Danny Röhl Praises Rangers’ ‘Men’s Football’ After Aberdeen Victory

Rangers manager Danny Röhl expressed immense pride in his squad after they recorded a second 2–0 victory over managerless Aberdeen in the space of a week, describing the performance as “men’s football”.

The Gers followed up their midweek Ibrox success by overcoming the Dons once again at Pittodrie on Tuesday night, despite challenging weather conditions. Rangers took the lead midway through the first half when midfielder Thelo Aasgaard volleyed home superbly, marking his third goal in five appearances.

Rangers thought they had doubled their advantage in the 28th minute when defender Emmanuel Fernandez found the net, but the effort was controversially ruled out for a handball during an aerial challenge with goalkeeper Dimitar Mitov. The visitors eventually sealed the win in the 74th minute when captain James Tavernier converted a penalty.

The result moved Rangers to within three points of William Hill Premiership leaders Hearts, albeit having played a game more.

Röhl was delighted with both the performance and the mentality shown by his side.

“Big, big pride in my group to come to a really tough place,” Röhl said. “We showed different faces again, which is exactly what we need.

“We played good men’s football. We were ready for the duels and the second balls. We understood when to play in behind and when to keep possession in the right areas.

“The result is enjoyable, of course. From my point of view, it was fully deserved. We scored at the right moment and in the second half we missed some good chances to make it two or three before we finally finished 2–0.

“We stayed focused until the end and five wins in a row is outstanding.”

Röhl confirmed that Rangers will now briefly turn their attention to recovery before switching focus to their upcoming Scottish Cup tie against Annan.

Ahead of the match, the Ibrox club also announced the signing of Danish midfielder Tochi Chukwuani from Sturm Graz on a three-and-a-half-year contract. The 22-year-old is awaiting international clearance and a work permit.

Röhl welcomed the addition but was keen to highlight the efforts of his existing squad.

“I am very happy. We worked hard over the last few days to make this deal happen,” he said. “A big thank you to the board and to Andrew Cavenagh. The communication at the moment is very good.

“Tochi brings physicality and valuable European experience, but it is also important to recognise the group we already have. They worked extremely hard and deserve big credit.

“We need competition in certain positions, but we also have to appreciate the development we have seen over the last 10 to 12 weeks. It has been outstanding from some players.

“Look again at Thelo. He scored once more and continues to move in the right direction. I was really pleased to see that.”

For Aberdeen, interim manager Peter Leven was candid in his assessment after suffering a sixth defeat in seven matches since taking charge following Jimmy Thelin’s departure.

“It’s not good enough, especially for a club this size and what we want to achieve this season,” Leven admitted. “There are some positives, but overall it’s simply not good enough.

“I can only do so much. The players have to step up as well.”