NafisaDanny Rohl admitted “big disappointment” as Rangers’ hugely underwhelming campaign was officially written off with two matches still to play following a 3-1 Old Firm derby defeat to Celtic at Parkhead.
The Ibrox side travelled across Glasgow knowing only a win would keep alive any realistic hopes of securing second place, which carries entry into next season’s Champions League qualifiers.
They began the match brightly and were firmly on top after Mikey Moore struck from close range inside the opening ten minutes from a tight angle, but Celtic restored parity through Yang Hyun-jun after 23 minutes before Daizen Maeda ultimately proved decisive.
The Japanese international’s first major contribution was to convert Kieran Tierney’s cross to put Celtic ahead for the first time, before a stunning acrobatic finish flew past the helpless Jack Butland into the top left corner to hand Rangers a third consecutive defeat.
A downbeat Rohl told Sky Sports: “Big disappointment, I think when you lose 3-1. I think the story is again and again the same. In the key moments, we were not sharp enough to defend. I think in our box, two similar situations. The third one was a great goal. It reminded me a little bit of our goal when Youssef scored. But all in all, to take something, you have to play all the time with this consequence.
“I think in general, maybe you agree, maybe not, it was a game of real comparison. A challenge from both sides. We tried something, played very aggressively. But in these small moments, you have to be there to take something. We couldn’t, and this is what we have to change in the future, to take and win such games.”
Rohl reacts to two key incidents after ‘big learning curve’:
The Light Blues boss has now become the first Rangers manager since Dick Advocaat in 2000 to lose three consecutive Old Firm matches. With the season now effectively concluded and third place confirmed, Rohl was asked whether shortcomings in his squad have been exposed after they failed to sustain momentum that briefly took them to the top of the Premiership earlier in the season.
“Yeah, I can agree,” he stated.
“I think we showed, even today, you look to the 90 minutes, I will not make it better because we lost, this is always tough. But I think when you take the game, then you see it’s still good things. But good is not enough for us as a club. We want to be the best, we want to win titles, and from this point, it’s at the moment, things that we have to take. A big learning for a new season, and this is what we have to do.”
When pressed on two major talking points, including Celtic’s equaliser and Alistair Johnston’s heavy challenge on Mikey Moore, Rohl added:
“In general I never look for excuses. But from what I heard, maybe there is an offside, maybe there is a red card, but maybe there is a decision-making on the pitch. I’m not the type of manager to attack refs in public.”
Nafisa
