Derek Cornelius speaks out after ‘very unfair’ Rangers exile
Derek Cornelius has taken aim at Danny Rohl after his exile from the Rangers squad.
The Canada international was signed last summer, initially on loan but with the option to make the deal permanent.
However, he did impress the German manager and did not play for the Ibrox outfit since November in a disappointing snub.
The deal did not work out for either party, and there is little chance that he is a Gers player next season, given the fallout with Rohl.
Rangers fans will be glad to see the back of him, as he never proved to be good enough in his time in Govan.
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What did Cornelius say about Rohl?
Rohl has clashed with several players at Rangers, most famously James Tavernier, who missed his farewell game at Ibrox as a result.
Cornelius has spoken out against the Light Blues boss, revealing that he felt his exile was not justified.
In an interview in his homeland, relayed by the Daily Record on 27 May, he said: “I was out for an extended period of time, but excited to come back and was looking forward to it.
| Cornelius’ stats for Rangers | Scottish Premiership |
| Matches | 7 |
| Tackles per game | 2.1 |
| Ball recoveries per game | 4.6 |
| Clearances per game | 6.4 |
| Ground duels won | 67% |
| Aerial duels won | 59% |
“There were no conversations between me and the manager during that time, which was fine.
“I came back into team training maybe twice or so and then after the second training, I was called into the manager’s office and he basically just told me that from now until the end of the season, you’re not going to be part of the squad.
“And I just felt that was really unfair. I felt like I deserved the opportunity to work my way back into the team.”
Why Danny Rohl was right to exile Cornelius
Rohl has proven that he is not afraid to make tough decisions, in order to benefit his side on the pitch.
That is a trait that a manager needs to have in order to be successful, and Cornelius’ criticism appears to be sour grapes that he did not play much under the former Sheffield Wednesday boss.
The fact is that he was not good enough, and he would not have been able to turn the Gers around and help them get closer to the title, so he was exiled.
Nasser Djiga, Emmanuel Fernandez and John Souttar were rightfully ahead of him in the pecking order in the middle of defence, so it makes sense that he did not get much gametime.
He may well feel disrespected, but Rohl made the best decision for the team, and one man can’t come above the team, it is as simple as that.
Both parties would be served best by moving on from the sorry saga and focusing on the future without each other.
It is pretty clear that Cornelius will not be at Auchenhowie next season, even if the Bears need depth at centre-back.
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