Rangers

Jane Lewis
BBC Sport Scotland Senior Reporter

Rangers head coach Danny Rohl has been speaking to the media before the Premier Sports Cup semi-final against Celtic at Hampden this weekend.

Here are the key points:

• He's excited for his first Old Firm derby, admitting he used to watch them on TV back in Germany: "Growing up it was of course a world-famous game, you always enjoy it because there's always action, drama, intensity, goals, tight games, fighting spirit on the pitch."

• On Sunday's game: "I expect a big, big one. I think this is why we love this game, to be part of such a game. It's all or nothing. You win, you come in the final. You lose, you're out."

• Rohl has "big respect" for Celtic interim manager Martin O'Neill, who has taken charge of 27 Old Firm derbies: "I think this is always great as a manager when you work so long in this business and you are successful."

• The 36-year-old adds: "I'm just at the beginning of my career. I have a lot of work to do to come to this point and from this year. But the good thing is we start by 0-0, different generations and let's see what we can bring with our teams in this game."

• Rohl says reaching the final would be a "massive boost" and "big result" early in his Ibrox tenure.

• After winning the last two games "the positive energy is really back, the belief is there".

• Rohl will lean on his experience of playing in matches against the likes of Borussia Dortmund when he was Bayern Munich assistant: "I know what it means for the fans, this is more than just a game and I think with the spirit we should go in such a game."

• Rohl says the comments from O'Neill, before he got the Celtic job, on Rangers being a poor team won't act as motivation for this tie, because the Ibrox squad are "really motivated for such a game. Everybody wants to play this game because they want to be part of this game and they want to be part of a successful team".

• On the players quickly taking his ideas on board: "They are really listening and they bring it with a good character on the pitch. I think it's fantastic to see. But even we know it's just two steps forward, not more."

• On his calm demeanour: "I think I try to be a good mural in front of my group. If you are very nervous as a manager, the players look to you. I try to give them as well this calmness, to give them the belief and the conviction that we prepared well and we can go and we know what we have to do.

• Team news: Midfielder Connor Barron is suspended and there are no fresh injuries.

Image source, SNS

New head coach Danny Rohl's tactical changes, that have led Rangers to consecutive victories for the first time this season, aren't "rocket science", according to former striker Rory Loy.

Loy says it's been the "simple, basic things" the German has implemented that have changed Rangers' fortunes.

"They've changed the shape, gone to a three at the back. [Jayden] Meghoma has been freed up, he has less defensive responsibility. He's been great the last couple of weeks," Loy told the BBC's Scottish football podcast.

"Even [Max] Aarons was slightly better the other night, playing at wing-back. Rohl has changed the shape, he's prepared to be more pragmatic to get the confidence up."

Rangers defeated Kilmarnock 3-1 last weekend in Rohl's home debut before a slender victory over Hibs at Easter Road.

"Set-pieces, for and against, it looks like the players understand what's being asked of them now," Loy added. "It is a good start for Rohl, but it's early days.

"As we know one defeat can turn it all around and they've got the small matter of the semi-final derby on Sunday."

As well as the tweaks on the pitch, Loy also thinks the 36-year old understands the club in a way Russell Martin didn't.

"He seems to have done a lot of things that Martin didn't do," he said. "And by that, I don't mean the football. Rohl seems to understand the fans slightly better, engage with the fans.

"Martin had no idea of players' standings within the club. He made a few comments about [Nicolas] Raskin and [Kieran] Dowell and other players where he just didn't seem to have any concept of what had gone on before.

"It didn't seem like he'd done his due diligence, whereas I think Rohl has, I think he's more educated on the opposition he's playing. I think that's evident."

Sportscene pundits Jackie McNamara and Neil McCann give their thoughts and predictions for the Premier Sports Cup semi-final between Celtic and Rangers at Hampden on Sunday.

