Rangers Manager Danny Rohl Revels in Hearts' Surprise Defeat Before Narrow Victory
Rangers manager Danny Rohl confessed he was 'smiling' after Scottish Premiership leaders Hearts suffered an unexpected weekend setback, before witnessing his own team labor to a tense 1-0 triumph over managerless St Mirren. The crucial three points at the SMiSA Stadium in Paisley significantly tightened the championship contest.
Nervy Victory Closes Gap at the Top
Tuur Rommens provided the decisive moment, scoring after 31 minutes, but the Ibrox side failed to build on their advantage and endured an anxious finale against the struggling Saints. The solitary goal proved enough for a vital victory that propelled Rohl's men to within a single point of Celtic and just three behind Hearts, who were stunned by a defeat to Kilmarnock.
The German tactician openly acknowledged that Saturday's dramatic twist in the title race brought him satisfaction, and he anticipates further fluctuations before the season concludes. 'I would be lying if I said I was not smiling after this, this is normal,' Rohl stated. 'But I know, in the next week, we have to deliver again. And it will go now a little bit up and down.'
Rohl's Belief in Rangers' Title Credentials
Rohl emphasised that consistency will be the ultimate determinant in the championship chase. 'The team who is now consistent until the end and takes the right results will win this league,' he asserted. He highlighted the palpable energy within the squad, noting, 'I felt, in the morning when we met each other, there was so much energy in the dressing room. It was fantastic.'
Expressing strong belief in his team's capabilities, Rohl added, 'There's so much belief in our group, there's no doubt we can achieve something this season. But you have to take the results - and here we did.' He pointed to recent performances as the foundation for his optimism, despite not always securing the desired outcomes. 'I think the table now looks better than before this matchday and this is great. Our performances in the last couple of weeks gave me the belief, even though the result was not there.'
Room for Improvement Despite Clean Sheet
While pleased with the defensive resilience that secured a clean sheet, Rohl conceded his team should have been more clinical. 'I wish we used one or two chances more, then we have a calm end to the game,' he reflected. 'But, if you have a clean sheet, then you can win games. It's all about bringing the game home.'
He praised the impact of substitutes and the overall competitiveness of his squad. 'I think our subs got the job done. We have a very competitive group at the moment in every position and this is also important. We are happy. After three good performances without the right result, we took the result and this is the most important.'
Rohl described the victory as merely a 'small step' with 'eight cup finals left now.' He stressed, 'At this stage of the season, it's just about winning the cup finals.'
Injury Concerns and Heroic Return
The manager revealed match-winner Tuur Rommens was a major injury doubt prior to the fixture. 'Tuur didn't train for two days because he got a big kick and it was a big question mark,' Rohl explained. 'Jayden (Meghoma) was well-prepared for this, but Tuur came back and he performed and scored.'
St Mirren's Interim Leadership and Injury Blow
For St Mirren, interim boss Craig McLeish indicated he is likely to remain in charge for one more match before a permanent successor to Stephen Robinson is appointed. The Saints, now only above Kilmarnock on goal difference, face a trip to Falkirk before the international break.
McLeish provided an update on the managerial search, saying, 'Keith (Lasley, CEO) is trying not to put a timeline on it. There's a recruitment process in place. He'll catch up with the guys who are running that - and that will be ongoing. He just told us that the likely outcome is we'll take the team for training this week and we'll do the Falkirk game. Then, hopefully throughout the international break, they'll be closer to appointing someone for us coming back.'
McLeish also delivered devastating injury news, confirming that Keanu Baccus has been ruled out for the season with an Achilles injury sustained in training. 'He's booked in for surgery this Thursday and it looks like that could be a number of months,' the caretaker manager said. 'Declan John then picked up a groin issue in training and we need to assess him. He's seeing a specialist. We're a bit unclear on that one, but we'll have an answer at the start of the week.'
McLeish Seeks Positives from Defeat
Despite the loss, McLeish urged his players to draw confidence from their performance against Rangers for the impending relegation battle. 'I spoke to the boys about that at the end. I think they have to take so much confidence from individual performances and group performance,' he said.
'I'm disappointed in the result, first and foremost. I thought we played well during the game. The disappointing thing was probably not carrying as much threat in the final third as we had hoped. That's up to us now to work on that moving forward.'
McLeish praised his squad's attitude amidst the club's uncertainty, concluding, 'I can't ask any more of the boys, and their attitudes towards everything this week with what's going on at the club. The effort and energy they showed on the pitch was fantastic.'
