Kris Boyd, the former Rangers striker, has publicly questioned his club’s ability to win the Scottish Premiership after a 2‑2 draw at Tynecastle. The match ended a nine‑game winning streak for the Ibrox side and left them four points behind league leaders Celtic, who also dropped points against Dundee United. Boyd’s comments came after watching the game from the stands, where he noted a lack of dominance and cohesion from the Rangers squad.
The game began with Rangers taking an early lead when Kevin Kelsy scored in the 16th minute following a defensive lapse by Laurent Mendy. Hearts responded in the second half with goals from Claudio Braga and Calvin Miller, turning the match into a tense affair. In the 89th minute, Olwethu Makhanya headed a late equaliser for the hosts, salvaging a point for the Hibernian side. Derek McInnes, who returned to Ibrox after leaving for Hearts in June, was met with boos from the home crowd as he emerged from the tunnel for his first match since his departure.
Boyd said, “If you’re going to win a league, there has to be periods in games where you dominate that game… Rangers don’t do that.” He added that the team’s play was “disjointed” and that they struggled to maintain possession and create sustained pressure. Boyd highlighted the lack of long passing sequences, noting that Rangers “don’t have players that get on the ball and make six or seven passes to then drag the opposition out.” He also criticised the rushed nature of the team’s play, especially against a pressing Hearts side that exploited gaps behind the defense.
The result halted Rangers’ run of nine consecutive victories in the Premiership and extended Hearts’ unbeaten home record to 26 games. With the Rangers now four points behind Celtic, the club’s title hopes are in jeopardy unless they can address the issues raised by Boyd and improve their performance in the coming fixtures. The next round of matches will test whether Rangers can regain the momentum they lost in this draw and close the gap on the top of the table.