On-loan Rangers winger Ross McCausland says he is loving his time with Aris and thinks the Cypriot club's obligation to buy could be triggered in January. (Daily Record), external

Leeds United boss Daniel Farke backs his 49ers Enterprises employers over the "very brave and interesting appointment" of Danny Rohl at Rangers. (Scottish Sun), external

Andrew Petrie
BBC Sport Scotland

Another penalty conceded by Rangers, another Jack Butland save to bail his team-mates out.

The England international had a pretty poor record before he came to Scotland. He had saved just four of the 33 penalties he had faced during spells at Birmingham, Barnsley and Stoke – as well as one for his national side.

He conceded his first seven as a Rangers player, too. But the tide has turned drastically since May last year.

The 32-year-old has now stopped six of the past seven spot-kicks - excluding shootouts - taken against him, adding to his tally on Wednesday night by denying Hibernian's Jamie McGrath.

While five of the penalty saves have been in games Rangers lost, this was the second time Butland's side have beaten Hibs 1-0 and kept a clean sheet thanks to Butland's heroics.

It is also the second time he has denied McGrath, saving a spot-kick against him when the Irishman was at Aberdeen last season.

"I faced him [McGrath] before, when he was at Aberdeen, and it went well then," Butland said on Wednesday night.

"It's always pot luck. I did my homework a little bit and it paid off."

As well as the win, the save contributed to Rangers' first away clean sheet in 2025 – a sequence of 25 games in all competitions, the worst run in the club's history - and helped secure successive wins under Danny Rohl.

"It's something that we needed to sort out," Butland acknowledged. "It's something that's been really important to us, something that we really focused on."

It's worth noting before this weekend's Hampden showdown that three of the past five Old Firm derbies have ended in a draw, and Celtic are League Cup holders after a spot-kick decider against Rangers last season

Penalties might not be the worst thing for Rohl's side then, not when they have an ace up their sleeve.

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Connor Barron insists "buzzing" Rangers take huge confidence into Sunday's League Cup semi-final showdown with Celtic after back-to-back wins under new boss Danny Rohl.

Following the 3-0 Europa League loss at Brann in Rohl's first game in charge, Rangers have been Kilmarnock 3-1 at home and Hibs 1-0 away in Premiership.

"There's a good feeling in the dressing room so we just have to continue with that," said midfielder Barron.

"Of course we're massively confident, we have had back-to-back wins so we need to go again.

"We're not getting too carried away with ourselves, we know what we need to do.

"Rohl's managed really well, after the game at the weekend we just wanted to come into the Hibs game, get another three points and build a bit of momentum.

"We've done that so it's a happy camp and we're all buzzing going forward into the weekend.

"There's been a real lift in the dressing room, and wins help with that as well.

"It's positive in there and it's important that we keep building momentum week on week and pick up as many points as we can.

"Winning helps with everything so we just have to keep going and building that momentum."

Alasdair Lamont
BBC Sport Scotland Commentator

I got my first look at Danny Rohl's Rangers in the flesh at Easter Road on Wednesday night and already marked improvements were evident from the same team under Russell Martin.

Derek Cornelius had made a comment pre-match about the players being more willing to run for each other under the new manager, which struck me as odd and not particularly complimentary to the squad.

But watching them against Hibs, the desire to hunt down possession, the hunger to keep the ball out and a willingness to dig deep to ensure victory all seemed to have increased since the last time I saw them.

Technically, there appeared to be far more structure to what the team were trying to achieve in terms of patterns of play while in possession (especially in the first half) and without the ball, there was better organisation, meaning Hibs were unable to find the yawning gaps that had cost Rangers several times earlier in the season.

Individuals also seemed to have benefited from the change of voice in the dressing room. Nasser Djiga turned in his best performance of the season, commanding and committed to keeping Hibs at bay rather than the accident waiting to happen from his previous appearances.

Danilo looks to have recaptured his confidence as well as his goalscoring touch and proved to be the matchwinner with a fabulous finish from the edge of the box, while Connor Barron, the late penalty concession aside, was tenacious and effective in the heart of the midfield.

Others in the team last night are clearly being given a chance to show Rohl what they have to offer and still have a bit of work to do to earn a regular start, but achieving back-to-back wins for the first time this season while rotating the squad is something Martin never managed and credit has to go to the German for finding a way of doing that.

