Danny Rohl has walked out of Ibrox after just eight months in the hot seat to take over as head coach of Red Bull Salzburg. It's a move that raises a...
Danny Rohl has walked out of Ibrox after just eight months in the hot seat to take over as head coach of Red Bull Salzburg. It's a move that raises a few eyebrows, isn't it You don't leave a club of Rangers' stature, a giant in the midst of a title scrap and European knockouts, for a side that, while dominant in Austria, is essentially a feeder club for Leipzig and the wider Red Bull empire. Rohl clearly saw something in the project that appealed to his ego or his tactical ambitions, or perhaps the money was simply too good to turn down.Let's be honest about the state of play in Govan. Rohl had the Rangers faithful cautiously optimistic. He'd instilled a bit of tactical flexibility, moving away from the rigid low block that had been their undoing in Europe, and there was a sense of transitional play beginning to click. But eight months is not a long time. You can't build a legacy in eight months; you can only build a reputation. And by jumping ship now, he's left the dressing room in the mixer, with a squad that now has to process a manager's sudden departure just as the business end of the season approaches.For Salzburg, this is business as usual. They snap up young managers with a point to prove, polish them in the Austrian Bundesliga, and then ship them off to the higher levels. Rohl is the latest product in that machine. He'll be expected to produce clinical finishing from his attackers and a solid backline that can handle the pressure of being the big fish in a small pond. But the question for Rangers fans is a bitter one: did he bottle it Did he see the mountain ahead at Ibrox and decide the easier path was to take the Red Bull shilling GoalZaza understands that the lure of the Red Bull structure, with its advanced analytics and clear pathway to the Champions League group stage, outweighed the romantic pull of the Rangers badge. It's a cold, modern football decision. For the travelling support at Ibrox, it's another reminder that in this game, loyalty is often a one way street. The next man in the dugout will have to pick up the pieces and try to rebuild the trust. As for Rohl, he gets his chance on a bigger continental stage, albeit one built on synthetic pitches and energy drinks. He'll either sink or swim. And you suspect the Red Bull hierarchy won't be patient if his low block gets picked apart by the sharks of the Champions League.
