Danny Röhl’s tenure at Rangers started with a 3-0 UEFA Europa League loss to Norwegian side Brann. The away fans appeared distraught and angry following the defeat.
Club captain James Tavernier did not hold back, calling the performance a disgrace: “It’s just a disgraceful performance, it is as simple as that. All the years I’ve been here, for the consistency of poor performance that we’re putting in, I’ve not experienced it before. We were just second best: first ball, second balls, not enough fight.
“I shouldn’t be saying that for a player of Rangers, that should be the given. You should want to fight, go for the ball, even if it’s a scrappy game, you’ve got to make it a scrappy game. But it’s just far too easy at this minute, playing against us. That’s the hurtful thing about this all.”
Röhl apologized to the fans, acknowledging their support and the distance they had travelled, while admitting there is significant work to be done: “At first I apologised for this defeat and this performance.
“They’ve travelled a lot for the team, they are always there. This club has a lot of passionate fans and they deserve this. It was very important for me to show that I understand them. But I said as well to them, I am working very hard to improve this group of players, to step up and get results.”
“I think tonight I saw a lot of where we are at the moment, what the reality is but also it was very clear we have not so much time to change anything. My job is to find a solution as soon as possible with this group.”
Rangers will now shift their focus to the Scottish Premiership, with a crucial clash against Kilmarnock at Ibrox up next.