Sunday's League Cup semi final against Celtic will be another huge test of Rohl and his squad.

Victory in his first Old Firm game would go a long way to cementing the positive relationship he has begun to build with the fans and increasing the feelgood factor he appears to have engendered in the changing room.

We asked for your views after Rangers made it two Premiership wins from two under Danny Rohl with a hard-fought 1-0 victory at Hibs.

Here's what some of you said:

Alex: Better by miles but still needs improving. Some players too timid and lack bravery to make forward passes instead of the sideways and backwards. Keep improving, get confidence levels back up and we can be challenging again.

Wilson: A step in the right direction with some good performances, especially Connor Barron and Jack Butland. It could have gone wrong though as James Tavernier made yet more mistakes for the penalty. Fine in the opposition half, just not defending.

Gerry: Hard-earned victory and a step forward, not pretty at times and nervy in the last 15 minutes when it looked like we were tiring. But a win is a win. The table has a somewhat normal look to it and if we put a good run together who knows how different it might look in a month or so. You can see Rohl is trying to unify the players and the fans.

Louise: What a difference a manager makes. Rohl has certainly been impressive since he took charge and is clearly getting through to the players. We looked a completely different team at times. Butland was excellent again; what a save for that Hibs penalty! It's nice to hear the fans get behind the players and the manager again. Let's hope things can continue to improve under Rohl.

Ross: I thought the first half was something special, we could've got one or two more than we did. However, the second was like watching Russell Martin again - relying on Butland to keep our heads above water and attacks being more wasteful. I think Rohl has a great chance at turning the proverbial tanker around this season though, and I would like to see more like that first half going forward.

Bill: It's a relief to see the team show some resilience to hold on to a minimal lead and see out a game with a clean sheet. Yes, there were some nervy moments, none more so than the penalty, but a win is a win and that's all that really matters at this stage.

Watch the highlights as Danilo's goal gives Rangers victory over Hibernian in the Scottish Premiership (UK only).

Head coach Danny Rohl believes Rangers have reconnected with their support after successive wins for the first time this season. (Record), external

Danilo's father Marcelo Silva was the man the Rangers striker celebrated with the most after scoring the winner in Wednesday's 1-0 victory at Hibernian. (Sun), external

Rangers goalkeeper Jack Butland, who saved a late Jamie McGrath penalty at Easter Road, says he had done his "homework" on the Hibs midfielder. (Sky Sports via Glasgow Times, external)

Read Thursday's Scottish gossip

Danilo's early goal and a late penalty save from Jack Butland gave Rangers victory over Hibernian as Danny Rohl's side emerged from an intense and absorbing contest with back-to-back Scottish Premiership wins.

Share your thoughts on Rangers' performance.

Rangers head coach Danny Rohl: "It's the first clean sheet in one year [away from home]. To come here and beat a team unbeaten in 16 games [at home in the Premiership] is fantastic.

"My team put a lot of things into this game. Great effort and great fighting spirit. All the things you need in football. I'm very proud of my team today.

"You hope and cross your fingers that you can save the ball and Jack [Butland] did a fantastic thing for the group. We needed that moment, at the game we are defending and the players come together.

"I must say, in the second half the tactical discipline. It was not always possible to press high. But we understand the game more, and understood they are a transition team and we were compact.

"What we have to improve is when we have the ball. Our own transition moments. But we need more than one part of the game.

"For me it's about winning games and we did this. Today we saw a team that is running for each other to be a unit and be connected and had fighting spirit, which is fantastic to see."

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Rangers are playing with "more intensity" under new head coach Danny Rohl - so can they pass a "major test" at Easter Road this evening?

The German has overseen Rangers' past two games, a Europa League defeat by Brann in Norway and a Scottish Premiership home win over Kilmarnock.

"There's more intensity about them," journalist Stephen McGowan told the BBC's Scottish Football Podcast.

