Danny Rohl says the Rangers manager’s job is bigger than being in charge of Bayern Munich. The German hasn’t ruled out a return to Ibrox in the future where he feels he’s got unfinished business.
Rangers job bigger than Bayern
Rohl left Glasgow this summer to take over at Austrian side Red Bull Salzburg, while Derek McInnes replaced him as Rangers boss. The 37-year-old is still gutted that he couldn’t deliver a title for Gers fans last season. But he insists he was blown away by the intensity of the role after arriving from Sheffield Wednesday. Rohl says it’s one of the most prestigious jobs in football. And that’s why he feels he could be back in Govan one day for another crack at it.
In an exclusive interview with Record Sport, the former Bayern assistant coach said: “My goal is to win titles here at Red Bull Salzburg. But in football, you can never say never. A lot of what I feel about Rangers is that it’s a mission that was not completed. So why not? Now, I know what happens there and what you have to be. The fans were always respectful to me. At Rangers, normally when a manager leaves, they want him to leave. At the end (of my time there), of course there was disappointment. In the last game at Falkirk, some guys were on me. But that was more about frustration from the last few weeks.”
He added: “People on the outside don’t understand how big that job is or how big the club is. You can’t prepare for it. You can’t imagine what it means to live in Glasgow as manager of Rangers. You’ll have never felt it before. Usually as a manager going to a club, you read a little bit of the newspapers, you watch some clips and speak to players about tactical things. You think you’re prepared with the key words, what’s important, what you want to see. But you cannot feel how intense that job is. Is it comparable to Bayern Munich? It’s more. For me, it’s more.”
Unfinished business
Rohl accepts that he’s now in a very different role at Salzburg where there’s less pressure. He only got 30 weeks in charge of Rangers and is still disappointed that he couldn’t give supporters their wish of just a second title in 15 years.
Rohl said: “You cannot compare this to Rangers. We’ll have a smaller fanbase here, without so much emotion. But I’ll always put demands on myself to be at the highest level. That was the same at Rangers. That’s why in the last few weeks there, it was really tough to accept the defeats. Everyone dreamed. I watched the videos on YouTube from the last time when Rangers were champions (in 2021). It was during Covid but the fans celebrated on the bridge in Glasgow. I thought: ‘Just give me one time this feeling at the end of a season and we’ll never forget this’. That was the biggest disappointment at the end. Everyone had so much hope, the team, the fans, the owners, myself. But finally, we couldn’t achieve it.”
Salzburg challenge
The two clubs might not compare when it comes to size, stature or history. But Rohl knows there’s one big similarity between Salzburg and Rangers - their manager is expected to win titles. That’s the challenge the German now faces in Austria after leaving Ibrox this summer. After winning TEN Bundesliga titles on the trot, Red Bull Salzburg haven’t been champions in three years. That’s the task Rohl has been charged with after signing a three-year-contract at the club.
With Red Bull’s backing, they’ve been renowned for two things. One is identifying top talent like Erling Haaland and Dominik Szoboszlai, developing them and selling them on. And the other, is winning. Rohl is determined to achieve both as he continues his coaching career in Austria.
He said: “The demand is also high at Salzburg. When you look here from the outside, it’s always about them winning titles and having big European nights. They bring a lot of good players through and sell them to other clubs. So the attraction here is working with high-potential players and a really good academy. It’s an environment where you can really focus on football. There are less political things to deal with and experts on the outside. Those things make Rangers special. Here, there’s a clear identity and my goal is to keep that - while also adding my football and some new faces to develop the team. But like everywhere, we have to be successful and win games. For me, if I can look back in the future and say we won titles and developed some players who move to a top 5 league or top 4 or 5 club, then I’ll have done a lot of things right. That’s my ambition here. I feel really welcome and it’s a different role. When I’ve been asked here about the goal and which position we have to be, it’s the same as at Rangers. If you say second, it’s not good enough. It’s the same. We have the squad with the highest value but it’s not all just about numbers. It’s nice to have good individual players but you have to form a team.”
Potential Europa League return
Similarly to Rangers, Red Bull Salzburg must negotiate a Europa League third qualifying tie - against Pafos or Hadjuk Split - then a play-off to reach the group stage this season. If both clubs progress, there’s the prospect of Rohl making a quick-fire return to Glasgow to face his former side or Celtic if they drop down from the Champions League.
The former Ibrox gaffer said: “It would be special to play against Rangers in the Europa League. I’m not sure about it yet, when I look forward. Maybe I’d be a little bit sceptical! But to come back to Ibrox with my team and see everyone - it would be very quick. I don’t know yet what the welcome would be from the fans.”
