Rangers

Charlotte Cohen
BBC Sport Scotland

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Uncertainty hangs over the future of Rangers captain James Tavernier, who is out of contract at the end of the season.

The 34-year-old Englishman has amassed 560 appearances, 144 goals and 148 assists in an Ibrox career spanning 11 years.

Having helped Rangers return to the Premiership in his debut season, Tavernier was integral to the club's first top-flight title triumph in 10 years - he scored 10 goals and set up nine - and has since added a Scottish Cup and League Cup, as well as becoming British football's highest-scoring defender and earning a place in the Ibrox hall of fame.

Will this summer bring a parting of the ways? Or should Rangers be eager to keep a player of such experience and leadership?

While he missed only five league games in the three previous seasons combined, this term Tavernier has not always been an automatic first-team pick, starting 22 of 31 Premiership matches so far.

He is still an important part of Danny Rohl's side, though, as his sumptuous free-kick to complete the 4-1 weekend win over Aberdeen proved.

That was a 14th goal of the season - including eight penalties - across all competitions for Tavernier, who is the Ibrox club's top scorer.

He has netted eight in the league - four spot-kicks - a haul bettered only at Rangers by striker Youssef Chermiti (nine).

Tavernier also has the joint-second most assists (four), making him top for goal involvements (13), and he has created the most chances (62) of any Rangers player in the Premiership while ranking third for shots on target (20).

As for defensive attributes, only Nicolas Raskin has made and won more tackles, and won possession more often, than Tavernier, who also ranks highly for clearances and interceptions.

Rangers fans, would you like to see Tavernier stay at Ibrox beyond this season? Have your say via this link.

Alasdair Lamont
BBC Sport Scotland Commentator

Another dramatic weekend at the top of the Premiership leaves Rangers very much back in title contention only a couple of weeks after successive draws against Livingston and Celtic had me thinking they were out of it.

Saturday's comprehensive victory over Aberdeen was rarely in doubt and the boost to the goal difference could prove crucial in the final shake-up.

Mikey Moore again showed his worth to the team, a fearless attacking display helping break down an initially stubborn Aberdeen backline.

If Rangers do go on to win the league they will owe much to the 18-year-old loanee who has grown into the jersey as the season has worn on.

He is saying all the right things about a potential return to Ibrox next season but you have to imagine he could do a job for his parent club Tottenham, whether they are in the Premier League or Championship next season.

Now Rangers can go top of the table if they win their first game back after the international break against Dundee United at home. It is a scenario that seemed fantastical prior to Danny Rohl's appointment back in October, when Rangers sat 13 points behind Hearts and eight below Celtic.

Their path to the title is still a hugely tricky one, with trips to Tynecastle, Celtic Park and probably two to Falkirk, but their away record is the best in the league and with the potential for an automatic Champions League place if they can win the title, the rewards are enormous.

No one at Rangers will expect it to be plain sailing from here until the end of the season, but they have given themselves an opportunity that had seemed to be beyond them.

Danny Rohl plans to include Findlay Curtis in Rangers' first-team plans next season, the 19-year-old currently on loan Kilmarnock and having been called up to the Scotland squad. (Football Insider), external

Meanwhile, Rangers' on-loan Tottenham winger Mikey Moore has withdrawn from England Under-19 duty on medical grounds. (Scotsman - subscription required), external

Wednesday's Scottish gossip

Jamie Currie
Fan writer

Fans and players alike would have been seeing Mikey Moore's face when they closed their eyes on Saturday night, as the young Tottenham loanee terrorised our friends from the north east.

I was interested to see how Aberdeen would go about things as they tried to do their favourite thing and put a dent in our season.

Fortunately for Rangers, the players were right up for it, scored four great goals and played Aberdeen off the pitch. So much so, their goal came from our lax play in the second half.

To be honest, a 4-1 scoreline flattered Aberdeen. It could have been anything we wanted. That's three games we've played against them this season and they have all been comfortable wins.

There were many good individual performances in the latest canter. At the back, Nasser Djiga and Manny Fernandez are forming a very solid partnership, giving the team a solid footing to build from. They never gave Kevin Nisbet a sniff.

In midfield, Nico Raskin and Tochi Chukwuani both scored and were excellent, involved in everything. Those second balls seem to be stuck to Chukwuani, something we have been missing for a long time. His goal was perfectly taken too.

Lastly, Moore was superb. Watching the growth in him, Fernandez and Djiga in the past three to four weeks has been a pleasure - it's a real feather in the cap for Danny Rohl and his coaching team.

