Rangers

We asked for your thoughts after Rangers ended their Scottish Premiership season with a thrilling 3-3 draw at Tynecastle.

Here's a taste of what you had to say:

Dougie: Glad youth got on field today, they will be key in keeping costs down in a well overdue rebuild. For every goal James Tavernier scores, he costs us one at the back, effect net zero. He needs to stay in position, or move up. Meaningless game due to some in squad throwing it away a few weeks back. Need players with passion.

Gary: Reality check! We have progressed under Philippe Clement. We have a squad that needs revitalising. We have good talent coming through. I'm confident Clement will sign quality young talent that will play with his hunger and desire. We have seen what we can do under Clement, I'm excited for next season.

Del: I said in January that our centre-half and centre-forward will decide our fate. It did. Woefully short of the standard required to win a league. Need a miracle next week, simple as that.

Steven: The season all in one game; possession, opportunities, poor finishing & defensive woes. So much for the management team to correct in the close season, not to mention the minor miracle of conjuring up a Cup Final-winning team. Do that and a bonus is surely on the cards!

Tom: Clement will not find a winning formula until he removes Tavernier from defence, we need to play a solid defensive game next week a right back who goes out of position and jogs back slowly is a liability. This applies next season as well.

Steven: Dead rubber yesterday but again, our defending is so poor. Our full backs don’t know how to defend or stop crosses. Tavernier out of position all game and Ridvan Yilmaz sleeping for Hearts’ second. Our midfield was anonymous most of the game. Injuries haven’t helped for sure but big changes needed and a faster start to the season and in games

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• Rangers have scored in 35 of their 38 games, more often than any other team in the Scottish Premiership this season.

• Hearts have won 13 points from losing positions in the Scottish Premiership this season, only Motherwell (19) and Rangers (18) have recovered more.

• Cyriel Dessers has contributed to goals in his last three games in the Scottish Premiership (two goals, one assist).

• Frankie Kent assisted his fourth goal in the Scottish Premiership this season.

Image source, Getty

Rangers could face competition from Red Bull Salzburg, Wolves and Al-Ahly in their bid to sign South Africa teenager Relebohile Mofokeng from Orlando Pirates. (Scottish Sun), external

Former Rangers and Scotland coach Tommy Wilson admits he’s had to returns to Scotland for his career after taking the high-profile technical director’s role at MLS side Charlotte FC. (Sunday Mail), external

Read the rest of today's Scottish gossip here.

Hearts scored with the final kick of their Scottish Premiership season to snatch a draw and end their five-game losing run against Rangers.

With nothing on the line, the sides played out an entertaining match which could easily have had even more goals.

Lawrence Shankland dinked in his 31st goal of a stellar campaign to give Hearts the lead but their awful winless run against Rangers, stretching back four years, looked to continue as the visitors hit three without reply after the break.

First, Ross McCausland scored a beauty to bring them level having skipped away from two players to fire in off a post from distance.

Then Todd Cantwell also used the inside of the post to beat Zander Clark after good play from Cyriel Dessers.

Fabio Silva looked to have wrapped up the win with a powerful drive from inside the box, but in the end a crazy game kept up a frantic pace right to the death.

Dexter Lembikisa's volley at the back post just three minutes after Silva's goal gave Hearts hope in the final 10 minutes, and they capitalised in stoppage time.

A punt up the pitch from goalkeeper Zander Clark was flicked towards the box, and Kyosuke Tagawa slammed in a wonderful volley to make it 3-3.

Were you at Tynecastle or following the match from home? Either way, we want your views on the game – have your say here.

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Rangers manager Philippe Clement: "I'm not happy with conceding three goals when you have four shots on target against, and scoring three goals from 10 shots on target.

"It's a game you need to win, we want to win every game. So it's disappointing in the last two seconds to concede a goal like that.

"Those are the lessons to take with a young squad and players playing out of position because of the circumstances."

On how many players will be fit to play next week's Scottish Cup final: "That's really early to ask this question. We still have one week to go and we're going to get the best out of everyone. We'll do everything to have as many players as possible to be ready for the game.

"It's impossible to predict. I wish I had a crystal ball but it's going to be decision making at the end of the week and what happens in training.

"It's a big week for us because it's a juggle to see who's available and fit and who can do the job. Some maybe for 30, 50, 60 minutes.

"And to go hard for a second trophy. We've been three times really close when we've played each other with one draw and two losses. Two times we played a big part of the game with 10 players.

"We want to get this trophy for our fans."

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Thomas Duncan, BBC Sport Scotland

Regardless of how next week's Scottish Cup final against Celtic goes there will be big changes at Rangers in the close season.

Manager Philippe Clement has said as much, citing this being the end of a cycle. That has been said at Rangers a few times in recent seasons, but now it has to be backed up by action.

Again their squad has come up short in the league, which is what they are ultimately judged on.

The manager's job is to decipher who can play a part going forward and who isn't up to it.

Whether they add to their League Cup next weekend at Hampden or not will change the mood around the club, but ultimately not the task of building a competitive team for next season.

