adminDanny Rohl has admitted Rangers must quickly rediscover their momentum if they are to revive their Scottish Premiership title challenge. ⚽
Just a month ago, Rangers had closed the gap to within two points of Hearts after an impressive 4–2 victory over the Edinburgh side. However, damaging draws away to Livingston and at home to Celtic have since seen them slip six points behind in the race.
Their Scottish Cup semi-final exit on penalties has only added to the sense that the momentum behind Rohl’s revival at Ibrox has stalled. Still, the Rangers boss insists the recent setbacks have not ended their hopes, even though the team now has only one trophy left to fight for this season.
Rohl dismissed the familiar criticism that Rangers struggle mentally in key moments, stressing his squad has the character to handle what he describes as “nine cup finals” remaining in the campaign.
Their next test comes away to a managerless St Mirren, with the possibility that by the end of the weekend Rangers could find themselves nine points behind Hearts.
Despite the shrinking margin for error, Rohl says his players are not fearful.
He explained that the focus now is on restoring momentum in the final stretch of the season, insisting the squad remains confident and determined to return to winning ways. While disappointed with the last three results, he believes victories in those matches would have been deserved rather than fortunate.
According to Rohl, Rangers simply allowed opponents too many opportunities to snatch draws — something he says must be corrected immediately.
The German coach believes the team’s performances in training and their connection on the pitch show they are capable of winning the remaining fixtures. With the title race still relatively tight, he views the six-point gap as manageable with several games still to play.
After the trip to St Mirren, Rangers face Aberdeen and Dundee United at home before travelling to Falkirk ahead of the league split. Rohl wants his side firmly in contention when the decisive final phase begins.
He remains optimistic, pointing to previous victories over strong opponents such as Celtic, Hibernian, Motherwell and Hearts as proof Rangers can rise to the challenge again.
Rohl also expects the post-split matches to be unpredictable, believing any team can take points off another — something that could help close the gap at the top.
Some supporters have suggested the recent dip in form comes down to mentality, but Rohl strongly disagrees. He believes the team has shown resilience, noting their ability to maintain their style and intensity even during demanding matches that stretched to 120 minutes.
While acknowledging the frustration of recent results, he stressed that football often comes down to small margins — such as shots hitting the post or bar — rather than deeper psychological issues.
Following last weekend’s disappointment, the squad took time to reset mentally before analysing both performances and results. The emphasis in training this week has been on improving finishing while maintaining a solid defensive structure.
Rohl highlighted that Rangers created plenty of chances in recent games but must now convert those opportunities, especially with so much at stake in the remaining fixtures.
Set-pieces have also been an area of focus after previously being a strength earlier in the year. The manager believes regaining that edge could be crucial in tight matches.
Rangers have drawn their last three away league games against Hibs, Motherwell and Livingston, but Rohl insists the focus now is on delivering their style of play with intensity against St Mirren.
If his side can be ruthless in both penalty areas, he believes Rangers have a strong chance of taking the three points and reigniting their title push. ⚽
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