#ross-county

#ross-county

Ross County must win at Kilmarnock on the final day of the season to save themselves from at least a relegation play-off after being denied victory at the death by St Johnstone.Stevie May's early goal was followed by his second-half penalty, but County replied with a Yan Dhanda spot kick of their own before Jordan White fired the equaliser and Jack Baldwin's stunning strike.

Dundee United are staring at Scottish Premiership relegation after an abysmal defeat to fellow strugglers Kilmarnock, who took a huge step towards safety and can no longer finish bottom.The Tannadice men were given a stay of execution by St Johnstone's last-gasp equaliser at second-bottom Ross County, but their fate looks sealed.

The title has been settled, but so much more is still up for debate.It's that time of the year when players and journalists head to the ballot box to pick their top players of the season.Celtic have swept their way to the Premiership title, but how many in green and white have shone individually, and is there anyone else who has caught the eye?

It might be happening away from the gaze of the live television cameras, but that doesn't mean there's nothing to play for in the Scottish Premiership's bottom six.Four sides at the foot of the table are split by just six points, with all bottom-half sides set to play each other across their final post-split fixtures.

Glasgow Rangers have made massive strides since appointing Michael Beale in November last year.The Ibrox side have yet to lose under the Englishman, winning 11 of their 12 matches so far and the players are beginning to adjust to his tactical philosophy.Add to the fact the Light Blues managed to sign two quality midfielders in the shape of Todd Cantwell and Nicolas Raskin during January proves that Beale is looking ahead to next season already and making the required changes in personnel.

Journalist Joshua Barrie, who contributes for Sky Sports, has praised Rangers manager Michael Beale for the way he has rotated goalkeepers Jon McLaughlin and Allan McGregor of late.What's the word?Over the weekend, the Ibrox club managed to claim a decent 2-0 win away at Dundee United in the Scottish Premiership thanks to two quickfire goals from Fashion Sakala and Malik Tillman scored in the space of three minutes.

Best odds: 11/8 Bookmaker: Betfair Rangers are set to welcome Motherwell to the Ibrox Stadium in Glasgow on Wednesday evening, in what will be a match withing the 19th round of the Scottish Premiership, though Motherwell have a game in hand on a number of teams in the league.Rangers
The season hasn't exactly gone well for Rangers this term.

Verdict: Rangers win & Both teams to score Best Odds: 2/1 Bookmaker: Unibet Looking to make it three Premiership victories on the bounce, Rangers will make the trip to Ross County on Friday night.Ross County
Starting with the hosts, while Ross County might have managed to find a much-needed boost when opening November, it appears that might have just been a minor positive note for Malky Mackay's men.

Journalist and Sky Sports contributor Joshua Barrie has claimed that he would like to see Todd Cantwell start for Rangers in their upcoming Old Firm clash.How has Cantwell performed for Rangers?The Englishman arrived in January, in what could turn out to be a smart deal for Michael Beale's side, with the player previously linked with other European heavyweights following a promising spell in the Premier League a few seasons ago.

In Ange Postecoglou, Celtic hired a manager who afforded them a crucial edge.At a time when the playing squad required an overhaul, Postecoglou's knowledge of the Japanese market meant he could kickstart a Celtic revival with affordable individuals he knew could have a significant impact in Scotland.

Celtic go into the winter break with a nine-point lead at the Scottish Premiership summit after hitting back to beat Ross County and capitalise on Rangers' slip-up at St Mirren.The Ibrox side's earlier draw in Paisley offered the opportunity to widen the gap, but Celtic Park was stunned into silence when David Cancola rolled in a penalty opener after Matt O'Riley was penalised for handball.

By the time you order your takeaway and sit down to watch The Wheel on Saturday night, the complexion of the Scottish Premiership relegation battle could look a whole lot different.A third of the season remains, with just six points separating the league's bottom four clubs going into a pivotal weekend.

Liam Fox has left his role as Dundee United head coach after five months by mutual consent following Saturday's humiliating defeat by Ross County.Fox, who stepped up from assistant to replace Jack Ross in September, had been in permanent charge for just 22 matches, winning just six and drawing three.

Dundee United have appointed Jim Goodwin as their new manager on a deal until the end of this season.Goodwin was sacked by Aberdeen , who United host on Saturday, in January after four consecutive defeats.Ex-Scotland boss Craig Levein was also considered for the position, but the former Hearts boss ruled himself out of a return to Tannadice.

Aberdeen consigned former manager Jim Goodwin to defeat in his first match in charge of Scottish Premiership bottom side Dundee United.Jamie McGrath levelled from the penalty spot to give the hosts some hope, but Aberdeen's Ross McCrorie and Marley Watkins struck to keep United four points adrift of Kilmarnock and Ross County.

The 2. Bundesliga is back, which brought the long-awaited season debut for Sarpreet Singh.It was also a big week for Vidovic, an OK week for Malik Tillman and Alexander Nübel, and a bad week for Janina Leitzig.Check out what all of Bayern Munich 's loanees did this week!France - Ligue 1
Alexander Nübel is the only player on loan in Ligue 1.
Alexander Nübel - AS Monaco
Nübel started and played the full 90 minutes away to Marseille.

Ipswich Town have signed defender Harry Clarke from Arsenal for an undisclosed fee on a three-and-a-half-year deal.The 21-year-old moves back to Ipswich more than seven years after he left the club as a youth player to join the Gunners.Clarke had spent the first six months of this season on loan at Championship side Stoke City, making 20 appearances in all competitions.

Hearts completed the double over Rigas FS with a gutsy win at Tynecastle, but it was not enough to prevent a group-stage exit in the Conference League.Both sides' fate was sealed before kick-off as Fiorentina beat Istanbul Basaksehir 2-1 at home.However, Hearts secured third place and their second win thanks to a roaring start crowned by goals from Lawrence Shankland and Andy Halliday.

By Tom English BBC Scotland


 Last updated on .From the section Scottish  

Coverage: Commentary on BBC Radio Scotland, live text updates on the BBC Sport website & app, highlights on Sportscene  

It remains to be seen if Michael Beale is a champion manager, but there's no question that the Rangers boss is a champion talker.

Rangers narrowed the gap to Celtic to six points with a one-goal Scottish Premiership win over Ross County - a third in a row under Michael Beale.John Lundstram's low drive found the net 10 minutes from the break, but there were nervous moments before the midfielder eased some visiting tension.George Harmon was denied from close range by goalkeeper Jon McLaughlin.

Returning captain Callum McGregor scored a fantastic late winner as Celtic eventually broke down a stubborn Aberdeen side to restore their nine-point lead in the Scottish Premiership.McGregor - who was making his comeback after two months out with a knee injury - lashed into net from 20 yards with three minutes of the 90 left.

Rangers came back to draw at St Mirren but another stumble gives Celtic the chance to extend their Scottish Premiership lead to nine points.But Marcus Fraser's challenge on Ryan Kent eventually resulted in a penalty following a VAR review and James Tavernier equalised from 12 yards.There was to be no winner and Celtic can extend their advantage if they beat Ross County later.

Giovanni van Bronckhorst found himself again with his Rangers future in sharp focus after a 1-1 draw with St Mirren saw more dropped points in the Premiership title race.The 1-0 midweek home win over Hearts appeared to give the under-fire Rangers boss some respite but it was back to square one in Paisley.