"That is something that really is a characteristic, a trademark of Danny Rohl teams. He's coming across well. He's making a good first impression. He's removing some of the toxicity that was around the situation before, just the way he's conducting himself.

"He got a goal out of Youssef Chermiti. He got a goal out of Danilo. So he is already doing things which the previous manager couldn't. He got a home win."

McGowan sees Wednesday's league trip to Hibernian as a "major test".

"This will be seen as the first real staging point test for Danny Rohl because the one thing that is difficult for him to eliminate in the short term is poor defending and that's been a big problem for Rangers of late, so I think Hibs will test him to the absolute max."

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• Hibs are unbeaten in three league meetings with Rangers (W1 D2) - picking up as many points in those three games (5) as they had in their previous 22 against the Ibrox side in the Scottish Premiership prior (D5 L17).

• Rangers are unbeaten in 26 top-flight away games against Hibs (W16 D10) since a 2-1 defeat in September 2006. At only three sides have they ever enjoyed a longer away unbeaten streak in the top flight: Kilmarnock (30 from Dec 1994 to May 2011), Motherwell (31 from Oct 2003 to present), and Morton (41 from Feb 1920 to Nov 1987).

• Hibs remain unbeaten in 16 home league games (W10 D6) since going down 2-1 to St Mirren in November last season.

• Rangers have both scored (35 goals) and conceded (27) in their past 16 away league games (W6 D9 L1) – their longest such run since doing so 22 times in a row from January 1895 to September 1897.

• Nicolas Raskin has scored (two) or assisted (four) six of Rangers' last nine away league goals, while he both scored and assisted against Hibs at Easter Road in May.

Colin Moffat
BBC Sport Scotland

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There's a lot on the line at Easter Road as Hibernian aim to go a full 12 months without a home defeat in the league, while every game is big right now for Rangers as they bid to claw back ground after a dismal start to the season.

Hibs have won two in a row after being hamstrung by careless draws and David Gray's side are unbeaten in their past three Premiership meetings with Rangers.

However, the Hibees faithful have not celebrated a top-flight success at home against Rangers since September 2006 and they did surrender rather meekly at Ibrox in the Premier Sports Cup last month.

In Sunday's 2-1 victory at Aberdeen, Hibs should have been out of sight before conceding in the dying embers.

The defence appears more solid now Grant Hanley has had a run of four successive starts and record signing Thibault Klidje is looking to score for the third game running but there is still a nagging feeling Gray should be getting more from an array of exciting attacking talent.

There were positive signs for new boss Rohl as Rangers finally delivered a first home league win of the campaign against Kilmarnock.

Rangers played with greater tempo and tenacity and there were potentially significant goals for Danilo and Youssef Chermiti, two players in grave need of a confidence boost.

Rohl would love to end a club record run of 24 competitive away games without a clean sheet but seems likely to place more emphasis on the other end of the pitch.

These two served up a 3-3 and a 2-2 in Edinburgh last term and another end-to-end thriller would not come as any surprise.

Read all the midweek Premiership picks

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Hibernian defender Warren O'Hora is doubtful with a shoulder issue while Dylan Levitt is out until after the international break after having his appendix removed.

Rudi Molotnikov (ankle), Joe Newell (groin) and Alasana Manneh (hamstring) are also still missing.

Rangers attacker Oliver Antman is available again after missing the Kilmarnock game with illness.

Long-term absentees Rabbi Matondo (knee), Dujon Sterling (Achilles) and Kieran Dowell remain out.

Image source, SNS

Derek Cornelius insists there has been a "more positive dynamic" in the Rangers dressing room since new head coach Danny Rohl took charge.

Rangers beat Kilmarnock 3-1 on Sunday on Rohl's domestic debut - with Cornelius scoring his first goal for the club - and the Canada defender hopes to continue the momentum when they face Hibernian at Easter Road on Wednesday.

"It's been a more positive dynamic within the group which is always more enjoyable to be in," said the 27-year-old.

"The group also knows that it's just the start and we need to keep going in this way.

"The biggest change would have been the mentality, we're aggressive. We bring intensity to each match, each duel, that we run for each other and we help each other.

