In response to Tottenham’s Europa League draw, Ange Postecoglou, the former Celtic manager, braced for Rangers’ “welcome”

This season, the Hoops Treble-winner will rejoin Spurs north of the border.

Ange Postecoglou made a joke about how he anticipates a boisterous welcome at Ibrox following Tottenham’s Europa League draw against Rangers.

This season, the former Celtic boss will make a return to Glasgow for a box office European match at Govan. The date will be revealed on Saturday morning. Earlier this summer, Postecoglou was back north of the border when Spurs defeated Hearts 5-1 at Tynecastle in a preseason friendly.

But as he gets ready to bring his star-studded side to Ibrox, the Australian is getting ready for fireworks. In his two years at Parkhead, Postecoglou was a revelation. In his first season, he successfully defended the title against the Rangers. After leading the Hoops to an unprecedented eighth Treble, the 59-year-old left for White Hart Lane.

And Big Ange responded to the tantalising draw ahead of this weekend’s trip to Premier League rivals Newcastle United. “Exciting,” he remarked. It is beneficial to partake in. A few enjoyable games. Ibrox will welcome me with open arms, and I’m sure they’ll be excited to see me.”

Full Rangers Europa League draw

Tottenham (H)

Manchester United (A)

Olympiacos (A)

SG (H) of the Union

Malmo (A)

FCSB (H)

Pleasant (A)

Rangers are prepared to sign an ex-Clement star on loan, and they will pay the majority of the team’s wages

Stanley Nsoki, defender for Hoffenheim, is being considered by Rangers for a loan move, the Scottish Daily Mail reports.

On August 29, the newspaper’s print edition (page 71) revealed that Philippe Clement is eager to expand his options for central defence.

Rangers are trying to get Nsoki to Ibrox, and they have gotten in touch with Hoffenheim.

If the Gers paid the majority of the 25-year-old’s salary, the Bundesliga team would allow him to go on loan.

Stanley Nsoki to join Rangers on loan from Hoffenheim?

It is no secret that Clement requires centre-back bolstering. Conor Goldson and Ben Davies’ departures have left the Gers especially thin in that area of the pitch.

Leon Balogun, Robin Propper, and John Souttar are the only recognised centre backs for the team. But money is tight in Glasgow, so it won’t be feasible to sign a big-name player.

Clement still has time to take advantage of the loan market because the transfer window is still open for business, with just over a day left.

And it would be quite the coup to bring Nsoki to Ibrox if his current career is any indication.

The Frenchman played for France’s Under-21 team after rising through the ranks at Paris Saint-Germain. He is acquainted with Clement because the player played for Club Brugge under the Belgian’s guidance in the past.

Rangers could sign Stanley Nsoki on loan (Credit: Scottish Daily Mail)

Nsoki is a quick left-sided centre back, and his relationship with Clement may persuade him to join Rangers before the transfer window closes on Friday, August 30.

After having his “head turned,” an ex-Rangers player makes a dramatic managerial U-turn, leaving the SPFL club in limbo

The record goal scorer for Northern Ireland has agreed to a new contract with the NIFL Premiership team.

Former Rangers title winner David Healy has declined an offer from Raith Rovers to take over at Stark’s Park after deciding to extend his contract with Linfield, an NIFL Premiership team.

The Scottish Championship team made a bold attempt last week to approach the record-scoring player in Northern Ireland in the hopes of convincing him to take over as manager. However, they have now suffered a serious setback in their search for a new manager as the Fifers believed they had found their man.

Healy, who has family in Scotland, was reportedly “confident” that Rovers had done enough to entice him back across the Irish Sea to replace Ian Murray, who was fired earlier this month after just one game of the new campaign. It is understood that he applied for the position and that everyone agreed on personal terms. But following a weekend of tough negotiations with his present team, Linfield, the 45-year-old has accepted the offer of a better contract and has chosen to stay at Windsor Park.

Healy, who played for a season at Ibrox in the 2011–12 season, was thought to be eager to try his luck in Scotland since his current contract was set to expire the following summer. He had been linked to managerial positions in the past. However, as the second-tier team gets ready to start over, his decision to turn down the opportunity to take over as Rovers’ manager will be a major blow.

