Keith Jackson confused by what Danny Rohl did with ‘dreadful’ Rangers player – ‘It was baffling’
Rangers’ 2-1 loss to Hearts on Sunday once again highlighted their problems in both defence and attack.
Goals from Stuart Findlay and Lawrence Shankland saw Hearts race into a 2-0 lead before half-time, with Youssef Chermiti’s 95th-minute goal coming too late for the Bears.
Rangers’ defeat to Hearts leaves them in fourth place, 12 points adrift of their opponents, and fans are now embracing the likelihood of a trophyless season in Govan.
Keith Jackson was left unimpressed by how the Light Blues approached the game, and he couldn’t get his head around the fact that Max Aarons wasn’t taken off.
Keith Jackson slams Danny Rohl’s decision to keep Max Aarons on the pitch
The same old issues continued to be on display as Rangers failed to convert several gilt-edged chances while being punished for weak defending.
Rohl’s Rangers gameplan was eventually exposed by Derek McInnes’ side, and he failed to alter the match’s flow in the second half.
Speaking on the Daily Record Hotline Live on 21 December, Jackson was critical of Rohl’s substitutions throughout the match.
He said: “Some of the substitutions Rohl made were baffling. He put [James] Tavernier into midfield and took off [Mohamed] Diomande. I struggled with that one.
“He then subs Tavernier off but leaves Aarons on. I don’t want to pick on Aarons, but he is just miles and miles off it, and again today he was dreadful.”
| Team | Games played | Points |
| Hearts | 18 | 41 |
| Celtic | 17 | 35 |
| Motherwell | 18 | 30 |
| Rangers | 17 | 29 |
Aarons has endured a rough start to life at Rangers, with his red card versus Club Brugge on 27 August kickstarting his struggles in Govan.
Despite featuring prominently for the Bears since Rohl’s arrival, the English defender has failed to show many signs of promise on the right-hand side and has become another signing who has proved to be below the required standards.
It has been a dreadful season for the Bears, and Rohl has an incredibly tough job on his hands if he wants to get them back in the title race.
Rangers’ title hopes are already over before January
Rangers have lost their only two league games to Hearts, but eight draws have completely sabotaged their attempts to win the Scottish Premiership for the first time since 2020-21.
With Motherwell, Scottish League Cup winners St. Mirren, and Celtic all to play in the next three matches, matters may worsen before they improve under Rohl.
Jackson added: “I don’t think it’s feasible to say Rangers are in the title race.
“Unless Rohl has a couple of major rabbits up his sleeve for the transfer window, they won’t be involved in challenging for the title in the second half of the season.”
Enjoyed this article? Stay connected with all the latest Rangers news, updates, and behind-the-scenes content by following us on our new Instagram account –@ibroxnews247