Rangers: What did we learn from Danny Rohl's Ibrox debut?

One swallow does not a summer make, of course, but there's an argument to suggest the first blue shoots of recovery have been sown for new Rangers head coach Danny Rohl.

No-one at Ibrox will be getting carried away with Sunday's home win over Kilmarnock.

Nonetheless, a few significant strands of hope do seem to be emerging from the wreckage of the club's worst start to a season in decades.

Let's not underestimate the importance of the three points the German newcomer has just helped accrue. In four previous attempts under Russell Martin and interim manager Steven Smith, Rangers could not muster a Premiership win at Ibrox.

Dundee, Celtic, Hearts and Dundee United all left Govan with something. At the first time of asking in the league, and under no little pressure because of the non-performance in Thursday's Europa League loss to Brann in Bergen, Rohl delivered the victory the fans demanded and craved.

It was delivered with some flair, too. Three goals, two disallowed goals and a clearance off the line to name but a few of the memorable moments. The performance was far from perfect but was a clear improvement on what had gone before, however much Kilmarnock contributed to their own downfall.

In only his second job as a head coach in his own right, and at the relatively tender age (in football management circles) of 36, the German clearly isn't afraid to make the big calls when he has to.

After the 3-0 battering by Brann, he dropped Youssef Chermiti, Nasser Djiga, Joe Rothwell and Oliver Antman. Bojan Miovski and Danilo were restored to the starting line-up, with Rangers opting for twin strikers rather than a single frontman with two wide attackers.

Which is not to say there was no width. There was in fact plenty, with Rohl pushing Thelo Aasgard and Djeidi Gassama down the flanks when the home side were in easy possession, creating a 4-2-4 shape going forward at times. This could also flip to a back five, with James Tavernier, John Souttar and Derek Cornelius as the central three, with Gassama and the speed merchant Jayden Meghoma as attacking wing-backs.

There was nothing rigid about this Rangers side - flexibility and adaptability were the watch words.

Up until Sunday, much of Rangers' football had been somewhat laboured and predictable. There was more energy and speed in the first domestic display of the Rohl regime.

The whole team moved up the pitch quicker, the passing was sharper and with the overloads in the wide areas, Killie found themselves penned in and pushed back for large chunks of the match.

The Ibrox crowd certainly fed off the newfound intensity from the players. To the tune of Daddy Cool from 1970s disco favourites Boney M, "Danny, Danny Rohl" bellowed out from the stands for most of the second half.

The supporters could see that the new head coach was trying something a bit different and was getting a response from his players. For the first time this season, is a proper synergy emerging between head coach, players and fans? The next few games will tell.

There were quite a few "firsts", which all added up to something significant - the first win of the Rohl era, with Rangers finally losing the stigma of being the only side in the Scottish Premiership not to win in front of their own fans.

A first Rangers goal for new defender Derek Cornelius, solid at the back and very threatening up at the other end of the park.

A first Premiership goal since January's derby win over Celtic for Brazilian striker Danilo, largely a forgotten man amid the arrivals of fellow forwards Chermiti, Miovski, Antman, Gassama and Mikey Moore. The way he took the only real chance that was presented to him, with a nicely angled header from Meghoma's excellent delivery, suggests his eye for goal hasn't deserted him as he puts a case for greater inclusion in the coming weeks and months.

The most significant goal, however, was undoubtedly Chermiti's. A price tag of £8m is a heavy one to carry when you're underperforming and he had looked largely lost in a Rangers jersey up until Sunday. The Portuguese striker appeared much more of a threat against Kilmarnock and his powerful strike released both the pressure valve in the stadium and the weight on his own young shoulders. It was his first goal in senior football since May 2023. His manager believes in his talent.

"That's a big goal for him," Rohl told BBC Scotland after the game.

"He came here with a reputation and he cost a lot of money. He is also demanding of himself. We will improve him step by step. He has something special and I think we saw that with the goal today.

"He still has things to improve, especially in the pressing, which moment he has to go, with which intensity, in which moment he has to drop to cover the inside and the middle. We can work more on the next parts of his game."

If the Ibrox side can maintain this newfound zip, seemingly acquired in just a few training sessions under Rohl, they'll approach a potentially season-defining week with much more optimism.

They're at Easter Road on Wednesday night to take on third-placed Hibs. An away win would take them above David Gray's side. Then there's the little matter of arch-rivals Celtic in the second Premier Sports Cup semi-final at Hampden next Sunday.

If Rohl can get on a roll and put together three wins on the bounce, he'd then be one game away from his first trophy. One half of the big Glasgow duo will face either St Mirren or Motherwell at the national stadium in December. Scottish football's newest import is relishing the challenge.

"When you take over and you see the schedule and you know that the pressure is on, every result is then important, " Rohl declared, with a big smile on his face.

"Now we have the next game on Wednesday then a big, big game ahead. We'll do the next game first, try to have a good performance, improve the next steps and then we go to the next game."

A few weeks ago, Rangers fans might have been dreading the thought of heading to Hampden a to face Celtic. They may just head along to the national stadium with a much greater spring in their step.

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