Rangers boss hails 'good starting point' as heavily criticised star who brings 'something special' earns rave review
New Ibrox head coach Danny Rohl has been reacting to his side’s convincing 3-1 Premiership win over Kilmarnock
Danny Rohl accepts Rangers have still got a long way to go to restore some parity - but insists their commanding 3-1 Premiership win over Kilmarnock was a step in the right direction.
The Light Blues moved up to fifth in the league table and within five points of Glasgow rivals Celtic, albeit they still trail pacesetters Hearts by 13 points. But they produced a clinical display to end a five-month wait for a first home domestic win and hand their new German boss a dream start to life in Scotland.
Following their heavy Europa League defeat in Rohl’s first match in charge on Thursday, the former Sheffield Wednesday head coach got the perfect response from his side against the Ayrshire outfit.
Derek Cornelius got the ball rolling with a 15th minute headed opener from James Tavernier’s free-kick before a goalkeeping error from Jack Butland allowed George Stangers a simple tap in level the contest.
However, Rangers never looked under any danger after Danilo’s superbly taken header from Jayden Meghoma’s cross crept in off the post. Substitute Youssef Chermiti then scored his first goal for the club since making a £8m move from Everton with a powerful strike.
Bojan Miovski and Nicolas Raskin both had goals disallowed in either half as Rangers cruised to victory.
Danny Rohl pleased with ‘good step forward’ after Kilmarnock win
“Very important to get the three points,” Rohl said on BBC Sportsound. “We know the table, we need wins. It's a good starting point to turn things around, it was a good step forward.
“It's still a long journey, but I'm happy today for the club, the staff and the players. I enjoyed to see my team today. Not everything was perfect, but I saw a lot of good things.
“The players said after the game it was a good step forward, so with this we can build something. I was really happy with our counter-pressing. We were very aggressive. Even if it was not allowed, the fourth goal was a good example of that. This is how we should play.
“Today I saw a lot of good things and it's great when players start to score and we create chances because then they go home with self confidence. If you have that and belief and we are strong on the pitch, we feel we can control the game.
“When you take over and you see the schedule, the pressure is on. Every result is important.”
Youssef Chermiti ‘has something special’
Much-maligned striker Chermiti ended a barren run of 903 days without a goal to help silence some of his critics with a positive contribution off the bench in the second half.
Rohl added: “I think he is also demanding on himself. We will improve him step by step. He has something special. Still things to improve, especially with the pressing, but I think he should enjoy the goal today and tomorrow. We can work on the next parts of his game.”