Questions start around Danny Rohl at Rangers after latest media briefing
Danny Rohl came under fire after Wednesday’s 1-1 draw with Motherwell due to his team selection.
Ryan Naderi scored twice on his full Ibrox debut days before, so eyebrows were raised when Youssef Chermiti started at Fir Park.
Andreas Skov Olsen and Tuur Rommens have also impressed when given a chance, but both new signings were left on the bench.
In his press conference on Friday, Rohl hinted at the fact that he had purposefully rested his new signings for Sunday’s clash against league leaders Hearts.
However, that completely backfired on the German head coach against Motherwell, and questions are now being asked of his actions.
Danny Rohl gets it wrong with resting new signings for Rangers vs Hearts
The new arrivals should be able to deal with playing every four days, and if they aren’t, then that speaks to Rohl’s decision-making in the transfer window.
It seems baffling that they were rested against an impressive Motherwell side, and it could prove to be incredibly costly for Rangers at the end of the campaign.
In Sunday’s print edition of the Scottish Mail, Gary Keown said: “Common consensus is that he picked the wrong team to begin with. Yes, Naderi may have had a problem after training the previous day, but leaving out Skov Olsen and Rommens was a major head-scratcher.
“In his Friday media briefing, Rohl gave the impression the trio was rested with one eye on this afternoon’s hostilities in Govan, but that has created the question whether or not he underestimated a Motherwell outfit that has been pulling up trees under the inspired leadership of Jens Berthel Askou.”
He’ll undoubtedly go with a full-strength team for the Hearts clash, but anything other than a win would do serious damage to Rangers’ title hopes.
They could find themselves eight points behind Derek McInnes’ side by the end of the day, and fans would point back to this week as the moment where it all fell apart.
Danny Rohl can silence any doubters by beating Hearts
It must be said that there are hardly any blemishes on Rohl’s record at Rangers so far.
He has guided the Light Blues from the bottom half of the table to fighting for the Scottish Premiership title in a matter of months.
That’s why it is even more confusing that, barring Tochi Chukwuani, he didn’t trust any of the players that he brought to G51 against a brilliant Motherwell.
| Stat | Rohl |
| Games managed | 27 |
| Wins | 16 |
| Draws | 5 |
| Losses | 6 |
| Win percentage | 59.26% |
Using a team made up of Russell Martin’s signings is always bound to have negative consequences, and it was definitely a harsh lesson learnt for the 36-year-old.
Ultimately, this will all be forgotten if the Bears beat Hearts at Ibrox, but it’s clear that the head coach has had the first major blip of his tenure.
Only time will tell if he can bounce back by inspiring his side to victory, and it now feels obvious that the new signings will play a big part in the match.
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