were thrown as police and stewards formed a barricade to separate the two groups of supporters. Nine people have been arrested in connection with the violent scenes that resulted in injuries to police officers, stewards and members of the public.

McGlynn says he feels it's a sad moment for the Scottish game when there has been so much to enjoy about this season.

"It doesn't paint a very nice picture," he said.

"It's a beautiful game, it's so cold, but there's nothing much beautiful about it.

"The game itself wasn't a great game of football and what happened afterwards, and by all accounts maybe what happened before, and all the rest of it, it's really taken us back maybe 30 or 40 years to Hampden and police horses on pitches and all that type of thing.

"It's sad. I'm football, I bleed football as you know, and it's not nice."

McGlynn hopes when Falkirk meet Dunfermline in the Scottish Cup semi-final at Hampden in a few weeks there are no incidents between fans who have clashed in the past.

"I'm obviously concerned because there's bad blood between Falkirk and Dunfermline," he said.

"I'm just hoping that our game goes along and the football does the talking and there's no nonsense."

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Four days on on from the unsavoury scenes that followed Celtic's Scottish Cup quarter-final win over Rangers at Ibrox, there has been no response from either club.

Following the final whistle on Sunday, supporters of both clubs ran on to the Ibrox pitch and clashed as stewards and police separated the two sets of fans.

Since then, nine people have been arrested in connection with incidents that took place and Chief Constable Jo Farrell criticised the clubs for not condemning the disorder.

But The Herald football writer Stephen McGowan doesn't think the silence from Rangers and Celtic is a bad thing.

"I'm okay with that," McGowan told the BBC's Scottish Football Podcast. "I know that's a minority view.

"Jo Farrell, the chief constable, said that she thought it was out of order, that they should be saying something.

"I understand that viewpoint but my worry would be that anything you do say would make things worse because you have two sets of fans who are desperate to point fingers at the other side of the city.

"It would be difficult for those clubs to come out and criticise their own fans for their own conduct without incurring the wrath and sparking some kind of civil war, particularly at Celtic where there's already one raging.

"And it wouldn't be helpful at all if they came out and pointed fingers at 'the other lot'.

"I don't think that would look good in the eyes of politicians. I don't think it would look good in eyes of the police. I don't think the SFA would necessarily welcome that."

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• Although Rangers have only won one of their past five league matches against St Mirren (D2 L2), that was their most recent in December (2-1).

• Rangers are unbeaten in 12 league games (W8 D4), their longest run since going 17 without defeat from November 2022 to April 2023.

• St Mirren - who have an interim coaching team in place following Stephen Robinson's move to Aberdeen - have only won one of their past 13 league games (D4 L8), a 1-0 home win over leaders Hearts in February.

• Youssef Chermiti has scored five of Rangers' past seven league goals. His five goals in his last three league games are more than he scored in his first 18 Scottish Premiership appearances beforehand (four).

• St Mirren are unbeaten in three home league games against Rangers (W1 D2), last going four without defeat against them in April 1984.

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Rangers will eventually sell Emmanuel Fernandez for "£30m or even £40m", reckons Peterborough director of football Barry Fry, with the League One side selling the centre-half for £3m last summer. (Scottish Sun - subscription required), external

Rangers supporters will receive an allocation of 2,500 tickets for their trip to Celtic Park later this season. (Daily Record - subscription required), external

Former Rangers players Ian Durrant and Barry Ferguson were surprised by Danny Rohl's decision to withdraw Mikey Moore during the Ibrox side's Scottish Cup loss to Celtic. (Glasgow Times), external

Alasdair Lamont
BBC Sport Scotland Commentator

So it's only the league title to play for now for Rangers and there is simply no further room for error if they want to bring that to a successful conclusion.

Having dropped points in four of their past six games, it would be foolhardy to suggest they look like a team capable of stringing together the sequence of results that would overhaul Celtic and Hearts.

Time and again this season they have suffered from a lack of a cutting edge, a failure to either break down stubborn defences or put teams away while on top and unless they can remedy that in their final nine games, it is going to be another trophyless season at Ibrox.

Given the amount of money spent in the summer and in January, that would be pretty scant reward and doubtless would lead to much wailing and gnashing of teeth.

For the moment, though, Danny Rohl must remain positive that he can restore the belief required to put together a winning run, though most supporters will surely be resigning themselves to further disappointment.

They can perhaps take some solace from their dominance of three-quarters of the two games against Celtic, even though they failed to win either.

The level of performance, particularly in the first half of the league game, was good, but another key failing this season has been the inability to sustain that level over an entire match.

