Derek McInnes will bring the league title back to Ibrox and send Celtic into MELTDOWN – Scott Bradley 

It’s been an eventful couple months for Rangers since the SPFL season concluded in May. Former head coach Danny Rohl departed the club for RB Salzburg and his replacement was the man who nearly guided Hearts to the league title, Derek McInnes.  It was a move that had been a long time coming. Nine years ago McInnes snubbed the Ibrox club and many thought that would’ve been his one and only chance to manage his boyhood team.  This time round there was no way the former Rangers player could reject the Light Blues and the timing couldn’t be more perfect.  McInnes done an incredible job at the Jambos and was extremely unlucky to not deliver them their first title in 66 years.  But he knew himself that was his only realistic chance to make history at the Jam Tarts and it was unfortunate certain dubious refereeing decisions cost the Edinburgh club in the end.  The Gers have wasted no time since the season ended and have been making some big moves by signing Lawrence Shankland, Ross McCrorie, Ben Godfrey, Ivor Pandur, Dan Neil, and Cammy Devlin.  Former goalkeeper Allan McGregor is also apart of McInnes’ coaching staff as the Govan club are slowly bringing back that Rangers core to the club – something that’s been lacking for far too long.  For many years, there’s been far too many players and managers that have been at Rangers that just don’t understand what the club is all about and they’ve struggled with the expectations and demands.  McInnes is a man who lives and breaths Rangers. He grew up a fan and has won trophies with the Light Blues.  The late great Walter Smith endorsed McInnes as Rangers boss years ago, and there is no better compliment than getting praise like that from someone like him.  For the first time in years, there is genuine optimism going into a Premiership season for Rangers.  The appointment of McInnes is a smart and sensible one. He’s a proven Scottish football manager who knows our game inside out.  It’s an appointment that should’ve happened years ago but better late than never as they say.  The Celts should be VERY worried about what McInnes and Rangers could do this season.  If I was a betting man, I’d be tipping McIness’ men to pip the Hoops to the title.  The Rangers boss will have a real chip on his shoulder with how last season ended.  He’ll be motivated more than anyone to get one over the Parkhead club and bring the glory days back to Ibrox.  It’s a new era at Rangers and the appointment of McInnes is a game changing one.

Men’s Mental Health Awareness Week: Paying tribute to Paul McGrillen and Chris Mitchell

Mental health is something every man struggles with on a daily basis but some are too afraid to speak up.  Male suicides are three times higher than female suicides and approximately 75% of all suicides in the United Kingdom are from men. The highest risk age in England for male suicide is between 50-54, at a 26.8 per 100,000. According to a Scottish government report, one in three people are impacted by mental health in any one year in Scotland. Two well known Scottish footballers Chris Mitchell and Paul McGrillen sadly took their own lives. McGrillen played in Scotland for 19 years and lifted the Scottish Cup in 1991 with Motherwell. On 29 of July 2009, the football star was found in his home, as a result of hanging and never left a note. Mitchell played with Falkirk, Ayr United, Bradford City, Queen of the South and Clyde. Due to complications from surgery for spinal injury meant that he went from playing professionally for Queen of the South to part-time for Clyde whilst working a job in a factory. After completely leaving the sport, he admitted to his family that he was depressed and started seeing a psychologist and was placed on medication but stopped taking them due to the side effects. On 7 May 2016, Mitchell phoned his partner saying he was planning on killing himself and the call was still live whilst he was hit by a train. In 2018, Paul’s brother Alan, spoke about what football clubs can do in order to combat mental illness: “Mental health is at the forefront of everybody’s minds. We’ve had many players and ex-players speak about the battle they’ve had with depression. “It’s also in the stands. The people who are working day to day and who are providing their kids with a strip and a season ticket to go and support their team. “A year after Paul died, Gary Speed committed suicide. I had wrote away to the SFA asking if we could get a Show Racism the Red Card type campaign throughout the full of Scottish football to start with. “If you get that campaign and awareness through every club,  not just to support the players on the park, but to support the people who pay their hard earned cash to walk into a stadium. “The SFA and the rest of Scottish football really has to take this on board and try and run with it. This issue won’t go away. We won’t save everybody, but if we can reach out to one or two people, then that campaign does it job. “These clubs are worth millions of pounds. They need to have a bit more due care and attention and promote this. I think it will actually save lives.” If you’re struggling with your mental health, get in contact with Men Matter Scotland as their aim is to improve men’s mental health and wellbeing through peer to peer support to help prevent suicide. Join us on the 10th July for a special evening hosted by SNN Sports, bringing people together for a night of football, honest conversation, and support for Men Matter Scotland. Tickets and tables now available – https://www.tickettailor.com/events/snnsports/2199675 How to get in touch: 01419447900 contact@menmatterscotland.org Office hours Mon-Fri 10:30-21:00 Service Area Glasgow and surrounding area

Would the SFA replace Steve Clarke with Russell Martin?

