Danny Röhl (October 2025 to June 2026)
The dismissal of Russell Martin, following a disastrous 17-game tenure, saw Rangers searching for a fifth Manager/Head Coach in less than four years. It was a damning statistic for a Club that had gone 70 years, from 1899 to 1969, with just four different men at the helm.
Whilst the removal of Martin was almost universally welcomed within the Rangers support, the continued presence of Patrick Stewart (CEO) and Kevin Thelwell (Sporting Director) was simply unacceptable; Martin had been their choice and, frankly, it had been a shambolic appointment.
Player recruitment over the summer was, understandably, coming under intense scrutiny following a woeful start to the season. There was little evidence to suggest that the Club should be putting its faith in Thelwell, whilst Stewart’s time at Ibrox had been massively underwhelming, even toxic.
Initially, it appeared that American owners Andrew Cavanagh and Paraag Marathe would be the driving force behind appointing a successor. For many, it was hoped that this indicated the influence of Stewart and Thelwell was diminishing; a case of them having had their chance, so to speak.
Cavanagh and Marathe headed to London for talks with several candidates but, instantly, there was an element of déjà vu around those being linked. Steven Gerrard, Kevin Muscat and Danny Röhl were all names that had come to the fore during the summer. It was suggested there were additional “talks” with two others, one believed to be the former Manchester United and Norway striker Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.
If the support had craved that the hands-on approach of Cavanagh and Marathe would lead to a decisive appointment, the outcome was somewhat different. On successive weekends, the widely anticipated announcement of first Gerrard, and then Muscat, was met with bemusement when both asked to be excluded from the process at the eleventh hour, allegedly following further discussions with Stewart and Thelwell. In the meantime, Röhl had also asked to be ruled out of contention. It was a deeply embarrassing situation. Whilst the Club could do little to prevent speculation, Rangers were clearly failing to control the narrative, which only added to the frustration of a support already at boiling point.
Despite having a two-week window in which to secure and unveil a successor, Rangers faced Dundee United on 18 October 2025 with Academy coach Steven Smith in charge of first-team duties. Following another disappointing home draw, and with Muscat now declaring himself out of the running, German coach Danny Röhl was dramatically back in contention and, on 20 October, confirmed as Head Coach. The owners may have been insistent that Röhl had been their first choice throughout, but few, if any, believed it.
The title of Head Coach was a point of debate. Many friends of Rangers believe that such an institution requires a traditional Manager, a figure of stature, a focal point and a leader. Gerrard, whilst not as successful as he might have hoped, had certainly demonstrated those qualities during his own time in charge. The initial perception of Röhl was that he was more of a training-ground coach. However, it was grossly unfair to view Röhl simply as “another” Russell Martin on the basis of that comparison.
At only 36 years of age, Röhl had gained coaching experience at RB Leipzig and Southampton under Ralph Hasenhüttl. His growing reputation saw him return to his native Germany, where he was part of Hansi Flick’s backroom staff at all-conquering Bayern Munich. In addition, he had assisted Flick in his role as German national team manager.
Danny’s only experience as the man in charge came at English Championship side Sheffield Wednesday, a reign that lasted from October 2023 until the summer of 2025. Having steered the side away from relegation in his debut season, Röhl’s time at Wednesday was deemed successful, but a lack of stability within the Club, and fan anger towards the owners, did not create the best environment in which to build upon that initial promise. It was a sparse managerial CV in preparation for taking on one of the highest-profile jobs in Britain.
Röhl’s first match in charge of Rangers saw his side crash 3-0 away to Norwegian side SK Brann in the Europa League. It was a spineless performance that left the side rock bottom of the 36-team league table. Röhl headed to the disgruntled travelling support at full time to apologise, something that was repeated hours later within Bergen Airport. If he did not fully appreciate the size of the task on his hands, it would have been abundantly clear by the time he touched back down in Glasgow.
Rangers trailed runaway leaders Heart of Midlothian by some 13 points on the date of Röhl’s appointment, lying in sixth position some eight points behind Celtic. For many, despite 30 games still to play, the league challenge was already over, and progress would be measured by the two domestic cup competitions and by kick-starting a European campaign that still had five fixtures remaining after Brann. Losing to Roma at Ibrox was no disgrace, but defeat to Celtic, with Martin O’Neill temporarily in charge following the sudden departure of Brendan Rodgers, in the League Cup semi-final was the first significant setback. The next big test arrived in the shape of Hearts at Tynecastle, with Rangers again finishing empty-handed as the points deficit returned to 12.
By the time Rangers lost at Tynecastle, Thelwell and Stewart had left the building, unceremoniously sacked on the basis that their vision for the next chapter did not align with that of the owners. Whilst that went a long way towards appeasing the support, it meant an immediate change to Röhl’s reporting lines and duties.
