‘If we play like the 50 minutes that we did – then the 7,500 will be quiet’ – Rohl aims to silence the Celtic fans
Danny Rohl aims to silence the 7,500 travelling Celtic fans in this Sunday’s Old Firm Scottish Cup quarter-final showdown at Ibrox. It will be the largest Celtic support at Ibrox in eight years. The Light Blues currently trail Hearts by six points and have only won one of their last four games. Rohl’s men blew a 2-0 lead to the Celts last week after dominating the first half but conceded a late equaliser as Reo Hatate scored from the penalty rebound to salvage a point. The German head coach was asked in his pre match press conference if the Hoops’ allocation will have an impact on the game “Of course it will have. But if we play 50 minutes like we did then the 7,500 will also be quiet. “I think this is the part in the game where you feel it. We influence, we can influence, we can make the impact on our performance on the pitch. “The atmosphere was incredible for 50 minutes, really incredible. It was amazing to feel this. “We pushed our players forward, forward. Then it comes to 2-1 and you feel it in the stadium as well. But this is also part of the game. Maybe we can do it together, that we come through these small minutes where you feel the opponent comes in better into the game. But this 50 minutes was really, really outstanding. I really enjoyed this, to be in the touchline in such a game.” The 36-year-old knows that if the Ibrox club are to progress to the semi-finals they can’t have a drop off in performance like last week. “I think when you ask me how should be a Rangers team in the future all the time, then we bring our level versus Hearts and also versus Celtic in a really good way. “This is the most important key, I said this many times. If we can do this, keep going, then it will be tough to beat us in the future.”
Regardless of what happens this season, Danny Rohl is the RIGHT man to take Rangers forward – Scott Bradley
After Rangers blew a 2-0 lead against Celtic, Danny Rohl has come under-fire from the Ibrox faithful with some having doubts if he is the right man to take the club forward. There is no doubt that the Old Firm result felt like a defeat for the Light Blues due to the comfortable position they found themselves in. Rohl’s side dominated the Hoops in the first half and it looked like they were on course to getting back-to-back victories against their bitter rivals. It was the complete opposite from the Gers in the second half as they sat off the Parkhead club and allowed them to grow back into the game with Reo Hatate scoring at the death to salvage an all important point. After the match, Rohl said he and the group were disappointed in the result but remained defiant that his players have the mentality to win the Scottish Premiership. To put it bluntly: it was a bottle job from Rohl’s men in that second half – simple as that. The Celts were wounded and were there for the taking. It was a huge missed opportunity and the Celtic boss admitted after the game when his side were 2-0 down going into half time that the title race looked rather ‘daunting’ for the Scottish champions. Rohl’s in game management has received criticism and rightly so as Rangers have failed to kill games off. The Light Blues were all over the place in the second half and couldn’t string simple passes together. It was obvious as soon as Kieran Tierney pulled one back that they were going to snatch something from the game. The decision to not bring James Tavernier on was a baffling call from Rohl. I understand that the Rangers captain can’t play every game as he is going to be 35 this year, but he’s the most experienced player at the club and knows this fixture inside out. Tavernier would have brought a calming presence to the side – something Rangers desperately needed. Youssef Chermiti bagged a brace and scored one of the best Old Firm goals of all time. However, in the second half, Rohl took Ryan Naderi off who was accommodating Chermiti excellently but after that call – he was non-existent up front. Despite some of the justified criticism Rohl has received after Sunday, he has still done an unbelievable job. Do some Rangers fans have short memories? Five months ago the Ibrox club were eighth in the table and looked dead and buried in the title race. Since Rohl’s appointment, Rangers are the most inform team in the league with 48 points and now have a great chance to win their 56th title – something that seemed impossible only a few months ago. The 36-year-old has worked wonders with a bang average squad and is getting results. He’s brought the feel-good factor back to the club and Ibrox is an enjoyable place to go to now. The title race this season has been one for the ages – it’s been box office and it’s still all up for grabs. Some of the criticism has been way over the top towards Rohl. Rohl has shown enough that he is the RIGHT man to bring the glory days back to Ibrox. Regardless of what happens this season, he deserves next season to build his own squad. It’s going to be a mouth watering end to the season and the Ibrox faithful need to fully back the team and their head coach as they need it more than ever if they are to be crowned champions this May.
