Rangers Struggle Again as Hogh Shines and Vrancken Gains Ground
Different manager, same uneasy soundtrack at Ibrox.
Derek McInnes is still waiting for his first win as Rangers boss and, for all his insistence that his team “aren’t as bad as people think”, the evidence on the pitch continues to drag the argument the other way.
He shuffled his back four again for Hibernian’s visit, searching for a blend, a balance, anything resembling authority. Instead, the defensive uncertainty that poisoned last season resurfaced. New signing Vanja Dragojevic hauled Josh Kerr to the ground for a penalty, a moment that summed up the jittery decision-making and lack of cohesion that is fast becoming a theme rather than a blip.
The mistakes are repetitive. So is the mood in the stands. Rangers fans, already wary after last year’s collapse, watched another disjointed display unravel and saw their anxiety deepen when Youssef Chermiti was stretchered off – days after the club had rejected a lucrative offer from Galatasaray. It felt like insult piled on top of self-inflicted injury.
Hibs head coach David Gray admitted his side “rode their luck” at times, but they were organised, stubborn and streetwise. They backed up an impressive midweek Conference League qualifying win by taking full advantage of Rangers’ fragility, and with every result like this the pressure that once swirled around Gray now drifts across the technical area towards McInnes.
Hogh answers the noise
Kasper Hogh walked into Celtic with an £11m price tag and the kind of scrutiny that comes with it. His debut against Dundee did nothing to calm the chatter – chances missed, questions asked, eyebrows raised.
Then came Kilmarnock. And a new surface. And a very different story.
On Rugby Park’s fresh grass pitch, the Dane exploded into life. Three goals in 35 minutes, the sort of hat-trick that doesn’t just pad the stats but rewrites the early narrative of a season. His movement was sharp, his timing ruthless, his instincts in the box exactly what Celtic paid for.
Kilmarnock’s defending helped. Neil McCann wants his team to be expansive, to attack, to entertain. Right now, that ambition is costing them. Nine goals conceded in their first two Premiership games tells its own tale, and Hogh, Benjamin Nygren and Luke McCowan all took full advantage as Celtic surged to the top of the table on goal difference.
Celtic sparkled in the spaces Kilmarnock left behind, while the home side’s openness veered into recklessness. Unless McCann finds a way to tighten his back line quickly, the promise of a bold, attacking season could easily turn into another long, nervous flirtation with the relegation scrap.
Vrancken’s first real step forward
Wouter Vrancken has barely had time to hang his coat at Tynecastle, yet already the questions had started. Hearts had looked nothing like the side that pushed so close to the title last season. European disappointment, a collapse at Aberdeen, whispers about whether the club had taken the wrong gamble in the dugout.
Dundee United at home, then, felt significant. And Hearts delivered.
This was a response, not a reaction. A 6-1 hammering in Europa League qualifying lingered in the background, but on league duty the Jambos clicked. In front of goal they were incisive; at the back they were disciplined. For a side missing six players through injury and suspension, it was an encouraging show of depth and resolve.
The scoreline flattered them a touch. Dundee United saw plenty of the ball, worked promising positions and carved out opportunities. What they didn’t find was the final touch, the composure to turn possession into something more tangible. Hearts did, and in a league where fine margins often decide the top end of the table, that difference felt stark.
For Vrancken, this was more than three points. It was a foothold.
Phillips keeps Saints perfect – but for how long?
Two games, two wins, two clean sheets. St Mirren’s start could hardly be tidier.
Killian Phillips is at the heart of it. After scoring twice on the opening day, the midfielder’s penalty separated the two Saints in Paisley, edging St Mirren level with Celtic at the top of the Premiership in these very early weeks.
His form has not gone unnoticed. Interest is building as he enters the final year of his contract, and Craig McLeish has already spoken of helping him secure the best move he can when the time comes. That is the reality for a club like St Mirren: develop, shine, then brace for bids. For now, though, Phillips is driving them forward.
St Johnstone, newly promoted and buoyed by a winning return to the top flight, played with a confidence that belied their status. They built attacks, they asked questions, but they wasted their chances. No shots on target in the first half, a missed penalty, the woodwork rattled – it was a catalogue of almosts.
In the Premiership, almost rarely earns you anything. Their solid general play will encourage, but their blunt edge in front of goal cost them a result they might otherwise have claimed.
Dundee surge as Aberdeen stall
Seven days can twist a storyline beyond recognition. Aberdeen, who had fought back so impressively to beat Hearts, arrived at Dens Park with momentum. They left to a chorus of boos from their own travelling support.
Steven Pressley’s Dundee were sharper, hungrier, and far more clinical. The 2-0 scoreline flattered Aberdeen; it arguably flattered them a lot. Dundee controlled long spells, carved them open, and could easily have stretched the margin.
Joe Bevan led the charge. A goal and an assist, constant menace, the kind of performance that announces a player’s arrival in a season. After a narrow defeat at Celtic Park on the opening weekend, this was Dundee’s first reward on the board and it felt fully earned.
The two clubs meet again on Saturday in the League Cup. Pressley will demand the same aggression and conviction; Aberdeen boss Stephen Robinson needs a response, and quickly, before an awkward start hardens into a worrying pattern.
Johansson keeps Motherwell steady
There was a nervousness around Motherwell when Jens Berthel Askou left. A fear that the momentum he had built might vanish with him. Alfred Johansson has wasted no time easing those doubts.
Under the Swede, Motherwell remain unbeaten in Europe and in the league. A clean sheet against Falkirk added another layer of quiet confidence to a squad that believes it can push for another top-four finish. They started brighter at Fir Park, dictated early territory and tempo, and looked the likelier side to break through.
Falkirk, though, refused to fold. John McGlynn has lost key players, yet his team grew into the contest, found their rhythm and battled their way to a point that felt more valuable than the single mark beside their name. As they head into their first break of the season, that resilience might prove as important as any summer signing.
Across the division, it is still early, still raw, but the patterns are beginning to form. Rangers searching, Celtic purring, Hearts stirring, St Mirren daring to dream. The question now is who can hold their nerve as the real grind of the campaign begins.