Rangers have Dujon Sterling, Abdallah Sima, and Ryan Jack back from injury but they are on the bench for the final game against Hearts.

Robbie Fraser and Scott Wright come into the XI after their impact as substitutes against Dundee midweek.

Ridvan Yilmaz and Fabio Silva drop to the bench.

• Follow the action

Image source, BBC Sport

Heart of Midlothian welcome back Jorge Grant and Stephen Kingsley after they sat out the midweek draw at St Mirren. Calem Nieuwenhof (hamstring), Craig Halkett and Peter Haring (both knee) are all still absent.

Ryan Jack and Abdallah Sima return to the Rangers squad but will not start while there are still question marks over Leon Balogun.

John Lundstram serves the second of a two-match suspension while John Souttar, Tom Lawrence, Borna Barisic, Connor Goldson, Oscar Cortes, Rabbi Matondo and Danilo remain out.

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Philippe Clement says he's "disappointed" to have missed out the Scottish Premiership title because he wants to win "everything".

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Rangers manager Philippe Clement has been speaking to the media as his side prepare for their final league game of the season on Saturday at Hearts.

Here are the key points:

• The confirmation of losing out on the league title on Wednesday left him “disappointed” because he wants to win everything.

• Says Rangers must leave that disappointment behind and take other good conclusions from the campaign into next season.

• The Belgian has had good talks with the board in terms of recruitment and positions needed. He says he and the board are aligned on almost everything, but still need to execute those plans.

• Talks about the “foundation of the house” (squad) not currently being good enough to play three times a week at high intensity. Given they are already looking at nine games in August, they need to be ready for that.

• Abdallah Sima and Ryan Jack are in a position to play “some minutes” against Hearts. Leon Balogun is also close to a return.

• ⁠”Really happy” with what Sima has shown and the Brighton loanee is “very happy in this building” but there is a club that owns him so “we need to find agreement” and it depends on what their “demands are and what we can pay”.

• ⁠Believes the Ibrox club is at the end of a cycle in some ways and he wants them “to end this cycle with a really big moment" next week when they face Celtic in the Scottish Cup final.

• Hearts have lost 12 of their last 13 meetings with Rangers in all competitions (D1), scoring just five goals in this run.

• Rangers have already beaten Hearts five times in all competitions this season; on just three previous occasions have the Ibrox side beaten a single club six times in a campaign – Dundee in 1981-82, Dunfermline Athletic in 2002-03, and Kilmarnock in 2010-11.

• Hearts haven’t won on the final matchday of a Scottish top-flight season since 2003-04 v Motherwell (3-2); Hearts are winless in 17 final-day games in the top tier since (D5 L12 – including curtailed 2019-20 season).

• Rangers have won their last league match in each of their last four campaigns, including the curtailed 2019-20 season. However, they have won just one of the five previous times their final match of a league season was away to Hearts (D3 L1), a 3-1 victory in 2021-22.

• With 17 goals and 10 assists in 2023-24, James Tavernier is only the second player to reach 10+ goals and 10+ assists in a Scottish Premiership season for Rangers since their promotion in 2016, with the other instance also being Tavernier in 2018-19 (14 goals, 14 assists).

• Lawrence Shankland scored his 30th goal of the season in all competitions in the midweek Premiership draw at St Mirren; he is the first Hearts player to reach the 30-goal mark in a season since John Robertson in 1998.

Rangers go to Hearts in their final Premiership fixture with nothing on the line.

Is this a chance for Phillipe Clement to experiment with the Scottish Cup final in mind?

Pick the XI you think he should select here.

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Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta has been discussing his career with BBC Sport columnist Guillem Balague in an exclusive hour-long interview.

Here’s what the Spaniard had to say on his move to Rangers in 2002 and his "survive or die" experience in Scotland...

"[When I was at PSG] we played in the Champions League against Rangers. We had to go to Glasgow. I went there and said: 'Wow, what is this?'. I'd never seen an atmosphere like it, looking at how passionate the people were.

"[Rangers] came in for me straight after that game and it was an opportunity. My only condition was I wanted to reunite my family. We had been split up for a while. It was time we got together, so let’s embrace it and go to Glasgow, a different experience for all of us.

"It was really challenging, completely different football, you have to survive or die. An amazing club, fascinating environment, crazy team. I lived games that will stick with me for the rest of my life.

"It was a completely different world. Alex McLeish was the manager. He had completely different ideas, completely different methods. He talked about the game in a different way.

"I had to adapt, going to stadiums where the style is really different, the surface, the weather. But it was really, really healthy for me, it made me a better player."

Click here to read more on Arteta’s childhood, career and family.

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In defence, midfield or attack, Dujon Sterling has been a constant bright spark in Rangers’ rollercoaster season.

“I think if he was put in goal, he would do well there as well,” says centre-back Leon King, who is inspired by the versatility of his Ibrox team-mate.

King, who made his first start of the season in Tuesday’s 5-2 win over Dundee, believes Sterling “has been amazing all season”.

