Rangers

Chris McLaughlin
Scotland sports news correspondent

Image source, Getty Images

Rangers chief executive Jim Gillespie believes Derek McInnes is a "Jurgen Klopp style manager".

McInnes was appointed as Rangers head coach this summer following the departure of Danny Rohl, who left the Glasgow club to take over at Austrian side RB Salzburg.

Klopp, who has been named head coach of the German national team, won the Champions League, Premier League, FA Cup and English League cup during his time with Liverpool.

And Gillespie believes McInnes is of a similar style to the German boss.

At a shareholder meeting in Glasgow, Gillespie was asked about the appointment of McInnes, who fell just short of winning the title with Heart of Midlothian last season.

"You can go for a Pep [Guardiola] style manager or a [Jurgen] Klopp style manager - we wanted a Klopp-style manager who plays on the front foot," Gillespie said.

"I think in terms of Rangers' game model and what fans' expectations are, we wanted a Klopp-type manager who was on the front foot and played aggressive football and created chances and score goals.

"Derek McInnes is a Klopp-style manager. Underneath that is the structure that he wants to play, the conversations about how successful he has been.

"He is just off the back of a great season at Hearts, and the character the Hearts team showed and some of the characteristics that he has, his Scottish experience – he has managed over 500 games I think."

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Rangers striker Lawrence Shankland has seen enough from his side to believe they are heading in the right direction.

The former Hearts striker joined the Glasgow club earlier this summer, along with manager Derek McInnes as the Ibrox side continue to search for their first win under the new boss.

Rangers drew 1-1 with Dundee United in their first league game of the new season last week, before losing 2-1 to Jagiellonia Bialystok in the first leg of the Europa League qualifier.

Sunday's defeat to Hibernian became the third game in a row McInnes' side have failed to win but Shankland sees no cause for concern yet.

"I think the biggest thing that went wrong is we never won," Shankland said of Sunday's performance against Hibs.

"Performance-wise, the amount of chances we created, the amount cleared off the line, we hit the bar, there was enough moments there for us to take encouragement in terms of we're trying to do the right thing to win the game.

"The biggest thing, obviously, you are judged here on results, I totally understand that.

"But if you look to the goals and you looked at what happened in the game, the amount of moments we had, as I said, I think there was only one team that looked like they were actually going to win it. So that's the frustrating part."

Rangers are now five points behind rivals Celtic at the top of the table and supporters, frustrated by the performance, booed at full-time.

"I understand it," Shankland, a boyhood Rangers fan, added.

"I've been a fan, I've been in stands before and I understand people wanting you to score every single time you've got the ball. But we understand that it's not possible.

"We need to try and work at it, especially when you come up against a low block. I know people will say this is the same old story, but it's the truth. There were enough moments that I feel we were doing the right thing to try and win the game.

"It's maybe just a wee bit of luck at the minute. I take encouragement for what I've seen in terms of the amount of chances we create around the box.

"In weeks to come, we can take those chances and the results will be better."

Rangers fans, we asked for your views after Sunday's Scottish Premiership defeat to Hibs.

Here's what some of you said:

Tony: Not good enough, five points behind our rivals already. We look as bad as last season. I know it's early doors but we need massive improvement from the next game or I can't see the manager being here for long, hopefully I'm wrong though.

Stuart: What poor start. I thought when we got Derek McInnes we'd be great, especially with signing Lawrence Shankland but I've seen nothing. He better hurry up as his time is going to be running short. We're already five points behind Celtic, pathetic.

David: When are Rangers going to learn you can't gut a team every year. Last year's team were (briefly) at the top of the Premiership, even after the disastrous start. Signing two or three new players of high value would have been better than gutting the team again. Plus, we need to bring some youth through. I fear this will be a repeat of last season - a poor start then the team clicks after three or four months but still too late to win the league. I hope I'm wrong.

David M: We'll hear criticism and it is understandable but we also have to ask how we can have had so many managers and dozens of player changes in the last four or five seasons yet the same failings continue. There has to be a deep rooted issue that isn't being addressed. Maybe the incessant demands and expectations are affecting the players' confidence, each new group is expected to be the one that turns things around.

Louise: New faces, same problems. All our leaders have been sold, more mediocrity brought in and more poor play. I know it's only been two games but the alarm bells are already ringing and it looks like another promise of a rebuild is just another average team who aren't up to the challenge. I would really like for Rangers to kick on and prove me wrong, but I fear Derek McInnes is just going to be another in a long line of managers that have been failed by poor recruitment.