Scotland are about to take part in their first World Cup in 28 years.  It was the iconic 4-2 victory against Denmark that sent sealed qualification for the Scots where Scott McTominay scored a breathtaking overhead kick and Kenny McLean found the back of the net from the halfway line. Preparation hasn’t gone to plan for Steve Clarke’s men as they lost to Japan and Ivory Coast last month. Clarke’s future is uncertain as his contract is up after the World Cup and it’s got many thinking who would be his replacement? Derek McInnes is flying at Hearts and is on the cusp of making history and potentially winning the Scottish Premiership title, would he want to leave the Jam Tarts at this point when he’s building something special? Alex Neil is flying at Millwall and could be a Premier League manager again next season, would he want to leave that for the Scotland gig? John McGlynn would be a great shout to replace Clarke, but would the SFA do that? That’s too sensible for them. I’m not saying I want this to happen – not in the slightest, but it would not shock me if the powers that be appointed Russell Martin. Firstly, he already has a good relationship with the SFA. Secondly, he’s a former Scotland international. Thirdly, he’s charming, talks a good game and has the ability to win them over by his word salad hipster powerpoint presentations. It’s quite a wild card prediction but it’s something the SFA would do.

‘No one deserves to win the Scottish Premiership more than the Rangers captain’ – Scott Bradley

James Tavernier’s contract is coming up at the end of the season and his future still remains uncertain, but if this is going to be his swan song – no one deserves to win the Scottish Premiership more than the Rangers captain.  Tavernier signed for the Light Blues whilst they were in the Scottish Championship in 2015 and it’s been a rollercoaster of a journey. There’s been a lot of great times and a lot of bad ones but one thing is for sure – the right-back has been the Ibrox club’s best and most important player over the last 11 years. In 2018, Steven Gerrard made the decision to appoint Tavernier as the club captain – a call that did surprise many of the Rangers faithful at the time. Former Rangers boss Mark Warburton, who signed Tavernier, never seen him as captain material when he worked with him between 2015-2017. It was a role that Tavernier did struggle with at first, but over time he grew into it and guided the Govan club to their 55th league title and to a European final. One thing that gets unfairly labeled at the Englishman is that he is a ‘serial loser’ due to not having won more trophies. Firstly, it’s not Tavernier’s fault that he’s had to play in some dross Rangers teams for the majority of his career. Secondly, he doesn’t sign the players or appoint the managers and if anything – he’s the one whose carried Rangers for years! If you put Barry Ferguson in some of the teams Tavernier has played in, he would have won the same number of trophies. People forget that football is a team game and there’s only so much the former Wigan Athletic player can do – but he always gets made out to be the scapegoat, which is embarrassing. Tavernier is Britain’s highest scoring defender of all time with a staggering 153 goals and is the fourth highest scoring defender of all time – it’s nothing short of remarkable. The 34-year-old has been incredibly loyal to Rangers and played an instrumental part in helping the club reach the Europa League final in 2022 and finished top goal scorer of the competition with seven goals. The Rangers supporters do seem to forget all the unbelievably iconic things that Tavernier has done for the club and time will be kind to him once he eventually moves on. As Connor Goldson famously said: “This football club won’t appreciate James Tavernier until James Tavernier is not here.” The Rangers Hall of Famer has received a ridiculous amount of criticism over the years but it’s never phased the Bradford-born defender – he’s without doubt one of the most mentally strong players in the game who is the ultimate professional and role model. Danny Rohl has remained tight-lipped on Tavernier’s future and said he’ll discuss his future once the season is finished. The German head coach dropped Tavernier for the back-to-back Old Firm derbies in March, which came as a big surprise. We all know age catches up with everyone, but Tavernier is an incredible athlete who takes great care of himself. He’s never injured and is always reliable. He’s Rangers’ top goal scorer this season with 14 goals – even at his age, he still has plenty to offer. Ideally, if it was up to me, I would give Tavernier a one year extension because he’s an asset and will be extremely difficult to replace. However, if this is going to be his last season – it would be the perfect way to end his Rangers career as a champion, and no one and I mean no one, deserves it more than him. After everything he’s been through, Rangers need to go and win the Premiership for the legend that is James Henry Tavernier.

