Danny Rohl cannot defend the indefensible in key Rangers debate

The conversation around mindset, mentality, bottle, however you want to label it, is bookended by two fixtures with Hearts. At Ibrox three months ago, Rohl saw his side come from behind to win 4-2 to move within touching distance of top spot. On Monday at Tynecastle, Rangers squandered a lead and fell seven points adrift of the Jambos.

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It was after that victory that Rohl praised the personality and character of his players. “Let’s not speak until the end of the season about the mentality of this group,” he said. “Because we have a lot of mentality. We fully deserved over 90 minutes to win.”

Those questions have never really gone away, though. In truth, they are not new ones. This is not the first group of players who have had their minerals queried by a demanding support. As Nico Raskin admitted on Friday morning, those comments and criticisms will always be there until Rangers go on and win something. Well, that won’t be this season, and many of these players will not get the chance to come back at their doubters ahead of another turnover in the summer.

Rohl was asked post-match in the capital whether the issues in the second half were tactical or mental. He was then asked if he could continue to defend that characteristic in his players while the narrative around them continues to build.

He didn’t bite on either occasion. First, he spoke about the details in the game and how Rangers dropped too deep, inviting Hearts onto them. Secondly, he referenced the inability to follow up on a positive 45 minutes with a half that could have taken his side to victory.

Rohl will speak to the media on Friday ahead of the Old Firm fixture at Parkhead. The topic will again come up and how he responds will be intriguing. Fans cannot expect him to come out and throw his players under the bus, especially when he still needs them to produce performances and pick up results in the matches with Celtic, Hibernian and Falkirk. Yet the German must be careful that he is not being seen to defend what is now indefensible and undisputable.

There is a tendency for supporters to jump straight to the character question when things don’t go right. It is not a one-size-fits-all reason for failure. Indeed, over the course of the campaign, there are many factors – some of which Rohl himself is accountable for – that will be on the table when the post-mortem is conducted.

Some of the mistakes are tactical, some are technical. Some relate to recruitment, others can simply be put down as bad luck. But the mentality question simply cannot be ignored now.

(Image: Andrew Milligan)

When Rangers are written off, when there is less expectation of glory, they are able to put together a run of results. When the opportunity to take the next step is there, when they could actually win something, they wilt, they crumble, they lose.

Two defeats in the first 33 Premiership matches have been followed by two in a week. Those results are the ones that have ended the challenge, but there are a dozen other ones that have undermined it.

Good teams, successful teams, find ways to win when not at their best. Rangers find ways not to win. This squad, like others before it, have the mark of hopeful challengers rather than potential champions. And quite frankly, supporters are sick of it.

If mentality is not an issue, how do you explain failing to see out the game at Fir Park when a goal ahead and with a man advantage? How do you explain letting Celtic off the hook and a two-goal lead slip at Ibrox? Or failing to put your rivals aside over 120 minutes and penalties a week later?

There are unquestionably issues with this squad, but they are still good enough to win these matches, or the ones at Hibernian and Livingston. So when they don’t, it is only natural that their mindset comes into sharp focus for a support that were reared on the successes of previous eras.

Rangers have sought to tap into that knowledge base of late. Graeme Souness was at the training ground last week, while the likes of John Brown, Mark Hateley and Barry Ferguson have also been in and around the squad. The aim is to try and get through to the players of today what those of yesterday achieved and how they achieved it. Talent takes you so far in the game. Hard work - tracking runners, winning your 50/50s, holding responsibility - takes you the rest of the way.

It is easy to dismiss the ‘gets it’ factor as whimsical or even nonsensical. But it is the indeterminable factor - in this era where there is a metric for everything - that can make all the difference. Those who don’t understand it will never have it.

It is one thing saying you want to win, but another thing to be able to do it. That is what makes Rangers players and Rangers teams and many within this group have shown they are not up to the challenge they were set when they put pen to paper at Ibrox.

In an interview with the Rangers Review last week, former striker Andy Little labelled the issue the ‘elephant in the room’ as he referenced his time at the club and the absence of those who know the league and the club. It may have become a cliché, but that doesn’t mean that it isn’t accurate or pertinent.

It is a situation Rangers will look to address in the summer. Of course, players must have the required quality to play for and improve the team, but they must also have the mentality that ensures they won’t let leads slip or will find ways to win when not at their best.

Rohl has lamented the pattern of his side only turning up for 45 minutes on several occasions this term. Is that not down to character? Yes, give credit for being able to come from behind at Falkirk, for example. But the more pressing question is why Rangers found themselves in that position in the first place, like they were at Livingston a few weeks back.

The squad does not need to be packed with players who grew up in the shadow of Ibrox or were given Rangers shirts for Christmas. It does need a core of professionals who will set an example, who will inspire those around them and, most importantly of all, who will win individual battles, win matches and win trophies.

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Ultimately, Rohl carries the can and the heaviest burden. The final three fixtures matter little in league terms but are hugely significant for Rohl as the weight of dissent applies downforce on his shoulders.

Those in his dressing room should be looking at themselves in the mirror, though. Does a head coach have to hold your hand every step of the way? Or can you do it for yourself, and more importantly your team, when it matters most?

Until Rangers have leaders, they will never be winners. It didn’t take until the end of the season for those questions to be answered.