Mikey Moore believes the togetherness shown in Rangers' recent Old Firm victory proves the fight that was missing under Danny Rohl has returned to Ibrox. The 19-year-old, now at Cologne after his loan spell, watched the opening Glasgow derby of the season from his sofa in Germany, 24 hours after making his full Bundesliga debut in a 1-1 draw with Werder Bremen.
Moore saw his old side beat last season's champions with a comprehensive Ibrox win, thanks to a brace from Dan Neil and a Kevin Kelsy strike. But what struck him most was the sight of Derek McInnes' new-look Rangers rushing to back up James Penrice during a second-half confrontation with Haissem Hassan.
A Lack of Fight Cost Rangers Last Season
Moore identified a sheer lack of fight, heart, grit and desire as the reason his Rangers team missed out on Premiership glory just four months earlier. Heading into the split under then-manager Danny Rohl, the Light Blues lost four of their final five games and limped to third place.
He recalled an incident near the end of the final derby meeting of the campaign at Parkhead, when Tuur Rommens was surrounded by Celtic players during a confrontation with Kieran Tierney. The only Ranger running to his aid was Moore, a player on loan and not even signed permanently to the club.
“It's a war really that game,” the Tottenham player said in an exclusive interview. “So to see everyone backing each other up was nice. That shows everyone's got each other's back. Obviously, you're not going to go on the pitch and start throwing punches. But it's more about the concept of backing up your mate and helping them a little bit because you're on the pitch together.”
Watching as a Fan
Moore has been watching almost every game since leaving Ibrox, including the two Celtic matches. “I was glad to see them get through that,” he said of the difficult start. “I think there's some really good players in there now doing really well. It's been good to watch that and see them winning most weeks for the past couple of months.”
He admitted that watching the Old Firm is more nerve-wracking than playing in it. “When I'd play, I'd lose the butterflies once I got on the pitch. But as soon as you're watching on TV, you're an absolute bag of nerves!” he said.
Crumbling Under Pressure
Moore reflected on the collapse under Rohl, who had turned around a campaign that looked over following Russell Martin's 122-day reign. From 13 points off top spot, Rangers headed into the split knowing five wins would secure the title, but defeats to Motherwell, Hearts, Celtic and Hibs ended their challenge.
“When you go on a pitch and it gets hard and you can't live up to that pressure, when you don't have everyone trying to get on the ball and show bravery, in those difficult moments, we needed to show togetherness and pull through as a group. But we didn't do that enough when it got hard,” he said.
He recalled the Motherwell game after a morale-boosting win over Falkirk. “They were a really good side last year. Footballing wise, they were top and in that first half they played us off the pitch to be honest. Second half, we had some new energy, got it back to 2-2. The stadium was rocking. I genuinely thought we were going to win the game by two or three. But we missed a few chances and then they countered and scored the winner.”
Moore said the loss was a massive blow from which the pressure built. “We needed to step up and play to our best. But we lost the Hearts game and then it just became a downward spiral. Even at Tynecastle, we were really good in the first half but we crumbled in the second. It was really tough to take because I did think we had the players to go win the league.”
Honest Words and a Fond Farewell
In his final press conference before returning to Tottenham, Moore called for a change of mentality and new standards. “It was quite an emotional press conference. I was brutally honest with what I thought was happening, because it was a really difficult few weeks where we'd lost four in a row. It was the kind of brutally honest interview which you don't get maybe as much.”
He insisted it was never about individuals. “It was about the culture and trying to say that we all need to help each other and be together as a family. Now sitting here looking on from the outside, it looks a lot better. Everyone looks really together at the minute. I'm watching as a fan now so hopefully that grows.”
Moore felt a lump in his throat as he waved goodbye at Falkirk on the last day of the season, with fans singing his song. “Hearing the fans sing my song that day was special. I was standing there with a few of the boys and the love I felt in that moment was how I felt throughout the whole year. I couldn't be thankful enough for everyone in the club and all the fans.”
