Rangers

Tyrone Smith
BBC Sport Scotland Senior Reporter

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Ross County manager Don Cowie says playing Rangers in the league at Hampden rather than Ibrox will be "something fresh" and an "exciting challenge" for his players.

The sides meet at the national stadium on 24 August after Rangers agreed a relocation up to early September due to delayed construction work at their own ground.

"It will be different, it will be an exciting challenge for the group," said Cowie.

"Not many have probably played at Hampden. Even myself, who had a long career, except for playing for Scotland, it was somewhere I never played in a league or cup match so it will be something fresh for them.

"In terms of the circumstances which lead us to Hampden, it is what it is. We just deal with that and get on with it."

Having needed a play-off victory over Raith Rovers to preserve County's Premiership status last season, Cowie hopes to avoid a similar struggle in the new campaign and cited the example of over-achievers Dundee, St Mirren and Kilmarnock, who all finished in the top six.

"We proved three years ago when we get it right you can get into that top six," he added.

"Kilmarnock, St Mirren and Dundee had excellent seasons last year and proved what you can do when you can find that consistency. That is something we need to strive for.

"Always it has to be first and foremost to stay in the league, we realise the challenge of being in the Scottish Premiership and how competitive it is going to be this year.

"But at the same time you have got to be ambitious and it is about starting well and taking it on from there."

Philippe Clement says he wants to bring Abdallah Sima back to Rangers permanently, but a deal is currently "not possible" due to Brighton's asking price for the Senegalese forward. (Daily Record, external)

Rangers appear unlikely to sign Kosovo international Albion Rrahmani with Rapid Bucharest determined to keep hold of the striker. (Daily Record, external)

Sevilla's Joan Jordan has been told to find a new club amid loan interest from Rangers. (Daily Record, external)

Read the rest of Tuesday's Scottish gossip here.

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Manager Philippe Clement has been discussing pre-season, academy players and transfer strategy with RangersTV, external as their Netherlands-based training camp ends.

Here's the best of what the Ibrox boss said:

On pre-season aims...

"You always want to win, we are all winners but it's pre-season. It's about giving everybody chances and also building up playing minutes.

"Players are not ready to play 90 minutes and do all the training, so the most important thing is that the team is growing and the squad is growing with every game."

On summer exits and arrivals...

"There are several older players who left the club who were not at their peak any more - like Jon McLaughlin, Borna Barisic, Ryan Jack - and they're replaced already by young talented people.

"There are some who are more longer term like Clinton Nsiala, he will not be ready from the start. You have others who can step in directly who will grow and become better like Connor Barron and Jefte. "

On academy players' chances...

"We want to give them chances to make the step up from academy to first team, step by step."

On future transfer plans...

"We've been looking at a lot of players, had a lot of talks, some deals we could do, some we could not. Everybody is working hard on that.

"We're not where we want to be at the end of the August but I don't think that's the case for any team in the world.

"We work hard with the players who are in the building to be ready for the first game and then we will see. I know for fans you think everything is possible at the moment but that's not the reality.

"I think the most important thing is that everybody is aligned about the plans, the board, the recruitment staff, me. Not only short term but also long term."

Manager Philippe Clement reckons Rangers should only consider selling Jack Butland if there is an offer of £30m for the goalkeeper. (Daily Record), external

Rangers striker Cyriel Dessers reveals there has been "some interest" from other clubs but the 29-year-old hopes to stay at Ibrox. (Ziggo Sport Voetbal via Football Scotland, external)

Read the rest of Monday's Scottish gossip.

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Rangers boss Philippe Clement enjoyed an "interesting and difficult test" against Ajax in Saturday’s 2-1 friendly defeat.

Tom Lawrence was on target for the Ibrox side in the Netherlands, while Danilo made a comeback from long-term injury.

However, Nico Raskin was seen leaving the Mulderssingel stadium in Wezep on crutches after being withdrawn late in the first half.

"He twisted his ankle," Clement told RangersTV. "I hope it’s not too bad because we cannot lose players. It was an unlucky duel. We will see."

