Tuesday marked the first time Rangers fans got to see new head coach Danny Rohl in their colours. And he had plenty of questions to answer.
Rohl was appointed to replace Russell Martin at Ibrox on a two-and-a-half-year deal and is set to take charge of his first game on Thursday against Brann in the Europa League.
He was introduced to the media on Tuesday, after the club held talks with numerous candidates since Martin’s departure on October 5.
As the latest era at Ibrox prepares to get under way, this is everything we learned from Rohl’s first press conference as Rangers boss.
Being first choice not important
The Rangers managerial search was one that had come under fire, with Kris Boyd describing it as ’embarrassing.’
Steven Gerrard withdrew from consideration, having travelled to discuss a return to Ibrox, before talks with Kevin Muscat collapsed at a late stage after the Australian had emerged as a frontrunner.
It was only after then that the club decided to put all their eggs into the Rohl basket, but the former Sheffield Wednesday boss insisted that the club’s interest in other candidates made no difference to his desire to take on the role.
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Steven Gerrard was in talks over a return to Ibrox
“You can be the first, the second or the third choice. The important thing is that you win the next games and then you have to go forward,” he said on Tuesday.
“For me it’s not a situation because I’m honest with you, I cannot tell you which choice I was.
“I can just tell you that I’m here and it gives me the belief that I was the first choice.”
Withdrawing from the process
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Rohl withdrew from negotiations before eventually being hired by Rangers
Rohl had actually appeared to be in the running for the job before Rangers approached Muscat. Yet, despite impressing in talks, Sky Sports reported that he withdrew from the race shortly after.
However, the German claimed that the two parties remained in contact and that more positive discussions helped the deal get over the line.
“Since a couple of days ago we had outstanding meetings together,” he stated. “There was still and immediately a great relationship between all of us in the meetings.
“I felt the trust. And football sometimes, it’s about timing. The club was fighting, was looking for me and we were still there and talking. I think this is very important. It’s the reason why I’m here now.”
Win first, attractive football later
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New Rangers head coach Danny Rohl has vowed to get the fans back onside by winning games
Not only did Martin guide Rangers to their worst-ever league start, but he did so while fans continued to express their dissatisfaction with the club’s slow style of play.
While Rohl admitted he wants his side to play a free-flowing, attractive brand of football, he insisted his immediate concern is elsewhere.
“The first step is, and this is the huge one, we need wins in a row. I think this is very important because with wins in a row you can create self-confidence.
“I saw in the morning the training, we trained with intensity, we were very lively on the pitch, I see so much potential.
“My football, what I want to see on the pitch is intensity, it’s spirit, it’s togetherness and it’s a playing forward style. Because we want to create chances, we want to create goals.
“And we have to understand, and this is also part of the football, we have to defend as a group, as a unit, much, much better and be aggressive in the duels and all these things I want to bring to this club.
“At first you have to win games, then we can speak about playing attractive football.”
How Rohl will impact recruitment
Much has been made of the recruitment from the club in recent times, with question marks continuing to surround many of the summer signings brought in for Martin.
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Danny Rohl will work with Kevin Thelwell (left) and his son Robbie on transfers
Sporting director Kevin Thelwell insisted that he would not sign players without consulting with the head coach first, and Rohl himself emphasised the importance of working in tandem with the recruitment team.
“I think it’s very important that you are close and you work together in one direction because it makes no sense when one part goes in this direction and the other part goes in this direction.
“I think this is very crucial and when you are very clear on which way you want to go then it’s much, much easier to find the right players for the football club and for the style we want to play.
“When we really go in one direction and we speak to each other, this is the key. I learned in the last 16 years a lot about recruitment as well. If you can really bring all the power in one direction then you can convince really good players to come here.”
Though Rohl was clear in his belief that it was important to be aligned in recruitment moving forward, he also said it was his job to bring out the strengths of the current crop of players.
“For me as a coach, it’s very important that you bring the strength of the squad on the pitch and this was in the past always my mindset.
“You can have an idea of football but you have also to look at which players you have. If you can bring the squad together with your style of football, with the things you are demanding, then you will go in a fantastic direction.”
Changing the mindset
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Danny Rohl worked under Hansi Flick at Bayern Munich and Germany before moving to Sheffield Wednesday
Rangers are sixth in the Premiership and have won just one of their opening eight games, leading to question marks over the mentality of the current squad.
“We spoke about what I want to see and I think it’s also important that you have to move step by step in the direction [we want to go in] and the first thing is we have to speed up our game,” Rohl said.
“We come in fantastic situations, we come between the lines but instead of attacking the last line, we break and we stop and I think this is something with the mindset.
“We want to attack the last line and it means for me if we do it again and again, we create more chances and we have more goals. It starts with a good positioning.
“The demand on the club is very high but you cannot just think we can win football games with nice football.
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A look at Russell Martin’s 123-day tenure at Ibrox
“We have to understand we have to press well, we have to hunt, we have to go on the counter pressing and we have to play with intensity and it starts from the striker and the defender.
“If you do it as a unit again and again then it’s very hard to beat us and to break us down.”
Make fans excited again
Above all else, the biggest challenge Rohl may face is winning over the supporters.
A large proportion of Rangers fans had voiced their displeasure at the prospect of Rohl taking to the hotseat when his name was first mentioned. Now, he has an uphill task of getting them on board.
“At first I think it’s very important that my focus is on my person, what I can bring to this football club,” Rohl said when asked if he had a message for the supporters.
“We need to entertain and win the games.
“If you do these points in this order, then we have a straighter togetherness with our fans again.”
For some, that prospect may make them feel the heat. But not Rohl, who believes he can handle the pressure.
“Pressure in this business is usual. You have to learn this quickly. I’m 16 years in.
“I had a great opportunity to work at Bayern and I’ve felt what it means to be a head coach. We need to win games.”
Rangers’ upcoming fixturesBrann (A) – Europa League – ThursdayKilmarnock (H) – Scottish Premiership – SundayHibernian (A) – Scottish Premiership – October 29 – live on Sky SportsCeltic (N) – League Cup semi-final – November 2Roma (H) – Europa League – November 6Dundee (A) – Scottish Premiership – November 9 – live on Sky Sports