Every word as Thelwell, Stewart & Rohl grilled by Rangers media pack

Andrew Cavenagh's Remarks

Good afternoon everybody. Thank you for your continued interest in this great football club. We look forward to introducing you to Danny Rohl.

When we became a part of this club this summer we talked about two things. Sustained winning and winning sustainably. And four months later it has obviously not gone as we envisioned. We did not expect it to be easy, but we also didn't expect to be where we are today.

Part of that was the decision we made over the summer to appoint Russell as the head coach. It did not go as planned. Russell is a good guy. He worked tirelessly. He wanted desperately to win and I wish him well, but it didn't work.

If something doesn't work, I think there are three things that you need to do. You need to acknowledge it. You need to own it, which I believe that we have done and you need to rectify it.

And today is a big part of that. And with that, we are happy to have Danny here as our head coach.

I think Danny will be incredibly successful here and I think that for three reasons. The first is that we were incredibly impressed by his ability to take tactics and actually make them happen on the pitch. I think a lot of people talk about tactics but you have to actually deliver them on the field and we are very confident that Danny can do that.

The second thing is man management. I think Danny will bring out the best of every one of our players and that we will soon see the best version of each of them.

And the third is that while Danny is new to this organisation, I think he gets it and has the ability to create a bond with our supporters, which is so important. He knows that winning is the only option. He knows that winning has to happen right away and he knows he has to create that bond with our supporters.

He is confident, he is technical and I think he will probably hide it from you a little bit over the next 24 hours but he also has a little bit of an edge to him, and I think that will serve him well.

We remain incredibly optimistic about this football club. We still have everything in front of us to play for this year. I think we have yet to see the best of our squad and I look forward to seeing what Danny can bring out of them. When we joined this organisation, this club, became a part of this family, we said that one of the things that drew us to it was the supporters, and that has not changed at all. We know that they have been disappointed, we recognise that.

Everybody at the club is going to work tirelessly to get us back to what everyone so desperately wants, which is winning football matches.

Rohl’s Opening Statement

Q: Hi Danny, well done on getting the role. Just how big a task are you taking on here at Rangers?

(Rohl) Yeah, I think I'm really looking forward to be part of this amazing football club. We know where we are at the moment and when you are committed to this job then you know what is demanding. It starts on Thursday with the first game. We want to win, we need wins because we want to turn around the position at the moment.

We are not happy, we know this. And that's the reason why I'm here. I said this in the past very often that I'm looking for an ambitious club, for a club who is looking for more. I'm looking for a club to win titles and this club has everything for all these goals. It's amazing to be part here, to be the head coach of this fantastic club. I know what it means and I think I will feel this in the next couple of days and weeks more and more. But my job is clear, what I want to do with this group of players.

Q: I think it's fair to say that Russell Martin wasn't universally popular. What can you say to the Rangers fans to say that you are the right man here?

(Rohl) At first I think it's very important that my focus is on myself, what I can bring to this football club. My football, what I want to see in the pitch is intensity, it's sprint, it's togetherness and it's playing forward style. Because we want to create chances, we want to create goals. And we have to understand, and this is also part of football, we have to defend as a group, as a unit, much, much better, with a lot of aggression in duels. I think it's very important that our fans go home and they feel entertained by the football and winning games. And this is also important to understand the order. At first, you have to win games, then we can speak about playing attractive football. And if you do these points in this order, then we will have togetherness with our fans again.

Q: Can you just clarify what happened over the weekend? Because it seemed as if you had withdrawn from the process and now you're sitting there as the head coach. What happened?

(Rohl) Yeah, all in all, since a couple of days we had outstanding meetings together. There was still a great relationship between all of us in the meetings. I felt the trust. And in football, sometimes it's about timing. And I think this is a big, big pleasure for me as well. The club was fighting, was looking for me, and we are still there and talking. I think this is very important, it's the reason why I'm here now, and it's the reason why I'm really looking forward to being part of this club.

