What the Tav Row Could Mean for Rohl
Rangers supporters are trying to read the signs after the latest noise around Tavernier and team selection. For some, it hints at a coach willing to confront dressing-room issues head-on.
Rangers losing to Hibs did not really shock me. With little to play for, a low crowd and what looked like poor morale, it felt like the sort of afternoon that can happen when a season is drifting.
My main point though is the Tav situation and how it has changed my view on Danny Rohl. A few days ago I was against the idea, but this has made me think he might actually be right for us.
Standing up to big voices
However it has played out behind the scenes, it looks to me like Tav has not been happy, and we will probably never get the full details of why. The bigger issue is that, if the rumours are true, this will not be the first time there has been a power struggle. It might just be the first time a coach has refused to cave in.
If that is the case then fair play to Rohl. He knows he is already under pressure, yet he still stands by the decision not to play Tav in what would be his last game at Ibrox. Reading between the lines of Rohl's interview, it sounded like he was making it clear he is in charge.
When a squad turns
My guess is that Rohl has been lenient with a few influential players for a while because things were going well and they were with him. Then something soured, maybe around Tav's contract, talk of right-backs coming in, and Sterling starting games ahead of him. If Tav did kick off, it could explain the timing of his leaving announcement and why there has been no mention of a testimonial. It could also explain why it felt like a clique downed tools and results went the wrong way.
From that point, Rohl may have felt let down and decided to axe players. Raskin and Tav both started the Celtic game and were taken off. Tav makes more sense in that context, but Raskin was a strange one, and if it was for reasons beyond football then it takes courage to do it.
Is the manager really the problem?
Logically, why would you drop your captain and, in my view, probably the best footballer in the squad when you know you are under pressure? You would only do that if you believed they were causing problems.
Maybe it is not always the manager. Maybe the bigger issue is that when certain individuals do not like decisions, the rest of the squad can be influenced against the coach.
It also stood out that we only found out about Tav today, yet in Rohl's interview yesterday he spoke about being backed by the board and mentioned signing leaders. It did make me wonder if that was aimed at what has been going on.
I get why fans doubt Rangers making the right managerial call, but if clubs like Wolfsburg and Leverkusen are interested in Rohl then he must be doing something right, even if we do not see every part of it from the outside.
In the end, if the Chairman and the 49ers believe Rohl is the right man, then we need to back him. We have had plenty managers, and every time we ask for something different. If Rohl is prepared to move on problem players, that is a different approach, and it might be what this club has needed for a while.
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