Rangers-SK Brann verdict: Rudderless Gers face Röhl reckoning as Chermiti concerns continue to grow

Their third successive defeat in the competition, the German boss was left in no doubt of the enormity of the task that lies ahead as goals from Emil Kornvig, Jacob Sørensen, and Noah Emmanuel Jean Holm secured a comfortable win for the home side in Bergen, with another dreadful defensive display for Rangers proving to be their downfall.

In the aftermath of the game, the 36-year-old admitted he learned plenty from the performance and vowed to work hard to improve the team’s fortunes.

Following the game, we look at the key talking points from Rangers' defeat to SK Brann on Thursday:

Röhl’s surprise changes - and the worrying case of Youssef Chermiti

The new Rangers boss sprung two surprises with his starting XI, opting to bring both Youssef Chermiti and Nasser Djiga in from the cold. The latter had a nightmarish start to his career at Ibrox after joining on loan from Wolverhampton Wanderers in the summer, making several high-profile mistakes and also getting sent off in the draw with Dundee on his Ibrox debut, but failed to take his unexpected opportunity to impress.

As for Chermiti, his £8.5million outlay has resulted in both him and sporting director Kevin Thelwell being placed under the microscope. While chairman Andrew Cavenagh claimed the summer signing cost such a high fee based on his potential, combined with the modern-day market, the truth is that when you spend that much on a striker, you need to offer more than he has done so far. The Portuguese striker had a glorious chance to head home his first Rangers goal when he connected with Nico Raskin’s cross in the first half, but his header was weak and timid. On current form, it’s unfathomable that a striker who scored 52 goals for the club, Cyriel Dessers, was sold for £5million less than what it cost to bring in the 21-year-old from Everton.

Who will step up in the coming weeks?

Trying to find positives from that Rangers performance is largely an impossible task. Barely anyone produced a performance that would have impressed their new head coach. What it does evidence to Röhl is exactly what he has to play with until, at least, January.

Jack Butland’s two first-half saves came in vain, but the English goalkeeper’s return to form has been the one bright spark fans can take from this increasingly tough season. By their own admission, Rangers lack leaders throughout their team. In the case of the 32-year-old England international, though, they have at least one. Who else will step up and be counted and prove they want to be at the club before the window opens in January?

Röhl’s positive first impression - off the field

The German head coach’s interviews, both pre- and post-game, were impressive. Sure, it had platitudes about wanting to work hard to turn Rangers around and ensuring he worked day and night to do so. However, they were in vast contrast to the last incumbent of the role, Russell Martin. Rewind back to the opening day of the season, Rangers’ flawed former boss launched a scathing attack on his side in the immediate aftermath of their 1-1 draw against Motherwell on opening day, and almost instantly lost his squad in the process.

Jovial pre-game, Röhl looked the part and made reference to respecting club values and traditions. Many will laugh at the notion of club suits and brown brogues, but regardless of your opinion, making little connections with a fanbase that needs lifting is important, however silly you may believe it is. Perhaps much more important than suits and ties, though, was his admission after the game that the performance against SK Brann was not befitting of a Rangers team, which will strike a chord with the supporters. Approaching the fans at the final whistle, he spoke passionately about his respect for their support and the miles they had travelled to do so.

His post-game interview threw nobody under the bus either, like Martin had done following the draw with Motherwell. But his sharp, short, and pointed reference to the fact that the performance “showed him a lot” is a casual warning to his players that they best get these performances out of their system quickly. At a club as intense as Rangers, negativity can spread like Japanese knotweed. An obvious observation, perhaps, but fans want to know their manager is on the same page as them. Failure to do so can have grave consequences - just ask Mr Martin.

Time to write off Rangers’ Europa League campaign?

Three defeats in three, Rangers sit bottom of the Europa League table, and qualification for the knockout stages seems increasingly unlikely. At this point, there’s an argument to say Röhl should take the heat off succeeding in Europe and concentrate on the league - ultimately, if that doesn’t resolve itself, European football won’t be at Ibrox next season anyway.

In some ways, it would be a pity for Rangers to divert their attention away from European competition, after all, it has been the scene of some of their most memorable nights in recent seasons. However, if placing less importance on their Europa League ties ensures there’s an improvement in the league, and they can pull themselves closer to where they need to be, it’s a ‘small’ price to pay.

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