The international break comes at a bad time for us. We have navigated two potentially tricky fixtures against St Mirren and Aberdeen and moved into second place, two points ahead of Celtic.

The manner of the Aberdeen was most pleasing. After showing in Paisley we can dig in and win, the latest victory proved we can play. It's just a pity we have to wait two weeks to get back to Ibrox for league duty.

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Rangers are set to battle Celtic for the services of 25-year-old in-form Motherwell midfielder Elijah Just in the summer transfer window. (Football Insider), external

Huddersfield Town attacking midfielder Cameron Ashia is emerging as a potential first summer signing for Rangers and the 19-year-old could arrive on a free transfer. (TeamTalk), external

England-born Rangers centre-back Emmanuel Fernandez, 24, says he could not say no when approached to represent Nigeria for the first time. (Own Goal Nigeria), external

Nedim Bajrami has been backed to fire Albania to the World Cup by head coach Sylvinho, despite the 27-year-old midfielder's lack of game time with Rangers. (Herald - subscription required), external

Rangers have received around £220,000 from the Club 1872 fan group to pay for renovations in and around Ibrox Stadium. (National - subscription required), external

Tuesday's Scottish gossip

Rangers midfielder Kevin Thomson believes his former club Rangers have the all-important momentum in the Scottish Premiership title race.

Danny Rohl's side are second in the table, three points behind Hearts and two ahead of Celtic in third.

They swept aside Aberdeen 4-1 on Saturday, and although Thomson thinks the order of the post-split fixtures will have a say, he was impressed by the manner of Rangers' most recent performance.

"I'm just going off what I've seen at Ibrox," Thomson told the BBC's Scottish Football Podcast. "They look like a team that had a bit of swagger.

"The back line looked really aggressive. Tavernier obviously back in. Djiga, Fernandes, and Rommens was absolutely terrific on the day.

"Then you look at what he was bringing on off the bench. Gassama's had a wee bit of stick off the fans in recent times, but he comes on and lights the place up.

"So Danny Rohl must be having a good togetherness within the squad.

"When the top six split happens, we obviously know which teams are going to be home, which teams are going to be away, but how the fixtures are going to fall is going to be imperative to where the title ends. I just think Rangers might edge it."

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Jonathan Sutherland
Sportscene presenter

GK: Raphael Sallinger (Hibernian)

Not a vintage weekend for goalkeepers, so three saves and a clean sheet wins it for the Hibs custodian.

RCB: James Tavernier (Rangers)

Can Rangers really afford to lose the goals this right-back gives them every season? Not getting any younger but still delivers, as his free-kick against Aberdeen demonstrated.

CB: Ross Graham (Dundee United)

A lion at the back for United against Celtic. Stifled all the defending champions could throw at him, clean sheet and three points that keep United's slim top-half hopes alive. The perfect riposte to his derby day dejection.

LCB: Liam Donnelly (St Mirren)

The midfielder played on the right of a back three for St Mirren and shone defensively as well as scoring the winner. A big three points away to Falkirk.

RWB: Oisin McEntee (Hearts)

Towering header the decisive moment for Hearts to break the deadlock against Dundee. His physicality and power make him a huge threat at set-pieces.

CM: Marc Leonard (Hearts)

A different kind of midfielder to Cammy Devlin but arrived at the right time to fill the void left by the Australian this season. His delivery for McEntee's vital goal was right on the money.

CM: Emmanuel Agyei (Dundee United)

A robust and dynamic performance from the Ghanaian, topped off with a huge goal.

LWB: Will Ferry (Dundee United)

Normally all about the delivery, but Sunday was all about the finish from Ferry, which opened the scoring against Celtic. Not the cleanest of strikes but it doesn't matter. Remarkably his first United goal.

RW: Findlay Curtis (Kilmarnock)

Going to Kilmarnock was the best thing that happened to Steve Clarke, and the same for Curtis. Their paths will now cross in the Scotland camp, and rightly so. Curtis always looked like he had the talent, Kilmarnock are giving him the stage and all parties are benefitting. Scored the second in the big 2-0 win over Livingston.

CF: Joe Hugill (Kilmarnock)

An impressive showing topped with a goal from the former Manchester United youngster, and an assist for Curtis.

LW: Mikey Moore (Rangers)

The 18-year-old clearly had a lot of talent when he arrived at Ibrox, but in recent times he has stepped it up a level and delivered with consistency as Rangers continue their late charge for the title.