On Danilo's first appearance since December, the Belgian added: "It’s great to see his smile again after seven horror months for him because he loves so much to play football."

Despite the loss, Clement said he had seen "positive things" against Ajax.

"It was a game on a European level against a good team," he explained.

"We knew also that they were further into their preparation because they have qualification games on 25 July.

"We created really good chances against them with a few really good combinations through the midfield.

"Several midfielders are already reaching a very good level, like Mohamed Diomande, Connor Barron, Tom Lawrence and Scott Wright came in and was dangerous in the second half."

Rangers are increasingly likely to accept an offer for Connor Goldson, with Birmingham City leading the race for the central defender. (Football Insider), external

Manager Philippe Clement reveals Rangers will need to sell players before he can press ahead with his squad rebuild, admitting he had "other expectations" when taking the job last October. (Daily Record), external

Sevilla have rejected a loan approach from Rangers for Joan Jordan and the 30-year-old midfielder hopes to force his way back into the first-team plans at the La Liga club. (El Desmarque via Daily Record, external)

Rangers have made enquires on Cheik Niasse, with the midfielder at Swiss club Young Boys also attracting interest from Serie A side Udinese. (Gianluigi Longari on X), external

Rangers are listening to offers for Romania midfielder Ianis Hagi and will sell him for a seven-figure fee. (Football Insider), external

Rangers will receive a sell-on fee as former midfielder Glen Kamara heads for an £8.6m move from Leeds United to Ligue 1 side Stade Rennais. (Fabrizio Romano on X), external

Read the rest of Sunday's Scottish gossip.

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Image source, SNS

Rangers ended their training camp in the Netherlands with a 2-1 defeat to Ajax.

Kian Fitz-Jim opened the scoring for the Dutch side in Wezep, sending in a low shot from a tight angle, but Rangers soon levelled with a fine free-kick from Tom Lawrence.

Ajax regained the lead before the break with a free-kick of their own as Jack Butland failed to keep out Branco van den Boomen's effort.

Despite the loss, Philippe Clement was boosted by the return of striker Danilo, who played his first minutes since suffering a serious knee injury in December.

James Tavernier's future with Rangers is in limbo as the Ibrox club decide whether or not they want to cash in on their captain to strengthen the squad, but any potential bids for the 32-year-old right-back from Saudi Arabian clubs are likely to arrive late in the summer transfer window. (Football Insider), external

Rangers know they will not recoup the £3.5m they paid Atalanta for Sam Lammers and will snap the hands off any club offering £2m for the 27-year-old forward who was on loan to Utrecht. (Football Insider), external

Liam Kelly, the 28-year-old Scotland squad goalkeeper, insists that his return to Rangers is worth sacrificing the Motherwell captaincy, regular action and potentially his international place for as understudy to Jack Butland. (Daily Record), external

Read Saturday's Scottish Gossip in full here.

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The uncertainty around Rangers' stadium situation is a "shambles" from senior club officials, says A View from the Terrace presenter Craig Telfer.

On Thursday, chairman John Bennett said the club are in the final stages of confirming a temporary switch to Hampden Park after a "delay in materials shipment" left Ibrox off the table for the start of the season.

"Rangers would have known this was in the pipeline months before the season finished," Telfer told BBC's Scottish Football Podcast.

"The fact we're on the cusp of the new season and there's still dubiety over where they'll be playing, it's a bit of a shambles from senior members at the club."

Telfer was sceptical when asked whether Rangers will be able to recreate the ferocious Ibrox atmosphere at the national stadium.

"No is how I would answer that," he said. "Hampden can be a cauldron. When the national team are playing, in the right circumstances, under the lights, it can be noisy.

"I'm not sure if Rangers fans will be able to recreate that for their European qualifiers. It's something they've done really well in Europe, making advantage of Ibrox.

"The games against Dortmund and Leipzig, it was really difficult for the opposition to get into a rhythm. I'm not sure they'll have the same advantage at Hampden."