After Aberdeen first-team coach Peter Leven recently declined the position, it is the latest dead end Raith have encountered in their search for a new manager. Earlier this summer, they were also denied access to St Mirren No. 2 Diarmuid O’Carroll; at the moment, director of football John Potter is in temporary charge of first-team matters. After a valiant effort to hold onto their five-time championship winning manager, Linfield declared on Monday night that Healy had signed new contract. Healy made the following statement regarding his decision to remain in his current position: “I am grateful to the board for their support and I am happy that the club was willing to extend my contact at Linfield. Everyone is aware of my enthusiasm for this club and my unwavering focus on continuing to be successful for the duration of my contract. We have gotten off to a strong start to the season, and I am excited to keep working with this group of players who are as committed as I am to seeing the club succeed.

Roy McGivern, chairman of Linfield, expressed his satisfaction in stifling Rovers’ interest. He continued. “We are thrilled that David has decided to stay with the team for an additional year, and we would like to thank him for his dedication to the team. Our entire attention is now on increasing the club’s level of success, and we think that keeping David on as manager will be essential to that goal.

“Hopefully, this will put an end to the recent rumours regarding David’s future with the team. We can now focus on our upcoming game against Portadown on Friday night, where David will hopefully lead us to three points to continue our stellar start to the campaign. This season, we want to return the Gibson Cup to Windsor Park, and I have no doubt that the manager and the team will have the full support of our devoted supporters in order to make that happen.

“Absolutely Bizarre”: Pundit finds Cantwell’s Rangers transfer news unbelievable and believes that fans won’t accept him returning

After asking to leave the team, Todd Cantwell won’t be welcomed back into the Rangers lineup by the fans, according to Derek Ferguson.

Before being sent to train with the B Team, Philippe Clement disclosed that the former Norwich midfielder had twice asked for a transfer [Sky Sports, July 25].

Former Gers star Ferguson acknowledges that the manager initially allowed the Englishman to come back, but he finds it hard to believe that Cantwell requested to leave without having a plan for how he was going to get out.

Since the development was made public a month ago, no bids have been made. As a result, the Light Blues find themselves in the “absolutely bizarre” situation of having to play the well-known player in the reserves rather than starting him.

He exclusively told Ibrox News, “No, the fans aren’t going to accept him now, once you ask for a transfer.”

“I find it perplexing because I assumed that when he requested a transfer, two or three teams would be interested in signing him.

After a month, he’s still training but not even playing, and there has been no update at all. It’s completely strange.

And kudos to the manager for leaving the door open for him this time. “Listen, think it over, and get back to me. There’s a position in the squad where we would welcome you back,” he says.

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“It appears that he has retracted that.”

Todd Cantwell not present for Philippe Clement at Rangers

Rangers manager Philippe Clement said he left the door open for Todd Cantwell to change his mind

Cantwell, 26, was reportedly the target of Trabzsonspor, but they haven’t made an offer [Sky Sports, August 12]. Earlier in the summer, clubs in England were reportedly lining up [Scottish Sun, July 22], but they haven’t followed through either.

With virtually nothing to show for it, Rangers now pay the player who, two seasons ago, may have looked like the star of the team.

It will also take a significant backslide to reintegrate him if an exit doesn’t happen in the upcoming week, and it might take the supporters longer to warm up to the idea.

Rangers take action to end the Celtics fan lockout after submitting an Ibrox NETS application to Glasgow City Council

After Hoops decided not to allow early season fan returns, the Gers have taken the ball and run with it.

It has come to light that Rangers HAVE moved to guarantee the conclusion of the Old Firm away fan lockout for this season.

Following a complete ban last season, an agreement with Celtic and the SPFL was reached to reintroduce limited away allocations. Fans were scheduled to return for a meeting between the two teams. But the Hoops cancelled last week, stating they received no assurances that the necessary work to guarantee the security of visiting fans would be finished in time for their trip to Ibrox on January 2.

Consequently, the champions decided not to accept the scheduled away allocation for their match against Celtic Park on September 1. The final two derbies of the 2024–2025 campaign, provided agreed safety measures were in place, were still up for grabs in the talks with the SPFL. To start the process, the gers have now submitted paperwork to Glasgow City Council.

The proposal is to install safety netting in the Ibrox cornice, between the Govan and Broomloan stands. The paper stated: “24/01651/BW | Installation of demountable safety netting system to the corner of the Broomloan and Govan stands (between home and away support) for high risk fixtures.”

