Rangers

Martin Dowden
BBC Sport Scotland Senior Reporter

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Scottish Premiership player of the month Olwethu Makhanya is buoyed by praise and advice from Rangers legend Richard Gough after starting his Ibrox career impressively.

The South Africa defender, 22, joined in the summer from Philadelphia Union and has been a standout as Rangers have produced a six-game winning run to move second in the league and reach the League Cup semi-finals at Celtic's expense.

Former captain Gough, who grew up in South Africa, recently got in touch and Makhanya said: "We spoke a little bit on Instagram.

"I didn't know much about him as a player but I did some research and saw how successful he was for this club.

"He congratulated for me the way I have been playing and he happens to be an old friend of my agency.

"Before he even reached out to me, I knew about him and he was telling me about his own journey.

"He gave me advice on what to keep doing and all of that. To hear from him meant a lot to me."

Makhanya, who was on duty with his country during the international break, says he's revelling in being part of such a big club and regards the pressure of expectation to deliver as a "privilege".

As Rangers eye top spot with victory over Kilmarnock on Saturday, the centre-back said: "For me to be part of this club is a dream come true. I've always wanted to play at this level. Being here for me is really unreal and a huge blessing.

"It's always good to get individual recognition but football is a team sport and I feel like I was able to get this award because of everyone around me.

"Obviously, right now we're in a good run of form so I feel like we're heading in the right direction. For us now, it is just to keep on doing the things that are working for us.

"I feel like I'm able to embrace everything that I go through now.

"The pressure and everything. A younger me would maybe fall under the pressure but now I understand that pressure is a privilege, especially playing for such a big club with all the expectation, I just always try and make sure I'm in a good space mentally."

• Rangers have won their past five league games, conceding just one goal in the process. They could win four successive league matches without conceding for the first time since December 2024.

• After losing their first four league games of the season, Kilmarnock have since avoided defeat in three (W1 D2).

• Rangers have won their past five league meetings with Kilmarnock, scoring 3+ goals each time.

• Kilmarnock have lost 10 consecutive league visits to Ibrox since a 1-1 draw in March 2019 under Steve Clarke.

• Rangers have won 15 of their past 17 top-flight home matches against sides starting the day bottom of the table (D1 L1), including eight in a row since a 1-0 defeat to Hamilton in March 2020.

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Pressure returns for both Scottish Premiership leaders Celtic and second-top Rangers after the three-week international break, former Celtic and Hibernian midfielder Scott Allan has suggested.

Rangers narrowed the gap with the reigning champions to two points after their 1-0 win over Martin O'Neill's side last month and Allan recognises why Ibrox counterpart Derek McInnes has been left frustrated by the wait for another game.

"Rangers were definitely off the back of building some huge momentum," he told the BBC Scottish Football Podcast.

"If you're a player in that Rangers dressing room at the start of season, you look at the deficit you had to Celtic so early on, then it just shows you when you build that run of games where you go on a winning streak, how you can close the gap.

"And they've done it with some really good performances against Celtic in the cup and Celtic in the league. The pressure will go on Celtic if Rangers are to overcome Kilmarnock."

Allan suggested McInnes had built a "siege mentality, everybody's against us" and also added some quality players after Rangers' poor start to his tenure.

"That's not to say they're a great brand of football, they're not, but they've found that way - having real athleticism on the team now," he said.

However, Allan thought that, having beaten Celtic twice in quick succession, the pressure was on to prove they have "that consistency" against other teams after the international break.

Then again, if Rangers go top with a win at Rugby Park, the spotlight switches to O'Neill's side away to Motherwell on Sunday "because all eyes are on Celtic at this moment".

The chances of Celtic or Rangers reignited their interest in Fares Ghedjemis appear to have ended after the 24-year-old winger signed a contract extension with Frosinone until 2030 after the club promoted to Serie A slapped an £18m price tag on the Algeria international. (Glasgow Times, external)

Rangers will be able to land Excelsior centre-back Casper Widell for a fee of less than £2m in January if they remain interested as the 23-year-old is out of contract next summer. (Football Insider, external)

Bolton Wanderers centre-half Ben Davies is grateful for experiencing Champions League, Europa League and cup finals with Rangers but wishes it was a more successful time for the team. (Bolton News, external)

Read Friday's Scottish Gossip in full.