Steven Gerrard gives his verdict on Danny Rohl’s performance as Rangers boss

Former Rangers manager Steven Gerrard has said that Danny Rohl is doing a ‘phenomenal’ and ‘immaculate’ job so far.  Back in October, the Ibrox club were eighth in the league table and trailed league leaders Hearts by 11 points, which led to the sacking of failed former boss Russell Martin after only 17 games in charge. Rohl replaced Martin and has got the Light Blues back in the title race and are one point behind Derek McInnes’ men. Gerrard looked set to return to the Gers after Martin’s sacking but said the timing wasn’t right for him. The Liverpool legend is adored by the Ibrox faithful as he delivered the club’s 55th league title and stopped bitter rivals Celtic winning ten Premiership’s in a row. Speaking on talkSPORT, Gerrard was full of praise for the job the German head coach is doing at his former club. “I dare say he’s been phenomenal, what was it, 13 points off the top? “What a job. He’s come in, he’s said all the right things, he’s tweaked things on the pitch, he’s signed good players in January. I think he’s been immaculate. “But how good is it Ally, when you win on a Saturday, you’re ready and all that on a Sunday and you watch the others play and the pressure is on the others. It’s brilliant isn’t it?” Gerrard’s last managerial role in the game was with Al-Ettifaq in 2025 and is ready to return to the dugout if the right opportunity was to present itself in the future. “My family are back home in Liverpool, the kids are all settled at school. I’m more ready than I have been. I’m all ears. “But at the same time, I’m not chasing. I’m not searching, I’m not desperate. I’m in a good place. “Work-life balance is fantastic at the moemnt but if the right opportunity comes, I’m all ears to listen to that. “But I’m having a fantastic time at TNT with Ally and the boys and the girls, covering some big games.”

Gerrard won the most important league title in Rangers’ history and hopefully will be manager again one day – Scott Bradley

Steven Gerrard appeared on the Overlap and was asked about his successful time as Rangers manager.  The footballing legend spoke of his regret leaving the Ibrox club for Aston Villa in 2021 as he only lasted eight months in charge. Gerrard made history and won the Light Blues their first league title in ten years and stopped Celtic doing ten in a row. The Rangers faithful were devastated when Gerrard left as they were top of the league and were going in the right direction under his management. The former England international said on the Overlap that looking back he wished he had stayed put at Rangers. Hindsight is obviously one thing, but I can understand why he made the switch to Villa at that time. Gerrard is a serial winner with extremely high standards – that’s why he was one of the best midfielders to ever grace the game. After the Ibrox club won their 55th league title, the former board got complacent and took their foot off the gas. Gerrard wanted to kick on and take Rangers to the next level and the board weren’t willing to support his demands and vision. The Liverpool legend was frustrated and rightly so because he was proved right as the last title Rangers won was with Gerrard as manager. Gerrard spent well with not a huge budget and delivered on what he was brought in to do – he was let down in his final season with poor recruitment and lack of funds. The former England international took charge in 2018 and the club were in a complete mess. He was able to build a team went on to become Premiership champions and Europa League finalists The only negative thing about Gerrard’s tenure in Glasgow was that he should have won more, but he delivered the big one which was bringing that title back to Govan. We can’t ignore the elephant in the room and gloss over the fact that Gerrard did knock Rangers back twice last year, but I can also see why he did. For a starter, he didn’t feel comfortable working with former sporting director Kevin Thelwell and former CEO Patrick Stewart, and do you really blame him? They were two horrendous appointments who were dismissed not long after Danny Rohl’s appointment, and rightly so. If Gerrard was afforded the freedoms that Rohl has now got – he most likely would have took the job back in October. But take nothing away from Rohl, who is doing an unbelievable job and has got Rangers right back into the title race – something many thought was impossible months ago. The way Gerrard speaks about Rangers, you can tell he loves the club and that he still has unfinished business. Rohl will eventually move on at some point but hopefully that isn’t for a long time. Whenever that time comes, I would love to see Gerrard return to the Ibrox dugout and pick up right from where he left off. He won the most important league title in the club’s history and ruined the biggest season in Celtic’s history. I believe one day he will be back in that Ibrox dugout, and I really hope it happens.

‘He’s an asset’ – Mark Warburton full of praise for James Tavernier and hopes the Rangers captain signs a new deal

Former Rangers boss Mark Warburton says that James Tavernier is still an asset to the club and hopes he extends his stay at Ibrox. The Rangers Hall of Famer’s contract is up at the end of the season and there has been a lot of speculation surrounding his future. Tavernier joined the Light Blues 11 years ago and was signed by Warburton in the Scottish Championship. Speaking on the GersNet Podcast, Warburton couldn’t speak highly enough of his former player and believes Tavernier can always contribute to the team. “I know Tav so well. I’ve said enough things, Tav knows – huge respect for him as a person and a player. “He’s come through some tough times, he’s had a lot of criticism thrown at him, and he’s weathered the storm. “He’s just a genuinely good person. I would love to see him stay. Maybe, it’s a chance for him to go and get a payday somewhere, not in terms of being greedy, but his career will come to an end sooner rather than later. “But I’d just love to see him stay at Rangers and he can always contribute on and off the field, on the bench, on the training pitch, he’s someone who will give everything for Rangers.” The right-back has been a main stay in the Gers starting 11 since 2015 and Warburton believes there needs to be more people in the game that have a similar attitude and approach to their craft like Tavernier does. “I can’t remember Tav ever missing a training session, let alone a game. “He enjoys his trade and there’s loads of players that don’t enjoy it enough and they don’t realise the privilege they’ve got of being a player but Tav has never lost sight of that fact. “Always smiled, from the first time I spoke to him – it was a smile and you go ‘yes the guy loves it’ it’s infectious. “I just think he’s good around the club. He’s been a huge contributor to Rangers now over the last ten or 11 years or more. “But I just think for me, he’s an asset and assets are hard to find and I would love to see the club and Tav come to some sort of an agreement that works for both parties.

