Rangers' Turning Tide: A New Era Begins Against Celtic
Rangers’ second win over Celtic in the space of a week has done more than slash the gap at the top of the Scottish Premiership to two points. It has jolted the mood of an entire support. The tone from fans is no longer hopeful. It’s defiant.
The beginning for Rangers – the beginning of the end for Celtic
Derek doesn’t bother with diplomacy. For him, this feels like a turning of the tide.
"It's the beginning for Rangers and the beginning of the end for Celtic," he says, framing this run not as a blip but as a shift in power. What he sees now is a team that matches graft with belief.
Rangers, he argues, finally look like a side their fans recognise: direct, powerful, relentless in the running and knitted together by a visible bond. At the heart of it all, in his eyes, is Ryan Naderi. The forward has “been superb up front” and “epitomised what has been the message.”
Alongside him, Olwethu Makhanya already looks like a coup. Derek calls him “an incredible signing and unflappable” – high praise for a player still settling into the intensity of this rivalry, but one whose composure has clearly landed.
It could have been a cricket score
Louise arrived at Parkhead wondering if lightning could strike twice. It did.
“I had wondered if a repeat of last weekend was possible, but what a performance again from Rangers,” she says, still struck by how assured the visitors looked on Celtic’s turf.
Makhanya and Naderi again draw glowing reviews. Dan Neil, who ran the show a week ago, is singled out for “controlling the midfield”, while Dujon Sterling’s display is hailed as “probably [his] best performance in a Rangers shirt.”
The only frustration? Ruthlessness.
“If we had taken our chances and had a bit more quality in the final third it could have been a cricket score,” Louise insists. One goal, though, proved enough “to silence Parkhead” and underline the psychological weight of this win.
Her wider verdict is telling. “This team have grown up very quickly and have now shown what they are capable of,” she says, urging patience and backing for Derek McInnes. For her, the manager has “made his mark as Rangers manager now” and must be allowed to build, regardless of what comes next.
Different week, same dominance in midfield
Sally sees a pattern emerging in the middle of the park.
“Last week it was Dan Neil running the midfield, this week it was Nico Raskin,” she points out. Different conductor, same control. It’s the kind of variation and depth Rangers have lacked in recent seasons in these fixtures.
Up front, Naderi again earns the word “outstanding”, while Djeidi Gassama draws sympathy rather than criticism after going close. She describes him as “so unlucky with his shot on goal”, a reminder that the margin between a narrow win and that “cricket score” was fine.
What really surprises her sits in the dugouts. Sally expected McInnes to tweak his approach after last weekend’s success. He didn’t. Celtic, she notes, also failed to adapt to what had just undone them. The same plan, the same problems, the same result.
Makhanya wins over the doubters
Chris admits he wasn’t convinced by Makhanya at first. That doubt didn’t last long.
“Wasn't too sure of Makhanya when he first signed,” he says, but Sunday felt like a turning point. The defender’s display, he adds, looked “like a kick about in the back garden with the kids for him” – a casual way of saying he handled the pressure with ease.
The flashpoint that really caught his eye didn’t even count. The finish for Makhanya’s disallowed goal was “absolutely stunning,” Chris says, a glimpse of quality that only deepens the sense that Rangers have found a serious player.
Two wins in a week, a two-point gap, and a fanbase talking not just about results, but identity, authority and a manager they want to see backed. Celtic still lead the league table. The question now is whether they still lead the title race in the minds of their greatest rivals.
