“Disgrace” – Cavenagh told who to “fire” after Rangers defeat to Brann

Röhl Learns Rangers’ Problems Go Deeper After 3–0 Defeat to Brann

Danny Röhl quickly discovered the scale of the challenge at Rangers as his new side were comfortably beaten 3–0 by Brann in Bergen.

The 36-year-old German, appointed on Monday to replace Russell Martin, took charge of his first match with the Ibrox club sitting sixth in the William Hill Premiership and pointless in their Europa League group after defeats to Genk and Sturm Graz.

However, any hopes of a fresh start were swiftly dashed, as Rangers once again produced a dismal performance against a Brann side sitting third in Norway’s Eliteserien.

Emil Kornvig opened the scoring five minutes before half-time to give Freyr Alexandersson’s men a deserved lead. Jacob Sørensen doubled the advantage on 55 minutes, and Noah Holm sealed the win with a third goal late on, leaving Röhl’s side still searching for their first point of the group stage.

Calls for Change at the Top

After the final whistle, Heart & Hand editor David Edgar demanded immediate action from chairman Andrew Cavenagh, calling for the dismissal of both Chief Executive Patrick Stewart and Sporting Director Kevin Thelwell.

Meanwhile, former Celtic striker and pundit Chris Sutton couldn’t resist mocking the Ibrox club on social media.

For Rangers supporters, the signs of improvement they had hoped for remain distant. With five difficult Europa League fixtures still to come, qualification for the knockout rounds already looks improbable. Röhl must now regroup his players ahead of Sunday’s league meeting with Kilmarnock at Ibrox.

Team Selection and Performance

Röhl’s first lineup included defender Nasser Djiga and under-pressure forward Youssef Chermiti, who replaced Derek Cornelius and Bojan Miovski on the bench.

Thelwell had recently defended the £8.5 million signing of Chermiti from Everton, but the young striker struggled again—missing a clear first-half chance and finding little support from his teammates.

Brann looked far more cohesive and dangerous. Eivind Helland headed narrowly wide early on, before Gers goalkeeper Jack Butland produced a fine save from Ulrik Mathisen’s close-range header. Butland was called into action again to block Bard Finne’s low drive, while Holm fired over soon after.

Rangers briefly threatened when Thelo Aasgaard sliced a good opportunity wide, and Chermiti’s tame header from a Nicolas Raskin cross summed up their lack of cutting edge.

Brann regained control, and when Finne burst into the box with captain James Tavernier caught out of position, Kornvig was on hand to steer the loose ball into the net.

The second half brought no improvement. Oliver Antman conceded a foul on the left, and from Finne’s resulting free-kick, Sørensen easily lost Jayden Meghoma to head home.

Substitute Mikey Moore went close with a volley over the bar, but Holm soon punished Rangers again, drilling in a third goal after Vetle Dragsnes’ cross fell kindly to him.

For the travelling support, it was a familiar story: a new manager on the touchline, but the same old shortcomings on the pitch.