Martin Dowden
BBC Sport Scotland Senior Reporter

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Rangers manager Derek McInnes insists his resurgent side will need to keep improving if they are to have "the season we want".

McInnes picked up the Scottish Premiership manager of the month award after winning all five fixtures in September, including a League Cup and league double against Celtic.

That form has taken the Ibrox side to second in the table, just two points behind Martin O'Neill's side, with the chance to go top with a win over Kilmarnock at home on Saturday.

"It has been a strong month," McInnes said. "It was a month that we needed to really find. There was a lot of soul searching at the start of the season, a lot of unconvincing performances.

"What we've had is a bit of certainty, a bit of consistency. With that has come some positive results. For us now, it's just trying to maintain that.

"It's easier said than done, of course. We're only just into the infancy of the season. There's still so much to play for and we want to just try and maintain it.

"We're going to get judged over a period of months, not just one month and a few weeks. Everybody's under no illusions about us having to keep the shoulder to the wheel and keep cracking on to get those improvements."

McInnes pointed to a strong recent record of clean sheets alongside more attacking threat as being key to their run of six straight wins, but cautioned against getting carried away.

"We've had a wee flavour of what potentially we could become as a team," he said. "We're going to have to improve even more if we want to have the season we want.

"It's important that everybody recognises that it's been better recently but there's still work to do.

"There'll be no real chat about going to the top of the league. It's just a chat about making sure we do all we can to win the game and the importance of these three points - it's the same importance as it was the three points at Celtic Park.

"And players need to realise that, we can't pick and choose our games when to play well. At this club, you've got to make sure it's an all-time thing."

Thomas Duncan
BBC Sport Scotland

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Rangers manager Derek McInnes has been speaking to the media before Saturday's home game against Kilmarnock (15:00 BST) in the Scottish Premiership.

Here are the main points:

• McInnes says the three-week international break has been "too long", insisting it is "tough" for players to be away from their families and nervous for the club having them under the auspices of so many different federations.

• Midfielder Cammy Devlin will be out for about six weeks with a hamstring strain picked up against Celtic - but Dujon Sterling has been training and Dan Neil is fine.

• McInnes' Premiership manager of the month award is also recognition for the players and staff, and it was a run of results "they needed to find".

• Rangers will be judged over a period of months, not just a few weeks, and the club are under "no illusions about keeping the shoulder to the wheel" to keep improving.

• Sir Alex Ferguson dropped in on Tuesday for lunch and spent time with the staff and continues to be "really supportive" of McInnes personally.

• McInnes says the biggest drain of confidence is conceding cheap goals and Rangers have "kept the back door shut" with a run of clean sheets, while their output in attack is improving, but needs to improve more.

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Rangers' flawless form in September has yielded an awards double, with Derek McInnes and Olwethu Makhanya named Scottish Premiership manager and player of the month respectively.

McInnes steered Rangers to four league wins from four, culminating in back-to-back derby victories as they followed their League Cup quarter-final success over Celtic with a 1-0 triumph at Parkhead.

Defender Makhanya, 22, continued the impressive start to his Ibrox career by playing every minute of Rangers' five games in September, in which McInnes' side conceded just one goal.

"It's pleasing to receive this award, but it is recognition of the collective effort of the players and staff," said McInnes.

"I am fortunate to have a dedicated group of staff around me who work tirelessly every day.

"We had a fantastic run of results before the international break and the players deserve great credit for their efforts too. We want to keep building on that and are looking forward to returning to Scottish Premiership action this weekend."

South Africa centre-back Makhanya, a summer arrival from Philadelphia Union, is "proud" to receive award recognition, adding: "I'd like to thank my team-mates and all the staff for their support.

"They have helped me settle in and feel part of the group and that makes a big difference when you come to a new club.

"I want to keep working hard, keep improving and help the team get the results we want."

Nick McPheat
BBC Sport Scotland

Are underlying numbers from the start of the Scottish Premiership season suggesting a refreshed approach could be taking hold across the league?

Well, the success stories at Motherwell and Falkirk last season seem to have had an influence.

Dundee United boss Jim Goodwin was humble enough to reveal that Jens Berthel Askou - now head coach at Toulouse in Ligue 1 - has inspired him to change his ways after more than 15 years as a player and manager in Scotland.

Goodwin's side are one of a number of Premiership teams to have undergone a stylistic shift this term, and that is reflected in the league's overall numbers, albeit the sample size remains small after just seven matches for each club.

