Danny Rohl Failings Brutally Exposed By James Tavernier Bust-up | OneFootball

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Danny Rohl served up a terrible end for a Rangers legend in James Tavernier, who should have been front and centre of the clash at Ibrox against Hibernian. Instead, the German tactician has turned more Gers fans against him, badly mishandling the situation in a manner which points to his lack of experience and casts real doubt on his man-management skills.

In Inside Futbol’s preview for the Rangers vs Hibernian game, we predicted the match in effect to serve as a testimonial for Tavernier. While we got the result right, few could have seen the bust-up between Tavernier and Rohl coming.

It has put another dark cloud over Rangers’ season and leaves real questions over Rohl heading into the summer.

Pre-match

The genesis of the squabble proved to be Rohl’s decision to leave Tavernier out of the starting lineup, planning to substitute him on at some point during the Hibs game. Tavernier took umbrage and withdrew from the squad before storming out of the stadium.

A club insider then convinced Tavernier to return, before a presentation by Rangers legend John Greig took place in less than ideal circumstances, with everyone questioning if Rohl could have handled the situation with more maturity and if his lack of experience played a part.

Celtic

The irony is that Tavernier’s selection against Celtic, and Hearts prior to that, was proving to be a double whammy against Rohl. When Rohl could have made a statement by leaving out Tavernier in those, with growing discontent amongst fans around the level of performances Tavernier has been delivering of late, amid former Rangers striker Gordon Dalziel calling playing him a ‘big mistake’, the German instead created a circumstance where another sticking point against himself has emerged, with the perception now being that he cannot make tough calls when they matter.

Dujon Sterling

If Tavernier were to not occupy the pitch during any point of the fixture, the only palatable scenario would have been one where an academy graduate is brought on or taken off in a symbolic passing off the baton. Instead, Dujon Sterling took Tavernier’s place unwittingly and perhaps unwillingly, when he could have used some shielding, especially given that it has been only a week since he was fined and banned from driving, after admitting the offence of drink driving.

Rohl could have considered the possibilities of any potential fallout from Sterling’s selection, and weighed that the message sent to the player, and the watching fans, could be detrimental.

Strikes against Rohl

Rohl has been derided for an inability to deliver for Rangers in the clutch moments, for having ‘no discernible style’ to their play, and for denying that there is a mentality issue with the Gers in just the past month. He has also been called ‘too negative’ with former top-flight attacker Tam McManus feeling Rohl’s approach is far too conservative once they take the lead.

The last thing Rohl needed to do was to draw attention to himself, but he has somehow managed to open up another detrimental talking point.

Egos at the elite level

Xabi Alonso’s stint with Real Madrid showed that handling inflated egos is now as much part of the job description, as player development or tactical mastery might be.

Rohl has now unwisely raised question marks around whether he possesses that ability, and with Rangers wanting to sign stars with the arrogance and swagger to cope with wearing a heavy shirt, can the German boss handle them? His lack of experience was already a talking point, now added to that is if he can cope with man-management in the Ibrox dressing room.

Fans

Any fan going to the stadium would have reasonably expected the major highlight of the night to be the send-off of Tavernier. Rangers fans seeing Tavernier in tears, when their captain was expecting a send-off in front of his wife and kids, would have instinctively searched for the villain of the piece, as Rohl placed himself squarely in their sights.

Rohl has not only invited pressure onto himself, but invited those sitting on the fence and in support of him to reconsider their decision. A poll conducted a few days ago indicated that two-thirds of the Gers fans wanted him to be backed in the summer window, and to be given an extended spell; the number is unlikely to be as high now.

While Rangers fans will question how Tavernier has conducted himself, and whether he really needed to spit the dummy out, they will do so quietly for a man who has served for eleven years, is a hall of famer, led the club to their 55th title, and is still club captain.

Possible justifications

The only acceptable reason for dropping Tavernier from the starting lineup would have been a physical altercation. Even then it is unclear what message Rohl might have thought placing him on the bench instead of the starting lineup would convey to the players and the fans.

If Rohl thought he was undermined by Tavernier at any point, the German could have still played him and reasserted himself in the dressing room later, out of view from the public lens, through whatever words he thought fit.

A tactical or personnel try out ahead of next season does not wash, with the occasion of a long-serving player’s farewell, surely taking precedence over any concerns regarding playing philosophy.

If Rohl’s decision making was influenced by contractual bonuses or clauses, which fans are not privy to and there is no suggestion that was a factor, it would be best for the German’s own cause if he leaves it unsaid.

Importantly, Rohl cannot turn to the argument of needing a result or attempting to preserve a goal difference, with the damage to their season completed in their previous game against Celtic.

Rohl eventually claimed that Tavernier had suffered an injury on Monday and was not fully fit going into the game, while revealing that the defender not being with the team on Wednesday made it impossible for him to start.

But Tavernier’s subsequent actions only showed that, at the very least, being a poor communicator could be added to Rohl’s growing list of negatives.

Youth pathway

Analyst John Walker noted the stark lack of youth players on the pitch, feeling that the likes of Kyle Glasgow, Ashton Scally and Luca Rankin should have been given a run-out in a dead rubber, especially with loanees Jayden Meghoma, Max Aarons and Andreas Skov Olsen occupying spaces on the bench.

Rohl neglected what might have been the one saving grace to soften the blow from his decision to drop Tavernier.

Making matters worse

Journalist Roger Hannah might have been right when he said that Rohl was not suited to the Rangers job despite his potential, before the German was announced in October. Rohl’s decisions, and the lack of them, over the past month have only added to the growing concerns if his inexperience will ultimately render his stint a failure.

With this latest head-scratcher, Rohl, surrounded by simmering embers, has set fire to tinder, leaving himself with the arduous burden of putting it out before it consumes him, while any action on his part retains the risk of further fanning the adjacent embers.