'All that matters...' - Ferguson shares what Rangers must do before next Old Firm v Celtic

Rangers must win their next three matches and take maximum points leading into their next titanic clash against Celtic, according to Barry Ferguson.

The former Light Blues captain, speaking in the Daily Record [20 December], is upbeat in the aftermath of the sickening feeling around the club after the events of the Scottish League Cup final.

The Old Firm finale at Hampden Park – a showpiece 3-3 draw then decided in their rivals’ favour via a penalty shootout – left a hugely bitter taste after a VAR penalty shout denied in extra time, for which officials chief Willie Collum has now admitted fault of his team.

Rangers close out their Ibrox calendar year against Dundee on Saturday [21 December], completing a turbulent 2024 with trips to St Mirren and Motherwell before opening the New Year with a home Old Firm showdown.

“There are plenty of positives for Rangers to take into the festive period, so they have to recover quickly from the disappointment of losing the Cup Final on penalties and forget all about the one that wasn’t given,” the ex-skipper rallied.

“All that matters is what comes next. And that has to be delivering nine points from their next three games before going head-to-head with Celtic again on January 2.”

Rangers must channel improved form into upcoming Celtic clash

Rangers have come a long way in a short space of time, really. The past few weeks would have been viewed as heroic had the club retained the League Cup.

The pain that football brings, however, can eat away at you if dwelled upon. Gers fans will sting from that feeling of injustice for a long time, that’s normal. But there remains a task at hand and plenty on for Philippe Clement and his squad this season.

Plans will be bubbling away in the background for the January transfer window as the squad overhaul continues, but there are nine productive points available between now and the turn of the year.

It comes as a mark of progress that Gers’ resounding defeat at Celtic Park on 1 September was unrecognisable from what Clement’s team produced at Hampden over three months later.

Now the onus is on the team to make Ibrox the cauldron Celtic had done with their own place towards the start of the campaign, and finally secure that next league win over the old enemy.

In other Rangers news, Nils Koppen is likely to go down the loan market route to secure this striker.

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