Would Old Firm derby win be Rangers’ ‘trophy’ this season?

Would Old Firm derby win be Rangers' 'trophy' this season?Danny Rohl has been scrutinised for his decisions in the last two games

For those at Rangers, trophyless campaigns have become an all-too familiar occurence in the last decade.

Of the nine full seasons since returning to the Scottish Premiership in 2016, six have ended without silverware.

After Monday's defeat by Heart of Midlothian virtually ended their title hopes, that will become seven campaigns from 10 without a trophy.

Former Rangers midfielder Andy Halliday summed up the stakes for Danny Rohl and his side in Sunday's Old Firm derby at Celtic Park.

"It's obviously not what they were looking for, but the fact of the matter is Rangers' trophy now is to make sure that Celtic don't win the league," he told the Scottish Football Podcast.

However Rohl disagrees that Rangers' season is now about stopping Celtic winning the league, insisting they are playing for themselves and their supporters.

Keeping their hopes alive of qualifying for the Champions League has to be the aim, though. Defeat on Sunday would consign them to third place and no path to the riches of Europe's elite club competition.

There is also a point to prove for Rohl and his chastened squad.

After taking charge in October in the aftermath of Russell Martin's short and tumultuous reign, Rohl received plenty of praise for hauling Rangers into the race.

A 13-point gap to leaders Hearts came down to one before the split, but back-to-back defeats by Motherwell and the leaders have turned the tone of debate as Rangers slipped seven points behind with three games left.

At 37 and in his second role as a head coach, Rohl's lack of experience has been highlighted in the last two games.

Not starting Mikey Moore against Motherwell, despite arguably being Rangers' best player this season, and then being slow to adapt as Jens Berthel Askou's side raced into a 2-0 lead have been talked about.

At Tynecastle, Rangers dominated the first half but could not build on their advantage when Derek McInnes bolstered his midfield by bringing on Blair Spittal at the break. Hearts improved instantly and Rangers could find no response.

Rohl gave an interesting diagnosis of the issue on Friday, citing a lack of movement from his players to get on the ball compared to the first 45 minutes.

"If you don't move an opponent who is man-marking, you will still not find the right solutions," the German said.

"This is a part of what we have to do better to understand, even under the highest pressure, who is now the free man, how we can take him and how we can open up the spaces."

The explanation will fall on unimpressed ears of many Rangers fans, no matter how insightful it might be.

Rangers' record against the rest of the top six under Rohl is poor and exiting both cup competitions to Celtic has also not helped impressions – nor have two defeats at Tynecastle.

Rohl did engineer a turnaround against Wilfried Nancy's Celtic at the start of 2026, but has yet to outsmart Martin O'Neill, ceding a 2-0 lead in the last league derby.

If Celtic emerge victorious on Sunday, grumbles about Rangers' record in big games will grow louder. There is still plenty on the line.

Calmer heads might point out Rohl inherited a squad that was widely criticised before his arrival and moulded them into unlikely title contenders.

Striker Youssef Chermiti has improved, along with other previously maligned figures such as Emmanuel Fernandez and Nasser Djiga.

They may also consider a Janaury window which yielded left-back Tuur Rommens – who has performed well when fit – as well as other promising players such as midfielder Tochi Chukwuani and striker Ryan Naderi.

Only Hearts and Dundee United have claimed more points from losing positions in the league than Rangers, which does point to an ability to respond as well as a fragility in going behind.

Rohl declined to criticise his squad's mentality immediately after the Hearts defeat, which has been a common topic at Ibrox in the last decade. But on Friday, he hinted it is an area that needs addressed at the club.

"If you look a little bit back and we are honest to each other, in the last 15 years, we didn't win what we should do," Rohl said.

"This is a big part of what we have to change – we have to make a lot of things better and it starts to set new standards.

"In the last six months, we improved the standards higher and higher.

"In the last seven days, we couldn't and I think this is a big part in our future. Set new standards and it means we have to change things in this building.

"A process without a winning of titles is not enough for our club and in this direction we move forward. I'm really motivated and really ambitious for the new season."

It is words Rangers fans have heard for a while now. Only wins and trophies count for Rohl, and that starts on Sunday before another big summer awaits.

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