Victory over St Mirren on Sunday is non-negotiable. Anything less will surely be fatal to their faint title hopes and the recriminations will be severe.

The Rangers Fan Advisory Board and the Rangers Supporters' Association have criticised Police Scotland for the way Celtic fans were able to "storm the turnstiles before the match" and "invade the pitch" and for the "chronic lack of segregation on Helen Street" before and after Sunday's troubled Old Firm derby. (The National), external

The Celtic Fans Collective has raised concerns about the way visiting fans were treated on the approach to Ibrox, bus parking and the turnstiles before Sunday's Old Firm derby and called for action from Police Scotland and Celtic Football Club while saying that head of safety, security and operations Mark Hargreaves' "absence on the day" makes his position untenable. (The Herald), external

Police Scotland Chief Inspector Emma Croft says Rangers and Celtic need to do more to engage with fans, especially ultra groups, and set some new ground rules and boundaries as to what they are accepting of their fans. (Glasgow Times), external

Falkirk striker Brian Graham admits taking his 10-year-old son to his first Old Firm game was one of the worst decisions of his life, describing the scenes at the end as "absolutely horrific". (Clyde 1 Superscoreboard), external

Read Wednesday's Scottish Gossip in full.

Nick McPheat
BBC Sport Scotland

Rangers and mentality. No matter who is in the dugout, or on the pitch, it is the question that will not seem to go away.

And it is the question that will only increase in volume if Danny Rohl's side fail to end the campaign with silverware.

Following Sunday's Scottish Cup exit to Celtic, a quarter-final the Ibrox club totally dominated but did not win, their only hope of a trophy is now the Premiership.

Rohl was not shy in heaping pressure on himself last week, saying he has to end the campaign with silverware, despite taking over the team in a dire state.

If his side cannot make up a one-point deficit on their city rivals and a six-point margin on leaders Hearts, he will fail his own expectations.

The German said a month ago that he was heartened by a mindset shift in his players after a defeat at Tynecastle in December was followed by a run of seven wins and a draw in eight league matches.

Since then, Rangers have won one of their past four league games - a 4-2 victory against Hearts.

That form stretches to one win in five when you include Sunday's cup game. In fact, they have won just three of their past nine in all competitions.

In a goalless draw at Hibernian at the start of February, Rohl's side were blunt in attack, a problem that winter arrivals of Andreas Skov Olsen and Ryan Naderi were expected to troubleshoot.

Both have failed to hit the ground running, though, with the pair starting on Sunday as Rangers again lacked attacking imagination.

Rohl's defence has also started to leak goals, failing to keep a clean sheet in their past five league outings, conceding eight times in that spell.

With varying issues, including standing off the game when in a winning position - seen in their recent league draws against Motherwell and Celtic - it is difficult to pinpoint a precise problem.

However, fans have seen this film before and they will continue to ask questions about mentality in pressure moments unless there is a turnaround in a more favourable looking run of upcoming fixtures.

Former Rangers midfielder Andy Halliday on BBC Sportsound: "Rangers' lack of quality in the final third was alarming throughout [on Sunday].

"For the amount of spell of pressure they had, [Viljami] Sinisalo didn't have really have any saves to make.

"Youssef Chermiti has a couple of big chances. The goal that gets disallowed. There's a couple bundled and scrambled about in the box.

"The lack of quality in the final third meant Rangers didn't deserve to go through."

Jamie Currie
Fan writer

I thought things may start to unravel for Rangers after last week's derby draw.

Then came the utter frustration of playing a depleted Celtic team, who were without Callum McGregor among others, and failing to win.

To have 24 shots on goal to Celtic's zero and still somehow manage to lose on penalties is quite incredible. It's a mentality and quality issue we have within the squad.

Celtic came for penalties, got them and won. That's fine. But for us it's now how about this team responds against St Mirren after a double hammer blow.

Many fans are on the manager's case already, but luck has deserted us at times, especially on Sunday.

We're going through a poor run, but one result can change the mood. Acting on pure emotion and calling for the manager to be replaced is not the right thing to do.

We have nine games left, starting on Sunday. Let's see where we are come the split and take it from there.

Rangers and Celtic have been warned by Greater Glasgow Division Chief Superintendent Emma Croft that large-scale away allocations for derby matches are "not workable" after the ugly scenes that followed Sunday's Scottish Cup tie at Ibrox. (Herald - subscription required), external

It could take more than two weeks before the Scottish FA concludes its investigation into the post-match events that marred Sunday's Scottish Cup quarter-final at Ibrox as spectators entered the pitch. (Record), external

Tuesday's Scottish gossip