Robert: Seen this movie before. Absolutely no creativity, no-one taking responsibility for creating chances and a complete lack of pace. Rangers hardly look like scoring and there's too much playing backwards and sideways. I think I've written this many times before about Rangers in recent seasons but the defending is truly awful.

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Turkish Super Lig club Corum are discussing the final details with Rangers for the transfer of Mohamed Diomande, with the 24-year-old midfielder expected in Istanbul on Monday for a medical and contract talks. (Ertan Suzgun on X, external)

Corum are closing in on a move to sign Rangers midfielder Mohamed Diomande for a fee of around £4.5m. (Rangers Review, external)

Çorum have made an official offer of £4.8m to Rangers for Mohamed Diomande. (Yagis Sabuncuoglu on X, external)

The bid rejected by Rangers for striker Youssef Chermiti was from Galatasaray for £22m, which would have been a club record sale. (Rangers Review, external)

Frosinone's asking price of £17.1m for Farès Ghedjemis has coolled the interest of quite a few clubs, including Rangers, in the 23-year-old winger. (Foot Mercato, external)

Rangers are exploring a deal for 20-year-old Aston Villa right-back Kosta Nedeljkovic. (Daily Record, external)

Rangers are considering taking Serbia right-back Kosta Nedeljkovic from Aston Villa on a season-long loan. (The Herald, external)

PSV Eindhoven head coach Peter Bosz insists Rangers transfer target Couhaib Driouech was left out of their Eredivisie opener against Fortuna Sittard due to a lack of fitness as the Ibrox club look to strike a £7m deal. (Daily Record, external)

After having a £6m bid rejected, Rangers remain in talks with PSV Eindhoven over a deal for 24-year-old winger Couhaib Driouech, with Burnley and Celta Vigo also interested. (Sky Sports, external)

Read the rest of Monday's Scottish gossip.

Derek McInnes' wait for his first win as Rangers manager goes on after Hibernian claimed back-to-back Scottish Premiership wins at Ibrox and their third win there in as many seasons thanks to Callum Wright's late breakaway goal.

Read the match report here.

Have your say here.

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Rangers manager Derek McInnes tells Premier Sports: "We were guilty of passing up opportunities in the first half and not playing forward enough.

"I've seen it back, I don't think it's a penalty but we have a lot of the game to try and rectify that. I thought it was very soft and surprised the referee is brought over for it [to the monitor].

"When the ball did go into our strikers we were far more effective and I felt the equaliser was deserved and we wanted to win the game. I can't fault my players' effort.

"There are little things going against us at the minute but we have to stay strong, we're not as bad as people think.

"At the minute we are trying to work boys back to the same level of fitness and trying to manage that situation.

"I understand the fan frustration, they want and expect to see their team win. I share the frustration."

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Rangers have made an improved bid for PSV Eindhoven winger Couhaib Driouech, 24. (Sun, external)

Driouech was left out of PSV's squad against Fortuna Sittard but not because a transfer is imminent. (Inside Futbol, external)

Meanwhile, Rangers could receive a second bid from Galatasaray for forward Youssef Chermiti, 22. (Record - subscription required), external

Sunday's Scottish gossip

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• Rangers lost their last league meeting with Hibernian 1-2 at Ibrox in May but have not lost successive top-flight matches against Hibs since November 2005 under Alex McLeish.

• Hibernian have won two of their past three league visits to Rangers (L1) and could win successive trips in the top-flight for just the fourth time, previously doing so in September 1902, October 1985, and February 2018.

• There have been 35 goals scored in Rangers' past seven league games at Ibrox, an average of five per game. Their most recent game was a 2-1 defeat by Hibs in May – they have never lost consecutive home league games against the same team both times. They last duplicated the same result and opponent in April/August 1990, back-to-back wins against Dunfermline Athletic.

• The past six results in Hibernian's Scottish Premiership matches have been away wins – they have lost four home games and won their two away games in this streak. The last side to have a longer run was Rangers between February and April 2025 (7), with the seventh game in that run ending Rangers 0-2 Hibernian.

• Thelo Aasgaard has scored in each of his past three Premiership appearances for Rangers – the last Ibrox player with a longer streak was Cyriel Dessers in April and May 2025 (5 in a row).

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Derek McInnes will assess his Rangers squad following their Europa League qualifying defeat by Jagiellonia Bialystok in Poland. Defender Ben Godfrey is out for the next three to four weeks with a hamstring issue. South Africa centre-back Olwethu Makhanya, the new signing from Philadelphia Union, could make his debut.

Hibernian trio Jack Iredale (appendix), Nicky Cadden and Jamie McGrath (both calf) are pushing for a return but may miss out again, along with Rocky Bushiri (Achilles).

