Röhl With It | A Manager…..Finally!

The Rangers managerial circus is finally at an end as the club today announced the appointment of former Sheffield Wednesday boss Danny Röhl on a two-and-a-half-year deal.

The move sees the German become the 21st permanent manager in the club’s history, bringing a close to a chaotic saga following the dismissal of the hapless Russell Martin earlier this month.

The highly rated 36-year-old will take up his post immediately, with his first match coming on Thursday night, as Rangers travel to Norway to take on SK Brann.

Röhl began his coaching career at RB Leipzig, earning plaudits for his tactical intelligence and attention to detail while working under Ralph Hasenhüttl and Ralf Rangnick. He quickly rose through the ranks and became assistant manager before following Hasenhüttl to Southampton, where he continued to build his reputation in the Premier League.

In 2019, Röhl joined Bayern Munich as assistant to Hansi Flick, helping the Bavarian giants dominate domestically and in Europe. His stint as Flick’s right-hand man continued with the German national team until 2023.

That same year, he finally stepped out on his own, taking charge of Sheffield Wednesday. The Owls were in dire straits upon his arrival, but Röhl produced something of a minor miracle by steering them clear of relegation in his first campaign and following it up with a solid 12th-place finish in 2024/25. He eventually departed due to off-field chaos at Hillsborough, but is very well respected among the Wednesday support and within the English media.

There’s no doubt the German boasts an impressive CV. He’s worked at elite clubs, on the international stage, including at the 2022 FIFA World Cup, and is widely regarded as one of Europe’s most promising young coaches. This, however, is a different challenge altogether.

Röhl has experienced turbulence at Sheffield Wednesday and worked in high-pressure environments like Bayern Munich and the German national setup, but Rangers Football Club is a unique test. The demands, the expectations, the intensity, all unlike anything he’s faced before. And he’ll need to hit the ground running

While fans will rightly welcome the end of this clown-show managerial hunt and back the new gaffer from the off, the Ibrox hierarchy do not emerge from this saga unscathed.

After Russell Martin’s overdue dismissal, co-owners Andrew Cavenagh and Paraag Marathe assured supporters via an open letter on October 6th that a “rigorous, thoughtful recruitment process” was underway. What followed, however, was anything but.

A chaotic and ultimately futile attempt to lure back Steven Gerrard, followed by failed approaches to Sean Dyche, Gary O’Neil, Bo Svensson, and Graham Potter, turned what should have been a decisive process into a public embarrassment. Even Röhl himself initially ruled himself out last week before talks resumed on Sunday night.

The shambolic pursuit of Kevin Muscat was the final straw for many supporters regarding Partick Stewart and Kevin Thelwell, as they seem to have botched every task set them since joining the club. And the speed in which the Röhl deal was completed since the Shanghai Port manager pulled out of the race on Sunday night has more than a hint of desperation.

It may yet prove to be an inspired decision, but the path to get here leaves questions that demand answers.

Rangers have a phenomenal fanbase. We are loyal fanbase, and, believe it or not, we are a patient one. But we are also a fanbase feeling very exhausted.

Years of missteps, false dawns, and wasted opportunities must finally come to an end. With financial backing in the boardroom and a highly rated coach in the dugout, there can be no excuses this time.

This appointment has to work, for the board’s sake as much as ours.