Now, the Rangers academy product feels he can emulate the adaptability of the former Chelsea man and play a role in the season finale.

“I don't really think in modern-day football you are stuck to one position as such," King said.

"I think you need to be able to play in more than one position, it gives you a better chance as well. If the manager wants me to play anywhere else I will play there.”

With Rangers suffering from a injury crisis, particularly at centre-back, 20-year-old King is ready to reignite his career and play a part in this month’s Scottish Cup final against rivals Celtic.

"It is just about biding my time and when I get the chance to take it with both hands,” he added.

"I have been training and playing in different positions which is only going to benefit myself.

"If the manager calls upon me for the final I will be ready."

Rangers defender Leon King will "one hundred per cent" be ready to play in the Scottish Cup final against Celtic if the Ibrox club's defensive issues do not ease. (Record), external

King is eager to stay at Rangers long-term. (Herald - subscription), external

Read Thursday's Scottish gossip

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Rangers' scare against Dundee underlined the need for "big changes" at Ibrox this summer, says the Sunday Mail's chief sports writer Scott McDermott.

Philippe Clement cut a frustrated figure in his post-match interviews, bemoaning his side's first-half showing that saw them go 2-0 down at home to Dundee before going on to respond with five goals.

With their slim title hopes potentially being put to bed if Celtic avoid defeat at Rugby Park on Wednesday night, McDermott believes the Belgian will have learned a lot about his players in recent weeks.

"No wonder he wasn't happy, certainly with the first-half performance," he told BBC's Scottish Football Podcast.

"Unfortunately for Rangers that's been a real negative characteristic of their displays in the last few months, that slow start.

"After the Old Firm game on Saturday, it was the first thing Clement said in his post-match press conference, that he was angry at the lack of aggression shown by his team at the start of the game.

"I just find that astonishing, going into an Old Firm derby with a title on the line. That is a big worry for the manager.

"The last two Old Firm games against Celtic, they found themselves two down early and ultimately that's cost them.

"I'm not surprised he's angry, I think we all accept there'll be big changes at Rangers in the summer. I think there has to be.

"I think Clement in the last few weeks will have found out a lot about certain players in that squad. There's definitely guys who you saw last night won't be there next season"

We asked for your thoughts after Rangers came from behind to beat Dundee 5-2 in the Scottish Premiership.

Here's what you had to say:

Steven: When are we going to learn to stop crosses? The team looked disjointed and the midfield went missing again in the first half. The manager shouldn’t have to get into the team at half-time. I'm grateful for the reaction and happy with the score-line but lots of changes needed in the summer. Too many no-shows too often this season for me. Onwards and upwards.

Dougie: Someone should tell Rangers there is a first half! They needed to come out all guns blazing for the fans. Instead we witness yet another performance where I wished I'd started my tax returns. Why don't we get the second-half performance for the full 90 minutes? So frustrating.

Elaine: A game of two halves. Absolutely appalling in the first half. Just not good enough. Clearly had a rocket at half-time. Really pleased to see some youngsters getting a chance; should have played them weeks ago. End of season can’t come quick enough for some of these imposters.

Anon: Rather than laud his goals and assists every week, I wish someone would print out the amount of goals James Tavernier costs the side. It would even things out and people would perhaps realise that as a defender he is a wasted shirt. I can't remember the last time we lost a game and he wasn't involved in giving the goals away. Time to go.

Anon: What a comeback - that's why I love Rangers. Give the kids more chances too.

James: It's first-half performances like that that lose you the league. The defending was shambolic, or should I say lack of defending. We lost the league in the games against Ross County, Dundee and Motherwell.

Sally: Philippe Clement should retain Cyriel Dessers. With creative players around him he has the potential to be a great goal-scorer. Fabio Silva should leave as he is not a team player and often makes the wrong choices in front of goal.

Anon: A dreadful first half, much better in the second half. All too little, too late though. We blew the title at Ross county and Dundee. A big rebuild and clear-out is required. The manager must be backed for a long-term project.

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Rangers defender Robbie Fraser wants to kick on after making a long-awaited debut for the club.

The 21-year-old came on for Ridvan Yilmaz during the second half of Rangers' 5-2 win over Dundee on Tuesday, having joined the academy 14 years ago.

Fraser is determined to keep impressing manager Philippe Clement as he searches for more first-team minutes.

“That was a huge moment for me," he told RangersTV. "Fourteen years at the club so I have been through it all.

“It is not only a huge moment for me but for my family, my friends and the people that are close to me.

“It is something you dream of as a young boy, coming on at Ibrox and to get three points in front of the fans, it doesn’t get much better.

“The gaffer just said that he believed in me, he liked what he saw, and he just said go and be positive and do what I’ve been doing.

“I felt I did that but, of course, I still look at my game and there’s moments to improve. I’ll keep chipping away like I have always done.

“I have been very patient, and it is something that I pride myself on, being patient, chipping away, keeping working hard and hopefully the rewards will come and it was a huge moment for me.”

Watch highlights as Rangers come from behind to beat Dundee in the Scottish Premiership.

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