Even though Celtic Park is being worked on in time for the match next month, it won’t be used because of the city’s lack of movement up until this point. And that prompted a biting rebuke from Brendan Rodgers, the head coach of the Hoppers, who stated last week that Rangers was solely to blame.

“The club’s job is to protect the support, and I think it’s only logical that you wouldn’t reciprocate come the second fixture,” he stated. Celtic has fulfilled their role.

This has nothing to do with Celtic. Nothing. It has nothing to do with Celtic when you think back to the beginning of this. This is where Celtic is brought in as a Celtic-Rangers issue. This is a Rangers issue, not a Celtics-Rangers issue.

The application to Glasgow City Council

“Celtic, we invest money in that, we carry out the necessary work, and we began months ago when they requested this agreement and the safety of this stadium. It’s not complicated; neither party has agreed to it, so it hasn’t been completed. Regardless of how you phrase it, good faith remains a mutual agreement, so it remains unfinished.

“If we let Rangers supporters in and by January our own supporters are unable to enter, that is not a great faith move. It’s not sincere. As a result, the agreement hasn’t been upheld, and Celtic must legitimately defend their fans and team. Regretfully, Celtic fans will be missing this game and the rematch for Rangers supporters.”

The good news for Rangers fans is that the steel needed for the Copland Road stand has finally arrived, meaning they may return to Ibrox for a match next month. That implies that their game against Ross County this coming week at Hampden may be their last at their makeshift stadium.

European club wants to sign a Rangers player who Clement won’t let them sign – report

It looks like Rapid Bucharest is trying to sign Ianis Hagi, which could mean that Rangers are close to finding a new home for him.

Rosu, a Romanian journalist, said on X [21 August] that Rapid are still “pushing to sign” Hagi even though the transfer window is still open.

Habi was sent to play for the B team in Glasgow because Philippe Clement didn’t plan for the midfielder to be there.

Now it looks like Hagi might be able to go back to his home country of Romania. Rapid are interested in signing him after selling striker Albion Rrahmani to Sparta Prague, who were a previous target for the Gers.

Rangers and Ianis Hagi are finally going their separate ways.

Hagi is having a tough time right now because he has to go back to a management that doesn’t want him anymore after the great season he had with his country in Euro 2024.

Hagi’s loan at Alaves last season didn’t go as planned, but his play with the Rangers B team has shown that he is much more talented than the players he is up against.

The 25-year-old is said to be settled with the Light Blues [Football Scotland, August 19]. He would have stayed with the club and played for them if Clement and his staff didn’t want him to leave.

A clause in Hagi’s contract says that he will get an extra £6,000 a week if he plays 100 games for the club [Daily Record, 13 August]. This has been strongly suggested as a reason for the harsh decision about his future.

Ianis Hagi is expected to leave Rangers

Since last year, he’s been on 99 instead of 100. It is said that this deal was made when Michael Beale was manager, before he went on loan to Spain.

More than half of Gers fans will want to put an end to Hagi’s inevitable departure and wish him well back on the continent if the transfer goes through.

Forgotten Scotland star’s return to the SPFL could help others and revitalise his own career

Related to relocating to Aberdeen, Nisbet may find that returning home is more suitable at this time.

There were great expectations for Scotland international Kevin Nisbet when he moved to English football last summer, believing he could establish himself as one of the team’s primary strikers.

However, it’s fair to say that the 27-year-old’s tenure at Millwall has been lacklustre. His season was marred by injuries, and he only managed five goals. In his 29 games for the English Championship team, Nisbet has only completed 90 minutes five times and has failed to establish himself as Neil Harris’ go-to No 9. He missed three months of action due to a serious hamstring injury at the beginning of February, and by the end of the season, “disciplinary issues” had led to his expulsion from the first team. His first year without playing Scottish football ended in an unsatisfactory manner.

Back in May, after Harris was left out of the Swansea match 1-0, Harris stated, “With Kevin, it’s a disciplinary matter about culture and standards.” There isn’t a more pressing issue at hand. Moving forward, Kevin will play an important role in our football team. However, I decided to go with the group I did because it wasn’t appropriate to include him today.

In the spring, Harris saw clearly that Nisbet had a future at Millwall. However, rumours circulated on Monday night suggesting that Aberdeen was interested in loaning Nisbet back to the north. In order to get him to leave Hibs, Millwall paid them £2 million last summer. He has a contract with Millwall through 2026. However, he has only played seven minutes of meaningful football this season—as a late substitute against Watford—and he was not even named in the starting lineup for Bristol City’s loss over the weekend.

