Danny Rohl can make a gigantic Rangers statement at Parkhead | OneFootball

Saturday’s Old Firm match featuring Celtic v Rangers is an absolute colossus. It is also one of the most surreal atmospheres going into an Old Firm match we can ever remember. Top of the table Hearts, remain the side to catch, but their form has stuttered over the last six weeks. Derek McInnes, for all his wonders and magic, has not been able to completely sustain the Gorgie challenge as consistently over the Christmas period as he would have wanted. He may be and is probably the best Scottish manager in the game, but he has a £20m squad and that has limits, especially up against both Old Firm sides whose squads are valued around £100m.

Table Tension

This means that not even Celtic are top, and Rangers of course are third, having made up an astonishing amount of ground since Danny Rohl took charge. Whatever many fans, including Ibrox Noise, think of Rangers’ manager, he has by and large got the points. Now curiously, this includes a 50% win rate against top six teams, two wins both against Hibs and of course a win against Motherwell, but a loss against Hearts and two draws against Dundee United and Falkirk.

So Rangers’ record against the top six hasn’t been breathtaking, but it hasn’t been garbage either. It has been a bit middling under Rohl, but the big thing that Rohl falls at is the big time matches, the big critical matches on the big occasions. He has not won in Europe at all. Plus he has not won any single big match at Rangers since taking over, including the Celtic League Cup loss and of course Hearts. He has not beaten any big team on any big occasion, and we are extremely sceptical that he can do it at Parkhead either.

A Measured Shift In Opinion

We have softened a little bit on Rohl. We do not believe he is the absolute answer, but then who is? But equally, trying to sign Josh Windass doesn’t do his case a lot of good either. Nevertheless though, facing against Celtic is the big one. Forget Celtic’s atrocious form, forget Celtic’s diabolical position in the table by their standards and forget their hilariously bad manager. At some point it is likely to click for the Nancy, and there is even talk that Martin O’Neill is going to come back and take over instead. But the problem that we ultimately have is that they are champions, they are players who step up for big occasions. Let’s not forget, recently they beat Feyenoord in Holland. So Rangers are not going to have it easy despite their recent form. This is Celtic, who know how to win the big matches.

Historic Struggles

Rangers have not beaten Celtic in a meaningful big match, which of course technically all Old Firms are. But Rangers haven’t beaten Celtic in a meaningful early season big match, probably in years. The last time Rangers beat Celtic at Parkhead for Celtic v Rangers of course was Barry, but the league was long, long gone by then. And the last time Rangers beat Celtic when it actually mattered, you’re going back years.

The Importance Of Tomorrow

Tomorrow at Parkhead matters. If Rohl wins this one, it is a huge victory. It’s the first meaningful match against Celtic that Rangers will have won in the league borderline in living memory it feels like. We do know of course that the pressure here is really on Nancy. His start at Celtic has been almost parody bad. We have found it absolutely hilarious. But we’ve not wanted to laugh too much in case it comes back to bite us in the backside. As mirthful as it nevertheless is.

What It Means

But what does it mean to Rangers to win Celtic v Rangers tomorrow? To beat the old enemy at Parkhead? Everything. It would be the first time that Rohl has won a serious big time match at Ibrox since he became Rangers manager. And it would firmly underline his credentials as a potentially good manager for this club. Fans have often not agreed with his management. Ibrox Noise is certainly guilty of this. We have never opposed Rohl outright. We have had our frustrations with him, but we have never outright opposed him the way that we did Martin.

And if he was to get the victory in Celtic tomorrow, in Glasgow’s East End, it would be a game changer. Time will tell of course whether he can do it. In fact, we will know tomorrow at about 3 o’clock. But a victory would be the biggest statement Danny Rohl has made in his managerial career for sure.