Rangers 'good enough' to win Premiership title, says Nicolas Raskin
Nicolas Raskin believes Rangers are "good enough" to recover from a nightmare start to the season to win the league.
Interim boss Steven Davis guided the Ibrox side to a 3-0 win at St Mirren on Sunday as they went into the international break seven points behind cinch Premiership leaders Celtic.
The former Gers midfielder, who was continuing his rehab from a knee injury at the Govan club after his contract expired in the summer, took over last weekend after Michael Beale departed following the 3-1 home defeat to Aberdeen.
Davis' first game in charge was an embarrassing 2-1 Europa League defeat by Aris Limassol in Cyprus on Thursday night - Rangers had already lost their Champions League play-off to PSV Eindhoven - and in Paisley some Rangers fans unveiled banners early in the game which read 'heartless, passionless, leaderless; not fit to wear our colours'.
A double from skipper James Tavernier, the first from the spot in the 29th minute after Saints' Ryan Strain was sent off for denying a clear goal-scoring opportunity, and an Abdallah Sima strike in between gave the Gers much needed respite.
Noting that players such as Todd Cantwell, Danilo, Rabbi Matondo, Kieran Dowell and Tom Lawrence are working their way back to fitness, Raskin, who along with striker Kemar Roofe has only recently returned to action following a knock, was positive when asked if the Light Blues were good enough to win the title.
The 22-year-old midfielder said: "Are we good enough? Of course we're good enough.
"We've got like six or seven players out injured, so it's been a hard time.
"But now people are going to come back soon hopefully. We have to look forward and work hard. We're still early in the season and we have to do our job on the park.
"We all know that we're coming from a hard time. The last two games before Sunday were difficult for the team.
"We've got a lot of injuries too so it was important to turn this situation around before the international break.
"I think we played well. We tried to play as a team, to go forward and make some runs in behind St Mirren.
"Now we just have to work well and build on Sunday's performance over the next few games because we have some important fixtures coming up.
"We have to stick together and work hard as that's the only way to go forward and to achieve something good."
Asked about the banner, and if the Rangers players were up for the fight, Raskin, signed from Standard Liege in January, said: "I don't think it was down to a lack of effort.
"In football sometimes you try to do things, but sometimes it just doesn't work for this or that reason.
"We haven't got to the level we want to be at as a team, but we've also had some moments go against us.
"We have to look forward, focus on the next game and try to find the confidence by working hard together.
"Then it's about going game after game, trying to give our best. Then it will come. I'm sure it will come because we have quality."
Raskin was signed by Beale and described his departure last weekend as a "bit sad for everybody".
Former Genk, Club Brugge and Monaco boss Philippe Clement has been linked with the manager's job at Ibrox, with an appointment set to be made during the international break.
Raskin said: "I don't know him personally, but he did very well with the two teams he had in Belgium.
"And he also did incredibly well at Monaco.
"I think he'd bring some clarity and an attacking style, so I think he'd be good."
Hear the latest news on Clyde 1 on FM, DAB, smart speaker or the Rayo app.
Rangers Top Scorers
Ally McCoist
Ally McCoist scored 355 goals in his 581 appearances for Rangers between 1983-1998.
Bob McPhail
Bob McPhail scored 261 goals in all competitions for Rangers between 1927-1940.
Jimmy Smith
Jimmy Smith scored 249 goals in between 1930-1946.
Jimmy Fleming
Fleming scored 220 goals between 1925-1934.
Derek Johnstone
Derek Johnstone scored 210 goals for Rangers in his 549 appearances for the club. He played from 1970-1983, then again in the 1985/86 season.
Ralph Brand
Brand scored 206 goals in all competitions from 1954-1965.
Willie Reid
He scored 195 goals between 1909-1920.
Willie Thornton
Thornton scored 194 goals for Rangers between 1936-1954.
Robert C. Hamilton
Hamilton scored 184 goals in his 164 appearances. He played from 1897-1908.
Andy Cunningham
He scored 182 goals in his 350 appearances. Cunningham played from 1915-1928.