Compared with the previous five Scottish top-flight seasons, passes per game have soared to 886. That is an increase of 58 on last term. Five years ago, the average was 795.

Passing accuracy is also at a high of 81%, which is quite a remarkable increase on the 73% recorded in 2023-24.

That is down to more short passing. The percentage of long passes across the league (13%) is now at its lowest level of the past five years. Perhaps surprisingly, Hearts and Rangers go long more than any other teams.

Goodwin's United, meanwhile, have gone from average possession of 42% last term to 50% this season. Their accurate passes per match have rocketed from 219 to 320.

It is a similar story for St Mirren under Craig McLeish and Neil McCann's Kilmarnock, while league leaders Celtic and Alfred Johansson's Motherwell are locked at the top of the possession chart on 61%.

The promotion of St Johnstone back into the league, replacing Livingston, has added another side who aim to play a more expansive brand.

The recent appointment of Dutch head coach Marink Reedijk at Hibernian will only enhance that.

Read more: Why early-season data points to Premiership style shift

Martin Dowden & Andy Campbell
BBC Scotland

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Rangers skipper Lawrence Shankland is delighted understudy Dan Neil has seen his fortunes turn around in recent weeks.

Neil, the club's vice-captain, has led Rangers in their past three games since Shankland picked up a hamstring injury that will keep him out until early next year.

The midfielder, 24, scored his first Rangers goals in the 3-0 League Cup win over Celtic at Ibrox and Derek McInnes' side followed that up with a 1-0 Premiership victory at Celtic Park.

"I was delighted for Dan Neil," Shankland said of the former Sunderland and Ipswich player who arrived in Glasgow in July.

"Obviously, you come here, the expectation's really big and when things aren't going very well, people like to be vocal about it and they get on your back.

"I felt Dan had a bit of a tough run at the start and I felt for him the rewards for obviously getting the two goals in the Old Firm, two really, really good finishes - it was what I was seeing at training every day and the player that's in there.

"It was important for him that he had a moment like that and I felt he's really pushed on from there.

"He's led the team really well and getting two spectacular goals always helps."

Martin Dowden & Andy Campbell
BBC Scotland

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Lawrence Shankland hopes to be involved in Scotland's March fixtures after missing the autumn games recovering from surgery.

The Rangers striker went under the knife following a hamstring tear and is hopeful of a return to club action around January time.

Scotland won one, drew one and lost two of their opening four Nations League matches in the first of this season's international breaks, with more games against North Macedonia and Switzerland scheduled for next month.

Sebastien Pocognoli's side will have either friendly matches or Euro 2028 qualifiers in late March.

"I'll get myself fit as quick as possible and hopefully it'll be March camp that I could possibly be a part of," Shankland said. I'll hope to get myself involved there.

"You want to be out there on the pitch every chance you can get to play for the national team. It's disappointing to miss out on the camp and just not have the opportunity to be involved.

Shankland has not yet spoken with Belgian Pocognoli and says the "mixed bag" of results over the past fortnight is understandable.

"You could see there were a lot of ideas that the boys were trying to implement in the games," Shankland said. "It's a lot more difficult to implement it in games than it is in training. These things take a bit of time.

"There's always going to be teething problems at the start of a new manager's reign and it's early days for him. The boys will improve. It would've been good for them to get four games under the manager, a lot of new faces in the squad and things will improve as they go on.

"There's changes of system, formations and obviously a lot of personnel as well."

Tyrone Smith
BBC Sport Scotland Senior Reporter

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BBC Sport Scotland has been taking a look at away ticket pricing in Scottish football.

It is an issue which has been tackled at the highest level south of the border, with a £30 away ticket cap having been in operation in the Premier League for a decade.

Is anything similar on the agenda north of the border?

While it doesn't appear to be at the moment, we have been canvassing the thoughts of fans across the Premiership.

An adult away fan going to a league game at Rangers will pay between £34-£39, with concessions ranging from £12 to £27.

Rangers fan Jamie Currie says: "As someone who goes home and away, I find away pricing vastly overpriced given the product.

"It should be capped at £20 but it's the biggest earner for clubs so it's a catch 22.

"I think it all comes from the bottom, though. For some League 1 games it's £18-20 for an adult so until those prices fall then the top flight will price accordingly."