Image source, Getty Images

Mikey Moore has "loved every single second" of his time on loan at Rangers from Tottenham and expects talks over his future this summer. (Scottish Sun), external

Rangers' on-loan winger Moore, 18, says "if it's right for me next year, then I'd love to stay here". (The Scotsman - subscription required), external

Rangers are "very clear" on recruitment plans for next season, with manager Danny Rohl adding "we started this week to prepare for the summer". (Daily Record - subscription required), external

Watch Scottish Premiership title-chasing Rangers put four goals past struggling Aberdeen at Ibrox.

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Rangers fans, we asked for your reaction to the 4-1 win over Aberdeen at Ibrox. Here's a taste of what you had to say...

Alex: It took Rangers to lose a goal, caused by lazy defensive play, to actually wake up. The tippy-tappy sideways, backwards passing is no way to achieve anything. It invites unnecessary pressure when, in actual fact, a bit of bravery on the ball with forward movement creates opportunities to score as proven by the final result.

Rangers still need a proper centre forward as Youssef Chermiti and co aren't good enough. We have a chance to win the title, but there are harder games against better teams to play.

David: At last! A high energy display for 90 minutes. Simply overwhelmed the opposition, apart from the gifted goal. Probably our best performance so far, all coming together at the right time.

Peter: Except for the slack goal given away there were plenty of positives for Rangers. However, with only seven games remaining, when will Ryan Naderi start to get the ball in the net again? I don't understand how he is not scoring goals. Come on big man, you've had plenty of time to adjust and acclimatise.

Hector: Rangers will struggle after the league split. There are still too many flaws in this makeshift team. Spare us further humiliating hammerings in Europe next season by finishing third.

Steven: Solid performance, albeit against a team who are struggling at the minute. In tighter games, our defenders are going to cost us points. More slack play and lapses in concentration. That being said, Mikey Moore has found some confidence and is looking a good player. Strikers continue to frustrate and really need to start contributing. Sadly none of them are bringing anything to the team on a regular or frequent basis.

Derek: A good three points, but why must we always shoot ourselves in the foot? Two up and coasting, then a needless goal given away. I'm baffled why Findlay Curtis is with Killie. In most supporters opinion, he's a different class to Thelo Aasgaard, Oliver Antman, and Djeidi Gassama. He's more skillful and direct than the above.

Bojan Miovski should be given a run in the team and drop one of the frontmen. Danny Rohl has made a lot of strange decisions regarding tactics and team selections.

Rangers got back to winning ways in the Scottish Premiership to keep up the pressure on Hearts as they earned a convincing victory over Aberdeen that deepened the visitors' relegation worries.

Read the full match report here.

You can have your say on the game here.

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Rangers head coach Danny Rohl tells BBC Scotland: "Three points is fantastic.

"We performed well. We were the better team. It was a great performance. All the things we want to see. This is the reason why we deserved to win today.

"I was calm today. There was a good atmosphere in the stadium and after it went 2-0 it was outstanding. They handled the situation (after Aberdeen's goal) well to go 3-1 and 4-1

"Nice goals as well. Fantastic goals. You want to see goals. You want to dominate at home. We did our job today.

"My team did well. They handled the situation. If we perform like this, we have a big opportunity to win more games.

"Seven finals to go and if we perform again in this level then it will be difficult to beat us and we can win a lot of games. We hunt until the end and if we do this like today then we have a big, big opportunity as a club to achieve something.

"We can go with a good feeling now in the international break. Hopefully, everyone comes back healthy."

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Rangers want talks with other Scottish Premiership clubs over this season's standard of refereeing in the top flight. (The Herald - subscription required), external

Glasgow councillors have begun talks with the police regarding plans for the city centre should Rangers or Celtic win the league. (Scottish Sun), external

New Zealand boss Darren Bazeley says Motherwell midfielder Elijah Just "looks like the best player in the league at the moment", with Rangers and Celtic both interested in the 25-year-old. (Daily Record - subscription required), external

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Rangers defender Derek Cornelius has been allowed to leave early for international duty with Canada.

Danny Rohl hopes Mohamed Diomande will be fit following a shoulder injury and is confident Tuur Rommens will shrug off a knock while there are doubts over Andreas Skov Olsen and Mikey Moore.

Aberdeen's loan midfielder Lyall Cameron cannot play against his parent club. Mats Knoester (concussion) could be back before the end of the season.

Nicky Devlin (knee), Kristers Tobers (knee) and Nick Suman (ankle) remain out.

Martin Dowden
BBC Sport Scotland Senior Reporter

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Rangers midfielder Connor Barron admits the prospect of winning a Scottish Premiership title would "mean everything" having returned from injury in time for the title race finale.

