Danny Rohl responds to Rangers fan fury at misfiring stars as he declares title win ‘isn’t impossible’

Ibrox head coach Rohl knows a genuine title challenge isn’t likely but he’s adamant it’s not impossible either

Rangers Head Coach Danny Rohl(Image: SNS Group)

Against Falkirk, Danny Rohl’s gun-shy marksmen failed to pull the trigger. Three days later his gung-ho Gers had Dundee United in their sights, only to repeatedly miss the target while leaving themselves wide open at the back.

But the Rangers boss is confident that with a bit of fine tuning to his team’s sights, he can transform the lumbering Light Blues into a high-calibre outfit. Talk about shooting for the moon!

The reality is that Rohl is going to need one hell of an upgrade to his armoury in January if he’s to get anywhere close to that ambition this season given the squad he inherited from Russell Martin packs all the firepower of a pea-shooter.

And in the meantime, with the opening of the transfer window still three weeks off, Rohl may well find himself facing another hail of bullets from a supporter base who have emptied their reserves of patience.

He’s already had a taste of that at Tannadice after fans gave the coach and his players both barrels having just watched Gers scramble to a 2-2 draw with United thanks to Nedim Bajrami’s 97th-minute penalty.

With Patrick Stewart and Kevin Thelwell no longer there to act as a human shield, it was Rohl who found himself in the firing line for the first time as the Ibrox side followed up the bore Bairns draw with a display that was an inept at the back as it was up front on Tayside.

It appears that some fans are already leaping to conclusions where the former Sheffield Wednesday boss is concerned.

He may only have been in post for six weeks, but the more reactionary sections off the Rangers legions are already starting to question why his team are not yet shooting from the hip.

Rohl is confident that day will come – but for now he’s hoping to keep himself onside with those punters itching to jump the gun.

He said: “The demands from the fans is always high. We want to win this game. I think there was a mix after Wednesday.

“Some were happy to take the point but also they were disappointed not to win this game. I took it like this. It was the same for me.

“I was also happy to take the point but I was unhappy that we couldn’t win this game.

“If we get both performances – the Falkirk one and the Dundee United one – together, then we have an outstanding game.

Rangers manager Danny Rohl in the tunnel at Tannadice

“I think this is the key, this is what we’re working for.

“In the defence, we conceded a goal, I think it was not just one mistake. It was three, four in a row. We have to do better.

“The second conceded goal was the third, fourth phase after a set play.

“And then we had some transition moments against us where we have to make sure that the rest of the defence is organised. But the positive thing was really the improvement from the Falkirk game to the Dundee United game.”

Gers were undoubtedly better at creating chances on Wednesday night that they had been at the weekend.

But they were no better at finishing them.

Credit goes to young Jayden Meghoma for his rasping for half-equaliser and the nerveless manner in which Bajrami rammed home his last-gasp spot-kick.

But there were mortified looks all round as a string of Rangers frontmen passed up golden chances to score – and none more embarrassing than £8million man Youssef Chermiti’s fluffed header five minutes from time.

But Rohl said: “It was not just the strikers, it was the wingers. I think it was four or five players that had big chances and they missed the chances.

“We spoke about which steps we make forward and which steps we have to improve.

“I think this is on the pitch and off the pitch. I think that was a big message for me.

“I said this after the game to the staff and to the players. I said this yesterday as well again, that I see good steps forward but there are also some parts that we have to improve.

“That means also off the pitch, to take something and be focused, be clear in which direction and what we want to do.”

One man who has taken his opportunity this week is Bajrami.

He was the only player to show any sign of threat against Falkirk and would have bagged an assist against Jim Goodwin’s Terrors had Chermiti not skewed his head wide from five yards out.

“Yeah, he deserved his chance,” said Rohl. “I think that was a big message yesterday to my group. Nedim was a guy who trained really hard. He was waiting for the opportunity and then he was there and took the opportunity.

“When I subbed him on against Livingston, he helped us and made an impact against Falkirk.

“He played too often too wide in not-so-dangerous areas and now in this game he was much, much more in the half position, which helped a lot. It showed me that he was listening.

“He gives us, especially in the offensive, calmness on the ball but also some good decision-making. It helps us speed up our game and create more and more chances.”

The Ibrox faithful were hoping to see Djeidi Gassama recapture the glittering form off the left that lit up his early weeks in Glasgow as he linked up with his old Wednesday coach.

But he’s flattered to deceive on the right flank.

Rohl, however, said: “At the moment we have a lot of players who love to play in the left winger position.

“It’s normal because when you have a right foot you can go inside and you can finish the action.

“I think there’s a part then when you look at the United game back, our Option B in pressing was to have Gass on the last line when we had an underload with a back four.

“That was the reason why Gass can do this.

“He did this as well in the home game against Kilmarnock. He is in this case defensively, a bit of a hybrid for me in some moments, and that was the reason why I put him in this position.

“I think he has his strengths on the left side with the inside dribbling, but on the right side he comes also very often in good opportunities and to good chances. Now it’s about also to start to score in these moments.”

The dropped points against Falkirk and United have dampened hope that Rohl could reignite Gers’ faded title hopes.

They remain nine points behind leaders Celtic and Hearts, who face off on Sunday.

And He said: “Of course the last two draws opens again a little bit of a gap, but if we win tomorrow we will be just six points behind because the two teams ahead of us have to play against each other and both cannot win.

“It is a long way but it’s not impossible.”