Rangers

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

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Captain James Tavernier says Rangers have already shown this season they have the ability to "bounce back" from the pain of Sunday's Scottish Cup quarter-final defeat by city rivals Celtic.

Tavernier and Djeidi Gassama missed from the spot after the match went to a penalty shoot-out despite Rangers dominating for the majority of a goalless 120 minutes.

"I've got to obviously hold responsibility," Tavernier, who started on the bench, said. "I've got to put my penalty away. I expect myself to set a standard in a penalty shoot-out.

"Games are always defined by clinical moments and that was obviously lacking.

"We did everything but score a goal in this game. And we'll look back on it, we'll learn from it."

Rangers are left to concentrate on narrowing the six-point gap in the Scottish Premiership with leaders Hearts, having been 13 behind when Danny Rohl was appointed eight games into the Premiership season.

"We've got 27 points to play for and that's what we'll be aiming for," right-back Tavernier said.

"It's obviously our main focus now. The boys will bounce back from this, I'm sure.

"If you look at the start of the season, of where we were at and to where we are now, the boys have really come together, put in performances and put in results."

Tavernier has played 45 times this season, but 12 have come as a substitute, with Dujon Sterling preferred for both recent games against Celtic and with the 34-year-old facing an uncertain future as his contract ends this summer.

"Obviously I want to play more games, more minutes, but it's down to the manager, who and what he selects, and you've got to respect that," he added.

"I just want to give it my all, like I've always done, and that's the best I possibly can do for myself."

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The head of a Scottish football fan group has said he was "angry" after Celtic and Rangers fans both charged on the Ibrox pitch at the end of Sunday's Scottish Cup quarter-final.

Celtic won on penalties after a goalless 120 minutes, after which both sets of supporters spilled out from the stands.

Police described the scenes as "shameful" and made a number of arrests.

Stuart Murphy, the chief executive of the Scottish Football Fans Association, described the situation as a "debacle" and says it is not fair on the majority of match-going fans.

"I'm angry this morning," he told BBC Radio Scotland.

"Actually, I'm angry on behalf of the majority of all decent fans, who will all feel tarnished and stained by that debacle yesterday which is the only way to describe it.

"I was at the Old Firm cup final 45 years ago and 45 years on, we've not moved on at all, so this morning is not a good day for the game in general."

Both sets of supporters also clashed on the pitch after the 1980 Scottish Cup final, after which there were 200 arrests and alcohol was banned from sports grounds in Scotland. There are still no alcohol sales at football stadiums.

We asked you Rangers fans for your views on the penalty shoot-out loss to Celtic in the Scottish Cup quarter-finals. Here's a taste of what you had to say...

Brian: It saddens me to say but Danny Rohl doesn't just cut it at this level - he might be a good manager at Championship level but he's simply not good enough to be a Rangers manger. The two games against Celtic have exposed his flaws, in that he is not tactically ruthless enough and he lacks the guile to outwit a more seasoned opposition manager like Martin O'Neill. Rangers came up against a poor Celtic team and proved that they are just not good enough, just like their manager.

Bob: Pathetic - 24 shots to one - and we lose on penalties. Never seen such a poor Celtic performance but if you don't have players capable of finishing, you lose. Our attack is incompetent and toothless. No way to win silverware.

Ronnie: Another heartbreak for Rangers fans. But I'm not going after the players, they gave 100%. Nobody hid. We dominated the game but just lacked composure in the box and with the vital pass. Rohl still has my support. It's disappointing but let's see where we are on the final day before we start screaming to sack the manager.

Sue: In our heart of hearts we knew how this would end - in defeat. Rohl is a decent man and a decent manager but he's simply not good enough to get this Rangers team over the line, as he has proven. Two wasted opportunities to secure victories against a poor Celtic outfit. A season that started in disaster under Russell Martin will end in soul searching and recriminations with what could have been under Rohl - but it was all pie in the sky.

Will: A poor game against a weak Celtic team. There were too many passengers in the team today. No creativity and nobody taking control of the ball.

It was as though they were overawed, misplacing passes and rushing things. Not any quality on the park, too many mercenaries and not enough homegrown players in the team.

Rohl came in needing snookers to win the league but from what I've seen the last few weeks, I'm afraid the season's over.