Danny Rohl is building his Rangers but he hasn’t had it all his own way | OneFootball

Things are definitely better at Ibrox these days, of no question. Rangers and Danny Rohl see Ibrox now is definitely happier with how things feel. But we still have a significant question mark over the manager, Danny Rohl, a situation Ibrox Noise covered when key first-team players were lost to injury. Fans are obviously extremely pleased with the nine points from nine against Celtic and Aberdeen twice. You cannot argue with those numbers, nor can you criticise the manager for that record. But his overall time at Rangers has been mixed. While the club is now currently second in the league, albeit Hearts and Celtic have a game in hand, nevertheless, results against top-six teams have been far from convincing. There’s also circumstances involved which mitigate certain victories as well, something Reuters noted when analysing his initial appointment and early pressure.

Top-six struggles remain a concern

In fact, Rohl has only actually convincingly beaten no teams in the top six who actually had a manager. Breaking it down, Falkirk with a dreadful draw, Dundee United, who were also sixth, top six, was also an abysmal draw and only just. Hibs was a strange outlier. Both victories were rather fortunate and against the run of play. Then there was Motherwell. A Jagiyahan ball in there definitely mitigated that one a little bit, but it was the closest he’s managed to a good win against a top-six side. We were, of course, destroyed against Hearts, a result that Ibrox Noise put in wider perspective during analysis of Rangers’ recruitment struggles.

Celtic and Aberdeen not what they seem

There were, of course, the two victories against Aberdeen, but they’re not a top-six team and they don’t have a manager. Aberdeen are a shocker at the moment. Many will also point to Celtic, but this was Nancy Celtic. They were an absolute joke. There is lack of credibility that you can take from beating a team that is that much disarray. And comically, it was still a smash and grab job where they outplayed us over the piece. If it hadn’t been for the brilliant Butland, Rangers would not have come away with three points in that one, something Sky Sports highlighted in their breakdown of how Rohl’s Rangers turned form around.

Keeper heroics not a long-term plan

We are not in any way dismissing that because it’s what the goalie used to do back in the 90s over and over again for Walter Smith. But nevertheless, times are a bit different, and Celtic really did have the better of that first half. And up till Rangers’ second goal, the better of the match, really. Smash and grabs, however, are beautiful, but it doesn’t negate the fact that Danny Rohl has struggled in the big matches, something he himself addressed when he told Reuters he had no concerns about not being the board’s top pick.

Form good, but what lies beneath?

Consequently, while we’re absolutely delighted to see the team in second place, we do look at the circumstances of some of those wins, and indeed some of the losses. You cannot really argue with Rohl’s overall Rangers domestic record. It’s seven wins, sorry, nine wins, two draws, and a loss. When you look at those numbers, that is convincing. Eleven wins of fourteen. It’s Rangers’ level. However, the proof is really in the pudding, and Ibrox Noise quoted former Premier League backing for Rohl as reason to believe.

What happens when pressure mounts?

Once the top sides settle, we do wonder how Rangers and Danny Rohl will cope against Martin O’Neill’s Celtic. And the next time he faces Hearts at Ibrox will be a very intriguing one too. We’re also curious how he does away at Motherwell. Essentially, how he does against top six sides, this whole thing may come down to the split. It could very well be as close as that. Time will tell on that one.

The split is no longer a formality

But his record against the sort of sides that are in the split is not great. It is not convincing. Rangers’ record in recent seasons in the split has generally been good, but there’s a reason for that. Nothing has been resting on the results. Every single split, for basically the past ten seasons, give or take, the league had already been decided long before the split started. Mostly, of course, it was Celtic who had won, and the pressure was off Rangers to try to gain points.

A new kind of pressure awaits

Michael Beale and Clement all managed to get strong results in the split, but it didn’t really matter to the extent that it should or could. And of course, in 2021, another strong split, but Rangers themselves had already won the title much earlier that season. This season, it is actually possible that the split could be the first one for an age that is genuinely significant, and facing the sides that Rangers have struggled against this season, the sides in the top six, would be a very interesting prospect when there is stuff actually riding on it, such as, well, the title.

Tests are coming thick and fast

Consequently, we do wonder how Rangers and Danny Rohl will cope in those circumstances, but for now, things are looking good. We do have some momentum, regardless of the circumstances of those victories, and hopefully it continues. But a big tough test comes against Annan, of course, in the cup, the classic minnow side facing Rangers. This is the sort of thing that previous managers collapsed on. How will Rohl cope? Time will tell.