Rangers manager Philippe Clement admits new signings Clinton Nsiala and Hamza Igamane are not first-team ready and have been brought in with an eye to the future. (Football Scotland), external

Read the rest of Friday's Scottish gossip.

We asked for your views on what would be a successful season for Rangers this time around.

Here’s what some of you said:

David: Champions League qualification and winning the league has to be the goal this season, we need the Champions League money to really grow as a club in the right direction and we have to show we won't "bottle" it. Cups would be nice, but the league has to take priority.

Matthew: People will likely say the title, and while that would be great, we're assembling what looks like a much younger team which might take time to gel, so a couple of victories over Celtic, and the new signings proving themselves to show that we can lay a glove again, and to give the fans some excitement in our recruitment, would be a success to me!

Phil: Top priority must be to wrestle the title from Celtic. In order to do that we must put together a team that is capable of beating Celtic. The manager will be judged on the players he recruits this summer.

Mari: Number one priority is winning the league title. We must show mentality and more belief in ourselves especially in Old Firm games. It's a big ask with so many young, new players who will need to hit the ground running! Second best isn't acceptable long-term, let’s get some pride back, we deserve that much.

Billy: The prime objective for me is winning the league. Second to that I would like to see Rangers implement a much more positive and attacking philosophy than what has been the norm for far too long.

Chris: The only way this will be a successful season is winning the league. Nothing else matters in my eyes.

James: They have to be champions at the end of the season. Anything else would be a failure and a total disaster.

Alex: Winning the league as a minimum. A double would be good, and knockout stages in Europe. Anything less than a league win will be another failure.

Drew: Nothing less than winning the title is good enough this, and every season. Rangers seem to have lost that mentality in recent years, but it's what Rangers is built on, a winning mentality. First is everything, second is nowhere.

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Motherwell boss Stuart Kettlewell says speculation surrounding the "outstanding" Lennon Miller is going nowhere as he is "getting better and better every day".

Reports this week suggested Rangers are keeping a close eye on the teenage midfielder, who is already an integral part of the Fir Park side at the age of just 17.

When asked about the Ibrox club's potential interest, Kettlewell said: "I see speculation continuing on someone who is an outstanding footballer.

"Clubs will be linked with him constantly, they have been since he was a young kid. We signed him on a long-term deal for a reason.

"He knows this is a brilliant place for him to play and he's getting better and better every day."

Kettlewell also confirmed there has been interest in striker Theo Bair, whose Canada side were eliminated from the Copa America last four by Argentina this week.

Bair, who scored 15 goals in an impressive campaign last term after a tough spell at St Johnstone, did not feature for his national side at the tournament.

However, his Motherwell boss still hopes it was a valuable experience for the 24-year-old and says he would "love to have him here this season and beyond".

"But that situation is out of my control," he adds. "We did a lot of work to get Theo to the club and did a lot of work while he's been here.

"We've shown him a lot of faith and a lot of trust, but he's repaid us as well. We'd love to have him here this season and beyond - but if people offer big numbers, we're a selling club."

Rangers are interested in Motherwell midfielder Lennon Miller and had the 17-year-old watched in last weekend's friendly win at Livingston. (Football Scotland), external

Rangers are close to agreeing a deal that will see them relocate to Hampden for the start of the season due to delays with construction work at Ibrox, with planned pitch upgrades at the national stadium put on hold. (Daily Record), external

The initial agreement, to be ratified within days, will be for Rangers to play up to five games at Hampden. (Scottish Sun), external

Rangers target Albion Rrahmani insists he will only ask to leave Rapid Bucharest for a top five European league following talks with manager Neil Lennon. (Daily Record), external

Read the rest of Thursday's Scottish gossip.

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Image source, SNS

Rangers drew 0-0 with Standard Liege as part of their training camp in the Netherlands, as Philippe Clement's side continue their preparations for the new season.

Alex Lowry hit the post late in the second half, but Rangers were unable to find the back of the net.

Clement used two very different XIs in each half, with Jack Butland the only Rangers player to play the 90 minutes.

The Ibrox side next face Ajax on Saturday, before returning to Glasgow next week.

