The sense of injustice from the weekend hasn’t disappeared. It probably won’t for some time.
The response inside Hampden on Sunday – fury, disbelief, and a support that felt something vital had been taken away from them – has carried into this week.
Rangers fans remain convinced that key refereeing errors shaped the outcome, and the club’s statement in the aftermath reflected that feeling.
But for Danny Röhl, there is little time to wallow. Roma come to Ibrox tonight. Europe returns. The stakes are already high with Rangers bottom of the UEFA Europa League table.
“We were disappointed, of course,” Röhl admitted.
“We invested a lot. I felt the energy from the players and the stadium, especially with ten men. The supporters were really strong.
“But the game is gone. You cannot change it.”
The reaction to the red card and the non-punishment for the kick to Jack Butland’s head are still raw talking points.
Röhl didn’t hide from that – but he refused to let grievance become identity.
“If there is a kick against the head, you have to be careful. It was difficult for me to understand,” he said.
“But again, we got the red card and the opponent did not.
“We tried everything. The game is gone now.”
The boss feels that we need to move on and not dwell on injustice.
And that is where tonight matters. Because the only way to change the mood around Rangers is not through statements or debates over interpretation of rules, it is through winning.
A Different Challenge Tonight
Roma arrive as a side who rarely overwhelm opponents but rarely allow themselves to be overwhelmed either.
Their games are tight. Tactical. Controlled. They press aggressively from the front and are happy to drag contests into battles for territory and momentum.
“Roma don’t concede many goals, but they don’t score many either,” Röhl said.
“They press man-to-man. It will be a big fight. The 50-50 moments will decide a lot.”
This is where Röhl wants bravery. Intensity. Decision-making under pressure. It won’t be a night for passengers.
Rangers will need to play through pressure rather than simply over it.
They will need composure where frustration still lingers. They will need belief and confidence and to prove there really has been a mentality shift under the new head coach.
The Emotional Reset
Supporters will play their part too. Röhl has already felt that side of Ibrox – the roar that moves games, not just reacts to them.
“What I heard about the European nights here was true,” he said, referencing the Leipzig semi-final before it ever came up in questioning.
“This is part of why I wanted to come here. At home, everything is possible.”
But he was clear that energy must be built, not assumed.
It is easy for a crowd to lift a team flying. It takes something else to lift a team carrying frustration, doubt, and anger from the weekend just passed.
Tonight is about that kind of backing - not the romantic memory of the Seville run.
The version that refuses to be quiet when the game isn’t going your way.
More Than Mood
To some extent, the match is about points. Rangers have none in the group. That alone makes tonight significant.
But it’s bigger than group standings.
Tonight is about showing that the character Röhl talks about has substance.
That the second-half response on Sunday wasn’t just emotional adrenaline. That the direction of travel is forward, not sideways.
If Rangers are to regain momentum under Röhl, nights like this cannot become lessons in “nearly.”
The anger is real. The frustration is justified. But tonight is the night to channel it.
Roma may be the opponent. But the battle is within the squad themselves.
The response must start now.