Q: Patrick, in terms of the process, the optics maybe didn't look good when so many names were mentioned and in the frame and maybe even imminent in terms of appointments. How do you reflect on the process to appoint the new head coach and how satisfied are you with it?

(Stewart) I think ultimately the proof of the process is in terms of the outcome, and we've got who we wanted to appoint in terms of Danny, so that's what we've got to look to in terms of the process. I think we spoke to a number of different people. Some names ended up in the media, others didn't. We cannot comment on confidential discussions, and equally, we cannot control what others may say in the media or in briefings for whatever agenda they have. To that extent, yes, I can understand that on the outside it might look as though the process has gone awry, but all we can look at is the outcome of the process, which is we went in and had discussions with a number of very credible candidates, and we got one of those over the line.

Q: Now that you have Danny there and the fact that he's sitting there because you've had to release a manager from this contract, does that suggest that there's been a lot of mistakes made and you have to look at yourself and the board as a whole?

(Stewart) Definitely have to take accountability when results on the pitch are not going well. I think I completely understand the frustration and the hurt that fans feel, and myself as the chief executive, I'm ultimately accountable for everything that happens in the football club as is the board, and so we do take responsibility for mistakes made, and our duty is to learn from those mistakes and make sure that we don't repeat them.

Q: Can I ask Danny about your understanding of the recruitment process? And perhaps Kevin you can come in on that as well please?

(Thelwell) Yeah, so the process that we've got is not a process that is new to any football club. Head coach and sporting director, working very, very closely to talk about how we want to play, what we want from each position, and then us conducting search to find players that best suit not only Rangers Football Club, but also the style in which the new head coach wants to work. I've said this before and I'll say it again, I've never signed a player that the head coach doesn't want, so this is very much us working together to identify the right talent, the right people, the right players that are going to help us to win, not only today, but also help us to win tomorrow. Danny and I have had many conversations over the course of the last couple of weeks around recruitment and players and style of play and identity and all of these things, and winning and how do we create this winning team, and I'm very much looking forward to working with them in this recruitment space.

(Rohl) Thank you, Kevin. I think it's very important that you close and you work very closely together in this direction, because it makes no sense when one part goes in this direction, the other part goes in this direction. I think this is very crucial, and when you are very clear on which way you want to go, then it's much, much easier to find the right players for the football club and for the style we want to play, and I think this is a crucial thing. When we really go in one direction and we speak to each other, and this is a key, I learned in the last 16 years a lot about recruitment as well, if you can really bring all the power in one direction, then you can convince really good players to come here, and this is fantastic.

Season Goals & Fan Criticism

Q: Danny, you assess the squad, you've got a look at your new players. It's been mentioned it's been a bad start, how do you see this season as salvageable, what becomes success for you this season?

(Rohl) Yeah, the first step is, and this is the huge one, we need wins in a row. I think this is very important, because with wins in a row you can create self-confidence, and I absolutely believe, and I saw in the morning the training, we train with intensity, we were very lively on the pitch, I see so much potential. For me, always as a coach it's very important that you bring the strength of the squad on the pitch, and this was in the past always my crucial thinking, my mindset. You can have an idea of football, but you have also to look at which players you have, and if you can bring the squad together with your style of football, with the things you demand, then you will go in a fantastic direction.

And for Patrick, the fan anger towards yourself and Kevin over the last few weeks has been palpable within the stadium, banners, protests, the fans put it bluntly don't want you at the football club, what's your message to them and how difficult is that to see as the chief executive of this football club?

(Stewart) As I said earlier, I totally understand the frustration and hurt that the supporters are feeling because the results this season haven't been good enough, nobody's happy with those. The hurt and frustration they feel is mirrored within the boardroom. And also I understand that there has to be an outlet for those frustrations, and as chief executive, yes, that's me, and I'm a lightning rod for those. My role as a leader, though, is to absorb that, but also now to work hard, work harder and make sure that we turn this around. So I've got to earn that trust.

