Danny Rohl hailed the home supporters for helping Rangers secure a vital three points following an emphatic comeback win over Premiership leaders Hearts.
The manager said that for the first time since his arrival in October, “Ibrox was Ibrox”. The German watched his team respond following strong criticism after the 1-1 draw against Motherwell last Wednesday night.
He discerned some frustration among the home fans as Rangers went behind twice in the first half against Hearts. The Ibrox side also tested fans’ patience with some slow build-up play in the first half. The second half was a different story. Rangers swept Hearts away, with striker Youssef Chermiti completing his hat-trick.
“I think it was the first time since I’m here that Ibrox was like Ibrox,” said Rohl. “I felt what it means. I’m very positive. I think we want to have this atmosphere in the stadium. The only thing is, and I can understand this sometimes, but sometimes it’s difficult when you have to prepare the next action and you need the extra pass to prepare something. Then it’s sometimes difficult for my players, I would say, because we have to make decisions, especially when you play against a deep block and they have to wait for transition moments.
“Sometimes you need the extra pass,” he explained. “But let’s speak not about this. Let’s speak about how the atmosphere was after the game. Outstanding. I think they pushed us today in every situation and they (the fans) deserved these three points. It was great, really great. I enjoyed this, my players could enjoy this after the game. Maybe we can have more such afternoons together.”
Rohl sought to play down the significance of a victory that takes Rangers to within two points of Hearts. “I’m really calm again,” he said. “It’s about the next game, it’s about Livingston now. You need the steps by steps. But big respect to my group, I think we showed today how big is the personality, how big is the character.”
He applauded the oft-criticised Chermiti – who scored twice in the victory over Celtic last month – for his match-winning contribution. “I hope as well that Youssef gets a little bit more credit as well, because now in two times in big games he showed that he is a big player,” he said. “Then he can make the difference. But again, it’s all about the next. I will not celebrate too much. I will recover – my family is here – and then we go again against Livingston.”
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