By Duncan Wright
As Danny Rhöl spoke to the media in his first press conference as Rangers Head Coach there was one word that stood out more than any other. Win. Rhöl’s answers to the questions he faced kept coming back to the same point. You must win games. If we win on Thursday we need to win on Sunday. And if we win on Sunday we need to win on Wednesday. Rhöl made it abundantly clear he understood the expectations from a fanbase who have done nothing to hide their anger at how the season has started under their new American owners.
Rhöl came across as instantly likeable whilst in front of the media. Confident but not arrogant. Measured in his answers. Serious and self-aware of the situation he walks into, but clearly relaxed and ready for the challenge that awaits him. And the challenge he faces cannot be underestimated. Rangers are winless at home in the league this season, sitting sixth having only accumulated nine points from a possible twenty four and with two defeats from two in the Europa League Group stages.
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Was Rhöl Rangers first choice for the role following Russell Martin’s sacking? The reality of the situation is it doesn’t really matter. As he said himself it’s me that is here now and that’s what is important. It was a clever answer from the young German and one which deflected away from further questions on the process that saw him unveiled. Rangers, and indeed Rhöl, will know the whole episode was a mess but now is the time to look forward, not back.
There is no doubt that Rangers new Head Coach inherits a squad of players who, to put it politely, have underperformed this season. New signings have arrived, including Djeidi Gassama who Rhöl worked with at Sheffield Wednesday, but problems with the mindset of both individual players and the collective squad remain. How does Rhöl plan to address this? By giving the players solutions. It sounds simplistic but perhaps going back to basics is what is required at Rangers currently.
Rangers fans will get a first look at how Rhöl sets his team up on Thursday night when Rangers take on SK Brann in their third Europa League game. Having worked with the players for the first time on Tuesday morning it’s unlikely that we will get too much tactical insight into his approach but what he did make clear when speaking with the press was his flexibility as a coach. He spoke of his love of the high aggressive press and counter press yet also acknowledged that in some games Rangers will be dominant in possession. The approach in those games? To make sure the team has solutions in the final third.
In life, not just football, the great managers are those who are able to manage people. At Sheffield Wednesday Rhöl met every player individually after he arrived to start developing a strong, trusting bond with them. It’s likely he will employ a similar approach at Ibrox and the way the players respond to Rhöl will go a long way in determining whether he is successful in Glasgow. He doesn’t have the glittering playing career behind him that some managers do but he can point to some of the world class players he has already worked with. Whilst assistant manager at both Bayern Munich and the German national team he coached Leroy Sane, Antonio Rudiger, Kingsley Coman and Robert Lewandowski to name just a few.
Danny Rhöl has taken on an unenviable job. A club with a fanbase that not only craves success but demands it. It would have been easy for him to politely decline the calls coming from Glasgow. But he didn’t. He picked up the phone and accepted what Is still one of the biggest jobs in World football. If Rhöl gets this right, he will be adored. And there was something about Rhöl that makes me think he knows this.