Because of how much Nisbet’s reputation has declined, Tommy Conway and Lewis Morgan have surpassed him for a spot in Scotland’s diminished Euro 2024 roster. That’s another indication of where Nisbet is at the moment, considering that he was among Steve Clarke’s squad of players for the European Championships three years prior. He needs to give his career a significant boost.

Aberdeen might be able to supply that. The Dons are ambitious under Thelin and have money to spend after selling Bojan Miovski in a deal that could bring in almost £7 million. They desperately need a goal scorer because Ester Sokler hasn’t shown he can produce at this level, Pape Gueye is still getting to know Pittodrie, and Peter Ambrose is a new addition. Although Aberdeen has won all of their games thus far, it is acknowledged that they require a more cutting edge in their attack.

Over the course of three successful seasons at Hibs, one of which was cut short by a knee injury, Nisbet scored 31 goals. After joining from Dunfermline Athletic, he had a turbulent time at Easter Road under three different managers as he developed his all-around game, and his strong play towards the end of the 2022–2023 season propelled Hibs into Europe. Strong in the air and a composed finisher, he has scored goals at the Premiership level and is the kind of player Aberdeen should be pursuing if they want to place third in the Premiership.

Nisbet impressed during his three seasons at Hibs. | Getty Images

Hibs are also looking for a new centre forward, but it doesn’t seem like head coach David Grey, who worked with him at Easter Road, is ready to challenge Aberdeen for a loan at this time. Furthermore, a lot relies on Millwall’s intentions regarding Nisbet, as Tom Bradshaw is undoubtedly their primary attacker.

Considering Scotland’s lack of offensive options, Clarke would benefit greatly from an effective Nisbet. Not too long ago, Hearts striker Lawrence Shankland, who played in every Scotland match during Euro 2024, was ranked higher than Nisbet, who made his final appearance for Scotland a year ago. That’s why returning to Scottish football, Nisbet’s sweet spot, might be advantageous to all involved.

‘Need it’ – David Edgar reacts as behind-the-scenes In the past day, Rangers news has surfaced

David Edgar thinks St. Mirren vice-chairman Jim Gillespie will need good fortune to follow him into the role of new Rangers chief executive.

Since the Scottish Sun revealed on August 17 that Gillespie will be taking James Bisgrove’s place, the host of the Heart and Hand podcast has wished Gillespie well.

The 46-year-old is an award-winning CEO and is reportedly a fan of the Green Bay Packers.

On X, Edgar wrote: “I hope you have luck if that’s him. It will be necessary for him.

Jim Gillespie seems like a wise choice for the Rangers.

Combining his experience in the boardroom at St Mirren with his background as an award-winning CEO of a care charity suggests that Gillespie brings a combination of business acumen and football understanding to the role, which is essential for navigating the challenges of managing a major football club.

His experience as a director at St Mirren and his knowledge of Scottish football could make league operations and negotiations go more smoothly.

Furthermore, he brings a level of passion and dedication to his work as a lifelong Rangers supporter, which may help him match his goals with the team’s values and fan expectations.

This action also denotes stability during a period of managerial turnover and operational difficulties for Gers, such as the problems with Ibrox’s redevelopment.

With Gillespie providing a steady hand in leadership during a time of transition for the club, his appointment may contribute to the restoration of fan confidence, particularly following Bisgrove’s departure.

Rangers fans cannot see their team at home for the time being

With any luck, he can get going as soon as possible, projecting his own image and leading the team to success.

After a “tragic death,” a heartbroken former Rangers star pays tribute to his brother

In remembrance of his recently deceased brother Alan, former Ibrox favourite Dave MacKinnon posted a video of pipers performing in the city centre while he and his wife visited the area.

Former player Dave MacKinnon has paid tribute to the “good man” and shared the tragic news of the death of his younger brother.

On Thursday, the former Ibrox favourite took to social media to announce the death of his brother Alan.

In his post, MacKinnon, 68, included a video of pipers performing in the heart of the city and mentioned that he and his spouse had travelled into the city to honour his brother.

He wrote: “Today, after being ordered to remain grounded due to the tragic death of my younger brother Alan, I spent an impromptu day in Glasgow’s tunnel with my amazing wife.

“To his memory, the magnificent meal at the Ivy was a magnificent start, followed by the talented young pipers.”