With Celtic in disarray following the brief appointment of Nancy as their head coach, and Hearts beginning to succumb to injury and suspension, victory at Celtic Park in the New Year fixture saw Rangers move to within six points of the Edinburgh side, level with their Glasgow rivals. An impressive 4-2 win over the Tynecastle side on 15 February 2026 closed the gap to just two points, with the teams still to play each other again down Gorgie way.
When Celtic arrived at Ibrox two weeks later, and with O’Neill once again installed as temporary manager, Röhl’s side had the chance to move five points clear of Celtic. Cruising 2-0 at half-time thanks to Chermiti’s double, a second-half collapse saw the visitors score an injury-time equaliser as Rangers found themselves holding on for a point. Defeat for Celtic would surely have all but ended their own title hopes. When the sides met again the following week on Scottish Cup duty, it was O’Neill’s side who progressed after penalty kicks despite Gers holding home advantage. Once again, there was a perception that this Rangers team were simply incapable of winning crunch matches.
The European campaign was also well and truly over, with Rangers finishing 32nd having amassed a meagre five points. If Röhl’s continental experience had been a factor in his appointment, that knowledge was not translating into his side’s performances. Having competed consistently at Europa League level over a number of years, Rangers looked a shadow of themselves despite a more than favourable set of fixtures.
Four successive league victories, including an impressive second-half comeback at the Falkirk Stadium, saw Rangers trailing Hearts by a single point, and leading Celtic by two, as the top six split for the final five matches. A buoyant Gers support raised the iconic 2005 “Keep Believing” banner at full time in Falkirk, knowing that winning their remaining matches would secure the title. The squad jetted off to Spain due to a free weekend, with talk of facing “five cup finals” on their return.
Despite Celtic appearing to have the slightly kinder run-in in terms of the way the fixtures fell, Rangers were arguably now favourites.
Röhl’s side fell at the first hurdle, trailing 0-2 to Motherwell at an electric Ibrox after only 25 minutes. Despite getting back on level terms, they inexplicably lost the match in the final minute. Then, despite taking the lead in successive “top-of-the-table” clashes at Tynecastle and Celtic Park, the side failed to secure a single point. The latter result confirmed a third-place finish, with two matches still to play. It was another monumental collapse, the second-half performance against Derek McInnes’s Hearts side particularly bemusing following a dominant opening 45 minutes. An inability to perform consistently for the required 90 minutes (or more) was a problem Röhl seemed incapable of solving, the Tynecastle reversal again leaving many pointing the finger at the Gers coach who seemed to be undone by a predictable change within the Hearts formation.
The penultimate match of the season saw Hibernian head to a subdued Ibrox for the midweek meeting. There was drama prior to kick-off when outgoing captain James Tavernier reportedly stormed out of the ground after being told he would not be leading the side out for one last time, his desire being that he would be accompanied by his young children as mascots on the occasion. Having been persuaded to return to the stadium in order to receive a pitch-side presentation by the legendary John Greig, it was apparent that all was not well. The differing views of Tavernier and Röhl shamefully played out publicly over the next 48 hours, a fourth successive league defeat almost lost in the furore.
The circumstances surrounding Tavernier’s omission may be open to debate but, regardless, it was a most unsatisfactory ending for a player who had provided tremendous service for more than a decade. The apparent show of support from Tavernier’s current and ex-team-mates suggested Röhl may have badly misjudged (or certainly mismanaged) the situation. Whilst there were natural concerns over whether or not Röhl retained the support of his dressing room following Tavernier's departure, events over the summer would render those concerns redundant. It did, however, highlight Röhl’s lack of managerial experience.
Comfortably defeating Falkirk in the final match simply heightened the school of thought that this was a Rangers side who could only perform well and win when, ultimately, the pressure was off. This, of course, has been a constant accusation since Steven Gerrard’s departure. With Celtic pipping Hearts to the title, Rangers finished 10 points behind their bitter rivals and eight behind Hearts. The harsh reality was that Celtic had moved two points further ahead of Rangers under Röhl’s tenure, despite themselves dropping points in nine of 30 matches during his reign. It would be hard to imagine such a clear opportunity arising again.
With the dust having settled, Andrew Cavanagh publicly backed Danny Röhl to lead the side into season 2026/27 despite persistent rumours linking him with a return to jobs closer to his homeland. That speculation gathered pace during the second week of June, with various media outlets reporting that Austrian side RB Salzburg had an agreement in place while, simultaneously, confirming that Derek McInnes had agreed to replace him. The official departure of Röhl was announced on 17th June 2026.
Receiving significant compensation for Röhl was, perhaps, a masterstroke on the part of Cavanagh. A most unsatisfactory run-in had almost guaranteed that any slip-up at the start of the following season would result in pressure to dismiss Röhl. Another sacking, and the financial implications of doing so, was not going to reflect well on the owners.
Whilst Röhl had undoubtedly steadied the ship following Martin’s welcomed sacking, there were few who felt convinced that he was the man to return Rangers to winning silverware. He would, however, leave the Club with the best wishes of all friends of Rangers.
by Rick Plews
