The iconic Hoops midfielder – now Ayr United boss – begrudingly admitted Gers were cranking up the gears under Danny Rohl
15:39, 09 Feb 2026Updated 19:32, 09 Feb 2026
Celtic legend Scott Brown on punditry duties for BBC alongside host Jonathan Sutherland(Image: SNS Group)
Scott Brown admits he was left DEVASTATED after watching Rangers put eight past Queen’s Park.
And the Celtic legend confessed through gritted teeth that Danny Rohl’s resurgent side are a force to be reckoned with.
Rampaging Gers banished the ghost of last year’s catastrophic Scottish Cup upset by thrashing the Spiders to set up a mouthwatering Old Firm quarter-final showdown at Ibrox. Ayr United boss Brown joked he was hoping that Queen’s Park would have stunned the Light Blues again – just like they did 12 months ago.
He told BBC Sportscene: “Yeah, obviously, devastated when I saw it! I was hoping for a take two and Queen’s to do it again! Look, it’s always hard to go to Ibrox, especially when you’re a league below as well. They’ve hit a vein of form at this moment in time and they’re scoring goals and winning games. Rangers have put themselves in a great position. They’re in the hat now and we’ll see how far they can go in the competition.”
BBC host Jonathan Sutherland suggested that Rangers were the in-form team of the Premiership’s top three – with Celtic toiling to an extra-time 2-1 win over Dundee and league leaders Hearts already eliminated.
Iconic Hoops skipper Brown – who lifted 22 trophies across a glittering 14 years at Parkhead – was far from enamoured, but did offer a grudging nod of respect.
Oliver Antman celebrates with James Tavernier(Image: SNS Group)
He laughed: “Don’t say it, you can’t say that! Celtic and Martin, obviously… Hearts have done unbelievably this season. Derek’s done a fantastic job with them. The players that he’s brought in with his budget as well. He’s done a fantastic job and we’re talking about managers of the year. Del’s got to be up there.
“John McGlynn’s got to be up there as well but Rangers are, sadly to say, they’re in a good bit of form. They’re finding their feet. They’re winning games and sometimes it doesn’t have to always be pleasant on the eye.
“They’re grinding those results out and that’s what top teams do. Motherwell have done really well. It’s going to be interesting but Rangers have to win those games. It’s the old saying of you’ve got to make sure you continuously win, after win, after win.
“They’re doing that now and it’s good for them but Celtic are grinding results out as well. Hearts are grinding results out. This is what you do when the pitches aren’t great at this moment in time. All teams are going to have injuries and it’s about how you deal with that.”