New Chapter at Ibrox – Ambition and Fresh Direction
The summer of 2025 marked a new era for Rangers. The arrival of new majority owners, led by Andrew Cavenagh and 49ers Enterprises, brought a wave of optimism to Ibrox. Former Southampton manager Russell Martin was appointed in June, tasked with blending his possession-based philosophy and replicating the exciting attacking style that saw the Saints promoted back to the Premier League.
Summer Recruitment
It’s been a busy window for Rangers confirming 10 additions to the squad:
| Player | Position | Previous club |
|---|---|---|
| Oscar Cortes | Winger | RC Lens |
| Oliver Antman | Winger | Go Ahead Eagles |
| Emmanuel Fernandez | Centre Back | Peterborough United |
| Djeidi Gassama | Winger | Sheffield Wednesday |
| Thelo Aasgaard | Attacking Midfielder | Luton Town |
| Joe Rothwell | Central Midfielder | Bournemouth |
| Lyall Cameron | Attacking Midfielder | Dundee |
| Max Aarons | Full Back | Bournemouth (Loan) |
| Nasser Djiga | Centre Back | Wolves (Loan) |
| Mikey Moore | Winger | Tottenham (Loan) |
Mixed start – European Heavyweights vs domestic struggles
Rangers’ early-season form has been something of a tale of two campaigns. On the continental stage, they have handled high-pressure situations well, progressing through the Champions League qualifying rounds first with a tricky tie against Panathanaikos and then gaining a particularly impressive first-leg win over Viktoria Plzen that proved too difficult for the Czechs to overturn at home. They’ve set themselves up with a great chance of making the Champions League Group stages with a playoff against Club Brugge standing between Rangers and a guaranteed £15.64 million (€18.62 million).
Domestically, however, results have been slower to gather momentum. Opening with consecutive draws against Motherwell and Dundee, Rangers have found opponents prepared to sit deep and frustrate them, limiting the space for their attacking players to operate. While they have enjoyed large spells of possession, turning that control into clear chances has been a challenge. That’s brought inevitable pressure and the kind of criticism that goes hand in hand with the high standards set at Rangers.
Ones to watch
However, that being said having a cup weekend against lower league opposition may see expanded opportunities for the mavericks in Rangers squad to come in and impress.
Mikey Moore, everyone’s favourite FM24 wonderkid has finally been registered, and may well make his debut for the ‘Gers. Tottenham have reaffirmed their faith in the 18 year old loanee after handing him a new long term deal just this week and he’s an intriguing prospect to come into the Rangers team.
Thelo Aasgaard, the Norwegian international, has set himself apart from his peers while in the Championship. Few rivalled his combination of relentless shooting, consistent chance creation, and composure in possession – qualities underpinned by his commanding dribbling ability and repertoire of tricks. Though injuries have hampered his summer, the upcoming clash with Alloa could mark his first appearance at Ibrox.
Hamza Igamane – the Morrocan has only managed 15 minutes at the tail end of the 2-0 win over Panathanaikos this term but Russell Martin praised him for his ‘raw natural ability’ and may well have a chance to prove himself with Cyriel Dessers knee injury sustained against Viktoria Plzen. Last season he managed 16 goals with some exceptional strikes. A finisher with both feet, and a nutmeg connoisseur, he’s an extremely enjoyable player to watch.
Avengers jokes are also banned for this weekend – the inevitable headline for Oliver ‘Antman and the Wasps’ – is sure to feature somewhere if the Finnish international picks his killer passes in the final third and Djeidi Gassama – ‘the Gasman’ – so named for his ability to ignite games are other obvious candidates to keep an eye on but from an Alloa perspective we might hope to see them rested with bigger fish to fry coming up for our hosts.
The last meeting
Rangers last meeting with Alloa was on trophy day in 2016. Alloa pegged Rangers back early as Michael Duffy raced through to score a pinpoint bottom corner finish to put a potential dampener on any title celebrations. James Tavernier grabbed an equaliser on the cusp of half time but the Champions failed to deliver three points against Jack Ross’ already relegated Wasps.
The head to head
Alloa have somewhat surprisingly garnered a very good record in the head to head. The teams shared a division over 2014-16 and met each other in the 2014-15 Petrofac Cup semi-final. A Greig Spence double and a goal from Ryan McCord saw Alloa pick up the first win in their history against the Glasgow giants.
It means in the last 9 games Alloa have won 1, drawn 5 and lost 3 – a very respectable run for the Wee County side.
| 2015/2016 | Sat 23 Apr | Rangers | 1 – 1 | Alloa |
| Sat 13 Feb | Alloa | 1 – 1 | Rangers | |
| Sat 07 Nov | Rangers | 4 – 0 | Alloa | |
| Sat 16 Aug | Alloa | 1 – 5 | Rangers | |
| 2014/2015 | Tue 17 Mar | Rangers | 2 – 2 | Alloa |
| Sat 10 Jan | Alloa | 0 – 1 | Rangers | |
| Wed 3 Dec | Alloa | 3 – 2 | Rangers | |
| Sat 15 Nov | Rangers | 1 – 1 | Alloa | |
| Sat 20 Sep | Alloa | 1 – 1 | Rangers |
Can the 2025/26 crop of Alloa stars produce a cup shock on the grandest of stages in Scottish football? Before kickoff it’s a challenge that few believe that they can overcome, but one thing is for sure, dreams are made for nights like this.
