Rangers’ title collapse still haunts Rohl as he opens up on exit
Just 68 days after vowing to return with renewed energy, Danny Rohl is now watching Rangers’ new manager take the reins at Ibrox. In an exclusive interview with Record Sport, the German coach reveals the painful details of his departure and the moments he believes cost his team the Scottish Premiership title.
What led to Rohl’s sudden exit from Rangers?
Rohl, who led Rangers to within a point of league leaders Hearts before a catastrophic four-game losing streak, says a phone call from Jurgen Klopp changed everything. Klopp, now Red Bull’s head of global soccer, reached out while Rohl was on holiday in Hawaii. “We spoke for one hour about football,” Rohl recalls. “Everything was really open. I was still convinced I was the right man to bring Rangers back.”
But Red Bull’s persistence, combined with Rohl’s family considerations, created a dynamic he hadn’t anticipated. “I respected my contract,” he insists. “If there wasn’t a clear way in the negotiations between the clubs, I would NEVER have got into a fight.” The clubs eventually reached an agreement, and Rohl is now at Red Bull Salzburg.
Why did Rangers collapse in the title race?
Rohl points to a single game as the turning point. “Before the Motherwell game at Ibrox, it was incredible,” he says. “But that was a difficult one at 2-0 down. Then we came back to 2-2 and unfortunately conceded for 3-2. It was a killer. I’m totally convinced that if we’d won that game, I wouldn’t be sitting here now.”
He also highlights a missed chance against Celtic earlier in the season. “If Tuur Rommens had scored with a chance to make it 3-0, Celtic would NOT have won the league OR the Scottish Cup. Because at that moment, we’d have gone four points ahead and we’d have killed them.”
What is the difference between Rangers and Salzburg?
Rohl acknowledges the intensity gap. At Salzburg’s training ground, only a dozen locals show up to watch. “Can you imagine that at Rangers?” he asks. “Rangers are such a big name in Europe and, of course, I really enjoyed it. But I saw the other side as well. The last few weeks of the season showed me how quick it goes from you being the hero to having some question marks around you.”
What happens next for Rangers and Rohl?
Rangers have moved on quickly, appointing Derek McInnes as their new manager. Rohl, meanwhile, is settling into a less intense environment where he can be closer to his family. “Red Bull pushed really hard,” he says. “They gave me a good feeling that this could be a great move for me.”
For Rohl, the wounds from Glasgow remain fresh. But as he stares out at the empty Red Bull Arena, there is a sense of closure. “I had a lot of goals still to achieve,” he reflects. “It had been a rollercoaster in Glasgow, very emotional. For 26 weeks, everything was in one direction. But the last four weren’t what we wanted.”