ROHL NEW BALL GAME
Owls veteran Barry reckons Danny was best manager he’s had and is the perfect fit to thrive at Rangers
BARRY BANNAN regards him as the best manager he has ever worked with.
A German coach built for British football and the ideal candidate to get Rangers challenging for titles again.
If the Ibrox punters have any doubts about Danny Rohl becoming their new gaffer they might want to listen to the Sheffield Wednesday captain.
Fans were disappointed on Saturday night when news emerged that Steven Gerrard had pulled out of the race to take over from Russell Martin.
Almost immediately Rohl, 36, became the new bookies’ favourite.
And after impressing during initial talks with the Rangers’ hierarchy he is now a leading candidate for the role.
A two- year stint at the English Championship club – his first gig as gaffer – isn’t usually the criteria that earns you a crack at the Rangers hotseat. But Bannan has hailed the former Bayern Munich assistant boss for his tactical nous, adaptability, passion and will to win.
And crucially for the Rangers support, he says he is not a clone of sacked Martin.
Bannan said: “Danny is the best manager I’ve worked with in my career.
“He’s so confident. When he came to Sheffield Wednesday he’d been assistant to Hansi Flick at Bayern and Germany.
“I was thinking, ‘He’s the same age as me’. So I expected him to be shy. But in his first meeting he was unbelievable.
“All the boys left the meeting saying he was unreal. He had so much belief in what he was going to do. He had a plan.
“At that time we were bottom of the league, 12 points from safety. But we stayed up on the last day.
“His confidence is through the roof. On that first day boys could have easily left the meeting thinking, ‘Who is this guy’. But we all thought he was brilliant.
“He’s built for the British game. Danny loves passionate fans. That’s why he took to English football – and it’s another level altogether at the Old Firm.
“Tactically he’s really good. He likes to play but not to the extent of Russell. Danny is more about doing what it takes to win. He likes getting the ball forward and pressing high. He’s not about 100 passes.
“He analyses every game and every opponent. He’ll see their weaknesses and that’s how you’ll play. If they don’t press you’ll obviously play out from the back.
“If they do he’ll have ways of beating it. It’s not a set in stone way of playing, he adapts to every situation.
“He’s got an old head on young shoulders. As a player you never really see him change.
“So I don’t see the pressure in Glasgow getting to him. He’s already been at a massive club in Bayern Munich albeit as a No.2. But Bayern is similar to Celtic and Rangers, where a draw isn’t good enough. So he gets that side of it.
“He’s been in that kind of environment, even though he wasn’t the main man. He’s felt it and I’ve spoken to him about that. He knows Munich is the same as Rangers and Celtic, you have to win every game no matter how well you play.”
Bannan knows Glasgow is a different ball game which can swallow up managers.
He has already spoken to his old gaffer about what he might be walking into. But the former Scotland midfielder thinks Rohl will relish it. So much so, if he gets the job, Bannan says he will immediately believe Rangers can be champions this term.
He said: “It’s hard for me, I’ve never felt that Old Firm pressure. Obviously I grew up with it and I follow it. But you need to actually be in it to really feel it.
“It’s okay me saying he’s an incredible manager who will go on to big things. But this would be a huge test for him because it’ll be the biggest club he’s managed up to this point.
“I think he could be a massive success. Rangers are right up his street because he loves a challenge. I’ve never seen a fanbase take to a manager as much as ours did with Danny. And that’s obviously what Rangers need.
“I think it’s a good match. He plays the game on the touchline and that’s what Rangers fans want to see.
“Danny will believe he can still get Rangers challenging for the league this season.
“He will target winning the title. He’ll think there’s loads of games to claw it back. With his confidence he certainly won’t be writing anything off.”