Rangers may have been left frustrated by the results of both Old Firm clashes at Ibrox earlier this month, but that has not stopped Graeme Souness from backing his former club as the better side this season.
Danny Rohl’s team drew the Premiership derby and then lost the Scottish Cup quarter-final on penalties in a match overshadowed by serious crowd disorder. Despite those outcomes, Souness, the architect of the Rangers revolution alongside David Murray in the late 1980s, believes the statistics and performances across both games tell a story that the results do not fully reflect.
Speaking to the Daily Record, Souness pointed to the cup tie in particular, noting that a team producing 24 shots across 120 minutes and losing to a side that managed a single shot is an outcome that defies logic. His view was that Rangers had only themselves to blame for failing to convert their dominance into goals, and that the result flattered Celtic considerably. He acknowledged he had only watched the Premiership derby from abroad rather than in person, but said he had seen enough in both games to feel encouraged about where Rangers are heading under Rohl, provided they can develop a more clinical edge in front of goal.
That clinical edge was very much on display on Saturday evening as Rangers dismantled Aberdeen 4-1. Goals from Tochi Chukwuani, Mikey Moore, Nicolas Raskin and a stunning James Tavernier free kick gave the result a convincing look, with Dennis Geiger’s reply for the Dons amounting to little more than a consolation.
Tavernier was pleased with how his teammates responded after conceding in the second half to give Aberdeen a brief lifeline at 2-1. Speaking on Premier Sports, he said the manner of the goal was disappointing but that the defensive performance had otherwise been solid and the attacking output had been strong. He credited Mikey Moore with a phenomenal display and highlighted the contribution of those who came off the bench. His message was that the squad remained calm after conceding, knowing the goal had been self-inflicted, responded quickly, and then pushed on to finish the game convincingly.