Sometimes there’s so much wrong it’s hard to know where to start. Sometimes, there are simply too many issues to hone in on a singular problem.
After a 3–1 Old Firm defeat at Parkhead consigned Rangers to a third-place finish in the Scottish Premiership - they will only match last season’s points tally if they win their remaining two games - the Rangers Review analyses the 11 most glaring issues facing the club’s ownership as another campaign ends in failure.
Failing to take this season’s opportunities
2–0 up in the March Old Firm, a goal ahead at Tynecastle, a goal up yesterday, chasing a winner against Motherwell. As the Rangers Review recently argued, there is no opportunity as painful as the one missed. In a season where Celtic have faced internal turmoil, changed managers four times, banned their ultras and brought Martin O’Neill out of retirement twice - and this is before even considering Hearts, who have spent far less than Rangers - the Ibrox club have still been unable to capitalise on opportunity.
The architects of last summer’s rebuild, now all sacked, carry significant responsibility but have been gone for months. This has proven a club-wide failure to seize a pivotal moment. Instead of building steadily last summer, a new project collapsed almost as soon as it began. And while Danny Rohl is not solely to blame, he has missed an opportunity that many before him in the dugout perhaps would've taken. Yes, the Russell Martin era left Rangers on the back foot, but Wilfried Nancy managed only two fewer league games. That cannot serve as a blanket excuse for the entire season.
Rohl’s record against O’Neill
In four meetings with Martin O’Neill, Rohl has failed to win, managing just one draw. He has been backed in shaping his squad this January and has beaten Celtic only once, under Nancy’s brief, asterisked reign. That is a pattern, and a concerning one.
In recent weeks, it has increasingly felt as though Rohl is reacting to games rather than proactively influencing them from the bench. Even when O’Neill’s side failed to register a shot over 120 minutes in the Scottish Cup tie at Ibrox, Rangers could not find a way to win. Even when leading at Parkhead, their possession was fragile and ineffective. Two goals ahead in March, they still could not get over the line.
As in his first meeting at Hampden in November, Rohl has consistently been unable to exploit a vulnerable Celtic side. A couple of statement wins were required heading into the summer at the very least in place of a title challenge; those chances have slipped away over the past fortnight.
Familiar problems in possession
How glaring and long-standing is this team’s struggle in possession? It has been a recurring issue for years, and there is little sign of improvement. Highlighted again against Motherwell and in Old Firm clashes, Rangers’ inability to play through midfield or control matches with the ball continues to invite pressure.
Unsurprisingly, in the build-up to Yang’s equaliser, it was Rangers' own goal-kicks that ceded initiative. This club will not win a league title until they develop clear patterns in possession and recruits midfielders capable of dictating play. They must learn to relieve pressure with the ball, not invite it. This was the latest piece of evidence in a long, long line.
The goalkeeping position and spine
Jack Butland remains a major issue in possession. Again, evident in the 2–2 draw at Ibrox, his rushed clearances repeatedly handed Celtic the ball back. While a goalkeeper need not be a playmaker, his distribution cannot continually initiate opposition attacks.
Opponents can press man-to-man, knowing Butland’s isolated distribution will not exploit the spaces they leave. The 33-year-old, entering the final year of his contract, is not the only concern though. Looking at yesterday’s team, where is next season’s spine?
Manny Fernandez and Youssef Chermiti, if they stay, may fill two roles. Tuur Rommens and Dujon Sterling others. Beyond that, a goalkeeper, a No.6 and solutions on both wings are required... and that’s only the starting point.
Recruitment and the money spent
Rangers have spent more this season than ever before. Fernandez, Chermiti, Rommens and Mikey Moore can be viewed as successes. Beyond that, questions remain.
The financial investment in attacking areas, in particular, has not delivered the expected return. The club would surely welcome back last season’s front three, Cerny, Dessers and Igamane, who combined for 81 goal contributions. The reliance on Moore highlights failures elsewhere. Too often, the 18-year-old has been tasked with dragging the team forward with insufficient support around him.
In another season where the club may well have to sign double figures, the search for a real, reliable core to build success around remains.
The big-game question and playing in halves
This defeat leaves Rohl with no wins in four against O’Neill and just six victories in 16 matches against top-six opposition. Yes, he inherited a difficult situation, and the initial recovery was impressive. But when progress stalls, and results against sides like Hearts and Motherwell fail to reflect the financial disparity, those mitigating factors begin to fade.
The recurring pattern of strong and weak halves is also a concern. Even when leading and pushing for a second goal yesterday afternoon, Rangers struggle to control games or smell blood and kill them. Issues in possession, inconsistent team selection and frequent tactical changes have disrupted cohesion and made sustained control elusive.
The absence of identity
How often have Celtic scored goals like Yang’s equaliser? Sustained pressure, well-rehearsed movement, clear patterns of play. Now consider how often Rangers have scored from identifiable, repeatable patterns in recent Old Firm matches.
Not since Steven Gerrard’s tenure has this team been defined by coordinated structure. Motherwell, on a fraction of the budget, have repeatedly dictated the terms of matches against Rohl’s side with a clearer approach in possession. Rangers remain difficult to define stylistically, and that is a fundamental issue.
The Danny Rohl question
Rangers cannot continue to sack managers indefinitely, but that reality cannot shield the current one from scrutiny. With a third-place finish now confirmed, discontent among sections of the support is growing.
With Gerrard still out of work after coming close to returning in October, some see an obvious alternative. Concerns around Rohl’s in-game management and team selection have intensified during the split. Why did Andreas Skov Olsen start at Tynecastle but not feature here? Why the reverse with Oliver Antman? Why select James Tavernier over Dujon Sterling?
How can a team switch from a 4-2-2-2 against Motherwell to a 4-3-3 in subsequent matches and expect consistency? And why do changes come only after conceding, rather than proactively?
In the coming days, Andrew Cavenagh faces the biggest decision of his tenure: stick with Rohl or make another change.
The European reality
If Celtic win the Scottish Cup, Rangers will enter the third qualifying round of the Europa League. Progress from there would take them into the play-off round for a place in the league phase.
Defeat in Europa League qualifying would drop them into the Conference League play-off round, where victory secures league phase football, and defeat ends their European campaign.
If Dunfermline beat Celtic, they would take Scotland’s third qualifying spot, pushing the third-placed Premiership side down a rung in the European ladder. Neither outcome is ideal.
The mentality problem
You cannot lose just two games all season, then lose three in a row after the split, and deny there is any mentality issue. Rohl has pushed back against that suggestion throughout the campaign.
After yesterday’s match, he attributed the defeat to “moments where we do not make the right decisions” and insisted the group was “strongly connected” at half-time. Still, the lack of on-pitch leadership, players capable of managing key moments and seizing opportunities, remains difficult to ignore.
Read more:
- Cyriel Dessers exclusive: The inside story of 52 goals and my confusing Rangers exit
- The concerning Danny Rohl big-game record and core reason behind 6/15 record
The question of what’s next
To some, sacking a promising young coach like Rohl would seem short-sighted. Why not give him a full pre-season, a refreshed squad and time to build after arriving mid-season? After a promising start, the recent drop-off has been damaging.
But expectations in Glasgow are different. There will be growing calls for change. The risk of sticking is another unstable transition in the autumn. The risk of changing is once again placing the blame on a single figure.
Rohl is not the sole architect of Rangers’ current position, but has he shown enough to suggest he can lead them back to where they need to be? That is the question Cavenagh and the board must answer in the coming days.
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