Chris Sutton says Danny Rohl should have 'kept his mouth shut' as Rangers boss sees Celtic jibe backfire

Rangers are hoping to win their first Scottish Premiership title in five years after Danny Rohl replaced Russell Martin with the club floundering in the autumn.

Rohl has seen the Gers rise back into the top three but they have been unable to take the ascendency over leaders Hearts, though they shortened the gap to just three points with a narrow victory at St. Mirren over the weekend. Rivals Celtic are now just two points off top spot as the title race continues to heat up.

Rohl’s long-term future has begun to come into question in recent weeks, though, after two disappointing Old Firm results at Ibrox in quick succession. In the Premiership, Celtic came from 2-0 down to leave with a point, while the Hoops won on penalties after a goalless Scottish Cup encounter.

Former Celtic striker Chris Sutton has had his say on why pressure on Rohl has begun to ramp up.

Sutton responds to Rohl’s comments on Celtic’s Europa League defeat

Speaking on BBC Radio 5 Live Sport, Sutton claimed that Rohl’s recent criticism of Celtic boss Martin O’Neill – Rohl said that he felt his Hoops side could have done more to overturn a 4-2 aggregate defeat to Stuttgart in the Europa League knockout play-off round – has come back to bite him and led to increased pressure on his own job.

Sutton said: "I think Danny Rohl has had too much to say for himself in recent times. Danny Rohl opened his mouth and was telling Celtic how they should have played in Europe.

"This came from a guy whose record in Europe was pretty dour. I think Rangers fans have ramped up the pressure on Danny Rohl because they are thinking 'why don't you just keep your mouth shut Danny? Why are you getting involved in saying how Martin O'Neill should play?'

"It's okay if you are seeing games through against Celtic at Ibrox and knocking them out the cup. But he didn't and in many respects, people are thinking 'well Danny Rohl's eye has been taken off the ball'. The pressure is ramped up on Rangers now.

"You just have to focus on your own club. The fanbases are so big and they hang on every word that the manager says. It's not me saying this, it's what Rangers fans are saying about Danny Rohl. It's an obvious observation. Results have been good since he came in and Rangers are in a title race but just when they are getting somewhere, why would you shoot yourself in the foot? I don't understand that."

What Rohl said on Celtic vs Stuttgart

Rohl said on February 27: “I was a little bit surprised after [going 1-0 up early on in the second leg away in Stuttgart] that they are not trying to win this game, two-nil, three-nil, to give themselves a chance. They keep the result until the end.”

The German has come under increased pressure at Ibrox in the weeks following these comments, adding another intriguing dimension to a tense title race.