Scottish Premiership: Rangers seek response, in-form strikers key
Rangers aim to bounce back from their draw at Dundee as the Scottish Premiership resumes, with in-form strikers and managerial narratives under scrutiny.
The Scottish Premiership returns this weekend after another round of European disappointment for Scottish clubs. Rangers, who dropped points in a 2-2 draw at Dundee last Saturday, host St Johnstone on Saturday. That draw ended a seven-match winning run and allowed Celtic, who thrashed Hearts 7-1 on Sunday, to move four points clear at the top. Rangers face St Johnstone for the first time in 21 months, with several players affected by a sickness bug. St Johnstone, promoted last season, sit fifth and are yet to take a point from Rangers under manager Simo Valakari.
Last weekend illustrated how quickly perceptions can shift. Aberdeen manager Stephen Robinson faced criticism over style and results, but a 3-1 win over St Mirren lifted his side to seventh and changed the recent record to three wins in six. Similarly, Falkirk were second bottom before a 2-1 win at Hibernian moved them up to ninth, with just one loss in five. These turnarounds often hinge on strikers: Falkirk’s Jacob Murrell has four goals in his past five games, Aberdeen’s Kevin Nisbet has scored in four of five, and Dundee’s Bradley Fink has three in four as Dundee sit fourth.
The importance of the first goal is evident. Celtic have led for 64.8% of their league game time, while Hearts are second at 45.4%. Rangers, despite their unbeaten run, have spent 50.8% of their time drawing—the highest proportion in the league—highlighting an inability to convert dominance into wins. Lyall Cameron, with two goals in three games, will look to add for Dundee United at home to Aberdeen.
Sunday’s matches feature Hibernian hosting Celtic and Motherwell welcoming Hearts. Hibernian, under new manager Marink Reedijk, have lost their first two games and are without a league win in six. They have trailed for 49.7% of their match time this season, the highest in the Premiership. Celtic, despite three straight Europa League defeats, have dropped only three points domestically. Motherwell have lost five in a row, putting pressure on manager Alfred Johansson, while Hearts have won just two of 10 away games in all competitions but are unbeaten in seven against Motherwell, with the last three meetings at Fir Park ending in draws.
Supporters remain skeptical. Aberdeen fans are not fully convinced by Robinson’s side despite the win, and Hibernian supporters are anxious about the club’s poor start. The weekend offers a chance for teams to respond to European setbacks and for managers to ease mounting pressure.
Image: SNS / BBC Sport
