The curious case of Youssef Chermiti in Danny Rohl’s Rangers revolution

Rohl moved from eighth to fifth in his first weekend as Rangers boss with a 3-1 win over Kilmarnock, Chermiti’s first goal for the Ibrox club. They were 13 points behind Hearts before the ball was kicked.

But now, with 11 games left in this roller-coaster season, Rangers are just two behind Derek McInnes’ pacesetters.

It was a turnaround few could have predicted, and many Rangers fans had already effectively canceled the league.

In his 19 league games in charge, Rohl has recorded 14 wins, four draws and just one defeat against Hearts at Tynecastle Park in December.

“The majority of this season hasn’t been great for Rangers,” former Rangers midfielder Scott Arfield told BBC Radio Scotland’s Sportsound channel. “Danny Rohl went out there and quietly got the team to fire again.”

The importance of the new head coach cannot be underestimated and he has even caught the attention of Scottish coach Steve Clarke.

“He’s found a style of play that suits the squad he has,” Clarke told Sky Sports. “It showed mid-week [against Motherwell] He’s not afraid to make changes, so he trusts his team.

“When you win matches, your confidence increases. If you come in as a coach and start winning matches, the players will immediately be offside.

“The players are with him, the fans are with him. It’s been a really good run for Rangers and they’re definitely going really well at the moment.”