Danny Rohl has dug his heels in defending his decision to bench James Tavernier ‘for the good of the team’.
The under-fire Rangers manager, deeply unpopular now with the dressing room and fans, remained adamant that his call to bench Tavernier was the right one for the team.
You know, the team that he failed miserably and whose match v Hibs was an inconsequential dead rubber.
Despite the complete lack of importance of the match, Rohl decided that Tav should be benched. And he defends that because of the importance of the match:
What are your thoughts on James’ statement?
I think, in general, I can share the emotional level in the full situation. I think this is normal. I think, in general, when we speak about the full picture, in the last three weeks, for us as a group, for us as a club, it’s a very emotional rollercoaster. Let’s look back three weeks ago. It was a nice evening with the famous manager Souness, great atmosphere around the stadium, really felt welcome there. And we go with a lot of positivity in the split, where we said we really have a chance to win something. And then I think the last four games, a lot of emotional ups and downs. 2-0 down against Motherwell, you come back 2-2 late, 3-2, you lost the game, you lead vs Hearts, 1-0, played a good half, you were close again to be back in the race, you dropped again.
Respect
We lead away in Celtic, some decisions a little bit against us, you lose again, 3-1. And finally, we come to an emotional week, not just for us as a group, but also for, in this case, Tav. And I think in all this time there’s a huge difference between emotional decisions and decisions with emotions. And I think this is my job as a manager, to make decisions, of course, with a lot of emotions, but also to look at the picture, what is best for the team, what is best for the club.
And then, of course, I respect Tav in all of them, and I think in the last couple of weeks, even when we knew he left the club and he made his decision at this moment, I think I always respect him. We had a great communication, I was honest with him, I was honest with him in this case as well. And this is what I can say about this topic.
Could the situation have been handled better?
Yeah, I think in general when you come to a point where we are now, then of course we can reflect and say, OK, maybe at this point we could speak more in detail. But I think I was very clear and open to him, and I think that was the reason why it was also my wish and suggestion that he gets a proper goodbye on Wednesday. But also at this time I always said to him, it could be you start, it could be I come from the bench. This is not the point, I think. If you ask me what was in my head for this day, it was at first to take three points, win a game, see Tav with his family, walking in, take the plaque, which he deserved, make a walk around the stadium and then finally get some minutes on the pitch.
If it’s a starter or sub, this was it for me. In the case of how I spoke with him, clearly, I gave him a suggestion. He asked me if I’m a starter, and I said, if nothing changes overnight, you will not start, but you will get your minutes on the pitch. I think my team knows it. My final decision, and this is the reason why I said, it’s always on matchday [I decide my team], three hours before the game, never overnight. Because as a manager, you make decisions with emotions and sometimes you have to sleep over your decisions to make final decisions. It was the normal process.
Have you spoken to him since the statement yesterday? Where does it leave him for tomorrow’s match?
Unfortunately, he has his injection today, which we expected, and of course, if we see each other, I think, and this is my job, I always respect him as a person, and of course I have no problem with him. I think it was a decision I had to make as a manager. If we see each other, we will speak, and then we will move forward.
How did you tell him why you thought he shouldn’t have started?
Again, I took the picture, I collected information. I think we, and this is also part, we are still a club to play for results and for wins, and I made the decision what is best for the team at this moment. And it was my final decision for him at that moment. But it was always in my mind to give him this goodbye and to think the club had prepared something, and I was honest with him.
He’s received quite a bit of support on social media from past players and present players. Are you in any way concerned that you will have an issue in your own dressing room as a result of the way this has been handled?
I think in general, in this part, it’s about… I take it more in this way, I showed how strong the relationship is between the players. I think this is always great. I don’t take it personally, if there is a like or not a like, I think. And that’s also not… And this is what I take, and if there is a like or repost or something like this, then it’s more about… It’s not this or this side for me. I take it that… Yeah, and if you see the picture from the statement, then you can also see, OK, maybe this is about the emotional side, and it’s the reason why they like this emotional goodbye.
Was your relationship with him always strong?
100 per cent. From my side, I think he was last week in my office, he was before the Celtic game in my office, we spoke. I shared some thoughts about the game, and I said this in public here, that I respect him for what he did. I think I used the word of an agent of a club for a long, long time. From my point of view, there was never a problem with him, because I always try to have the best relationship with my captain, because he is the guy who leads the group.
Is there a sense of regret that this is played out so publicly?
Yeah, I think in general there were a lot of questions, because he was not in the squad or something like this, and then I tried to be very calm, explain just what happens, so that everyone gets a view from this point. It was not emotional; it was all out of respect, and this is what I did.
In short, Rohl did everything he could to upset Tavernier, deny him his send off, and denies he did so.
Not much more we can add.