Barron returned as a substitute in the 1-0 win at St Mirren that leaves Rangers three points adrift of leaders Hearts and a single point behind Celtic.

With a league title and potential place in Scotland's World Cup squad on offer, Barron admits it is a crucial part of his career.

"It's why you're at Rangers, for these big games and for the title run-in," he said.

"It would mean everything. It's what you dream of as a boy, winning titles and coming here gives me the best opportunity to do that.

"Now we've got that opportunity, you want to go and grab it with two hands and make sure we do it. It's a massive, massive big push at the end of the season.

"Leading into the summer, it's obviously something to push for from a personal point of view as well," he continued. "It's always nice to have that at the end of the season to look forward to, hopefully. It's all down to performances in a Rangers jersey.

"Hopefully it's a successful end from a collective and a personal point of view and then at the end of the season, if it comes along, it comes along.

The Scotland international admitted missing out through injury has been frustrating but insists he isn't fazed by increased competition in his absence with the likes of Tochi Chukwuani impressing since his arrival in January.

"My motivation's always high," he explained. "It's just your job at a big club. You've always got competition, there's competition all over the pitch and it comes part and parcel with being at Rangers.

So, nothing's changed from the minute I walked in the door till now and the motivation's always high and standards are always high every single day.

"It's a good position for everyone to be in, having that healthy competition within the squad."

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Rangers head coach Danny Rohl says he doesn't want to see good performances if they don't lead to three points.

The Ibrox club sit third in the Premiership table but are just three points behind leaders Hearts after their defeat at Kilmarnock last weekend.

And when Rangers welcome Aberdeen on Saturday evening they could have the chance to go top if Hearts lose against Dundee earlier in the day.

"It's fantastic," Rohl said of the title race.

"I think we look now from game to game. The key is that we go into the international break with the three points, and then we have two more games and then we go into the split.

"Time is running [out], less games to go and for us it's about winning games."

Rangers had failed to win in their last three visits to Paisley - a defeat and two draws - but managed to grind out an uninspiring 1-0 win last weekend.

While the performance may have been poor, Rohl stresses at this stage of the season three points are all that matter.

"At first I'm looking for the next three points, this is the most important key," he added.

"I think everyone will agree a good performance without a win is nothing. We need wins, and I said this last week, we needed to win in St Mirren, I think the last three away games we couldn't win there as a club.

"We took the 1-0 win, of course it was not always the nicest game but I take the three points instead of a good performance and the draw again."

Martin Dowden
BBC Sport Scotland Senior Reporter

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Rangers head coach Danny Rohl has been speaking with the media ahead of their Scottish Premiership home fixture against Aberdeen on Saturday.

Here are the key points:

• Rohl says the tile race is "fantastic" but stresses "time is running [out], less games to go and for us it's about winning games. I'm looking for the next three points, this is the most important key. Good performance without a win is nothing. We need wins."

• The boss concedes the door has been opened after Hearts lost at Kilmarnock last weekend and says "I think all the three clubs now know what it means. Every point that you drop now is crucial and important, and that's the reason why it's all about the next cup final and the cup finals we have to win."

• Rohl confirms that Canada international Derek Cornelius, who has been out long-term with injury, has been training alone and was allowed to travel early to join up with his international side.

• He adds: "I had two conversations in the last couple of days with Derek, I will have a conversation when he comes back from the national team again. We will see after the international break in which direction it goes.

• On Findlay Curtis' Scotland call up for the pre-World Cup friendlies against Japan and Ivory Coast, having performed well on loan at Kilmarnock, Rohl insists "he deserves this opportunity" adding "now it's up to him, maybe he can go for the World Cup. Our goal was that we bring Findlay in the summer back and we get a better player and all these things go in the right direction."

• Rohl dismisses the idea that Aberdeen will be one of the easier games in the title run-in, despite the Dons having won just one of their last nine fixtures, and says "there's not one easy game."

• Rohl stresses Ryan Naderi's overall contribution has been "really great" despite not scoring a league goal since signing in the January transfer window.

• On increased competition for places, Rohl adds, "it's important that we understand that the team is at the moment the most important thing, not the individual."

• Team news: Mohamed Diomande is expected to be available having trained after a shoulder issue. Andreas Skov Olsen has missed this week through illness and will be judged ahead of Saturday and Mikey Moore has had some "small problems" that have had to be managed.

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Former Kilmarnock goalkeeper Cammy Bell has praised Findlay Curtis' "huge impact" on the club - but was delighted Neil McCann said the winger isn't guaranteed a game.

