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Rangers Turn Things Around Under McInnes

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Rangers manager Derek McInnes is starting to make his mark at the Scottish club, after a very difficult beginning to his time in charge.

The team has now won two consecutive Old Firm derby matches. The Old Firm derby is the famous match between Rangers and their big rivals, Celtic.

Winning back-to-back derbies is seen as an important sign of progress for McInnes. Earlier in his time at the club, things looked much worse.

The start of his time as manager was described as mortifying, which means extremely embarrassing. Many fans and reporters were critical of his early results.

However, these two wins over Celtic have changed the story around McInnes. This change is often called flipping the narrative.

A narrative is the way people talk and think about a situation. Before the wins, the narrative about McInnes was negative.

Now, after these results, people are talking about him in a much more positive way. Beating Celtic twice in a row at such a high-pressure derby is not easy.

The Old Firm derby is one of the most intense fixtures in world football, because of the long rivalry between the two Glasgow clubs.

A rivalry is a long competition between two teams or people who often play against each other. Fans on both sides care deeply about these matches.

For McInnes, these two wins are an important step. They suggest he may be turning his difficult start into a more successful period as manager.

Rangers supporters will hope this recent form continues, as the team looks to build on this momentum. Momentum means the positive energy a team gets after good results.

If Rangers keep performing well, McInnes could fully leave behind the mortifying start that once defined his time at the club.

Vocabulary10 words

Old Firm
the name for the derby between Rangers and Celtic
mortifying
extremely embarrassing
narrative
the way people talk about a situation
rivalry
a long competition between two teams
momentum
positive energy a team gets from good results
consecutive
happening one after another without a break
fixture
a scheduled sports match
progress
movement toward improvement
critical
saying something is bad or wrong
in charge
having control or responsibility

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Quiz

1. How many consecutive Old Firm derbies has Rangers won under McInnes?
2. What does the word 'mortifying' describe?
3. True or False: The narrative around McInnes has become more positive after the two derby wins.

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Fill-in-the-blank listening

Play the audio again and fill in the missing words as you listen.

Rangers manager Derek McInnes is starting to make his mark, after a very difficult _____ to his time in charge.

The team has now won two _____ Old Firm derby matches.

The Old Firm derby is the famous match between Rangers and their big rivals, _____.

The start of his time as manager was described as _____, which means extremely embarrassing.

These two wins over Celtic have changed the story around McInnes, often called flipping the _____.

The Old Firm derby is one of the most intense _____ in world football.

A _____ is a long competition between two teams who often play against each other.

Rangers supporters will hope this recent form continues, as the team looks to build on this _____.

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