Kris Boyd: "Rangers are in a right good place right now, with goals coming from all over the pitch. Everything is rosy at Ibrox right now"; watch Ross County vs Rangers on Sky Sports Football this Sunday; kick-off 12pm
Thursday 3 December 2020 17:15, UK
On this week's Scottish Football Podcast, Celtic's ongoing struggles under Neil Lennon dominated the agenda but Rangers' continued success was also a topic of conversation for Ian Crocker, Andy Walker and Kris Boyd.
In stark contrast to their rivals Celtic, Rangers just keep on getting the job done as they reached the Scottish League Cup quarter-finals with a 4-0 win over Falkirk last weekend.
It means Steven Gerrard's side remain unbeaten in their 23 games in all competitions this season ahead of hosting Standard Liege in the Europa League on Thursday night, and the prospect of silverware this season is becoming closer to a reality.
"Having made so many changes to face Falkirk last weekend, it was impressive again," Boyd told the Scottish Football Podcast.
"Rangers are in a right good place right now, with goals coming from all over the pitch. Jermain Defoe's finish on Sunday night was excellent, and he's a top-class striker who knows where the goal is.
"You can rotate the squad when you've got quality replacing quality. A few of the younger players at the weekend managed to get a run-out too, so everything is rosy at Ibrox right now. It's a different challenge this week with the trip to the Highlands on Sunday after the Europa League.
"When you look at how Ross County performed against Celtic, Rangers will face a difficult challenge. I was at the reverse fixture earlier in the season, and while Rangers won 2-0 it might have been very different. Coll Donaldson had a header which quite easily could have made it 1-1. So Rangers will be aware of their threat and will go about the game in a professional manner."
Gerrard has brought continuity to the Rangers defence with Borna Barisic, Connor Goldson and James Tavernier forming the bedrock behind goalkeeper Allan McGregor.
Calvin Bassey and Leon Balogun provide quality competition - but the Rangers have shown a pride in the manner in which they have gone about preserving clean sheets this term.
Ross County have lost seven consecutive Scottish Premiership meetings with Rangers since a 1-1 draw in February 2017 under Jim McIntyre, and Walker believes that poor record in this fixture will continue at the weekend.
Walker added: "All Rangers have to do is keep doing what they've been doing and keep their players fit. But the changes Gerrard has made have worked for him.
"It looks like everyone is onside and everyone is behind him. Everyone knows exactly what their job is, and their performances in Europe have been terrific.
"All I can see against Ross County is another comfortable Rangers win. Of course, they might concede the odd goal or two, but I think that is what people are saying about Rangers just now: they hardly look like conceding a goal never mind losing a game. That's a big problem for anyone chasing Rangers and hoping they drop points."