‘They are behind us – my team is ready to take points’ – Danny Rohl not phased by McCowan’s comments
Danny Rohl responds to Luke McCowan’s ‘if we’re at it – no one in that league touches us’ comments by pointing out that Celtic have lost ‘seven or eight times’ this season. Rangers face the Hoops this Sunday in what is set to be a mouth watering Old Firm derby. The Ibrox club are four points behind league leaders Hearts and two ahead of the Celts who have a game in hand. The 28-year-old midfielder made the comments after Celtic’s 4-2 loss on aggregate to Stuttgart as they were dumped out of the Europa League. Speaking in his pre match press conference, the Gers boss wasn’t phased by McCowan’s bold claim and said he’s fully focused on Sunday: “At the moment we are in the second position, and they are behind us. “I think they have seven or eight defeats. In general, it makes no sense to speak too much about the other side. We have to focus on ourselves. We want to win these games; my team is ready to take points. “We are ready. Do it with a hot heart and a smart mind. “If we do this then we have a big chance, we have a clear idea of what we want to do. “We have also some different solutions, how we can hurt them. But let’s see.” The Light Blues won the last Old Firm derby 3-1 at Parkhead, which turned out to be the final nail in the coffin for Wilfried Nancy.
‘I believe we can do it’ – Danny Rohl talks up Rangers’ title chances
Danny Rohl is feeling confident that Rangers can become Scottish Premiership champions this season after getting themselves back into the title race. Since being appointed as Gers boss four months ago, he’s managed to pick up a total of 46 points and are two points behind league leaders Hearts. It was a statement victory for Rohl’s side last weekend as they triumphed over the Jambos 4-2 and next up is Livingston away this Sunday. Speaking in his pre match press conference, the 36-year-old spoke about how he believes the Ibrox club can win the title and how the mindset is there amongst his squad: “I totally believe we can do it. It’s not just about the last results, there’s no doubt about our strength of this squad now, of the individual players. There should be no question mark. “But football is football. It’s all about 11 against 11 in 90 minutes. And in one game, everything is possible. We have to do it very seriously, very aggressively. “It’s now about these games where you think you have to win to take the three points. I think this is crucial. If you want you can compare maybe the similar situation in the week, Arsenal at Wolves [a 2-2 draw in the Premier League]. “Everyone will think, ‘yeah, this is an easy win’, but even in these games the teams are down and they have sometimes not so much to lose and they try everything and it’s very important that we go serious. “But I feel at the moment there’s no doubt the mindset is completely there.”
After that statement win against Hearts – It’s Rangers’ league to lose now! – Scott Bradley
The pressure was on Rangers going into the massive showdown against Hearts on Sunday. It was a MUST win game for Danny Rohl’s men and they rose to the occasion and got an important three points against the league leaders. The Light Blues showed an incredible amount of fight, desire and grit to comeback not once – but twice to beat Derek McInnes’ side 4-2. 51,092 fans turned up for the box office fixture, which was a record of the modern era, and the highest attended since John Greig’s testimonial match back in 1978. The stadium was rocking from start to finish with a real sense of belief amongst the Gers faithful that they could go on and become champions. Rohl’s celebrations after Youssef Chermiti bagged his hat-trick were truly a sight to behold as the German head coach ran down the touchline bursting with pride and said after the game ‘it was the first since I’ve been here at that Ibrox was like Ibrox.’ Chermiti was the star of the day as he dominated the Jam Tarts’ defence and responded brilliantly after a disappointing display in front of goal against Motherwell. The spotlight has been on the striker after the Ibrox club spent a staggering £8 million on him, but credit where credit is due – that’s another big game where he has delivered – he’s quite the enigma! Rohl’s impact since his appointment back in October has been nothing short of remarkable and has picked up a total of 46 points. The Jambos are still top of the league by two points and deserve a lot of credit for the unbelievable season they’ve had but they’ll no doubt be feeling the pressure now with the Gers breathing down their necks. Celtic have picked up form after Martin O’Neill’s return to the Parkhead club for the third time and are grinding out results but not in convincing fashion, which is a cause for concern. There’s turmoil off the field for the Hoops as the relationship between the fans and board is beyond toxic and is showing no signs of improving anytime soon. The Celts play away from home to Stuttgart in the Europa League then three days later have a mouth watering Old Firm derby at Ibrox, which could send the Hoops faithful into meltdown if they fall to their arch-rivals. Out of the three teams challenging for the title, it’s the Govan club that are in the best position as the harmony, and positive atmosphere couldn’t be more higher. Regardless of what happens this season, it’s been one for the ages and a great advert for Scottish football. Danny Rohl will never need to buy a drink in Glasgow ever again if he wins the club’s 56th league title. This is Rangers’ league to lose.