Image source, Getty Images

PSV Eindhoven have rejected Rangers' improved £6m offer for winger Couhaib Driouech and Burnley and Celta Vigo have now entered the race to sign the 24-year-old, with talks at an early stage. (Sky Sports, external)

Driouech has a slight preference for Celta Vigo after the Spanish club entered the race to sign the PSV Eindhoven forward along with Rangers. (Mounir Boualin, external)

Monaco have made Algeria 23-year-old Fares Ghedjemis their top priority for the right-wing position and plan an improved offer after a bid of £6m, plus £1.7m in bonuses, was rejected by Frosinone, who also turned down £8.6m bids from Celtic and Rangers. (L'Equipe - in French, external)

Saturday's Scottish gossip

Liam McLeod
BBC Sport Scotland Commentator

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Defender Ross McCrorie admits Rangers will have to cut out the costly errors if they are to challenge for silverware this season.

Scotland cap McCrorie, 28, earned the first start of his second spell at the the club in Poland as Rangers went down 2-1 to Jagiellonia Bialystok in the first leg of their Europa League third round qualifier on Thursday.

Both goals, along with the one conceded on the opening Premiership match-day at Dundee United, have frustrated manager Derek McInnes and McCrorie felt the same way but sees a bright future if they eradicate those mistakes.

"We've got a new team here, we've got a lot of new players, I don't want to make any excuses, we've no time to dwell on these things," he told BBC Scotland.

"We need to start winning games and start playing better as a whole and as a team, being more together, hopefully you'll see that in the next few games.

"When you come to club like this, this is what you expect, you want that pressure to go out and win every game. That's the demand.

"We're disappointed [not to win on Thursday], but we've still got a game against them to rectify it and go and try and progress to the next round."

McCrorie wants Rangers' squad to make a statement after a tepid start to the season with Hibernian in their sights on Sunday.

"They've got a lot of good players, and I know a few of the boys from being in Scotland previously," he added.

"They're a good outfit but we need to stick to our principles and get back to winning ways.

"You want to make a statement every week at this club, it's all about demanding and have that ruthless edge and that's what we're looking for and to not give teams chances.

"We're looking to cut out those small mistakes that are killing us at the moment."

McCrorie feels at home again at the start of his second spell at Ibrox and reckons he can make an impact.

"I'm 28 now, I'm not the kid I was when I was here previously," he added.

"I want to come here and make a big impact, take the pressure off my shoulders and make us a better outfit."

Rangers fans, we asked for your views after Thursday night's Europa League qualifying first leg defeat to Jagiellonia Bialystok.

Here's what some of you had to say:

Peter: I'm sorry but I don't see anything to get excited about after two games. The talent on the bench and the lack of talent on the pitch sums up a lot for me. This is going to be a long season.

Joseph: We need to give this man time and resources. The constant merry-go-round is not helping the club. We need a new defence - time and time again the players we have in that position are found wanting. Let the man rebuild this great club and return us to the top of Scottish football were we should be. He needs patience at a difficult time for everyone involved with club - fans, players and coaches.

Paul: It's a case of deja vu again for this Rangers side. Carrying on from their failings last season, not only domestically, but in Europe too. It's going to be a long and winding road ahead if they can't beat a relatively poor and inexperienced side in Jagiellonia, albeit away from home. The only real positive note was the performance of the inspirational Findlay Curtis in the second half, but more work has still to be done at Ibrox in the return leg if they have any aspirations of salvaging this tie and progressing further in the tournament.

John: The loss of soft goals and a worrying lack of midfield creativity once again. Seems to be a recurring theme from last season that we fall behind to teams who then sit in and our response is to just lump hopeful balls into the box, looking for a lucky break. Surely we should be better than this. We need to be.

Tom: The subs helped but the slow pace made us easy to defend against. Curtis was the main point of attack but we continually passed the ball out to Ross McCrorie so he could transfer it back to the left. Felt we kept Thelo Aasgard and Youssef Chermiti on for too long as both were poor. I expect us to struggle badly against Hibs

Billy: What a big disappointment. The starting lineup was questionable. We signed a goalscorer in Lawrence Shankland, make him captain and then don't start him in a game we need to score. Nico Raskin should have been on from the start. It will need to be some improvement next week if we are to get through.

Rangers have made a bid of £6m for PSV Eindhoven winger Couhaib Driouech, 24. (Sky Sports, external)

Driouech has not agreed personal terms with Rangers as yet but is open to the move, with PSV and the Ibrox club trying to reach an agreement in the first instance. (Rik Elfrink, external)

However, Celta Vigo are confident of beating Rangers to the signature of Driouech. (Record - subscription required, external)

Friday's Scottish gossip