Style of Play, League Ambitions & Recruitment Criticism

Q: Danny, one of the complaints that Rangers fans have had over the past couple of seasons is the style of football they've been watching has been very slow, very possession-based but sterile possession in Rangers' own half, and that there's been a lack of intensity. Do you think you've got the players in the squad to change that, and can you tell us about your style of football or the type of football you like to see played?

(Rohl) Yeah, I think we made a fantastic start in the morning, we spoke about what I want to see, and I think also important is you have to make step-by-step in the direction, and the first thing is we have to speed up our game. We come in fantastic situations, we come between the lines, but instead we attack the last line, we break and we stop, and I think this is a part, this is something with the mindset, we want to attack the last line and that means for me if we do it again and again we create more chances and we have more goals. And it starts with a good positioning in ball possession, but I said to my players as well, we have to understand we are a big, big, massive club and our demands are very high, but we cannot just think we can win football games with nice football. We have to understand we have to press well, we have to hunt, we have to go into counter-pressing and we have to play with intensity, and it starts from the striker until the defender. If you do it as a unit again and again then it's very hard to beat us and to break us down. I think this is, in the mindset, what I want to change very quickly, and the first opportunity to show this is on Thursday, I know this. The start was not really well, we have to say this, and we need wins to come also in this competition to the next round.

Q: Danny, there has been a lot of supporter negativity towards this season already, a lot of people are writing a lot of things off, what is still achievable for Rangers in the most important competition, the league championship?

(Rohl) The fantastic situation is that we are in the four competition still on, and it means we can attack all these competitions, but we have to understand it's not just a wish, for this we have to work very hard. With this mindset, and with a good start, and we know when we look to the next six games, there's a lot of in. I'm very convinced this part now should be a restart, and with this restart and with a fresh mindset, and with the right mindset, if we go very positive, with an emotional level, with a belief that we really can turn around these things, then I'm very convinced that we create an atmosphere very soon here in this building. And for this, I'm very proud to be here.

Q: On the issue of player recruitment, one of the criticisms has been that recruitment has not been good enough. That's why Rangers are 13 points behind Hearts and eight points behind Celtic. Given the significant key role that you have in recruitment, do you accept that recruitment has not been good enough?

(Thelwell) Yes, I think it's a fair question. And I think if I look at the first eight games in particular, it's very, very difficult to say otherwise. Having said all that, we think that the group is a good group. We think they're capable of much, much more. And we hope, through the appointment of Danny, we've got the opportunity to show their qualities in a much stronger way. I think we've recruited a very strong group who are very capable. And I'm hoping that over the course of the next group of games, you're able to see the likes of Thelo Aasgaard and all the players that we signed in the summer reach their full potential and show that not only to you guys, but also to the fans.

There's also been a significant outlay on one player. And the fans have questioned that. Do you stand by that signing?

(Thelwell) Yeah, very much so. I think Youssef Chermiti is a player in particular who's got huge potential. I've never doubted him in any way, shape or form. Again, I think Danny will help to get the best out of Youssef. Very early days for him. He's a young talent. And of course, with young talents, they sometimes take a little bit of time. But I'm certain over the course of this career here, he's going to prove that he's a very, very good player.

Pressure, Personal Questions & Closing

Q: For Patrick and Kevin. On the issue of the fans' criticism, much of it has been personal against yourself. At any stage, did you say 'you know what, I think I could do without this' and leave?

(Stewart) No. I'm determined to work incredibly hard, together with everyone else at the club, to take Rangers back to where it belongs.

(Thelwell) Yeah, I understand their criticism. And we've got to do much better. But Rangers, to me, is something that's worth fighting for. And so what I'm going to do next, and we're all going to do next, is work as hard as we can to give the fans and this football club something to be proud of.

Q: Just to be clear, you were talking about it there, do you feel that you can still win the league this season despite being so far behind?