Curtis, 19, this week earned a first senior Scotland call-up after impressing since joining Killie on loan from Rangers two months ago.

"I thought he was excellent last weekend [against Hearts]," Bell told the BBC's Scottish Football Podcast.

"I really did. When I saw him live at the game I thought everything he'd done, his touch, his directness, his movement, his workrate, every single element of his game was excellent.

"Since he's come to Kilmarnock he's had a huge impact on the club. I was surprised when Rangers let him go, to be honest, but I think it's the best thing for him.

"He's moved away, he's got games and he's playing regularly but it's great to hear Neil saying that he's got no guarantees of playing.

"He needs to knuckle down, make sure he's producing that every single week or else he'll be out the team. So there's a demand there.

"I think he's been a real shining light for Kilmarnock."

As Rangers and Aberdeen prepare to go head to head at Ibrox on Saturday night, relive a classic meeting between the sides - a 3-3 draw in 1997.

Canada head coach Jesse Marsch has held talks with Rangers counterpart Danny Rohl about Derek Cornelius training with the Ibrox club's youth team but does not think it helped improve the chances of the 28-year-old on-loan Marseille centre-half being recalled on his return from injury. (The Herald), external

Rangers back-up goalkeeper Liam Kelly has not agreed a new contract beyond the summer, despite a claim by former interim manager Barry Ferguson, but the club do want to keep the 30-year-old, who is waiting for an offer to be tabled amid interest from clubs in Europe and America. (Daily Record), external

Rangers are weighing up a contract extension for 34-year-old captain James Tavernier, but the right-back's age is seen as a major concern and talks have not yet been opened. (Football Insider), external

Former Rangers interim manager Barry Ferguson says Russell Martin was doomed as his successor the moment he sanctioned the exits of winger Vaclav Cerny and striker Cyriel Dessers last summer. (Daily Record)

Read all of Friday's Scottish Gossip

Charlotte Cohen
BBC Sport Scotland

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Rising star Findlay Curtis has gone from the Rangers fringes to Scotland squad - via an impactful stint with Kilmarnock - in the space of eight months.

The 19-year-old began the season with a start and a goal in Rangers' 2-0 home win over Panathinaikos in Champions League qualifying, but struggled to cement a first-team spot under both Russell Martin and Danny Rohl.

Custis made 21 appearances - but just five starts - for Rangers across all competitions, scored three goals and set up a further two before heading on loan to Rugby Park to play under former Ibrox assistants Neil McCann and Billy Dodds.

Since making the switch to Ayrshire, the versatile youngster has been a standout in a Kilmarnock side fighting for survival.

Curtis has started all but two of Killie's six league games since then - he was ineligible to face parent club Rangers - and played several different positions.

In last weekend's deserved 1-0 win over leaders Hearts, he started on the left side of attack. Against Falkirk the week before, he was on the right and against St Mirren in February he was deployed at right-back. Talk about versatility.

While Curtis has just one assist so far (in Killie's 4-3 win over St Mirren last month) he has been impressive in attack. Despite having only arrived eight weeks ago, his 20 shots is the second most of any Kilmarnock player this season.

Curtis has also created seven chances from open play and three big chances - again the second highest of any Killie player.

The victory over Hearts summed up Curtis' prowess. Scotland boss Steve Clarke was in attendance at Rugby Park to watch the youngster and was clearly impressed as he handed Curtis his first senior call-up for this month's pre-World Cup friendlies.

Custis' five shots last Saturday was the most of any Killie player, in fact only Hearts' Claudio Braga (eight) attempted more. The teenager had six touches in the opposition box - again only Braga (10) had more - and won a game-high 12 duels.

Killie are second bottom of the Premiership, joint on points with St Mirren and nine above Livingston, but if they can keep Curtis firing there can surely be optimism around their chances of survival.

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• Rangers have won their past three league games against Aberdeen by an aggregate score of 8-0; only from January 2001 to August 2002 have they ever won more in a row against the Dons without conceding (six).

• New Aberdeen boss Stephen Robinson has lost nine of his past 10 league visits to Rangers, with the exception a 2-0 win with St Mirren in February 2025.

• Aberdeen have lost their past four league visits to Ibrox, the latest three without scoring. Only in August 2002 have they lost four in a row away to Rangers without reply.

• Rangers are unbeaten in all 13 of their league matches played since Christmas Day (W9 D4), picking up 31 points in this time, at least five more than any other Premiership side.

• Aberdeen have only won one of their past 14 league games (D3 L10), a 6-2 victory over bottom side Livingston in January. They have only scored six goals in the 13 matches they failed to win in this period.