Danny Rohl knew his job at Rangers was tough when he took over as head coach in October.
On the field, he was taking over a team devoid of confidence, sixth in the league and in the eyes of many fans, out of the title race after just eight games.
Off the pitch, things weren’t much better. Some of those supporters wanted former manager Steven Gerrard or former defender Kevin Muscat to replace Rollo.
At one stage, Rolle withdrew from the process to become Rangers head coach, with Steven Gerrard among those involved
Not only did the former Sheffield Wednesday boss have to win over the fans, but he also had to unite them after a series of protests against previous head coach Russell Martin and members of the club’s board.
Fast forward three months, and there have been board changes, the players look revitalized, there has been an improvement in results and the club is firmly back in the title race.
What is the situation in the title race now?
When Rolle arrived, Rangers were sixth with one win in eight games. They were eight points behind Celtic and 13 points behind the leaders, Hearts.
Now they are second in the Scottish Premiership. The Ibrox side are just three points behind Hearts and three behind Old Firm rivals Celtic – despite having played a game more than those two clubs.
Rangers have taken the most points of any club since Rohl took over and are growing in confidence.
In that 13-game period, Motherwell and Hibernian are closest to Ibrox on points, with 25 and 23 respectively, compared to Rangers’ 32.
Rangers’ title rivals Hearts have 10 points less in that period and Celtic have won 11 points less.
Going back to basics
Rohl was appointed in October following the firing of Russell Martin
Unlike his predecessor, Rohl went back to basics and recognized that victory was necessary. Nothing is more important at Rangers.
He may have a brand of football he wants to implement, there may be parts of the squad he wants to improve, and there may be players he would be happy to move on with.
However, in these first few months, Rohl has made it his priority to pick up points, boost his team’s confidence and get the season back on track.
Rangers have gone from sixth to second since Rolle was appointed
You don’t have to look far for examples of players who have improved in recent months.
For example, under Martin, Belgium international Nick Raskin looked to have a career at Ibrox, Youssef Cermiti failed to score after his £8m move from Everton, Conor Baron was in and out of the side and Emmanuel Fernandes featured twice since his £3m move from Peterborough.
Ruskin insists he is enjoying life at Rangers under Roll
Since then, Ruskin has been key in midfield with several impressive performances, Cermitti’s Old Firm side have taken him to four goals for the season, Baron picked up the man of the match award as they eased past Aberdeen and defender Fernandez has been important at both ends of the pitch, with four league goals and six clean sheets.
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Youssef Chermiti scored twice in less than 10 minutes to put Rangers ahead in the Old Firm
True, almost every player on the team improved under Rohl. It should come as no surprise that they also have results.
Rohl prioritized points over performance in these first months. He wanted the confidence to improve and the points to add up. It’s fair to say the first part of his plan is coming together – but we have a long way to go.
Set pieces, brilliant Butland and tactical adjustments
Aside from the desire to win, how did Rolle manage to get the Rangers back into the mix? Well, there are three things to look at: offensive changes, defensive displays, and everything in between.
From an attacking perspective, Rangers score more goals. In fact, they have scored the most goals in the league since Rohl came in.
The Rangers improved in different areas under Rehl compared to their start under Russell Martin
Scott’s sets
One contributing factor was the set pieces. The appointment of Scott Fry as coach may have flown under the radar in November.
However, since Fry’s arrival from Lincoln City – who scored 30 goals from set-pieces last season – Rangers have improved in set-piece situations.
Rolle was involved in the appointment of Scott Fry (left) as Rangers coach
In fact, the Ibrox side have the joint-most goals in the league from set-pieces alongside leaders Hearts.
When you consider some of the players mentioned – Barron had two assists from balls into the box against Aberdeen, two of Fernandes’ four goals came from play in set pieces, and Ruskin – despite being 5’10 – also contributed a header.
Rohl recently praised Fry’s arrival, saying Ski Sports: “Scott does a fantastic job and that’s why he’s here. We made a good choice. It’s not just about the topics and the content, he’s a good person and a good addition to my coaching team. I’m very happy.”
Butland’s brilliance
At the other end of the park, Rangers are also conceding less. Truth be told, they don’t always look the sturdiest. However, Jack Butland’s combination of confidence, determination and brilliance was instrumental in keeping the ball out of the net more often than not.
Rangers goalkeeper Butland has 67 saves, bettered only by Dundee’s John McCracken and Dundee’s Scott Bain. He also has eight clean sheets in the Premiership this season, behind Motherwell’s Calum Ward, Celtic’s Kasper Schmeichel and Hearts’ Alexander Schwallow.
Jack Butland (left) has eight clean sheets in the Scottish Premiership this season
It’s a far cry from where Rangers once were under Martin, with others like Max Aarons, Jayden Megoma and Fernandez in the back line looking like different players from the first part of this season.
Only Motherwell have conceded fewer goals (four) in the league since Rohl joined Rangers, conceding eight goals in 13 games.
Setting up tactics
Not everything was simple. There have been defeats against Hearts, plus even some of those wins haven’t been as easy as the scoreline might suggest. Look at the first half of their Old Firm win on January 2, for example.
Rangers were outplayed in the first 45 minutes and were lucky to only lose 1-0 at the break.
While Martin may have been stubborn and stuck to his game plan, Rohl changed it – or so he said Ski Sports “it was all about finding a solution.”
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Rangers came from behind to beat Celtic in the Scottish Premiership
In that game, instead of pressing man for man, he moved away from the back five and switched to a 4-3-3. From the moment the second half started, Rangers took control, and 26 minutes later they took a 3-1 lead.
Rohl admitted that his tactics in the first half did not work and took the blame for it. He should also be credited with making the adjustment and getting the Rangers back in the title race.