Just when it seemed Monday night could not get any worse for Danny Rohl, he walked into the media room at Tynecastle, took his seat on the podium, and cleared his throat. Having presided over an abysmal second-half performance, the Rangers manager had to take responsibility. His explanation proved as unconvincing as the 45 minutes that all but ended his side's chances of winning the title.
'Second half, this is football,' he meekly offered. He added: 'We knew they would come with power, and they did. They played much more directly behind us, and we had less pressure on the ball. Hearts did Hearts things. They dominated the second half with Hearts football. This is what we expected.'
This was quite an admission. After seeing the home side subdued in the first half, Rohl warned his players about the onslaught to come. Yet they spent the second period of a season-defining match wandering in a trance. Did he fail to convey his message, or were they simply not listening?
As is his habit, Rohl bristled when the subject of his players' mentality was raised. It surfaced after a draw at Fir Park against 10-man Motherwell, following a 2-2 draw with bottom side Livingston, and when they squandered a two-goal lead against Celtic. Now, back-to-back defeats to Motherwell and Hearts post-split add to the list. The question is only asked because he and his players never put it to rest.
They are demonstrably mentally weak, incapable of playing for 90 minutes. That is on them, of course. However, it is a football manager's job to instil an iron will and unshakable confidence in his players. There is scant evidence this is the German's strong suit.
It was also a poor night for those who championed his tactical acumen. Within seconds of replacing Islam Chesnokov with Blair Spittal and changing shape at halftime, it was clear Derek McInnes had made a shrewd move to wrest control. For reasons only he can explain, Rohl waited until the 69th minute to respond, switching the again anonymous Andreas Skov Olsen for Djeidi Gassama. By then, Hearts had levelled through Stephen Kingsley and were hunting the second goal, which duly arrived from Lawrence Shankland.
From Rangers supporters' perspective, the accident had been waiting to happen. Rather than taking preventative action, Rohl crossed his fingers and hoped for the best. He was outclassed by McInnes, just as he had been by Jens Berthel Askou at Ibrox eight days earlier. This does not look like a manager learning on the job.
Many who praised the former Sheffield Wednesday boss over the past seven months did so because he was not Russell Martin. As compliments go, that is dubious. Rangers were at such a low ebb when Martin was sacked—eight points from a possible 21—that some improvement was inevitable. Rohl did oversee an upturn, winning four league games before Christmas and six after it. Yet amid the praise, there was a reluctance to overlook a loss to Celtic in the League Cup semi-final.
While Rangers had already lost twice in the Europa League when he took charge, he also claimed just one win in six games against Ludogorets. The argument that he was working with Martin's squad ceased to hold water come January. Having urged the hierarchy to 'take opportunities in the market,' he was backed with £10 million that month. Ryan Naderi, Tuur Rommens, and Tochi Chukwuani arrived on permanent deals, and Skov Olsen came on loan from Wolfsburg as a potential difference-maker.
A win at Celtic Park on January 3 left Rohl purring over the improvement he had overseen. This was always overblown. The edifice crumbled with a goalless draw at Easter Road on February 1. From that point, even when they won, they often conceded goals. In 11 Premiership matches from that day, the only clean sheet came at St Mirren. Six goals were shipped in wins over Aberdeen, Dundee United, and Falkirk. The assumption was that this would be addressed in a warm-weather training camp in Spain. It was not.
With five goals lost in catastrophic defeats to Motherwell and Hearts, Rangers' title challenge is as good as over, and Rohl's once lofty reputation among fans has tanked. Supporters feel caught in a never-ending cycle of hope and despair. Since Steven Gerrard left in 2021, Giovanni van Bronckhorst, Michael Beale, and Philippe Clement have arrived, improved matters initially, then flatlined before being shown the door.
The issue runs deeper than the manager. After multiple clear-outs and rebuilds, Rangers still lack winners. Barring a miracle, just three major trophies will have been won in the decade since returning to the top flight—a diabolical return for the money spent. For the American owners, the story starts only from when they took over a year ago. They have no concern about the relentless churn of managers because it did not happen on their watch.
Appointing Martin as their first act was an atrocious decision, but dismissing him did not suggest impatience. They made a mistake and could not compound it by failing to act. Football can be brutal, but length of service does not matter when you know it is going nowhere. Seven months on, it is legitimate to question where Rangers are going under Rohl. They have exited both domestic cups to Celtic and made no appreciable impact in Europe. Two weeks after supporters anticipated the title and £40 million from Champions League entry, they sit a distant third, facing Conference League qualifiers. Serenaded by fans at the turn of the year, Rohl now looks increasingly vulnerable as summer approaches. As many predecessors will attest, when the rank and file have seen enough, the die is cast.
