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After a turbulent first week on the job, ranger people Boss Danny Rohl has revealed why he now believes his team are ready to get the best of their bitter rivals celtic In old firm derby this weekend.
Rohl’s first game in charge, that’s it 48 hours after taking the jobThere was a disappointing 3-0 defeat to Braine in the Europa League, but they have since recorded back-to-back wins. Scottish Premiership – Beat Kilmarnock 3-1 at the weekend before showing resilience to beat Hibernian 1-0 on Wednesday evening.
That win over Hibs was Rangers’ first clean sheet away from home since December 2024, although they relied on a late Jack Butland penalty save from Jamie McGrath to preserve it.
Rohl has changed Gers’ back three over the past few games, adding an extra centre-back to increase defensive stability and freeing up 19-year-old left-back Jayden Meghoma to move forward into a wing-back role.
It appears to be working and the 36-year-old boss has highlighted one specific quality he believes sets him up for success.
Asked by BBC Scotland what he pleased most about the Hibernian win, Rohl said: “I would have to say, the tactical discipline in the second half.
“It wasn’t always possible to apply a lot of pressure. But we understood the game more, and understood that they are a changeable team and we were compact.
“When we have the ball we have to improve. We have our transition moments. But we need more than one part of the game.”
“For me it’s about winning games and we did that. Today we saw a team that is running together to be a unit and stay connected and have a fighting spirit, which is great to see.”
Celtic now await at Hampden Park in the Scottish League Cup semi-final on Sunday afternoon a turbulent week of their own – Brendan Rodgers resigned in acrimonious circumstances after differences with the board and 73-year-old Martin O’Neill Placed in interim charge 20 years after last holding the job.
And Rohl is confident his Gers are capable of overcoming their arch-rivals.
“It’s going to be a great game and I’m excited,” he said of his first Old Firm derby. “We’re coming in with two wins in a row and a lot of confidence and we’re going to play well. My boys are ready for it.
“That’s how I feel in the locker room right now, that’s what we’ve built on these last two games.”
Rohl also believes that Rangers are rebuilding relationships with supporters thanks to recent wins and this will help the team in the long run.
“What I really liked was that at the end of the game our supporters and players came closer,” he explained. “They recognize what we’re going through and I think it’s a great feeling to realize that after a week.
“Maybe a week ago we were a little distant from each other but now we’ve come closer and it’s great to see. It’s important, if you look back two weeks ago it was probably a tough place to be but since I’ve been here, I feel a lot of support in my direction.
“It’s fantastic and it’s important to give our players these two minutes today (with the supporters at the end) because they deserved it. They gave everything they had on the field. I helped them, we helped them as a group, but the players did the work.”