“Life is precious enjoy.”

MacKinnon played four years for the Light Blues (1982–1986), making 168 league appearances.

The defender, who was born in Glasgow, has also played for Dundee, Forfar, Partick Thistle, and Airdrieonians.

He was at the Ivy on Thursday in tribute to Alan. (Image: X.com)

He disclosed that his brother passed away following an episode of encephalitis, a dangerous illness that causes inflammation of the brain.

Additionally, he expressed his concern that Alan might have contracted the West Nile virus that has been ravaging Europe this summer.

“Thanks to all for your kind thoughts, he was on holiday in Cyprus and may have been bitten by a mosquito carrying the West Nile virus sweeping Europe,” the brother said, sharing a photo of himself with his sibling.

He was among the tiny percentage that was unable to combat the encephalitis that resulted from it.

“A good man and a wonderful brother.”

Why VAR refrained from interfering in the horrifying Jefte Rangers red card decision

VAR was unable to overturn the red card given to Jeffre during Rangers’ defeat to Dynamo Kyiv.

After a second caution in the second half, the 20-year-old Brazilian was substituted out.

Replays revealed there was nothing wrong with the challenge as the player had won the ball fairly, even though Jefte was declared to have elbowed his opponent in the face during an aerial duel at Hampden.

Despite this, Rangers manager Philippe Clement called the decision made by referee Marco Guida to dismiss Jefte for a second yellow card “the worst in 30 years.”

Replays of the Champions League third round qualifying match, which the visitors won 2-0, showed Jefte’s innocence, but VAR was unable to intervene in the situation.

This is due to the fact that a second yellow card is not a decision that VAR can reverse.

Only four “match-changing scenarios” are eligible for VAR intervention: goals and offences leading up to goals, penalty calls, straight red card calls, and mistaken identity.

For that reason, after Guida’s decision to dismiss Jefte for a second yellow at Hampden, there was nothing the VAR officials could do.

The Champions League guidelines regarding the use of VAR state: “In four match-changing scenarios—goals and offences leading up to goals, penalty decisions and offences leading up to penalties, direct red card incidents, and mistaken identity—the Video Assistant Referee will only step in when they have the evidence for a clear and obvious mistake.

“This includes goals scored after a foul during the attacking phase, or from an offside position.”

According to James Tavernier, the referee had explained why Jefte had been sent off for elbowing. “I spoke to him [the referee] as it happened,” he declared.It was an elbow in the face, he clarified.

“When I think back on it during the game, he rises really early. It didn’t even seem like a free kick to me. I assumed he rose early. What he’s done has no malicious intent.

A 50/50 ball is being thrown into the air. Jefte rises very early. He gives him a flying kick. I’m not sure how much communication there is. That obviously has a significant impact.”

Kris Boyd lashes out at Rangers’ Champions League suffering as the Ibrox hero rushes to rework VAR after a red card

The analyst lost all control of his rage as Dynamo Kyiv defeated the Light Blues.

Rangers’ disastrous Champions League exit made for a difficult evening for Ibrox hero Kris Boyd, who was covering the match in the Sky Sports studio.

The game was close, but referee Marco Guida controversially gave Jeffre a second yellow card, which turned the tide and put the Scottish Premiership team on the defensive at Hampden as they tried to find a way into the group stage of Europe’s top competition. Oleksandr Pikhalyonok and Nazar Voloshyn scored goals in the final ten minutes to send the Light Blues crashing out of the Champions League, taking advantage of the extra man.

And Boyd, a beloved player by Rangers supporters, was unable to contain his rage when watching the two late strikes on TV. The former striker, known as “Boyd-cam” in the studio, was heard angrily screaming “no” and raising his arms as Pikhalyonok found the net. Boyd reached boiling point once more a few moments later when stand-in Voloshyn discovered the net, yelling and hurling his pen throughout the studio.

Even though Boyd’s response after the game was more reserved, he was still perplexed by the man in the middle’s choice. “It’s beyond me how it is given as a second yellow card,” he continued. The player from Dyanmo Kyiv falls to the side, and the referee sees it and gives him a yellow card.

“I understand that VAR does not allow you to check a second yellow card, but this situation is appallingly bad.” However, you need to get over that and move on. After that, Rangers had a few more opportunities, but it seemed like they could have played all night without scoring. Dynamo scored two goals after hitting them on the counterattack.”

