Rangers coach Rohl unconcerned about not being first choice

Danny Rohl brushed aside suggestions he was not Rangers' first choice as head coach on Tuesday, insisting his focus is solely on winning games and uniting the Scottish Premiership club.

The 36-year-old German worked for RB Leipzig, Bayern Munich, Southampton and the German national team before becoming manager of English Championship club Sheffield Wednesday in 2023.

"You can be the first, the second or the third choice," he said. "The important thing is to win games. I cannot tell you which choice I am. I am here."

Rohl was encouraged by what he saw in his first training session with the players.

"I see so much potential," he said. "We need wins in a row. If you can bring the squad together with your style of football... then you will go in a fantastic direction."

Rohl emphasised the urgency of adapting the team's approach.

"We have to speed up our game. We cannot just think that we can win football games with nice football," he said. "We are in four competitions still. It's not just a wish. We have to work very hard."

It took Rangers more than two weeks to replace Russell Martin, who was sacked after a disappointing start to the season left them eighth in the league standings.

Former England midfielder Steven Gerrard had reportedly been a front-runner for the job before he ruled himself out, and Rangers chief executive Patrick Stewart acknowledged the recruitment process had frustrated fans.

"The proof of the process is in terms of the outcome," Stewart said. “We spoke to a number of different people. Some names ended in the media, some didn't. I can understand that on the outside it looks like the process has gone awry.

"Completely understand the hurt that the fans feel. The results this season haven't been good enough."

Rangers have won the Scottish league title a joint-record 55 times, most recently in 2021, and are currently sixth in the table after eight games, 13 points behind leaders Hearts. REUTERS