Now that another abject Rangers season has been consigned to the history books, it’s time for manager Danny Rohl to look towards the future.
The German certainly has confidence in himself, as do the board, that he is the man to lead the club into the new campaign, but it’s fair to say he has plenty of work to do in order to get the buy-in from the fans.
For many, Rohl is already on borrowed time. In the case of the Old Firm clubs, it’s been said that finishing second is as good as finishing last. Rohl didn’t even achieve that.
Yes, he inherited a shambles from Russell Martin. Yes, he deserves credit for dragging the side from nowhere into a title fight. But the manner in which Rangers have completely crumbled under his stewardship in recent weeks has eroded much of the goodwill Rohl had amongst the supporters.
Indeed, there would likely be no way back for him had he overseen a fifth consecutive league defeat at the weekend away at Falkirk. His position would have become untenable.
A magnificent Youssef Chermiti hat-trick went a long way to ensuring Rohl rounded off the campaign on a positive note, with Djeidi Gassama and Thelo Aasgaard also on the scoresheet in a 5-2 win over the Bairns.
Thelo Aasgaard scored as Rangers won 5-2 at Falkirk, but will he still be at Ibrox next season?
The team that rocked up at the Falkirk Stadium, however, is going to look very different to the one which will take to the field when the action gets under way again. Most of them, you would suspect, won’t be around come August.
We seem to say it every year, but Rangers face a monumental rebuild this summer. Here, KEVIN McKENNA looks at which of the current crop will remain part of Rohl’s plans, and which ones will likely be shown the door.
Who should stay?
Emmanuel Fernandez was signed by Martin from Peterborough last summer, but made just two appearances before the manager was punted. Since Rohl came in, however, he has been a mainstay.
His performances reportedly attracted interest from big names across Europe not too long ago, but that appears to have cooled off lately. He can be erratic at times and would undoubtedly benefit from an experienced older head alongside him next season.
The January transfer window didn’t go quite according to plan for Rohl, but he did get one thing right. Tuur Rommens has been a standout performer over the second half of the campaign, slotting in seamlessly at left-back and proving to be an asset at both ends of the pitch.
Danny Rohl has been backed by Rangers chairman Cavenagh but must reshape his squad
Dujon Sterling could do with getting a good pre-season under his belt after missing much of this campaign through injury. A handy player who can fill multiple positions.
The jury remains out on Nicolas Raskin. On his day, he can be a game-changer, but those don’t come around often enough.
Still, Rangers probably can’t afford to let a guy deemed good enough for Belgium’s World Cup squad move on just yet.
Connor Barron gets his fair share of stick from punters, but much of that is unfair. He’s never going to set the heather alight with the ball at his feet, but at least he is willing to get his hands dirty — which is more than can be said of some of his team-mates.
January signing Tochi Chukwuani looked to be exactly what Rangers were missing in the middle of the park during his early outings. Strong in the tackle and with an eye for a pass, there was a lot to like.
Granted, he has gone right off the boil in recent weeks, but Rohl wouldn’t have asked the board to cough up a few quid to bring him in if he didn’t believe in his quality.
Djeidi Gassama got off to a blistering start both at home and abroad, but has largely flattered to deceive under Rohl. He can provide pace and energy in the final third, and has an eye for goal, but needs to find consistency.
Djeidi Gassama started like a train in Europe last summer but has blown hot and cold since
Oliver Antman is in the same boat. Question marks linger over whether he has the mentality to play for a club of this size, but it would be a surprise to see him move on. At the very least, he can be an effective option off the bench.
Findlay Curtis has shown what a run of games can do for a young player’s confidence on loan at Kilmarnock, and deserves the chance to fight for his place at Ibrox.
Ryan Naderi’s Rangers career has been hampered by injuries thus far but he has already shown that he is well-suited to Rohl’s preferred 4-2-2-2 formation. A good pre-season will do him the world of good.
Rohl was pretty adamant that Youssef Chermiti will be going nowhere this summer when pressed on speculation over his future on Saturday. The Portuguese striker hasn’t lived up to his hefty price tag, but no one could argue that he hasn’t improved over the course of the season.
Only Tawanda Maswanhise, Benjamin Nygren and Lawrence Shankland have scored more Premiership goals. Chermiti hasn’t been perfect, but he’s not been a disaster either.
Who should be let go?
Jack Butland has been a great servant to Rangers over the years, but it’s time for something different.
Mikey Moore has already returned south to Spurs but will Jack Butland be on the move too?
Rohl wants his man between the sticks to play out from the back, and kicking just isn’t part of Butland’s game. It never has been.
Liam Kelly has reportedly been offered a new contract, but he would be wise to turn that down in favour of first-team football elsewhere.
Rohl will be hoping to make at least two signings in central defence this summer, meaning John Souttar will likely find himself a long way down the pecking order if he stays put.
Thelo Aasgaard has shown flashes of what he can do, but has the tendency to disappear in big games. If anyone is willing to offer a couple of million for his services, Rangers should accept.
It’s the same story for Mohamed Diomande, who will probably fetch a few more.
The signing of Bojan Miovski has turned out to be a huge disappointment. At no stage has he really looked comfortable, albeit that’s perhaps understandable given that he’s only been given minutes here and there.
At best, he will be third-choice striker at the club next season. You can’t imagine he’ll be too happy with that.
Bojan Miovski has endured a frustrating time and may be third-choice striker at best next term
It’s clear that Nedim Bajrami isn’t fancied, while Lyall Cameron would be better off going out on loan again. Ross McCausland has done well out at Aris Limassol, but would only be a bit-part player with Rangers going forward.
Will we see any loan players return?
Rohl has admitted he is going to ‘try everything’ he can to get Mikey Moore back in the building for another year. The 18-year-old has carried the team on his shoulders at times, and whilst there have been peaks and troughs, he has been the shining light in an otherwise bleak campaign.
Moore himself has waxed lyrical about his time at the club, and you would think he would be open to another stint. Whether Spurs are willing to play ball remains to be seen.
Nasser Djiga will be eyeing up first-team football in the Championship with Wolves, whilst Brentford’s Jayden Meghoma could also be plying his trade out on loan in England’s second tier too. Don’t expect either to be back.
The less said about Max Aarons, Derek Cornelius and Andreas Skov Olsen, the better.