Big match verdict: empty seats at Hampden indicate apathy on the part of Rangers fans, and things have just gotten much worse

The city did not experience the Ibrox atmosphere as the Light Blues were eliminated from the Champions League.

a sound barrier. When Dynamo Kyiv last visited Glasgow to play Rangers, that’s what they encountered. The Ibrox punters who were there probably still have it ringing in their ears almost forty years later.

The sound was overwhelming. And generally acknowledged as one of the best stadium atmospheres ever experienced, if not THE best. It’s unbeatable for devotees of a particular vintage. The triumph over RB Leipzig on the way to the Europa League Final two years ago will be cited by the younger generation. Or the legendary victory over Parma in 1999, when big Tony Vidmar had the crowd in stitches.

However, no. When asked about the loudest roar they have ever heard while watching Rangers, many people will cite Dynamo Kyiv on September 30, 1987. That night, there were astonishingly just 44,500 in the ground. The guests, however, were unable to hear themselves think. Neither could Graeme Souness or his team in a thrilling second-leg European Cup match.

The audience contributed in that way. Against all the odds, the Rangers defeated the Dynamo team, winning 2-1 overall. Keep in mind, that team was full of USSR superstars. It was therefore hard to avoid drawing comparisons when they appeared in Glasgow’s south side last night. Here in the main stand stood Alexei Mickhailichenko, who had played for both clubs as well as Dynamo in the past.

But there’s no denying that things have changed. To begin with, the Rangers aren’t actually at Ibrox. Furthermore, the atmosphere of the recollections of ’87 was always going to be in stark contrast. Last night, Hampden was not even half full. Their brief, pre-season jaunt was bound to turn off some fans. Not to mention the customary expenses.

But what was really noticeable was how many seats were empty in the old Celtic end. Does it go beyond that? Is this fan base becoming more and more apathetic? Who can blame them if there is, considering the Ibrox debacle, a lack of transfer funds, a glaringly unbalanced and untalented squad, and an overall lack of clarity regarding the club’s true direction?

And what about last night’s noise? It never came close to matching the volume of Kyiv’s previous visit here. The teams did not make the sound of an aeroplane taking off when they came out of the Hampden tunnel. The muted cheers of the fans were drowned out by Simply the Best. In contrast to 1987, the players were responsible for igniting the crowd rather than the other way around.

There was a quiet hush over Hampden after the opening song from the home end. The players could be heard yelling at one another. Barely a second passed thirty-seven years ago without a clatter of some kind.

Even now, when you see Mark Falco score the first goal by taking advantage of a mistake made by the Kyiv keeper, you’ll get a tingling sensation in the back of your neck. And the roof fell when Ally McCoist met a cross from Trevor Francis at the Copland Road end, tricking and confusing the goalie with his header. Very tingling in the spine.

One more recollection from that Dynamo match is Souness’s fly strategies prior to the ball being kicked. Recall how he told his ground crew to close in the lines and narrow the Ibrox pitch in an effort to neutralise Kyiv’s dangerous wingers?

The way the Rangers used that move to exhaust their opponents was quite effective. Strangely enough, last night the punters were clamouring for Vaclav Cerny, the Czech wide player, to provide them some width. However, the atmosphere was further deflated when Philippe Clement chose to start him on the bench. Gers’ doctors reportedly told the Belgian that there would be too great a risk.

Rangers’ Jefte rues a missed chance

If that’s the case, though, how come Cerny, who had been tearing Motherwell to pieces over the weekend, was fired after just 55 minutes? To the delight of the home support, he was eventually introduced at halftime.

And after Jefte’s absurdly harsh red card, they finally raised their voices and stood up in 53 minutes, expressing their sheer frustration and defiance. They stood up once more after James Tavernier won a corner, and Clement motioned for them to stand up with his arms.

They were definitely needed by their team. However, they were unable to stop Dynamo from scoring twice in the latter stages of the game to send Rangers reeling. The farewell had a significant effect. However, in the clear, their hopes of qualifying for the Champions League have been dashed before the play-off phase.

The mood was set in 1987 when Souness and his team believed they could win the European Cup heading into their match against Kyiv. It was an optimistic support for the Rangers. Now? Simply put, that is untrue. Actually, it’s the exact opposite. The events of this summer at Ibrox have only added to the pessimism of the punters. And the outcome from last night made it much worse.