Rangers‘ early Europa League exit aside, things couldn’t be going much better for Danny Rohl‘s side right now, following another convincing weekend win at Ibrox.
A year on from the club’s shock elimination at the same stage, and at the hands of the same opponent, the Gers were far more ruthless this time around, netting eight to set up a mouthwatering Glasgow derby in the next round.
Powered by the cheat code that was James Tavernier’s devastating set-piece prowess, the hosts were simply no match for their lower league opponents, enjoying a fine day all round with a string of new faces all impressing.
Indeed, January midfield addition, Tochi Chukwuani, got off the mark late on from close range, while the afternoon’s major talking point was the deadly double of Ryan Naderi, with the deadline day arrival already beginning to pay back his £4.7m transfer fee.
It may have only been Queen’s Park, although the German’s first start bodes well for the impact he can go on to make as a centre-piece of Rohl’s attack.
What Rangers learned from Sunday’s Queen’s Park thrashing
As noted above, these fixtures aren’t always plain sailing – just ask Philippe Clement – with Rangers suffering the humiliation of defeat against their weekend opponents on home soil.
This is a different team and a different manager, however, with the 8-0 triumph highlighting how there are now so many different avenues for the Light Blues to hurt the opposition.
Indeed, if it is not Tavernier terrorising a backline from the right flank, there is now the rampaging Tuur Rommens off the left, with it looking as if the Glasgow side could finally have a long-term solution in that problematic full-back berth.
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Ahead of that attack-minded pair, Rohl is now getting a tune out of Oliver Antman, alongside new man Andreas Skov Olsen, with the midfield duo of Chukwuani and Mo Diomande also chipping in in the final third too, registering a goal and an assist, respectively.
The former Sheffield Wednesday boss might also have been encouraged by the benefits of a shift in system, having deployed two up top in a game that the hosts were always expected to dominate.
Naderi, who can drop deep to link play, was particularly effective, with the visiting defence simply no match for the 22-year-old’s size and stature as he twice pounced to head home.
A starting berth could now be his to lose following that deadly double, although the man alongside him should be far less comfortable, even with Sunday having gone so smoothly all-round.
The new Dessers could be finished after Naderi signing
The weekend win might have seen Rohl opt for a more attacking, traditional 4-4-2 set-up, but whether that is retained for more high-profile meetings, such as this weekend’s clash with Hearts, remains to be seen.
It appears far more likely that the Gers will again shift to a 4-2-3-1 back in Premiership action, ensuring it will be a straight fight between Naderi and Bojan Miovski, alongside Youssef Chermiti.
On Sunday’s evidence, the mobile and all-action Naderi should well emerge as the winner of that battle, with even Miovski’s late strike unable to mask another relatively limp outing all-round.
Indeed, the Macedonian marksman was shown up somewhat by the new man’s lively outing alongside him, having again been rather lifeless in that number nine berth.
The 26-year-old was at one stage the “best player in the league in his position” at Aberdeen, as per teammate Nick Devlin, although following his return to Scottish football over the summer, his former best simply hasn’t been seen at Ibrox.
|
Miovski – 23/24 vs 25/26 SPFL stats |
||
|---|---|---|
|
Stat (*per game) |
23/24 |
25/26 |
|
Games |
38 |
20 |
|
Starts |
36 |
13 |
|
Goals |
16 |
4 |
|
Assists |
2 |
1 |
|
Chances missed |
16 |
7 |
|
Chances created |
4 |
1 |
|
Mins per goal |
197 |
274 |
|
Goal conversion |
15% |
17% |
|
Total duels won* |
31% |
33% |
Of course, the ex-Girona man is now up to ten for the season in all competitions, although four of those have come against lower league opposition in the cup, having actually only scored four Premiership goals to date.
That type of return no doubt shares similarities to his predecessor, Cyriel Dessers, with the Nigerian’s return of 52 goals in 116 games looking far less impressive when digging a little deeper.
Last season, for instance, the 31-year-old did net 29 times across all fronts, although seven of those efforts came in cup action, having typically gone missing on the bigger stage.
It is hard to overlook his 34 Premiership goals across those two seasons, although the Belgian-born forward was so wasteful regardless, remarkably missing 47 ‘big chances’ in the top-flight in 2023/24 and 2024/25 combined.
From 13 starts this term, for comparison, Miovski has already missed seven ‘big chances’ of his own, while his goal conversion rate stands at just 17%, similar to Dessers’ 16% from his debut campaign.
Where the two men are also alike is in their inability to offer much outside of being a traditional number nine, with Dessers providing just two assists and creating only two ‘big chances’ last term, for instance, while winning only 33% of his total duels.
As for Miovski, he only has one assist and one ‘big chance’ created too, having also only won 33% of his total duels himself, highlighting why he appears to be another Dessers in the making.
The former Dons star might be the club’s second-highest scorer this season, but like Dessers, there is a sense that such a return is masking bigger issues, with those goals having not exactly come in crucial moments to date.
If Naderi can then maintain what he’s already shown in a Rangers shirt, offering more of an all-round forward with an end product to match, then Miovski’s stock is only set to plummet even further over the coming weeks and months.
Considering Rohl was so keen to sign a new striker, even after the captures of Chermiti and Miovski over the summer, it perhaps showcases what the German really thinks of his centre-forward pool.
Ibrox flop now looks finished at Rangers after Naderi’s debut
This Rangers flop’s time at Ibrox may already be on borrowed time after the signing of Ryan Naderi.