James Tavernier fires warning to Rangers squad that no more slip ups can happen
James Tavernier fires warning to Rangers squad that no more slip ups can happen after dropping points to Motherwell as the title race heats up. The Light Blues face league leaders Hearts at Ibrox this Sunday in what is set to be a blockbuster fixture. Danny Rohl’s men trail the Jambos by five points in the league and have lost to them in the last two occasions. The Gers looked like they were set to get all three points against the Steelmen until Celtic loanee Stephen Welsh scored an equaliser late on. Speaking after the draw at Fir Park, the Ibrox captain said all eyes are on Sunday to get the three points against Derek McInnes’ side: “We’ve had ups and downs this season and then I felt that as young as the squad is, they’ve really come round and really grew as a group. “But these are the pivotal moments in the season now, where you come down to the last stretch and you’re in the title race. So you can’t afford to have slip-ups like Wednesday night so we know it was a missed opportunity. “Now we have to respond and get three points at home on Sunday.” The Rangers Hall of Famer was frustrated at the chances the Govan club missed but is hoping for Ibrox to be rocking and packed to the rafters this Sunday: “We knew it would be a difficult game on Wednesday night. Motherwell have been in form and they obviously like to keep the ball. We probably conceded that we weren’t going to have much of it so we had to make sure we were solid for all of the game. “We missed some really good chances and then we have to defend better as a team to see the game out. Look, when Ibrox is rocking it makes a massive difference. “But it’s down to us to get that from the fans. They expect us to perform and they’ll give it back in return. It goes both ways. “Obviously we want them right behind us from the get-go. There’s been comments about when balls go out of play or mis-placed passes, the crowd won’t be. “But it’s down to us to set standards and show the performance levels fans want to see. We both have a responsibility but the players need to take the lead on that. On the weekend, we need to do that.”
Rangers are in a great position to win the league but crunch game against Hearts is a MUST win – Scott Bradley
It was a frustrating result for Rangers last night as they conceded a late equaliser to ten men Motherwell at Fir Park and now the crunch game against Hearts is MUST win. This Scottish Premiership season has been one for the ages and it’s delivered a title race that nobody could have predicted between Hearts, Rangers and Celtic. The Jambos have been sitting top of the league for the past four months and Derek McInnes deserves all the credit in the world for the incredible job he’s doing at Tynecastle. Danny Rohl is another man who has done an exceptional job since arriving in Glasgow and has worked wonders with what is an average squad. After the sacking of Russell Martin in October, many believed the Light Blues were dead and buried and had no chance of getting back into the title race. Rohl has won 13 of his 18 league games in charge and has got the Ibrox club right back in the title hunt. Before the draw against the Steelmen, the German head coach hadn’t really put a foot wrong but last night he got the tactics and substitutions all wrong. The Gers never tried to kill the game off after the Well got Lukas Fadinger sent off. Rohl decided to put ten men behind the ball and see the result out, which backfired. It felt like a defeat conceding so late on and in a title race every game is a cup final and after failing to win last night – the pressure to get a victory against the league leaders at Ibrox this Sunday is even more intense and important than it already was before. The Teddy Bears are five points behind the Gorgie club and a point ahead of the Hoops who have a game in hand. The 49ers fully backed their man in the January window bringing in four signings and spent around £12 million. That was a clear sign that the Ibrox higher ups aren’t messing about and want to win the club’s 56th league title. There’s been many twists and turns in this historic Premiership season with many more to come but if Rohl’s side were to lose to McInnes’ men and if the Hoops beat Kilmarnock – it’ll be a monumental task to get back into the race. Rohl’s last outing against the Jam Tarts was a 2-1 defeat – his only league loss. The 36-year-old needs to go with his strongest side and not tinker things about with the team selection like he did last night. This will be a real test of this Rangers squads mentality because the pressure is fully on them to get a result and Hearts will be right up for the occasion. Sunday will be Rohl’s biggest and most important game so far in his managerial career and it’s one he cannot afford to lose.
