It was another dramatic weekend in the Scottish Premiership as the title race tightened following a slip-up from the leaders and renewed hope for the chasing pack.
Attention quickly turned to Rangers F.C. after their narrow 1-0 victory over St Mirren F.C. in Paisley. The result kept them firmly in the title conversation, but the performance itself sparked debate among pundits about whether they truly look like champions.
Journalist Keith Jackson was far from convinced by what he saw from the side managed by Danny Röhl. In his view, the display suggested Rangers are still some distance away from genuine title-winning form.
According to Jackson, the team is struggling for consistent attacking quality and desperately needs more creativity in the final third. Despite picking up a valuable three points, he felt the performance did little to convince anyone that Rangers are ready to lift the trophy.
However, Scott McDermott took a slightly different view. He questioned whether any of the current top three sides truly look like champions at the moment. In such a tight and unpredictable title race, McDermott believes the team that can grind out results week after week may ultimately come out on top. In that respect, Rangers’ determined win in Paisley at least kept them in contention.
Michael Gannon also believes Rangers remain firmly in the fight. While he acknowledged the victory was another “ugly” one, he pointed out that none of the title challengers are exactly playing thrilling football right now. For Gannon, results are all that matter at this stage of the season, and as long as Rangers continue collecting wins, they remain a serious contender.
Meanwhile, Andy Newport suggested the performance highlighted areas that still require improvement. Rangers may have shown resilience this time, something they have previously been criticised for lacking under pressure, but Newport believes their displays must improve if they want to avoid putting their supporters through more nerve-wracking finishes.
Elsewhere, the debate turned to a controversial incident involving Motherwell F.C.. Jackson was adamant that a key challenge should have resulted in both a penalty and a red card, arguing that the intervention from Video Assistant Referee helped referee John Beaton reach the correct outcome.
Despite the decision, Motherwell’s position in the table remained unchanged as they finished the weekend ten points off the leaders—a gap many believe was already too large for them to realistically close.
McDermott noted that back-to-back defeats have effectively ended Motherwell’s title hopes, though he believes they could still influence where the championship ultimately ends up. While he accepted the decision regarding the Longelo incident, he felt Motherwell had grounds to question why VAR did not examine another challenge involving Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain more closely.
Gannon agreed that the penalty and red card decision itself was correct but questioned why the call was not made immediately by the on-field officials rather than requiring VAR intervention.
As the title race enters its decisive phase, one thing appears clear: none of the contenders are dominating. With teams grinding out results rather than producing dazzling performances, the championship may ultimately be decided by whichever side can keep collecting wins—no matter how they come. ⚽
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