Danny Röhl’s first match as Rangers head coach ended in a sobering 3–0 defeat to Brann, leaving his side rock bottom, 36th of 36, in the UEFA Europa League table.
Appointed on Monday amid hopes of a fresh start and renewed intensity, Röhl instead watched a familiar horror show unfold: passive, error-strewn and painfully short of belief.
The visitors began with flashes of intent, though without conviction. Early on, Thelo Aasgaard bent a superb curling ball across goal, but £8 million striker Yousef Chermiti stretched in vain.
Moments later, a James Tavernier corner fell invitingly to Nico Raskin before being recycled to the captain, whose clipped return cross was met by Raskin again, this time the Belgian glanced over from ten yards.
The so far hapless Chermiti then passed up another chance on 31 minutes, peeling into space in the box but sending a weak header straight at Mathias Dyngeland from Raskin’s delivery.
The warning signs were clear when Vetle Dragsnes unleashed a speculative 35-yard effort shortly after Jack Butland had punched away a corner, reminiscent of the duo of long-range goals Rangers conceded against Dundee United at the weekend, skimming just wide of the top corner.
The opener arrived on 40 minutes and came from, yet another transition Rangers failed to handle. Bård Finne raced into space down the left, with John Souttar recovering just enough to put pressure on and force a scuffed finish across goal.
But Emil Kornvig ghosted in unmarked at the back post to tap home. It was a galling concession in Röhl’s debut, Rangers’ 24th straight away match without a clean sheet, stretching 320 days. A club record.
At half time, the brutal numbers loomed large: Rangers had not won from behind in any competition this season and had lost five consecutive European matches. That run would soon extend to six.
On 55 minutes, a heavy touch from Oliver Antman in his own half sparked a Brann break, culminating in a free-kick wide on the right. Former Norwich midfielder Jacob Sørensen flicked the delivery past a helpless Butland, with both Nasser Djiga and Jayden Meghoma losing their man between them.
Following the goal, Röhl immediately withdrew Antman for Mikey Moore, the first decisive act of his tenure.
Moore almost made an instant impact, volleying over from Meghoma’s cross at the penalty spot. But momentum evaporated quickly. Connor Barron and Bojan Miovski came on for Joe Rothwell and Aasgaard; later Derek Cornelius and Danilo replaced Djiga and Chermiti. The personnel changed, but the mood did not.
The third arrived on 79 minutes and summed up the evening: a cross from Dragsnes down the left was mis-controlled by Raskin despite Cornelius shouting for him to leave it. Holm pounced, controlling and rifling a half-volley beyond Butland to complete the rout.
By the final whistle, Rangers were anchored to the foot of the Europa League standings after three matchdays. Brann’s supporters gleefully chanted “You’re fcking sht,” and this performance offered little evidence for those who cheer for the team in blue to contradict them.
For Röhl, this was a stark introduction: a new era that immediately feels like a salvage job. Unless he can rapidly inject structure, resilience and conviction, Rangers are heading for their first season without post-Christmas European football since 2022/23, and their first failure to progress in the Europa League since Steven Gerrard’s debut campaign in 2018/19.
This wasn’t just a poor start, it was a brutal reminder of just how much needs rebuilding.