‘Spurs are not a big club!’ – Ange Postecoglou lambasts former club
Ange Postecoglou slams Tottenham’s ambitions as a football club following the sacking of Thomas Frank. Frank was sacked after eight months in charge and the club currently find themselves 16th in the league table and five points off the relegation zone. The Lilywhites have yet to win a game in 2026 and are on the look out for an interim manager until the end of the season. One man who knows the London-based club all too well is former boss Postecoglou who guided them to Europa League glory last season. Before the Australian arrived, Spurs hadn’t won a trophy in a staggering 17 years and despite the success, the 60-year-old was sacked due to the club finishing 17th in the league. The former Celtic boss appeared on The Overlap and didn’t hold back in regards to Spurs’ stature as a football club: “You know when you walk into Tottenham, what you see everywhere is ‘To Dare Is To Do’ it’s everywhere, and yet their actions are almost the antithesis of that. “It’s a real curious in terms of understanding what are they trying build. What are they? “They’ve obviously built an unbelievable stadium, unbelievable training facilities but when you look at expenditure, particularly in their wages structure – they’re not a big club. “I saw that when we were trying to sign players and we weren’t in the market for those players.” Postecoglou continued and believes former club aren’t one of the ‘big boys’ and could never see them spending big money in the transfer market like other big clubs: “Tottenham as a club were saying ‘we’re one of the big boys’ and the reality is I don’t think they are in terms of my experience over the last two years. “You know when Arsenal spent £100 million on Declan Rice I don’t see Tottenham doing that.” Postecoglou was sacked by Forest earlier this season after failing to win any of his eight games in charge. The former Australia manager currently works as a member of UEFA’s Technical Observer Panel.
Tuur Rommens joins Rangers on three-and-a-half-year deal
Rangers have signed Tuur Rommens on a three-and-a-half-year deal after completing his medical at the weekend. The left-back joins the Ibrox club from Westerlo for a reported fee of £3.5 million and becomes Danny Rohl’s second signing of the January transfer window. The 22-year-old started his career at Genk and played in the Belgian Pro League nearly 80 times. At international level, he is currently the captain of the Belgium Under-21s and has made nine appearances for them. Rommens is fit and ready for selection and could feature against Annan Athletic in the Scottish Cup this Friday, but his minutes will be managed as he has just recovered from a knock. Speaking to the Rangers club website, Rommens was over the moon to have signed for the Gers and can’t wait to get started: “I’m very happy to be here. It’s a dream to play for a club like this, and I only have positive feelings. “Everyone knows Rangers, and when a club like this is interested in you, then you want to be part of this club. The most important thing is that they believe in me, and that’s why I have come here. “It’s a big club with a lot of fans, and they always play in Europe. It was very easy for me to make this choice.” Rohl believes Rommens will be an important asset for the Light Blues for the future, he told the club website: “I am delighted to welcome Tuur to the club. “He is a young and hungry player who adds real quality and physicality to the group and increases competition in a key area of the pitch. “We believe he will be a fantastic addition to the side and an important asset in the years ahead.”
Rangers fans MUST be patient and BACK Danny Rohl to get it right – Scott Bradley
Danny Rohl was appointed as Rangers head coach two months ago and it’s safe to say he’s certainly walked into a complete and utter mess. The Light Blues salvaged a point in stoppage time against Dundee United last night thanks to Nedim Bajrami scoring from the penalty spot. Rohl was visibly frustrated on the touchline as he watched his side struggle in the final third and defensively yet again. The Ibrox club have had a disastrous start to the season – and the German has a MASSIVE job ahead of him. Last week, the Gers board sacked chief executive Patrick Stewart and sporting director Kevin Thelwell – two men who were instrumental in the failed appointment of Russell Martin, who only lasted 123 days in charge. One thing that’s very commendable about the chairman Andrew Cavenagh is how he acknowledged appointing Martin was a mistake and realised that Thelwell and Stewart weren’t suited for the club. Communication from the owners of a football club is key and it’s clear Cavenagh and Paraag Marathe’s hearts are in the right place. The Glasgow giants spent close to £40 million in the summer and the recruitment has been extremely poor. The stand out flop is Youssef Chermiti who was brought in for a staggering £8 million and has only managed to find the net ONCE in 15 games. Rohl is doing the best he can with the dross at his disposal – there’s only so much he can do with these players. The 36-year-old hasn’t even had a transfer window and there’s some of the Rangers faithful already writing him off – it’s ridiculous! Rohl is no stranger to chaos and struggle as he dealt with that at Sheffield Wednesday and he worked miracles there by keeping them in the Championship. The former Germany assistant has conducted himself with nothing but class so far, and it’s clear he knows what’s required to bring the glory days back to Ibrox. This isn’t going to be a quick fix and there will certainly be a lot of incomings and outgoings next month at the club. I believe Rohl is the right man to turn things around, but he needs to time and the supporters need to give him that. Rohl has already shown that he’s adaptable and knows how to set up a team to get results but is being let down by the dross on the pitch. The next month for the Govan club is going to be tough with trips to Tynecastle and Parkhead looming and it could be game changer for Rohl is he was to bag six points in those two fixtures. The Rangers fans need to be patient and get behind their head coach and understand the shambles he’s inherited. Back him.