"The group is not happy with how we've started the season. The results haven't been good enough. The performances haven't been good enough.

"But we know that we can't change anything in the past and that we can only look ahead, and we're just hoping to continue to improve and get better and better.

"When you play for Rangers, the most important thing is to win.

"It's hard to say I've been enjoying it, when the team hasn't been performing how I know we can.

"It's a special club. It has a great fan base. It's a great group. The only thing missing now is that we have to perform better on the pitch.

"I have been told many times by many times different people that when Rangers is winning it is the best club to play at in the world.

"I want to experience that; I want to see Rangers when we are winning and when the fans are behind us when things are going well."

Kheredine Idessane
BBC Sport Scotland Senior Reporter

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Danny Rohl has been speaking to the media before his second domestic game in charge of Rangers, away to Hibs on Wednesday night.

Here are the key points from the Ibrox boss:

• On Brendan Rodgers' shock exit from rivals Celtic, Rohl says: "I know it is a big, big topic for everyone in Scottish football but my focus is on my team."

• He adds: "I think the pressure is always on for a manager. This is football. It's never nice when the manager gets sacked or something like this. We are all together as managers in this business, but as football, I think this is why we like this at one time and sometimes we don't like it."

• After being informed of remarks from new Celtic interim boss Martin O'Neill - who said in his TalkSport punditry role that Rangers were out of the title race - Rohl says: "This morning I sat here and looked to the faces of my players and I see there's a big, big belief now. I think they feel it on the pitch. I have the feeling they believe at the moment in what we are doing, in the last days."

• The German has a European defeat and Premiership win so far but is adamant he already sees momentum building: "Yeah, after a win, you always feel the positive energy, but we know we have to build on this momentum now. This comes through hard work. At the moment you need the next win and then you build on that and then you start to create more and more belief. But there's been a huge step in the atmosphere in the last two days."

• Rohl has spoken to Youssef Chermiti after the striker appeared to make a talking gesture with his hand in celebration of his first Rangers goal. The Ibrox boss adds: "I think you have to understand how you celebrate sometimes. I think he knows what to do the next time, a bit emotional, but not more. For me, it was more important that he scored."

• Rohl says it's all been a bit of a whirlwind so far and that he's seeing far more of us in the media at the moment than he is of his wife: "I've enjoyed the last couple of days. I saw in my group, in the staff members, everyone is smiling a little bit more at the moment and it would be good to keep the momentum now."

• He is wary of a Hibs side "with good weapons" as Rangers look to make it back-to-back league wins, adding: "They're playing forward, a lot of balls behind, they have speed in front and this is also the next challenge."

Jamie Currie
Fan writer

It's been a long time coming. Following on from the pathetic display in Norway, a routine 3-1 victory over Kilmarnock was most welcome as Rangers ended the wait for a league victory at Ibrox and Danny Rohl got the first win of his tenure.

Interestingly, we opted for a back three, and that was beneficial for us in controlling the game from the start.

Danilo came back in and to be honest, he was our best-performing striker on the day and scored a typical headed goal to make it 2-1.

However, the inclusion of Mo Diomande was the one that helped the whole team tick. He, Nick Raskin and Thelo Aasgaard played as the midfield three and, especially in the second half, Diomande was the one breaking the lines and trying to make things happen from that area.

However, the one low point of the day was the manner we conceded. Jack Butland has been excellent all season, but he had a head loss moment coming for a cross he was miles away from. In the second half though, his save from Bruce Anderson was worth a goal in itself.

It was a positive start for Rohl in domestic football. However, he and these players need to back up Saturday's win with three points against a Hibs team who will fancy themselves against this Rangers side.

Will Rangers stand up and come away with what is required? Who knows. You cannot trust them yet.

Two wins in nine league matches is pathetic; they have to make sure they buck up their ideas before the next international break.

It's very much game-by-game stage with this side; we will see what we get from them at Easter Road and take it from there.

I would persist with the back three and build around that because it's going to be a dig in and get a result type night - something this team are yet to prove they can do.