Rangers could sack Rohl to hire “elite” manager

Despite a 5-2 win on the final day of the season, Glasgow Rangers have a decision to make over Danny Rohl‘s future at Ibrox ahead of the summer.

The German head coach led the team to a third-placed finish in the Scottish Premiership and lost four of the five games after the split, finishing ten points adrift of winners Celtic.

Rohl’s side completely collapsed on the biggest stage and fell short in the title race, which should raise questions over his suitability to lead the team forward.

Last year, Rangers reportedly considered a move to appoint Derek McInnes before he joined Hearts and came within one match of winning the Premiership title.

Unfortunately, the Jam Tarts fell short on the final day of the season with a 3-1 defeat to Celtic, when a draw would have been enough to win the division.

Why Rangers need their own version of Derek McInnes

Saying Rangers need their own version of McInnes may sound odd after he just lost the Premiership title against Celtic on Saturday, but the fact that Hearts even came that close to the title is a credit to his management.

The Jam Tarts racked up 80 points, eight more than Rangers, and did so with a host of signings from abroad who McInnes was able to integrate and work into a competitive team.

Claudio Braga and Alexandros Kyziridis arrived from Norway and Slovakia, for example, and ended the season with 18 goals and ten assists combined in the Premiership.

McInnes had a strong blend of proven Premiership talents, such as Lawrence Shankland and Cammy Devlin, and international talent to add extra quality to the group, and created a winning team with those ingredients.

Rangers now need to find their own version of the Hearts head coach because Rohl’s side fell far too short in the league and the club should look to find an upgrade in the dugout ahead of next season.

Rangers could hire their own McInnes

If the Light Blues decide to part ways with the German head coach, there have already been talks behind the scenes about a manager who could be the perfect replacement.

It was recently reported that talks and discussions have been held behind the scenes at Ibrox about a possible move to bring Steven Gerrard back for a second spell, and they held talks with him last year before Rohl got the job.

The English boss, who was hailed as “very elite” by assistant Michael Beale, is obviously already proven in the Premiership after he won the title in the 2020/21 campaign with the Gers.

In fact, Gerrard only lost one of his last 50 league games in charge of the Gers, picking up 129 points, whilst Rohl lost five of his 31 league matches in the dugout this season.

The Liverpool legend, who is currently without a job in management, led the team to an unbeaten Premiership title and showed that he can handle the biggest games, winning seven of his 12 clashes with Celtic.

Like McInnes at Hearts in the present day, Gerrard was able to cultivate a winning mentality at Ibrox with a mix of proven Premiership stars and international imports, rather than being too reliant on one or the other.

His side had the likes of Borna Barisic, Alfredo Morelos, Filip Helander, and Ianis Hagi, whilst also having Allan McGregor, Steven Davis, and Glen Kamara as experienced domestic talents.

Gerrard, unlike McInnes, was able to get his side over the line to win the division for the club, and no Rangers manager since he left in 2021 has lifted the league title, with the likes of Philippe Clement, Beale, Giovanni van Bronckhorst, Russell Martin, Barry Ferguson, and Rohl all failing.

Given the club’s consistent struggles in the dugout since he left, bringing Gerrard back to Ibrox for a second spell may be the best thing that they can do this summer, replacing Rohl with a proven manager who can build a winning team.