The behind the scenes Rangers move that has rival boss sensing clear Ibrox change from 'vulnerable' to key strength
Dundee boss Steven Pressley believes Rangers set-piece threat could ‘be the difference’ between them finishing third or being crowned champions
While the January window continues to take centre stage, Rangers’ will look back on this season once the dust has settled and reflect on their many transfer dealings in more detail.
£8 million was spent on Youssef Chermiti, £3.5m splashed out on Emmanuel Fernandez, a combined £7m forked out on recent additions Tochi Chukwuani and Tuur Rommens.
Yet, arguably the Light Blues’ best piece of business conducted so far this term has been the appointment of new set-piece specialist Scott Fry, who has rightly earned rave reviews from those within Ibrox for making an immediate impact.
Unlike the majority of players signed in the summer under axed sporting director Kevin Thelwell’s watch, the 47-year-old Englishman has hit the ground running since moving north of the border from EFL League One side Lincoln City.
After being head-hunted by Rohl to fill a key position as part of his backroom team, Fry has made a huge difference in increasing the Gers threat from set-plays in a short space of time.
And for rival boss Steven Pressley - who is preparing to take his side to Ibrox this weekend - he reckons it has been one of the key factors behind the Govan giants battling their way back into the Premiership title race.
Rohl has earned plaudits for Rangers sudden on-field improvement following the club’s worst start to a league season in almost five decades. But their ability to score more goals from corners and free-kicks has been notable since Fry’s arrival in mid-November.
It’s for that reason that Hearts legend Pressley expects them to be a huge threat on Sunday.
“He (Rohl) became a little bit more pragmatic in their style and, through that, they’ve become far more effective, certainly from set-plays,” Pressley admitted. “That’s one area they’ve become really effective in.
“I talked to our group about the important of set-plays, how it can be the difference between being bottom six and top six. For a club like Rangers, it can be the difference between finishing third and being champions.
“You see it with Hearts, they’re top of the league, but they’re the team with the best return from set-plays. It plays a pivotal part and they’re really effective.
“That’s an area where they (Rangers) were very vulnerable at the early part of the season, but now they seem to be a strength. They’ve won their last five games, so it’ll be a really tough afternoon.”
Fry praised for making Rangers sharper in both boxes
Ex-Peterborough United defender Fernandez has been one player, in particular, who has benefited massively from Rangers’ increased set-piece threat and he was effusive in his praise of Fry for making them sharper in both boxes.
Speaking last week, the imposing centre-back - who has netted four of his five goals from dead ball situations this season - said: “I feel like Scott has had a big impact, not just on me but on the team as well.
“We’ve scored a lot of goals from set-pieces and he’s helped defensively too as we’re not conceding too many.
“I’m a player who can get in the box and when there’s an opportunity to go, I attack it. We do set-pieces as a group. Scott understands what I’m good at and what I want to do. He leaves me isolated in scenarios where I only have one player against me - and I can attack.
“I don’t really set goal targets. I’m just trying to help the team win games. if that happens (hitting double figures), it happens. I probably feel like I could do that.”