I watched Rangers beat Aberdeen and noted Nico Raskin's car park revelations and serious issues brewing

The gap between them and leaders Hearts remains at three points after this important victory, while the Dons are now firmly in the relegation play-off mix as their woes go on.

Mark Atkinson covered proceedings for The Scotsman and we take a look at what made his post-match notebook:

Rangers’ belief grows for cup finals

Rangers head coach Danny Rohl had a spring in his step as he addressed the media in the wake of taking down Aberdeen. Once again, his players responded positively to playing after Hearts - and dealing with the late-ish winner scored by them against Dundee - and the upshot is that if they win against Dundee United on April 4, they will go top of the Premiership for the first time this season, albeit potentially for just a day.

Rohl took great pleasure in the performance of the players and also pointed out that he is now very close to having a full squad to choose from as injuries start to abate.

“I think we had a lot of good individual performances, but for me it was more what the team delivered,” said Rohl. “I'm honest, yesterday we played 11 against 11, and when you look then to both teams, it's not sure who is the starter and who is on the bench, and that helps.

“You have to be on front foot to come into the squad, you have to be very aggressive and you have to play with a high intensity to be a starter, and this increases our limit at the moment, our performance, to be ready for the weekend. If we do this again and again, and we can bring both together, results and performance, then we have a really strong team. I say this with a big belief, if we perform this seven games, we can all win seven games.”

Referees rear their head

SFA ref chief Willie Collum revealed on Friday that during Rangers’ 2-2 draw at Livingston, defender Cammy Kerr should have been sent off for denying Mikey Moore a goalscoring opportunity and that a free-kick on the edge of the penalty box should have been awarded to the Ibrox side.

It’s not the first time Rangers have been left aggrieved by officiating decisions this season. They are seeking constructive talks with other Premiership clubs on how standards can be raised. In the short term, they must grin and bear it.

Post-match, a member of the fan-media corps told Rohl that fans are finding it increasingly difficult to accept such decisions. Does the head coach share the same sentiment? The German boss was diplomatic with his response.

“For me it's also difficult sometimes, but I think they are still humans,” said Rohl. “I always believe in the humans and the refs, that they make the best decision, and a fair decision for all of us, I think this is crucial.

“Today, by a 4-1 it's difficult to speak about this, but if you play a 2-2 then you speak more about this. But in general we should be able to win our games without help, and if we do this then we have a great opportunity.”

Raskin’s Rangers revelations

Rangers midfielder Nicolas Raskin has spoken previously about his strife earlier in the season when he was annexed from the first-team squad by former head coach Russell Martin. Nevertheless, he opened up further on the incident in an in-house interview for the Rangers programme, where he detailed just how difficult it was back in the summer for him.

“It was tough because after the Brugge game when we came back I was told in the car park that I would not be in squad anymore,” said Raskin. “That was a bit of a weird feeling for me then the next day I was not in the squad, not at the meetings and not training with them. I was like, okay, what is going to happen next?

“That lasted two weeks. I had love from the fans so that was keeping me happy but it was still a hard moment for me.

“Before the Hibs game, I think two or three days before, we went to climb the mountain and go in the water [at Loch Lomond]. That was actually the first time I was back in the squad.

“The support from the fans obviously played a big part but also the fact that I knew I didn’t do anything wrong. I knew it wasn’t the way I was behaving or anything.

“I knew it wasn’t fair and it couldn’t stay like that and it would change at some point. I just had to be patient because I never wanted to leave. I just had to wait and see what happened and keep training hard.

“Looking back at that time, it made me grow even more. I am not frustrated or angry, I am just like, okay, that happened. It made me grow as a person and a player and life goes on.

Indeed it does. Raskin was one of the goalscorers against Aberdeen. He is a vital part of this Rangers team.

Aberdeen are in trouble

A fitting stat for Aberdeen is that Dennis Geiger’s goal was the first they have scored away from Pittodrie in 2026. It was scant consolation on a really damaging day for the Dons.

With Kilmarnock and St Mirren both winning earlier on Saturday, Aberdeen are now just three points above that duo in the race to avoid the relegation play-off. The Dons are ninth on 30 points with a goal difference of -15, while the Buddies (-22) and Killie (-25) are now stalking them.

Aberdeen have been poor for a while and last May’s Scottish Cup win, while truly memorable, was a complete aberration on the formbook. Trouble was brewing under Jimmy Thelin and after his sacking in January and the two-month hunt it took to unearth Stephen Robinson, just down the road in Paisley, as manager clearly hasn’t helped.

Complacency seeped into the Pittodrie hierarchy as they dithered on Thelin’s successor. Now Robinson, an experienced Scottish Premiership manager, has an almighty task on his hands to keep the club out of trouble with players who aren’t his own and don’t really fit his ethos.

Look through the Aberdeen squad and there’s no shortage of ability. This is an expensively-assembled squad and there are clearly talented players there. The big question is whether they have the mental strength and fight to deal with a relegation battle.

A lot of these players will leave Aberdeen in the summer regardless of what division they are in. This is a hotch-potch squad with all manner of nationalities and age spectrums. There is no identity, very little spirit and a defensive frailty that surely must worry Robinson.

Aberdeen have never been relegated from the top flight and while they are still favoured to avoid 11th spot, you can’t help but worry for them if Killie and St Mirren reel them in. Their next match: the Buddies away. A proper six-pointer.

There are shades of Hibs in 2014 when they were relegated via the play-offs after a spectacular slide down the table, a year after reaching the Scottish Cup final ...