The Rangers supporters serenade Danny Rohl to the tune of ‘Daddy Cool’. The calm and composed manner in front of the cameras is replicated behind closed doors. In his words, his actions and his outcomes, the German has given those at Ibrox plenty to sing about.
The Old Firm win at Parkhead earlier this month is the prime example for Liam Kelly. In a situation where others could have lost their heads, Rohl kept his. The 15 minutes he spent with his players was the inspiration for a second half comeback that breathed fresh life into the Premiership title race.
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The situation today compared to the one that Rohl inherited back in October is night and day, and not just in terms of the results and the performances. Levels have been raised individually and collectively, the rapport between those on the park and those off it has been enhanced. The architect of it all has been the head coach that has made an immediate impression.
“The way you see him is how we see him,” Kelly said. "He's very calm. That's why I said drama-free. There's not really any major dramas.
“Even, for example, half-time at Parkhead, it seems a bit of a drama because Celtic are really on top of the game. But he was just like, ‘Calm down, we're going to get into this shape. When the ball's here, we're going to move here…’
“Tactically, he's sorted a lot of things out, which then helps him out because we're winning games, because tactically we're very good, do you know what I mean?
“When you're winning games, it breeds confidence and people become more free, they become able to play without any element of stress or worry. The boys have stepped up.
“The boys are playing really well week in, week out. I think, obviously, since the manager came in, we're really in a strong position in comparison to other teams in the league. So we look to carry that over and hopefully come the end of the season, we're in a really strong position as well.
“I think what excites me probably the most is the fact there's not so much randomness, there's not so many drastic changes in our performance and our style from week to week to week.
“So the more we're doing the same thing over and over again, the better we're going to become at it and the better we're getting every week. So that's what excites me. It excites me that we are something and we're progressing at it and ultimately that's delivering us the results.”
After eight matches in the Premiership, Rangers were all-but written off as title no-hopers. With 16 games to go, Rohl’s side are very much in the running. It is too early to name them as favourites given the situation at the top of the table but the fact that they are in contention at all speaks volumes.
Those aspirations will take a temporary back seat when the bid for Scottish Cup glory begins at home to Annan Athletic. Nobody at Ibrox needs a reminder of what can happen against lower league opposition, of course, and the mere mention of Queen’s Park is enough to bring winces and red faces to those who were involved.
“On that day everything that could have possibly went wrong did,” Kelly, who started between the sticks for the 1-0 defeat to the Spiders, said. “It was an awful thing that happened at the time. But in a way it's something to remind us that if we come off the boil then we're going to get punished.
“Listen, looking at the way the manager's been since he came in the door, I don't think he'll be allowing us to take our foot off the gas at all. It's an opposition we're treating in the exact same way that we treated Celtic.
“It wasn't through the lack of effort. I think it was a sticky situation then. I think the team's in a far different position now.
“You're seeing a consistent style, a consistent way of playing. We're starting to look the same closer each week. There's not so many differences in the way we're playing.
“So I think we're in a far better way to go into this game than we were that time last year. Ultimately that result should never have happened. Hopefully it'll never happen again. But for it to never happen again we need to produce a good game on Friday night and that's the plan.”
Kelly is likely to be given the chance to ensure that history doesn’t repeat itself against the Galabankies. Rohl is not expected to make widespread changes for the Ibrox tie but the keeper is one of those who should come into the starting line-up.
The man he will replace has been one of Rangers’ top performers this term. If Kelly takes Jack Butland’s spot in the cup, he knows it will only be a one-game outing.
“Jack's been amazing for us this year,” Kelly said. “He’s been brilliant.
“He’s won us loads of points. It gives me a sense of comfort and a sense of satisfaction that he is playing that well. It justifies to me that I'm pushing him as best I possibly can that his performance levels are that strong. I think he has been really good. I'm his biggest supporter.
“We talk all the time about things we can improve on. We're always looking for ways for us to get better. Loads of parts of his game I like to look at, I like to learn from. He's having a fantastic year and ultimately he's having a big help on the team as well.”
Chances for Kelly to pull on a shirt with his name on the back and a Rangers badge on the front could be in short supply for the rest of the season if Butland can maintain his form. He may have few opportunities to do it full stop.
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The keeper is out of contract at the end of the term. An extension seems like a sound and sensible bit of business for Rangers to do and Kelly would clearly be open to extending his stay and continuing his association with the club he returned to in the summer of 2024.
“I've been here for the majority of my life,” Kelly said. “It’s 16 years out of my 29 years I've been here at Rangers, so I'd be lying if I said I wouldn't be keen to stay on.
“I love being here, I love being a part of the club. I know how it feels growing up when you win a lot of games coming through the academy, how it feels to be a Rangers team winning.
"So I've got a rough idea of how that looks and if I can try and help make the boys aware of that and the magnitude of the club, the expectations, the responsibility we have to hundreds of thousands of people, I try to do that every single day, every single matchday.
"If I'm only able to do the next six months, it's been amazing. I've loved my time. If it’s for years to come then great.”
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