Rangers fans, the bar for success at Ibrox is always incredibly high, but what would constitute a successful season this time around?

Have your say on what you want to see from Philippe Clement's side, external.

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It's 29 years to the day since Rangers broke their club record transfer fee to sign Paul Gascoigne from Lazio.

The maverick midfielder arrived on Glasgow's southside for more than £4m, and made an instant impact at Ibrox as Rangers won a league-and-cup double in the 1995-96 season.

The England international famously scored a hat-trick against Aberdeen in the penultimate game of the league season to clinch the title.

Gascoigne made over 100 appearances for Rangers, and won the league and Scottish League Cup in the 1996-97 season before joining Middlesbrough in 1998.

In: Jefte, defender (Fluminese, undisclosed); Hamza Igamane, forward (FAR Rabat, undisclosed); Connor Barron, midfielder (Aberdeen, undisclosed); Mohamed Diomande, midfielder (Nordsjaelland, loan to permanent, undisclosed); Liam Kelly, goalkeeper (Motherwell); Clinton Nsiala, defender (AC Milan).

Loan in: Oscar Cortes, forward (Lens).

Out: John Lundstram, midfielder (Trabzonspor); Borna Barisic, defender (Trabzonspor); Robby McCrorie, goalkeeper (Kilmarnock, undisclosed); Arron Lyall, forward (Greenock Morton); Ryan Jack, midfielder; Kemar Roofe, forward; Jon McLaughlin, goalkeeper.

Loan ended: Abdallah Sima, forward (Brighton & Hove Albion); Fabio Silva, forward (Wolverhampton Wanderers).

Loan out: Jay Hogarth, goalkeeper (Queen of the South); Jacob Pazikas, goalkeeper (Stranraer); Kieran Wright (Airdrieonians).

Read the Scottish Premiership ins & outs in full here.

Catania have emerged as the latest club to have interest in striker Cyriel Dessers, who Rangers want £4.2m for. (Tuttomercatoweb, in Italian)

Sam Lammers is training with Rangers' B team after being left out of the trip to the Netherlands, where Philippe Clement's side take on Standard Liege then Ajax. (Scottish Sun)

Rangers recruitment chief Nils Koppen says the club will keep a firm eye on Scottish talent and aim to develop their standout talents for the biggest teams on the planet. (Daily Record)

Ex-Aberdeen and Rangers forward Sone Aluko has taken up the role of first-team coach at Ipswich just weeks after retiring as a player. (Scottish Sun)

Read the rest of Wednesday's gossip

Jane Lewis
BBC Sport Scotland senior reporter

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Kilmarnock are close to signing Rangers goalkeeper Robby McCrorie on a permanent deal.

The 26-year-old has played just five times for the Ibrox side, spending time out on loan at Livingston, Queen of the South, Greenock Morton and Berwick Rangers over the past seven years.

A move to Rugby Park for the former Scotland Under-21 international would open the door to more game time.

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Life as an Old Firm player is one of intense pressure and scrutiny.

It's also a life of scoring more than 20 goals in a season and it not being enough to hush your doubters.

Despite scoring on 22 occasions during his debut campaign at Rangers, striker Cyriel Dessers was a much-maligned figure throughout last term and has been linked with a move away from Glasgow this summer.

The Nigeria forward is perhaps more known for the chances he's missed, rather than the ones he's scored, which is why ex-Ibrox striker Billy Dodds feels his former club have to upgrade on that position.

Rangers have been busy this summer, with two of their six new recruits playing in forward positions - striker Hamza Igamane and returning winger Oscar Cortes.

But Dodds is urging his former team to find someone who can "take a better percentage of their chances".

Speaking on the BBC's Scottish Football Podcast, he said: "Nothing against Dessers, but if you miss too many when you play with Rangers, you've got to have a better return.

"I think you need somebody who's hitting 30. If you hit 30-plus at Rangers or Celtic, you have a great chance of winning the title.

"So [they] certainly [need] a striker that takes a better percentage of chances and that mentality again has got to change."