Rangers manager state of play: How close was Gerrard, Rohl impresses

Admittedly, with family residing in the Middle East and two unsuccessful stints on his resume since leaving Rangers, the Liverpool legend approached negotiations in a different position than in 2018. However, Gerrard was not flying to London to merely chew the fat with club officials. As late as Saturday morning, there was an expectation from another runner in the race, communicated to the Rangers Review, that Gerrard would be the man that Rangers would appoint.

The club’s structure - moving from the title of manager to head coach in the summer - is one of the topics that was believed to be on the table. He is a collaborative worker, as demonstrated by the emphasis placed on a management team throughout his career. However, despite working with sporting directors in the past, Rangers was very much rebuilt in Gerrard’s image previously. A source from the club did insist this was not a dealbreaker, but in the end no agreement could be reached to finalise a new management team.

Despite a net spend of £20million this summer, this is a squad that sits eighth in the Scottish Premiership, with few of the arrivals hitting the ground running. There is an opportunity for any new manager, but also a limited time to work on the training pitch before the next international break, when many first-team players will depart to play for their respective countries. The non-international players this time around were not in Auchenhowie over the weekend but are scheduled to report back for training tomorrow.

The word from Ibrox is that they remain in search of a "head coach". Interestingly, both sides have agreed to leave the door open for a return at a future date and Gerrard has not ruled out that possibility. Clearly, something would have to change for that to materialise, however.

It leaves Rangers with work to do if they are to fulfil ambitions of having a new coaching team in place for the three games they’ll play next week when the latest international break comes to a close. Discussions are said to be continuing with multiple candidates and Rangers insist there is no frontrunner at present as the clock ticks towards the day when supporters had hoped to be watching a press conference. Dundee United visit Ibrox on Saturday, before a trip to face Brann in the Europa League is followed up with a home tie against Kilmarnock. All, of course, are must-win matches.

Rangers have not announced an official interim structure and have been keen to avoid formalising that, as they’ve been forced to in scrambling for appointments following both Michael Beale and Philippe Clement’s sackings. Although Stevie Smith and Brian Gilmour took training last week alongside Rhys Owen, Smith was managing the Under-19s in their defeat to Dumbarton yesterday. It is hardly ideal preparation for Smith should he be thrown into the spotlight, but Rangers are working to have a permanent solution in place this week.

The Rangers Review reported on Thursday that Danny Rohl was under consideration for the position after leaving Sheffield Wednesday in the summer. Word on Friday was that Rohl, previously assistant manager at Bayern Munich and the German National Team, had given an impressive presentation and he quickly moved to the forefront of the betting markets and the minds of supporters following the news of Gerrard’s exit from the process. As of Sunday morning, no official approach has been made to offer him the job.

The 36-year-old German coach managed Wednesday for two seasons from 2023-2025 under difficult conditions amid the club's ongoing ownership struggle at Hillsborough. Rohl has an impressive coaching CV and in theory, the structure that Rangers have developed ought to support a clearly talented coach like the German to improve the team with support from the growing number of executives at Ibrox. One source told the Rangers Review that he should not be written off as another Martin, given his stints working at higher levels than the former Ibrox manager and his tactical flexibility.

Rohl's football is a different brand from Martin's. Rangers, who commissioned an 'external football review' earlier this year, must opt for some continuity that ensures the current squad is better utilised while also learning the lessons of what has not worked so dramatically in the early months of the campaign.

However, there is a sense that externally, the political capital for a ‘project’ hire has been used up in the disastrous appointment of Martin. Especially given Rohl was also a name considered this summer, although it is important to stress he remained at Wednesday until leaving by mutual consent on July 29.

Martin’s blend of greater experience and exposure to Scottish football saw him handed the job over the rest of the competition, including Davide Ancelotti. Whether fair or not, with so many fans setting their hearts on Gerrard, whoever replaces Martin will inherit a fan base that is somewhat disillusioned with the direction of events since the takeover in May. The pressure on this appointment is intense given where the club find itself. A defeat in the league or Europa League next week could prove terminal for either campaign.

Read more:

Steven Gerrard WON'T become Rangers manager after Ibrox board talks

Inside the spell and sacking of Russell Martin: Brugge nadir, tensions, Sunday call

Click here to read article