If you’d said back in October 2025, when Russell Martin was scurrying along the Falkirk pitch to be smuggled out of the ground safely, that by the New Year Old Firm game we could go level on points with our rivals with a win, and sit only six behind Hearts with them firmly in our sights, no one would have taken you seriously.
But that’s exactly the position we find ourselves in tomorrow. And we have to make it count.
It’s unclear who will win the league in Scotland this season, but what is obvious is that whoever does will be the poorest-quality Scottish champions this century. But if that ends up being us, none of us will care one bit.
That’s why tomorrow matters so much. We must keep ourselves firmly in the hunt by taking something, ideally all three points. We don’t go into this fixture in sparkling form, despite how it’s being pushed, and this remains a Rangers team lacking real quality, and significant reinforcements are still absolutely required if we’re to have any genuine chance of winning the league.
But with everything going on across the city right now, we are more than capable of winning this game.
Make no mistake, they are there for the taking. They’ve hired an unqualified clown who already looks to be on borrowed time. Their players are confidence-shot. They’re dropping points left, right, and centre. Their support is itching to tear the place apart to get at the board, fuelled by a completely misplaced sense of entitlement, one we’ve helped foster over the last decade through our own inability to mount a sustained challenge that’s handed them trophy after trophy.
And with their spoiled, petulant ultras absent, there’ll be no one to whip up an atmosphere among an already downbeat crowd—something their players often feed off of.
It would also be wrong not to give Danny Röhl real credit for the position we now find ourselves in. He inherited a poor, unbalanced squad low on confidence and quality, yet since taking charge, he’s delivered a league return of eight wins, two draws, and just one defeat. That run has dragged us right back into contention when the season looked all but gone. It hasn’t been perfect, and there are still glaring issues within the squad, but Röhl has instilled belief, organisation, and a clear sense of purpose. Without that turnaround, tomorrow wouldn’t carry anywhere near the same significance.
We should be going there tomorrow, looking to take the game to them, getting in their faces, and pressing from minute one. And when opportunities come, we must take them. No xG that looks good on paper with nothing to show for it. No double-digit shots on target with a pitiful return. We need to take our chances. And an early goal could see the home crowd turn toxic very quickly, and we should be ruthless in exploiting that. If the team selection is right, there’s no reason we can’t.
Jack Butland will obviously start in goal. Despite a poor spell last season and the odd howler this campaign, he’s still probably the leading contender for Player of the Year and will be crucial given the chances we will likely concede.
I’d also like to see Dujon Sterling start. He’s impressed since returning from injury, but I’d hope he won’t continue at centre-back, but instead play at right-back, replacing the struggling captain. I love James Tavernier. He’s been a tremendous servant to the club: part of the side that returned us to the top division, captained us to one of the most significant title wins in our history, and is the only non-Scot to captain Rangers in a European final. A final which, had it gone our way, might well have earned him a statue.
But he’s done, and I think even he knows it. He can still contribute the odd important goal or assist over the distance, but in huge, season-defining games like tomorrow, he can be exposed, particularly because he would likely be up against their biggest (and possibly only) genuine threat.
Therefore, I see Sterling as the best option in the role, joined in defence by John Souttar, Emmanuel Fernandez, and Jayden Maghoma, who all look like the best options at the moment.
Nicolas Raskin and Mo Diomande have been two of the biggest underperformers in recent months, but they are a pairing who usually, and I stress usually, save their best performances for these fixtures. For that reason, they should start in midfield alongside Connor Barron. Long term, I still see Barron as little more than an affective squad player in a truly successful Rangers side, but his energy, tenacity, and fearlessness will be vital tomorrow.
Their back line is a riot, and we need to expose it. We have two of the fastest and, on their day, most creative players in the league in Mikey Moore and Djeidi Gassama. Both must start, and both must be given the freedom to run directly at their dodgy defence.
Up front, the options are slim. Danilo has been nowhere near it this season, and I wouldn’t be surprised to see him leave this month, so I’d rule him out. Bojan Miovski was the safe summer signing with a proven record in this league, but despite a few recent goals, he hasn’t made the position his own, and with his recent injury, he’s unlikely to start.
That leaves one out-and-out striker. Youssef Chermiti has been poor overall so far, and the fee paid for him, though not his fault, hasn’t helped. He’s missed several gilt-edged chances that looked easier to score than miss, and sometimes genuinely looks like he’s won a competition. However, there have been small signs of improvement in his last two appearances. His link-up play against Motherwell and St Mirren was actually very decent, and given how important that could be tomorrow, I wouldn’t be surprised to see him lead the line.
If nothing else, it highlights the absolute necessity of bringing in at least one new centre-forward this window. It’s non-negotiable.
What we cannot do tomorrow, though, is repeat the familiar post-Gerrard pattern at Parkhead. Too often, regardless of their form or infighting, we emerge from the tunnel looking terrified, go a goal behind, and crumble. We’ve been here before, travelling over with belief, looking to add pressure, only to be let down by a timid, nervous performance that shows them far too much respect.
They deserve absolutely none. Ever.
We should be going there to impose ourselves, to make them the ones who are the rabbits in the headlights. We should aim to get the crowd to turn and watch all hell break loose as we claim three vital points.
Victory tomorrow gives us a chance to ignite a run that could lead us to the unlikeliest of title wins.
Don’t miss this opportunity, Rangers. They are battered, bruised, and on the floor. Stand on their necks.