Jim Gillespie’s opening press conference unveiling Derek McInnes revealed that McInnes is manager in name only. His role is quite literally that of head coach, as it was at Hearts. Gillespie explained that the manager title represented nothing more than symbolism and maintained Rangers tradition. It had nothing to do with McInnes actually being Rangers manager because he is not. And Rangers CEO Danny Rohl conclusion is telling.
Rangers wanted Danny Rohl to stay
However, Gillespie also offered a further mild revelation. Both he and chairman Andrew Cavenagh have repeatedly maintained the same position.
At no point have they suggested that Cavenagh’s statement about Danny Rohl remaining Rangers coach was merely a ruse.
Put simply, Jim Gillespie has categorically announced that Rangers wanted to keep Danny Rohl.
Now, this might be a lie. It might not represent the truth after all.
However, if Gillespie is being completely honest, Rangers did not want to dismiss Rohl. Circumstances simply changed regarding RB Leipzig.
If that is true, Andrew Cavenagh is no genius at all. He did not play this situation brilliantly, as many were led to believe.
Cavenagh may not have played a blinder
Cavenagh issued a lengthy statement announcing that Rohl would remain Rangers coach. Then Leipzig came in.
Initially, it appeared that Keith Jackson of the Daily Record was bang on.
The theory suggested Cavenagh had played Rohl into the market by inflating his value by stating he was to stay. Any interested club would then need to pay full compensation.
However, Gillespie has belatedly maintained the same line that Cavenagh delivered. That was, of course, that Rangers wanted to keep Rohl.
This suggests they may genuinely have wanted him to remain.
In fact, the Rangers owners are beginning to look as bumbling as we feared they might be.
We gave them huge credit for a shrewd move involving Danny Rohl. However, Gillespie’s comments suggest Rohl really was the coach they wanted going forward.
They wanted to keep Rohl after all.
Rangers insist circumstances changed
Rangers said circumstances changed regarding Leipzig. Only then did it become clear that McInnes was the man they wanted.
We are not going to draw any conclusions on that, not yet anyway.
However, if these men are being honest, this was not a canny move designed to secure full compensation for Rohl.
Quite simply, they wanted to keep him and there was nothing more to it.
Cavenagh and Gillespie favoured Rohl remaining at Rangers and building their team around him.
In all fairness, several major details support this theory. One concerns the number of summer signings clearly identified during the Danny Rohl era.
Derek McInnes does not seem to have signed anybody who fits what he would probably have wanted.
All of them appear much more in keeping with the Rohl, Purdy and Thelwell model.
Dan Neil represents an especially clear example. We know absolutely that he was 100% a Danny Rohl acquisition.
Rangers scouted Neil under Rohl and Rohl wanted him.
Rangers appear to be bumbling
This is exactly the problem. It may add credibility to the notion that Rangers would rather have kept Rohl.
Put simply, the club is bumbling. It is a mess.
Rangers appear to be stumbling from one mistake to another. The club no longer seems to know how to be Rangers.
We gave Cavenagh huge credit for what appeared to be a shrewd move.
However, based on Gillespie’s comments regarding Rangers CEO Danny Rohl, that credit is beginning to look completely undeserved.