Rangers manager Danny Rohl has insisted his side’s Scottish Premiership title bid is not finished, despite dropping two points in a 1-1 draw at Motherwell. The Gers led through Nico Raskin’s first-half strike but were pegged back by a late equaliser from on-loan Celtic defender Stephen Welsh, who scored with 10 minutes remaining.
The result leaves Rangers five points behind league leaders, and just a point ahead of their Old Firm rivals, who have a game in hand. Rohl acknowledged the draw was a setback but urged his players to respond with victory over Hearts at Ibrox on Sunday.
“Since I’ve been here, every game is a must-win game,” Rohl said. “When you come from so many points behind, there’s no time for a rest. Tonight doesn’t mean the title race is over. It’s a bit of a blow because we dropped two points late, but we have the next opportunity.”
The German boss defended his team selection, which saw January signings Tuur Rommens, Andreas Skov Olsen and Ryan Naderi start on the bench, along with in-form centre-back Emmanuel Fernandez. “In football you have to pick the team before it, not after,” Rohl explained. “Ryan had problems after training on Tuesday, so it was too much for him to start. With Tuur and Skov, you have to implement them in the rhythm of the game.”
Rangers were second best for long spells at Fir Park, but Rohl remained defiant. “We started well, the first 10 minutes were really strong for us, but the opponent was better in the first half and created more pressure,” he said. “We have to make a good game on Sunday and get the right result.”
