Danny Rohl ally in tune with unconvinced Rangers fans but he wants doubters to hear about The Great Escape

A Sheffield Wednesday icon understands the scepticism but he reckons Rohl is the real deal.

Carlton Palmer watched Danny Rohl pull off the Great Escape at Sheffield Wednesday.

And the Hillsborough legend insists the sceptical Rangers support should be GRATEFUL that he’s willing to dig their side out of a hole too.

The Ibrox faithful haven’t exactly welcomed the news that the former Owls gaffer is to replace Russell Martin with open arms.

The same Gers fanbase that turned their noses up at Martin’s appointment back in the summer have also reacted with outrage after learning the inexperienced German gaffer has now been entrusted with becoming the club’s 21st permanent manager.

The Light Blue legions were left telling their new American owners ‘we told you so’ when Martin’s disastrous appointment blew up inside 122 days.

But Palmer reckons they should now be saying thank you to the former Germany and Bayern Munich coach for standing up to the challenge of Making Rangers Great Again when others have walked away.

Rohl was in the running to land the gig in the summer but was overlooked as Andrew Cavenagh, Patrick Stewart and Kevin Thelwell opted to go for Martin.

He came back into contention after the former Southampton boss’ sacking but appeared to have withdrawn from the race to replace Martin last week when Gers’ American owners chose to chase after Steven Gerrard and Kevin Muscat instead.

Now having been rebuffed by the duo, Rohl is now the last man standing.

But Palmer is adamant he can be the man to drag Rangers off their knees having watched him do exactly that at Wednesday.

The former Owls stalwart told Record Sport: “He might not be the fan’s choice but he is the right choice for Rangers.

“I think what's probably caused the problem is that, obviously, Steven Gerrard did a fantastic job at Ibrox - but the fact that Steven Gerrard's turned the job down while other managers have pulled out too, obviously, the fans will be disappointed.

“Now they're looking and saying, ‘Well, maybe the reason why these guys are pulling out is because they don’t think the tools are there to do the job properly’.

“But if that's the case, then they should be grateful for somebody like Danny Rohl coming in and being prepared to take the job, believing that he can do that job. And you know what, he will do it.

“He will improve the situation from where it is.

“I can understand the fans being frustrated.

“But as a manager, it’s down to Danny to go into the club and turn that around.

“And at the end of the day, if Danny starts winning football games, the fans will soon change their opinion on him.”

Palmer’s view of the former Germany and Bayern Munich No2 couldn’t be any higher.

Hansi Flick’s former right hand man branched out on his own when he made the move to Yorkshire in October 2023.

It was a grim picture for an Owls side who had crash landed at the foot of the second tier in England having failed to win any of their first 11 games.

No side had ever got off to a worse start in the Championship but with Rohl leading the way, they eventually reached safety.

“Danny did a tremendous job under difficult circumstances,” said the former England midfielder.

“To get the team out of the position he found them in when he took over at Wednesday was a phenomenal job, to be honest with you.

“I’ll admit, I thought we were dead and buried when he came in, seven points off safety.

“Things back then were terrible. Just terrible. They had a transfer embargo imposed and there were financial issues. It was a bleak time.

“But Danny and Chris Powell did a fantastic job to get the club to safety. The fans called it the Great Escape.

“I don't think people realise how good a job he actually did at the club.

“So he's used to working under difficult circumstances and a shoestring budget.

“I know things at Rangers aren’t great right now but that won’t faze him at all.

“Working for Wednesday might just be the perfect preparation for him joining a club like Rangers with all the scrutiny that involves.

“I mean, he's not coming from somewhere where it's all been a rosy picture. He's worked under tough testing circumstances and proved he can handle that pressure.

“I think he can do that quite comfortably.

“He had a difficult time with the chairman at Hillsborough, Dejphon Chansiri. That's been well documented.

“Had things been sorted out properly, he would have been the manager of Southampton last January when Martin was sacked there. But Chansiri dug his heels in and it broke down over money.”

Despite a multitude of behind-the-scenes issues, ranging from the late payment of wages to an EFL transfer embargo, Rohl was able to improve on the 20th-place finish he managed in his first year, leading Wednesday to a comfortable mid-table slot in 12th the next.

Palmer added: “Everybody was down with the things that were going on.

“But what Danny did in the first season was unbelievable, especially because it was the same group of players he had to work out.

“It wasn't like he was able to bring players in. It was the same group of players he had to work with until he got to the January window, when he was able to sort a few loans out.

“So it's a very similar circumstance to the one he’ll inherit at Rangers.

“He knows what he wants. He's very organised. He's keen to get back into the game.

“I know he's a very forward-thinking young man.

“And people who criticise him leaving Sheffield Wednesday in the summer, they're definitely in the wrong there because the chairman didn't do right by him.

“I think he'll be a good appointment for Rangers, especially in the predicament that they are in.”

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