Credit: Imago

Daniel Davis

Thu 16 April 2026 14:10, UK

The message from Danny Rohl to Bojan Miovski was simple.

Having been named on Rangers‘ bench for their trip to Falkirk, the striker had every reason to be disappointed. Little did he know, though, that he would help to inspire a second-half comeback that propelled the Gers to within just one point of the Premiership summit.

Before heading out, Rohl told Miovski to be ready, knowing his side would likely need him. Need him they did, having returned to the dressing room trailing at the break.

While results have largely been solid under the head coach, too many performances have lacked quality and fight. That was also the case at Falkirk. The home side had battered their opponents, scoring twice early on before Tochi Chukwuani halved the deficit.

Making himself the hero, Miovski scored twice to keep Rangers’ title ambitions on track, and also proved to Rohl that playing with two strikers looks to be the way to go.

Rangers should stick with 4-4-2

You wouldn’t have known that it was the Light Blues who were fighting to win the league, judging from the opening 45 minutes. They crawled out of the blocks and were truly dismal for large swathes. Falkirk blitzed them and should have scored more goals.

Fortunately for Rohl, his tactical tweaks during the interval paved the way for a quite stunning turnaround. Admittedly, it also helped that Rangers’ unpredictable Jekyll and Hyde tendencies went in their favour on this occasion.

With the wind machine cranked up to 11, Nico Raskin‘s cross was eventually buried by Chukwuani before half-time. Rohl then switched the shape to a 4-4-2, replacing Mikey Moore with Miovski. He had wanted to stop Falkirk’s long balls and give his side more of a threat.

The gamble paid off handsomely. Youssef Chermiti tapped home the equaliser two minutes after the restart, and suddenly, the visitors sensed blood in the water. Four of their six goals came in a breathless 16-minute flurry that completely turned the showdown on its head.

Tellingly, with Chermiti and Miovski in tandem, Rangers recorded an xG of 3.7, their second-highest of the season and just shy of the 3.89 xG created against Dundee United.

After the change, Nico Raskin suddenly found himself unleashed. A player possessed, he was at the heart of almost all of the Gers’ attacks in the second period, driving them forward relentlessly. He also had the Midas touch, scoring the goal that completed the comeback.

Other than Chermiti, Miovski has impacted games more often than anyone else this season. So why not play them together against Motherwell at Ibrox next time?

Bojan Miovski to benefit the most

Miovski in particular benefitted from his side’s newfound creativity at Falkirk. His darts in behind and impressive hold-up play helped to flip the script entirely and ensured he snatched his opportunity with both hands. Now, he is setting his sights on bigger targets.

“I work hard and wait for my chance,” he said. “So when my chance comes, I’m ready to take it. Every striker wants to score goals and win titles.

“So, of course I would like to help the team to win the title.”

However, the North Macedonia international also admitted it is up to Rohl to decide whether to play him as a lone striker or as part of a front two. He is, though, confident that either role would suit him, and proved as much at Falkirk Stadium, where he was near untouchable.

Rohl has seemingly been reluctant to fully trust him to get the job done, but Miovski’s uptick in form has arrived at the perfect time. Indeed, he has played a crucial role in the last three matches. Rangers scored 14 goals during that period, with the ace bagging three of them.

• Miovski has an xG of 5.92 in the Premiership this season.
• He has scored seven goals, with a conversion rate of 23 per cent
• He averages a goal every 176 minutes.

His statistics over the course of the campaign are certainly reasonable. He has played 1231 minutes in total in the Premiership, registering eight goal contributions. When broken down, that leaves the 26-year-old with a goal or assist every 158 matches – a reasonable return.

But of course, as much as individuals have managed to lift their levels, there are still resounding lessons to be learned from the scare at Falkirk. Tactics alone will not be enough to win the title. Players must also show the right mentality and commitment.

Last time out, they didn’t put up a fight for the opening 45 minutes. That simply cannot be allowed to happen again. There were no scraps over lost causes to change the tempo. It was all too passive, as if they were happy to let their Premiership ambitions drift away.

Rangers desperately need to show more daring and ambition if they are to leapfrog Hearts, and perhaps Rohl can set the example by persisting with using two strikers.

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