At last, Rangers look like a team

I’ll be honest, I’ve enjoyed watching Rangers the past few weeks. Not in a forced “we’re winning so I’ll pretend everything’s perfect” kind of way either. More because when you turn up on a Saturday, or stick the game on the telly, you’ve got a decent idea what you’re going to get.

Patterns, effort and a bit of pride

That’s the big difference for me. There are distinctive patterns of play now. It’s not just a collection of decent players taking turns to do something. The team looks drilled. The shape is recognisable, the tempo feels more intentional, and there’s a work ethic running through the side that’s been missing at times.

Even the wee tells matter. You could see the whole team were desperate for a clean sheet, and that’s a mentality thing as much as anything. It’s everyone switched on, doing their shifts, defending properly from the front and not treating the ugly parts of the game like they’re beneath them.

The spine of the side is starting to show

In terms of the standouts, Jackie B was solid again. Every keeper has a mistake in them, that’s football, but for me he’s still the best goalie in the league. When Rangers have a keeper you trust, it calms the full back line down as well. That’s no small thing over a season.

At the back, Soapy was outstanding. If we could get a full season out of him, he can have whatever contract he wants. He marshalled the defence properly, the kind of performance that doesn’t always come with fireworks but keeps everybody doing the right things at the right time.

And Big Fernandez is an interesting one. He’s not the finished article, but you can see him growing into it. I love that he’s willing to call team-mates out and demand standards. Rangers sides at their best always have a bit of that edge.

Midfield rhythm, and a striker doing the dirty work

Raskin looks like he’s finding his rhythm, and that’s important because the middle of the pitch is where games get controlled or lost. Dio, for his part, looked like a player sick of the outside noise. Solid, no messing, just got on with it.

Then there’s MM. I’m still at the point of begging for him to be here another season. You can’t help but think what he could do in Champions League games, where there’s more space to operate and you’re not facing a low block every second week.

Up top, Big Chermiti had another solid outing. Linked the play, worked his socks off, and made life awkward for defenders. That sort of honest centre-forward work goes a long way when the rest of the team is starting to click.

All I’m hoping now is we don’t see wholesale changes for the cup and lose the rhythm we’ve built. Keep it sensible, keep it familiar, and keep this feeling going. I’ll enjoy the gin tonight. Let’s go.

Written by Shooting_From_The_Hip: 12 January 2026