Read more: Are SPFL away tickets too expensive?

Alasdair Lamont
BBC Sport Scotland Commentator

After an ultimately disappointing international break, many Rangers fans will be anxiously waiting to see if their side can pick up where they left off three weeks ago.

The back-to-back wins over Celtic feel like a long time ago and Derek McInnes must do his utmost to ensure the momentum is not stymied by the hiatus.

Players will return to training over the next day or two and McInnes will have to assess the fitness of those who have been involved at international level and the sharpness of those who have not before deciding his starting XI to play Kilmarnock on Saturday.

Victory at Ibrox this weekend will put Rangers top for the first time this season and the psychology of that could be important.

Celtic, currently two points ahead, must wait till the Sunday to travel to Motherwell and numerous former players have spoken about the added pressure of playing a day later if your rivals have won the previous afternoon.

While Killie are bottom of the league, they picked up their first Premiership win of the season in their last away game at Easter Road and are unbeaten in four in all competitions (not counting the penalties defeat to Aberdeen in the League Cup).

It will be interesting to see if Neil McCann sets his team up to try to frustrate Rangers or sticks to his own attacking principles and has a go.

Rangers would surely prefer the latter approach as they have struggled in recent years to break down stuffy teams sitting deep, while preferring the space offered by more adventurous opposition.

This is the first of five Premiership games before the next international break. A winning start to that run is imperative.

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Rangers striker Ryan Naderi made his first start for the Czech Republic in the 3-0 Nations League defeat to England.

Having made his international debut three days earlier as a substitute in the 3-1 loss to Spain, Naderi played the full game at Wembley as the Czechs remained pointless and bottom of Group A3 after a fourth defeat from four.

With the visitors registering just five shots - zero on target - and mustering an xG of just 0.17, it was a tough night for the 23-year-old.

He created one chance, had 25 touches - none in the opposition box - completed 11 of his 14 passes and won four of his 17 duels.

Naderi, who scored the winner at Celtic Park in Rangers' last game before the international break, will now return to Ibrox as the club prepare to resume their Premiership campaign at home to Kilmarnock on Saturday.

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Ex-England striker Emile Heskey believes a loan move to Rangers or Celtic could help fast-track the development of Arsenal teenager Max Dowman. (The Herald - subscription required, external)

Rangers chairman Andrew Cavenagh is looking to sell the healthcare company he set up with Ibrox board member Andrew Clayton in a deal worth £4.5b, according to reports in the US. (Daily Record - subscription required, external)

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Aston Villa remain admirers of Nicolas Raskin, with those close to the Belgium midfielder believing the Premier League is his likely destination next year despite Rangers turning down a £12m offer from Hull City this summer. (TeamTalk, external)

Kilmarnock coach Kirk Broadfoot has been impressed with Bailey Rice, 20, since he joined on loan from Rangers and expects the midfielder to be "an asset" to the Ibrox club. (Sun, external)

Tuesday's Scottish gossip

The next five fixtures "will really shape the season" for Rangers, believes former midfielder Andy Halliday.

Having achieved back-to-back victories over Celtic, Derek McInnes' men return from the international break by welcoming Kilmarnock to Ibrox on Saturday.

They then travel to Dundee and host St Johnstone before a trip to Hearts as they aim to reel in their city rivals at the summit.

The crucial five-match run ends with their League Cup semi-final against McInnes' former side Aberdeen at Hampden.

"Tough run of games coming up," Halliday told BBC Scotland. "The next five will really shape the season, I think.

"But if they take the momentum they've carried forward from previous games, they will be attacking them head-on with a lot of confidence."

McInnes has turned things around after a challenging start, winning six matches in a row to progress to the last four of the League Cup and move within two points of Celtic at the top of the Scottish Premiership.

Former Rangers player Halliday added: "The team had a lot of criticism at the start of this season, probably rightly so, and they've had a lot of praise over the past month or two, again rightly so.

"I can't remember many Rangers performances that were as comfortable as that at Celtic Park last time out.

"The break has probably not come at a great time for them, but I'm sure they've been working hard to come back and start all over again."

Former Rangers forward Martyn Waghorn wishes he could have stayed longer at Ibrox. (Record - subscription required, external)

Waghorn backs Rangers manager Derek McInnes to deliver silverware. (Sun, external)

Monday's Scottish gossip