Rudderless Aberdeen easily slapped, but Rangers have bigger battles | OneFootball

Rangers rather easily dispatched a hapless Aberdeen at Ibrox last night, struggling without a manager, in diabolical form, and unable to “raise their game”. That paranoia from Rangers fans has been doing the rounds for many decades, ever since the Ian Durrant incident in the 80s. Ever since that time, there has been a collective notion that Aberdeen raised their match against Rangers only. This is not actually that true, not anymore. It perhaps was back in the day, when there really was a poisonous rivalry between Rangers Aberdeen.

The Aberdeen Myth

These days, it is not so pronounced, and indeed, Rangers have destroyed Aberdeen on many occasions. Aberdeen have beaten Celtic more than once in recent times, and even won the cup against them. The idea, of course, being that Aberdeen roll over against Celtic is probably not entirely true. Either way, what mattered was beating Aberdeen last night, and Rangers did that fairly comfortably, even if only two goals were secured.

Set Pieces and Signs of Progress

Set-piece coach Scott Fry is starting to have a bit of an impact. With two headed goals from two crosses, whether they were set-pieces or not, he is clearly imprinting his ideas. It appears to be working on that front, so that is a sign of progress.

Keeping Perspective

But you know Ibrox Noise, we are always grounded, realistic and honest. Let us not forget how bad Aberdeen are, and how bad Celtic are. January’s work for this club is absolutely critical. Our squad is still well below code.

One way of remembering how poor Rangers actually are is the difference in our opponents. There is also the context of Philippe Clement and Michael Beale. Both Beale and Clement had Rangers in second place. That was nowhere near good enough for Rangers. Both of those managers were chased out with their tail between their legs.

The Rohl Context

Now our manager has us second in the league, and is being applauded by all and sundry. This is simply because Russell Martin gaslit Rangers so badly that we were 11th under him. He was the worst manager in Rangers history by an absolute mile.

Rohl is so far doing pretty much what Clement and Beale did. He has us second. The curious thing, of course, is that he actually has us above Celtic for now. That is surreal in itself, that we are still second under those circumstances. Hearts, of course, lead the way.

Progress or Illusion

The fact is that Rohl has only undone the staggering damage that Martin did. He has not elevated us beyond where Clement and Beale had us. That is worth remembering when it comes to context.

Fans are being put through so much that they are seeing third or second as progress. It is being viewed as a good thing. It is not, not for Rangers.

Walter Smith’s Standard

Remember the classic line from Walter Smith. Admittedly, he misspoke it slightly, but the principle was correct. For those who may have forgotten it, he said that the first time you walk through the doors at Ibrox, you put yourself second and the club first. That is the one and only time that being second should be good enough for you.

He slightly misspoke this statement, if that is the exact quote as transcribed. But that is the point. Being second or third is never anywhere near good enough.

Reality Check

It is how bad Rangers have been in the last year or so that this feels like progress. Being 11th at one point makes second or third look positive. Technically, it is progress. But it is still nowhere near good enough for where we need to be.

One step at a time, of course, but Rangers are still well below the level required. As we have said before, Aberdeen have no manager right now. Celtic basically did not either.

January Is Everything

The January window becomes a huge picture of importance. Rangers need better than the EFL slop we seem to be looking at. If we are going to become the best team in Scotland again, we need better players than we have right now.

GLASGOW, SCOTLAND – DECEMBER 15: Danny Rohl, Head Coach of Rangers, looks on prior to the Premier League match between Rangers and Hibernian at Ibrox Stadium on December 15, 2025 in Glasgow, Scotland. (Photo by Ian MacNicol/Getty Images)

Ibrox Noise is still sceptical of Danny Rohl. Sorry, but we are. We remain sceptical that he is good enough to take us to the top. We are also sceptical he can bring in the calibre of players required.

Final Thoughts

He is doing fairly well with what he has. He is doing fairly well with what he has. That, ironically, is the very thing we have joked about many times. The ‘look what he inherited’ fallacy.

He is also getting some luck with opponents. Celtic have been as bad as they were and are. Aberdeen have been honking too.But at the end of the day, you can only beat who you play.

Many fans are getting very excited, but there is a long way to go. It is the most interesting season we can remember. We do wonder how Martin O’Neill will change the picture at Celtic again. Rangers Aberdeen was at least a stroll.

Interesting times in the Scottish Premiership.