There is one thing that Rangers fans are probably understandably guilty of overreacting to, and that is everything. Anything good that happens with Rangers leads to overreaction from fans to the nth degree. This sees Rangers fans jumping up and down and demanding massive positive changes. These demands often follow one or two pleasant outcomes.
Over the top
For example, the big issue in this piece is the ridiculous request/rumour of an extension to Danny Rohl’s contract. This would total a further five years. Rohl has been at Rangers for barely a few months. There is no denying Rangers are in a better place than under Russell Martin. But we also fired Patrick Stewart and Kevin Thelwell, which helped. It must not be forgotten that Rohl’s start was shaky. Furthermore not long ago, he drew with Motherwell. Consequently, the overreaction to beating Hearts has been typical.
Emotional Reactions and Short Term Thinking
Of course, Ibrox Noise is also human. We are hardly robots. We overreact as well. Football is emotional. It constantly produces reactions that do not match events. Therefore, the idea that beating Hearts means Rohl deserves five extra years seems excessive. Hearts were missing Lawrence Shankland and Cammy Devlin. Rangers are not even top yet. The reaction itself was emotional. Some fans claimed Bayern would want Rohl. They said he would reach the top of the game. As Ibrox Noise has pointed out, this is unrealistic.
Context Under Previous Managers
If Philippe Clement or Michael Beale had replaced Russell Martin, results would be similar. Their early tenures showed mostly wins and few draws. Fans ignore this. What did they think would happen? We would have climbed from 11th to 2nd or 1st. Any half decent manager could have achieved this. That shows little more than how bad Russell Martin actually was. He took Rangers to unprecedented lows. Therefore, improvement was inevitable. Going from 11th to near the top looks dramatic. Going from 3rd to 2nd to 1st looks smaller.
Verdict on a Five Year Extension
If Rohl takes us to the summit and keeps us there, our opinions may change. If he wins the title, even Ibrox Noise may concede he’s the right stuff. But we are not there yet. There is no evidence he can unsurp Celtic or Hearts. Beating Hearts caused overreaction. Fans want Rohl tied down for life. They want players knighted. This is typical. We do not blame fans because we have been starved of success. Even small success causes excitement. We at Ibrox Noise enjoy moments too. But we try to stay balanced. Giving Rohl five years based on one win seems reactive. Even to us, it looks excessive. Perhaps we are unfair ourselves. Maybe we should be Rangers fans jumping too!
Who knows.