Danny Rohl Makes Bold Rangers Premiership Title Claim After Exit

Former Rangers head coach Danny Rohl has claimed he could have guided the Ibrox side to the Scottish Premiership title this season had he remained in Glasgow.

The German left Rangers for Red Bull Salzburg in June, with former Hearts manager Derek McInnes appointed as his replacement.

However, Rohl remains convinced that the foundations were in place for a sustained title challenge after he revived the club's campaign last term.

Speaking in an exclusive interview with the Daily Record, Rohl said that a full pre-season, greater leadership and further changes to the playing squad would have given him the tools required to take the Ders back to the summit of Scottish football.

Rohl took charge on October 20 after Russell Martin's dismissal, inheriting a side that had fallen 13 points behind the league leaders.

He initially transformed their fortunes and brought Rangers back into contention before four successive defeats after the split ended their challenge.

Despite the disappointing finish, the 37-year-old believes the experience gave him a clear understanding of what had to change at Ibrox.

Rohl said his recruitment plans focused on building a dependable core at Rangers rather than merely collecting talented individuals across the squad.

The German gaffer added that some of the players subsequently recruited by Rangers had been on his radar, although not every addition formed part of his original plans.

Likewise, a full summer of preparation and greater influence over recruitment would have given Rohl a considerably different platform.

Whether that would have been enough to deliver the title remains impossible to prove, but his belief was evidently based on the changes he intended to make.

McInnes has since overseen a busy window, with Cammy Devlin, Ross McCrorie and Dan Neil among the players added to a squad that finished third last season.

Several of those arrivals bring proven Scottish football experience and leadership, suggesting that the current hierarchy has acted on at least part of Rohl's assessment.

Further summer additions, such as Ivor Pandur and Vanja Dragojevic, have also added longer-term potential.

Rohl has nevertheless, backed his successor to challenge for the title and belives the club's ownership group now has a better understanding of the demands attached to Rangers.

His claims will inevitably divide supporters after the late collapse that ultimately cost him the opportunity to complete the rebuild himself. Yet his diagnosis of the squad's problems appears to have carried into the McInnes era.