Nico Raskin has said something outstandingly interesting and it suggests to us at Ibrox Noise that all is very much not well in Rangers’ dressing room. As we all know, the league is gone and Rohl is a big part of why. Whether or not the fans back him in the majority is irrelevant for this one. We are surely aware that most fans do know that he had a big part to play in why it all went south. However, a big statement that Rohl made after the Hearts match was to complain that it was not a mentality issue, that it was a football issue. This has been derided by so many fans and major fan groups such as Heart and Hand who have pointed out that Rangers had only lost two matches all season and then to lose two in a row at a critical juncture was absolutely 100% a mentality issue.
Raskin contradicts his manager
The problem is for Danny Rohl is that he has just lost his captain. Danny Rohl’s captain is Nico Raskin. He has already stated categorically that he is his man on the pitch. 100% his man, not the actual captain, James Tavernier, who he barely had anything to say about at all. However, Raskin has contradicted his manager. Raskin explained that it was 100% a mentality problem and at this level that is what loses you titles. Consequently, Raskin does not agree with his manager. That is his captain. That is right. Danny Rohl’s captain does not endorse what Danny Rohl has just said. This is the bottom line.
Raskin’s comments:
“Obviously until you win the big things, mentality is always going to be the question. I think we have done pretty well to get ourselves back into the title race but we’ve not been consistent enough in the most important games, which were the last two.”
A fractured relationship
Now we do know that Raskin questions things. Former interim boss Barry Ferguson had a lot of quips to mention about Raskin and his attitude and being very outspoken. And that is fair enough. We do know that Raskin has that side to him. But if he is not in line with this manager at all here and is literally disagreeing with a fundamental issue of the manager’s thinking. That is not compatible. Simply put, that is not compatible. And if Rohl is relying on Raskin as his man on the pitch, that man on the pitch has to agree and endorse in what he is doing. He has to believe in his boss. He does not. Raskin does not believe in his boss.
What this says about the dressing room
And that statement tells you absolutely everything you need to know about the relationship now between the players and the manager. The only ones left who seem to love Danny Rohl now are the fans who back him up. But they always back up the manager, no matter who it is. Even back in the day before Bruges, Russell Martin. Absolutely marvelous.