(Rohl) Well, I'm very believing that we can win the next game. And I think this is the crucial part. In football, I think when we notice to speak too far away, it makes not so much sense. But if we speak about the next games, it makes much, much sense. I will try everything, and I will put all my energy in to win the next games and believe. Because I believe, really, in this group, if we get this group running and the self-confidence comes back, they can win games by game by game. And this is my total conviction.

Q: Just in terms of your previous job at Wednesday, you came in, they'd had a poor start, there was a lot of discontent off the pitch as well. There are some similarities with what's going on here, does that give you the view that you might be uniquely prepared for this role here at Ibrox?

(Rohl) I think I'm very well prepared over the last 16 years to be here. Of course, and this is also part, I know when you come to such a club, how much it's demanding, but you have to feel it. And this is, of course, a part that I will learn very soon. But I'm very well prepared to turn around things, and it starts really with winning and football, who is very honest, who goes in the direction what the fans want to see. And I think this is a big, big part in this club. I watched, for example, some good clips from very long ago, some home games here, which atmosphere you can really bring here, and I really enjoy to have such supporters behind me. But for this, you have to invest as a group on the pitch, and it starts with me as a leader, to give them an idea how we want to play, and with this style of football, with this direction, I'm very clear that we will bring a lot of supporters back.

Q: Kevin, obviously one of the points that you've been criticised by from fans is the appointment of your son to the recruitment team. Has that been uncomfortable to hear, and why did you feel that he was the best man for this position?

(Thelwell) Yeah, I think it's always uncomfortable to hear, and optically, I think we all agreed when we made this step to appoint Robbie that he was going to be seen in a particular way. But the reality of the situation is that we want to bring the very best talent there to Rangers Football Club. My view on Robbie's career, Robbie's situation, is he didn't need my help in football. He's worked at Aston Villa as a senior scout. He then moved to Norwich City as head of scouting, and then got promoted to player pathways manager. And before we recruited him, two Premier League clubs wanted to take him. Dan Purdy, who's the technical director who he will work for, wanted to take him to Everton Football Club. When I was there, I told him that that shouldn't be the case, and I didn't think he was ready. But when the situation came around again, and Dan wanted to take him again, it was very difficult to say no. What we did do, right at the very start of that process, was to talk to Patrick and Andrew and Paraag and the board, and talk to them about this situation. I was extremely transparent about that's what Dan wanted to do. And I think Robbie probably went through a more rigorous process than probably anybody else who's employed by this football club, truth be known. What I do know is that he will work 25-8 to bring success for this football club, and him and Dan work very closely together, and work very well together. And I'm looking forward to him proving that he's going to be an excellent employee for Rangers.

Q: The last manager got 122 days, four months in the job. What do you think is a reasonable amount of time for you to turn things around?

(Rohl) Hopefully, as soon as possible. I think this is crucial. In this business, you have not so much time. You can speak about a long-term version, but we know it's about short-term, and short-term is about winning games. And this is what I demand. I look from game to game now, to prepare the team, to pick the right players. And one thing is also clear, I need all the players. I think this is very important, to understand how we want to play. You need also adjustments sometimes, because, again, I come back to my big headline, it's winning, it's attractive and it's together. If you do this in this order, I'm convinced that I will stay very long here.

Q: I'm not sure if you saw the way the last manager left, it was quite unsavoury. There's a lot of pressure at this football club, particularly when things maybe aren't going well. Away from football, what are your strengths, do you think, in terms of being able to deal with pressure, intense pressure, especially when things are not going well?

(Rohl) I think pressure in this business is usual. You have to learn this very quickly. I think some guys will maybe speak about my age or something like this, but I'm 16 years taking different steps and stations now to get to this part. I had a great opportunity to work for Bayern Munich and be just an assistant coach, but I felt what it means to be a head coach and what pressure you have. Because you come back, you start with winning games, then you win games, then some people will start, 'ah, we have to play nice football', that's the next part. But this is exactly what I want to have. I enjoy, I enjoy as well to be here, I enjoy to work with you guys in the future, because it's also important to have this relationship, and I'm looking forward to the future.