Danny Rohl feels he’s hard-wired for success at Ibrox after gorging in glory in his time with Bayern Munich.
The 36-year-old German has signed a deal through to 2028 and becomes the 21st permanent boss in the Ibrox club’s history – although many supporters still viewed the appointment of a young and relatively inexperienced coach as another gamble by the Rangers board.
Rohl’s coaching career has taken him RB Leipzig, Southampton then back to Germany with Munich under Hansi Flick, who he subsequently worked under with at the national team.
His only prior experience of management was a two-year spell at Sheffield Wednesday which ended in the summer.
Despite only having 89 games as a manager under his belt, he believes the experiences which regularly took him onto the winner’s podium in Munich will ready him for what lies ahead in Glasgow.
Danny Rohl won’t have long to get used to the Rangers squad ahead of European action
Danny Rohl shows off his new colours after being unveiled as Rangers manager
‘I’m very happy to be here,’ said the 36-year-old. ‘I’m very excited to be here in such a historic place, such a traditional club, a huge club.
‘Of course, we know the goals we have. I know it’s a demanding club and that’s the reason I’m here.
‘I demand a lot from my players, from my coaching team and a lot from myself. It’s about winning games and we have to start very soon.
‘We have our first opportunity on Thursday in the Europa League (against Brann).
‘If you commit to this club then you have to know what it means. It’s about respect to this club. You have to respect those traditional things.
‘I think I’ve learned a lot after 16 years now in this job with a lot of different stations.
‘In Leipzig, I learned a lot about how you build up a club and how to be successful in one direction. But then, and I think this is very important for us here, I had my experience in Munich. All in all, we won seven titles in 18 months.
‘We won the Champions League, we were the champions and I know what that means to lead a club with all the demands. It’s very important to understand when you arrive here that you have to win. And I want to win with my group.
‘I will work very hard for this because we know in this demanding league, we will play against teams who fight for points.
‘We have to be better and be very clear in which direction we want to go. I’m really looking forward to my first training session with my group and leading them exactly in this direction.’
Rohl takes over with Rangers having won just one of eight Premiership matches, a dismal run which leaves them 13 points behind leaders Hearts.
But the remarkable escape act he pulled off two seasons back with the Owls gives him belief that he can oversee a similar turnaround.
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Rohl’s only other experience as a manager was at Sheffield Wednesday
Having taken over a side which was rooted at the foot of the Championship, he guided then to safety, finished 12th before leaving by mutual agreement amid ongoing financial difficulties at the club.
‘With Wednesday, we were 12 points behind and in the end we were very successful,’ he recalled.
‘If I look at where we are now, and the gap we have to close, then it could be exactly the same type of situation. But this is what I like, challenges.
‘I like that our fans are very demanding. We have nearly 50,000 every match day. I think this is fantastic to see the stadium. The fans come here to see wins and they want to see entertainment from our side.
‘I think it’s crucial for me. I’ve said this many times, I want to be at an ambitious club. And I think this is exactly the challenge I want to have.
‘This is an ambitious club. We want to win things and not just in two or three years – but as soon as possible.
‘I have learned from very good managers, from Hansi Flick, from Ralph Rangnick, big names in this business.
‘And especially in Munich, you are challenged every three days and different competitions. You have to win.
‘And it is the part of our job that I like very much.’
With Rangers talking to Kevin Muscat last week after negotiations with Steven Gerrard collapsed, Rohl backed out of the race last week.
Kevin Thelwell and Patrick Stewart will be hoping this appointment fares better than the last
But the deal was resurrected on Sunday with the German flying to Scotland to put pen to paper.
Sporting director Kevin Thelwell believes Rohl has all the credentials to succeed in Glasgow.
‘Danny has the qualities required to succeed here, allied with being an exceptional coach,’ he said.
‘He has worked in some of the most demanding football environments in the world, where winning is the only expectation, and we believe that background has prepared him for Rangers.
‘His job will be to get the best out of the players and build a team that, first and foremost, wins, as we all target success this season.’
Rohl could be joined in Glasgow by former Manchester United sports psychologist Sascha Lense.
Lense, 50, worked alongside Rangnick at Old Trafford from 2021 having previously worked with him at Leipzig and Schalke, before teaming up with Rohl at Sheffield Wednesday where he fulfilled the role of performance manager.
Lense, who was a midfielder in his playing days, is also father-in-law to former Tottenham and Chelsea striker Timo Werner.
