Danny Röhl’s reign as Rangers manager got under way with a dismal 3-0 defeat against SK Brann as their Europa League hopes were left hanging in the balance after a dreadful night in Bergen.
The new era was ushered in at Rangers with the appointment of the 36-year-old German on Monday, but the same old problems reared their ugly head, as goals from Emil Kornvig (40), Jacob Sørensen (55), and Noah Emmanuel Jean Holm (81) settled the clash in south-western Norway.
Rangers’ third successive defeat in the competition, the Ibrox outfit now sit rock bottom of the Europa League table with zero points, and a minus five goal difference. Their hopes of reaching the knockout stages are growing slimmer by the game.
Röhl will now turn his attention to the crucial Scottish Premiership clash with Kilmarnock this Sunday. Just one win from their opening eight league matches, he’ll hope to secure their first home league victory of the season and begin the turnaround his side so desperately needs after their start to the campaign.
Here’s how The Scotsman rated the performance of each Rangers player in the 3-0 loss to SK Brann:
1. Jack Butland - 7
Strong save from Mathisen's header kept it level, and he was called into action shortly afterwards via a drive from Finne. Despite the team's struggles on the pitch, he's having a strong season, which may explain a lot. Unlucky with the opener, and little he could do with the second. | SNS Group Photo: SNS Group
2. James Tavernier - 5
Clearly still offers something offensively, but when he's caught out of position in the way that he was for the opening goal, Rangers fans feel like they've seen it all before. | SNS Group Photo: SNS Group
3. John Souttar - 4
Made a good block to stop Brann opening the scoring on 12 minutes, but there was far too big a gap between him and Tavernier for the opener. His long-range passing out from the back was poor, and he was below-par for the majority of the night. | SNS Group Photo: SNS Group
4. Nasser Djiga - 4
Returned to the starting XI in place of Cornelius, but the Canadian won't be too concerned about losing his spot permanently on the performance. Not quite the self-sabotaging level of performance he was showing under Russell Martin, but he was bullied tonight and lacked concentration. | SNS Group Photo: SNS Group