‘Much better’ – Le Tissier insists Rangers should have picked Man United favourite over Danny Rohl
Rangers look set to appoint Danny Rohl as their new manager but may have been better off hiring a former Man United boss for the season ahead instead.
That is according to Premier League legend Matt Le Tissier, who exclusively told Football Insider that Rangers‘ owners are to blame for their current predicament and Danny Rohl deserves a chance but could come unstuck due to his lack of experience.
Rangers entered talks with Steven Gerrard after Russell Martin’s sacking as he looked set to return to the Ibrox dugout after four years away, but those discussions soon broke down due to disagreements around the structure behind the scenes.
Football Insider revealed last week that Rangers had narrowed their shortlist to include Rohl and Kevin Muscat, and the latter soon emerged as the favourite before also pulling out of the race.
The ex-Sheffield Wednesday boss reportedly also removed himself from the running, but new reports on Monday (20 October) have stated that Rohl is now closing in on becoming Rangers’ new manager on a three-year contract.
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer better-suited to Rangers job but Rohl a decent option
Rangers spoke to Ole Gunnar Solskjaer prior to Muscat and Rohl being identified as the two leading options, but he looks to have lost out on being hired by the latter manager.
Solskjaer led Man United to sixth, third and second-placed Premier League finishes between 2018 and 2021 before being sacked, and he was most recently in charge of Besiktas but was relieved of his duties in August.
Speaking exclusively to Football Insider, former England and Southampton striker Le Tissier backed him to have been a better fit for the Gers than Rohl, but admitted that the former Owls boss deserves a chance to do his best.
He said: “It was a tough time for him at Sheffield Wednesday with everything that was going on there. To try and manage under those circumstances is really difficult. It’s been a good experience for him.
“Sometimes you don’t know what people are capable of until you give them an opportunity. So if Rangers feel like they’ve got enough confidence in him to let him have a go, then why not? But their succession planning should have been much better than what it has been.
“I think he’s (Solskjaer) probably got a bit more experience at big clubs than what perhaps Danny has. I think that would have been a fairly decent fit, thinking about it to be honest.
“I know sometimes they like to have managers up there who have had a bit of a link with the club in the past. But I think Ole’s a big enough name that the fans would have given him a little bit of leeway.”
Le Tissier blames Rangers hierarchy for this season’s struggles
Rangers’ owners and board have come under immense pressure in recent weeks for Martin’s failures and the delay in appointing a new boss.
They need to get their next appointment spot on to avoid more scrutiny from the fans and media, and in terms of who is to blame for the club’s current predicament, Le Tissier can look no further than those at the top.
“I think the blame definitely lies with the guys making the decisions. Obviously they knew that Russell Martin was under pressure. He had a really dodgy start. The crowd had turned against him very early on,” he told Football Insider.
“Now, at that point, there should have been people at Rangers sounding managers out and should have had a choice ready to go when they pulled the trigger, when they decided to get rid of Russell. That’s how most football clubs operate. Planning succession is done in all industries and football should be no different.
“I would say the Rangers hierarchy need to probably have a little look at themselves and go, blimey, we should have been a little bit more prepared than what we are and now we’re scrambling around looking like amateurs almost, going, ‘okay, does anybody want this job? Anyone want to take it?‘”
Rohl impressed in charge of Wednesday as he led them to a 12th-placed finish last term in the face of off-field issues, but this job will be a different beast for him to tame given the Gers’ fans lofty expectations.