As Danny Röhl lands in Glasgow to finalise his deal as the new Rangers manager, former English Premier League striker Charlie Austin has delivered a powerful endorsement of the 36-year-old German’s coaching credentials, while issuing a warning to the Ibrox dressing room about the danger of disrespecting him just because he wasn’t the club’s first choice.
Austin, who worked under Röhl at Southampton, told Sky Sports that the incoming boss may be young, but he is tactically elite and commands respect where it matters: inside elite football environments.
He said: “Ultimately he was the man that brought all the tactics in.
“At the time his English wasn't so great and Ralf Hasenhüttl used to stand next to him on the side and then he would come in and basically just relay what Danny had told him in German, but he was a phenomenal coach, he really was.”
Austin believes Röhl’s track record speaks louder than his age, or his unfamiliarity with Rangers’ culture: “You don't go and work for clubs like he has done, the German national team, Leipzig, Bayern Munich. The job he did at Sheffield Wednesday to keep them in the Championship was a phenomenal job.”
Röhl’s arrival caps off a shambolic two-week process that saw Steven Gerrard and Kevin Muscat walk away at various stages. The dressing room was told earlier that a head coach had been secured, but the name was not revealed, further adding to the confusion around the search.
Austin acknowledged Röhl was not Rangers’ first choice but insists that cannot be allowed to undermine him: “We can't get away from it, he wasn't their first choice.
“Can that affect the players? Will he still get the same level of respect knowing that he wasn't first choice? That comes down to the dressing room,” he said.
“If a manager comes in knowing that he is third choice, it’s irrelevant, the players have got to show respect.”
He didn’t hold back in referencing former boss Russell Martin’s downfall. “They clearly had no respect or connection with the manager, which was Russell Martin, that was proven on the pitch.”
For Austin, Röhl’s arrival marks a clean slate, but only if Rangers’ players are willing to buy in fully.
He said: “They’ve got to flip the narrative now and show this manager respect. If they don’t, they’re going to fail again. But if they trust his process, then it’s an exciting project going forward.”
Austin predicts fans will quickly see Röhl’s identity on the pitch: “You’ve got someone coming in who is young, hungry and will have you off your seat. Just be ready for your players to get really fit, counter-pressing at its finest.”
Now, Röhl steps into Ibrox not as the choice fans expected, but potentially as the one modern football demands, but will we repeat the mistakes of Martin, or finally enter the modern age?