‘We have the quality to win the league’ – Danny Rohl talks up the quality of his potential title winning team

Danny Rohl believes his side have the quality to go all the way and win the Scottish Premiership title as the German head coach talks up Rangers’ chances.  The Ibrox club face Dundee United tomorrow and have the opportunity to go top of the league for the first time in TWO years. Rohl’s men have won their last two games and are only two points behind league leaders Hearts, who play Livingston on Sunday. Speaking ahead of the clash against United, the Rangers boss said his squad are in a strong place mentally. He said: “I’m happy, I feel really good because I see my group at the moment, I see the development, I think we are mentally strong. “Even if you go away, we took the win against St Mirren, the pressure was on after two draws, but we came back, and we made a very good performance against Aberdeen. “It gives me a lot of belief, there is no doubt, my group is strong – I’m convinced we have the quality to win the league. “It’s a good feeling but the best feeling should be after the game when we win the game and we are top. “We have to work hard for that. We played Dundee United two times this year and we couldn’t win against them, and this is a new challenge. “They did well against Celtic, we are prepared for this, we know what we face tomorrow and it will be a challenge.”

Mark Warburton believes that Celtic are OUT of the title race and tips Rangers to be crowned champions

Former Rangers manager Mark Warburton believes Celtic are out of the Scottish Premiership title race and fancies his old club to win the league. This season has been one for the ages as Hearts, Rangers and Celtic are all competing for the title. It’s tight at the top as Derek McInnes’ men are two points ahead of the Light Blues and five ahead of the Parkhead club. The Hoops’ title hopes took a massive blow after losing 2-0 to Dundee United at Tannadice just before the international break. Danny Rohl’s men made it two wins on the bounce after a dominant 4-1 display over Aberdeen. One man who knows Scottish football and the Ibrox club well is Mark Warburton, and speaking on the GersNet Podcast – he was full of praise for how well the Jambos have done this season but fancies the Gers to be crowned champions this May. “Normally, without being rude it’s normally a two horse race. “So the interest, obviously the involvement of Tony Bloom, and what he brings to the club in terms of recruitment. “That will not have been missed by the Rangers board I’m sure. “It’s all about recruitment, it’s the quality of recruitment, accessing markets, finding players of value and Tony Bloom and Matthew Benham in Brighton and Brentford are the two very best. “So, I think that’s a game changer, we’re seeing that already in Scotland and that will certainly put Rangers and Celtic on their heels and they have to respond – you have to respond to that because if you let someone get ahead they won’t just sit on their lead. “They will certainly keep pushing in terms of quality of players they’re bringing in and investment et cetera. “It’s great for the neutral watching it and it’s coming down really tight and obviously there has been some shock results – there seems to be a shock result every weekend but right now I think it’s between Rangers and Hearts. “Celtic won’t like me saying that but it’s between Rangers and Hearts, in my humble opinion and I fancy Rangers. “I just think at the final hurdle they’ve got enough to get it over the line.” Warburton spent two years at the Govan club and got them promoted back to the Premiership in 2016. The former Brentford manager is currently the President of American footballing side Sporting Jax of the United Soccer League

Double awards for Rangers striker Youssef Chermiti

Youssef Chermiti has been named the Scottish Premiership Player of the Month for February and also picked up the Goal of the Month award after his breathtaking overhead kick against Celtic. The Rangers striker and has been under the microscope since joining the Light Blues for £8 million last summer from Everton. The 21-year-old has bagged a total of nine goals in 29 appearances for the Ibrox club and scored a brace against the Hoops in back-to-back Old Firm games. Chermiti scored his first professional hat-trick in the Gers’ 4-2 victory over league leaders Hearts last month. Speaking to the Rangers club website, the Portugal under-21 international spoke of his delight after picking up two awards. “I am delighted to win both awards. “My first goal against Celtic is something that will live with me forever. As a striker, you want to play and score in these games, and thankfully, I have been able to do that several times this season. “But I couldn’t have achieved anything without my teammates and the staff here at Rangers, who have helped me settle at the club. “Now I want to repay them and the supporters by continuing to score goals and help us win matches.”