For the first time this season, Rangers have won a home Premiership match; Danny Röhl working wonders already!
On Sunday, the Gers beat Kilmarnock 3-1 at Ibrox, with Derek Cornelius breaking the deadlock, only for Killie to equalise on the cusp of half time, but goals from Danilo and Youssef Chermiti after the interval cemented the victory.
This is just the Gers second league victory of the season, beating Livingston at Almondvale in the last minute in September, thereby moving them up to fifth, just five points behind Celtic, albeit still 13 adrift run-away league-leaders Hearts.
New manager Röhl may only have been in situ for a week, but now faces a crucial seven days, with a tricky trip to Hibernian to come on Wednesday, before the small matter of a Glasgow derby at Hampden in the League Cup semi-finals next Sunday.
Ahead of these massive games, has Röhl unearthed an “exciting” talent who could replicate, arguably, the Premiership’s best striker?
Why Rangers should have signed Lawrence Shankland
During the summer, Rangers were heavily linked with a move for Scotland international striker Lawrence Shankland, given that his contract at Heart of Midlothian expired on 30 June.
After only a few days unemployed, Shankland decided to stay at Hearts, signing a new contract on 3 July, and he certainly showed Rangers what they could have had last month, scoring both as the Jambos won 2-0 at Ibrox.
Well, Heart of Midlothian are certainly the talk of Scottish football at this moment in time.
On Sunday, Derek McInnes’ side beat Celtic 3-1 at a raucous Tynecastle, going in front thanks to an early own goal, before quick-fire strikes from Alexandros Kyziridis and then Shankland from the penalty spot cemented a 3-1 victory.
This leaves Hearts eight points clear at the top, looking to become the first non-Old Firm champions of Scotland since Aberdeen 41 years ago, not facing one of the Glasgow giants again until they travel to Celtic Park on 7 December.
Shankland himself has now scored eight goals this season, five of which have come in the Premiership.
In contrast, right-back James Tavernier is the only Rangers player to have scored more than one league goal across their nine fixtures to date.
Thus, the Hearts captain, a boyhood Rangers fan, spotted at Ibrox for April’s Europa League quarter-final against Athletic Club, would unquestionably improve the Gers’ current team, but did Röhl discover his answer to Shankland during Sunday’s match, a forgotten star who could propel Rangers up the table?
Rangers have their own answer to Shankland
Sunday was certainly a memorable afternoon for new signing Youssef Chermiti, scoring his first senior goal since May 2023, but Danilo was the striker who caught the eye.
When he joined the club from Feyenoord for a reported fee of £6m in the summer of 2023, then-manager Michael Beale labelled him an “exciting player who likes to create and score goals”.
Meantime, Melvin Dupper of the Rangers Review described him as ‘quick’ and an ‘amazing instinctive finisher’, praising his work rate and pressing ability, but supporters have seen very little of any of that in the two and a bit years since.
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The Brazilian has scored just 14 goals in 61 outings for the club, sitting out 65 matches due to injury.
Sunday’s header was just his second goal since netting during the 3-0 demolition of Celtic in January.
Overall, as the table below outlines, Danilo had a very productive afternoon against Kilmarnock, despite limited involvement.
Goals
1
1st
Shots on target
1
2nd
Accurate passes
11
19th
Duels won
3
19th
Touches
18
22nd
Sofascore rating
7.3
4th
As the table documents, Danilo was not often involved in build-up play, emphasised by the fact he touched the ball just 18 times in 69 minutes on the park, three touches fewer than goalkeeper Jack Butland.
Nevertheless, when his sole opportunity of the afternoon came, he took it, heading past Killie keeper Eddie Beach.
It may be stating the obvious, but having a reliable goalscorer could transform this team, with new manager Röhl attempting to rebuild a sinking ship that has hit rock bottom, following Russell Martin’s catastrophic if only brief reign.
Hearts would not be clear at the top if it wasn’t for the goals scored by Shankland and summer signing Cláudio Braga, with Rangers still searching for their own talisman in attack, following a scattergun summer of recruitment.
New signings Youssef Chermiti and Bojan Miovski look substandard when compared to the pair they are supposed to be replacing, namely Cyriel Dessers and Hamza Igamane, so could Danilo, a player they already had, but many had written off, prove to be the centre-forward Röhl can hang his hat on?