Danny Rohl is taking a leaf out of Walter Smith’s Rangers league playbook | OneFootball

Without any doubt, few Rangers fans of a certain vintage would ever believe that Walter Smith played good football. He had a great team, with great players, but the tactics were not a bit of flashy flowing play. Walter Smith played winning football, he played effective football, he played defensive football, and he built from the back. 9IAR might have had Gazza and Godrup, but overall the team still wasn’t exactly snazzy.

The Goalie

He won by hook or by crook, and certainly relied on the great Andy Goram (RIP), for quite a few of his victories against Celtic to say the least. Goram was an incredible goalkeeper, and despite Rangers having a great defence, you will always need a great goalkeeper to bail you out every now and again and save your bacon. Walter knew that, and nevertheless, the play overall from the Walter teams of both 9IAR and 2007–2011 was not exactly beautiful in the eye, it just won. He knew how to organise his players, how to get the most out of them, and how to make them work for each other. Take Kirk Broadfoot under Walter. One of the most bread and butter players Rangers have ever had, but Walter made a three-time champion of him. Even average footballers can get results amd trophies if coached well.

Rohl’s Football Is Not Flashy

Present day, we have Danny Rohl, and it would be easy to say that the football here is pretty poor as well. Poor is maybe a bit of an unfair word for Walter, it just wasn’t very flashy, it was effective, brilliantly so. Rohl’s football isn’t exactly flashy or even that effective, but it is getting the league job done.

Domestic Results Matter

We are not saying he is inspired by Walter Smith by any manner of means, and this certainly doesn’t apply to the big matches either, or in Europe, but domestically, he is grinding out results. Rangers’ goal last night was a fine one, an excellent assist from the returning Dujon Sterling, who we will get to in another one, and a fine header by Fernandez. And that was what it took to get the points, an excellent goal. That’s fair enough, power in the box and a great delivery.

Not Walter, But Same Principle

So consequently, Rohl, while not playing great football with this admittedly ragamuffin group of players, is getting the results in the league with them. It is not Walter, we would never say that Danny Rohl is Walter Smith, but it’s the same principle. It is the same principle of winning even when you’re playing poorly. Walter was a genius at that.

If Danny Rohl can keep on doing that, while we don’t think he’ll ever be quite on the level of a Walter Smith, then he might be a bigger success than it seems like it can be at the moment. Time will tell.