Scottish Premiership Weekend Recap: Rangers Struggles and Celtic's Hogh
The Scottish Premiership is only just rubbing the sleep from its eyes, but the storylines are already sharp. Rangers are stuck in familiar trouble, Celtic have a new penalty-box predator, Hearts have life under Wouter Vrancken, and St Mirren are looking down on everyone – at least for now.
At Ibrox, the mood is anything but early-season light.
New face, old problems at Rangers
Derek McInnes keeps insisting Rangers “aren’t as bad as people think”. The evidence keeps arguing back.
He shuffled his back four again for Hibernian’s visit, searching for balance and authority. He got neither. The defence lost its shape, the decision-making crumbled, and new signing Vanja Dragojevic summed it up with a rash haul on Josh Kerr that gifted Hibs a penalty. Another big moment, another self-inflicted wound.
These are the same traits that undermined last season: uncertainty at the back, a lack of cohesion, and an inability to control games when it matters. Rangers fans have seen this film before, and patience is wearing thin.
Then came the sight that darkened the afternoon further. Youssef Chermiti, stretchered off after the club had already turned down a big-money offer from Galatasaray. A gamble on the pitch, a risk in the boardroom, and now a cloud over one of their key assets.
Hibs head coach David Gray admitted his side “rode their luck” at times, but they didn’t fold. Fresh from an impressive Conference League qualifying win in midweek, they dug in, took their moments and left Ibrox with a statement victory. The pressure that once clung to Gray is easing. McInnes can’t say the same.
Hogh hits back in style for Celtic
Kasper Hogh arrived at Celtic with an £11m price tag and a target on his back. Big fee, big club, big expectations. His debut against Dundee was wasteful, the finishing ragged, the scrutiny instant.
He answered it in 35 ruthless minutes at Rugby Park.
On Kilmarnock’s new grass pitch, the Dane looked like a different forward. Same movement, sharper edge. Three goals, all about reading the game, drifting into space, and punishing a defence that simply could not cope. Hogh didn’t just score; he imposed himself, the kind of penalty-box presence Celtic have been desperate to see emerge.
Kilmarnock’s defending was woeful, and Celtic didn’t need a second invitation. Benjamin Nygren and Luke McCowan also cashed in as the champions surged to the top of the table on goal difference, slicing through a back line that has already conceded nine goals in two Premiership games.
Neil McCann wants his team open, expansive, front-foot. Right now, that ambition is leaving them horribly exposed. Unless they tighten up quickly, the season risks becoming another long, nervous flirtation with the relegation battle.
Vrancken finds his voice at Tynecastle
Wouter Vrancken’s first weeks at Hearts have been bruising. Europe brought defeats, Aberdeen brought a collapse, and questions over his appointment grew louder with every limp display. Last season’s title tilt felt a long way off.
Dundee United at Tynecastle, then, arrived with a touch of jeopardy. Hearts didn’t just respond. They roared.
Fresh from a 6-1 hammering in Europa League qualifying, the Jambos produced the kind of performance that resets a mood. Everything clicked in front of goal, the attacking patterns looked purposeful, and the defence finally stood firm. All this with six players missing through injury and suspension.
The scoreline flattered them, but in a way that will not bother Vrancken one bit.
Dundee United actually played plenty of football. They saw a lot of the ball, carved out opportunities, but lacked the decisive touch in the box. It was the difference between a respectable performance and a damaging result. Hearts, by contrast, were ruthless when it mattered. For a team accused of drifting, that edge was exactly what their new manager needed to show.
Phillips drives Saints – but for how long?
At the top of the table, level with Celtic, sit St Mirren. Maximum points, back-to-back clean sheets, and a growing sense that they are not just here to make up the numbers.
Killian Phillips is at the centre of it all. After his opening-day double, the midfielder decided the “two Saints” clash in Paisley with a coolly taken penalty, once again the difference-maker in a tight game.
His form has not gone unnoticed. Interest is building, and with the player entering the final year of his contract, Craig McLeish has been clear: he will help Phillips secure the best move possible if it comes. That honesty is admirable. It also underlines the reality for St Mirren – they might not be able to keep their driving force beyond August.
St Johnstone, newly promoted and buoyed by a winning return to the top flight, played with confidence but lacked conviction where it counts. No shots on target in the first half, a missed penalty, the woodwork rattled. They did most things right between the boxes. They did not finish. At this level, that’s brutal.
Dundee stride on as Aberdeen stall
Seven days. Two very different Aberdeens.
Last weekend, they dug deep to turn Hearts over with a late surge. At Dens Park, that resilience vanished. The travelling support watched a flat, disjointed display and responded with loud boos at full-time. Nobody could argue with them.
Steven Pressley’s Dundee were sharper, hungrier, and more clinical. A 2-0 win looked tidy on the scoreboard; in truth, a heavier margin would not have flattered them. Joe Bevan led the charge, scoring one and setting up another in a standout performance that dragged his side to their first points of the season after a narrow defeat at Celtic Park.
These two meet again on Saturday in the League Cup. Pressley will demand a repeat. Aberdeen, under Stephen Robinson, need a reaction – not just in result, but in attitude.
Motherwell steady under Johansson
The worry at Motherwell was simple: lose Jens Berthel Askou, lose your edge. So far, Alfred Johansson has refused to let that narrative take hold.
The Swede has kept the Steelmen unbeaten across Europe and domestic competition, and a clean sheet against Falkirk added another layer of quiet confidence to a group with ambitions of another top-four finish.
Motherwell started brighter at Fir Park, moving the ball with purpose and looking the more likely. Falkirk, though, grew into the contest. John McGlynn has lost key players, but his side’s response – composed, organised, and ultimately rewarded with a point – will settle nerves heading into their first break of the season.
For now, the table is still forming, the storylines still early. But the themes are clear: Rangers are stuck in old habits, Celtic have found a ruthless new spearhead, Hearts have a foothold again, and St Mirren are daring to dream.
How long that picture holds will define what kind of season this becomes.
