Danny Röhl’s press conference before Sunday’s derby sounded less like a manager preparing to win a title and more like somebody explaining why Rangers have fallen short again.
The Rangers boss spent large parts of the press conference talking about mentality, pressure and players struggling in difficult moments. From a Celtic perspective, it was hard not to hear echoes of the same problems that have followed Rangers for years whenever the pressure tightens late in a season.
Celtic have hardly been flawless themselves. Martin O’Neill inherited a messy situation mid-season, injuries have ripped through the squad and the loss of Kasper Schmeichel forced another major adjustment at the back. Yet despite all that, Celtic head into the derby still alive in both the title race and the Scottish Cup.
That is where the contrast in mentality becomes interesting.
While Celtic have found ways to grind through difficult periods, Rangers now look like a side searching for explanations after damaging defeats at exactly the wrong time. Röhl openly admitted his players struggle once momentum swings against them during matches. Celtic supporters have watched that happen repeatedly this season.
The Rangers manager also spoke several times about standards and consistency. Without directly saying it, much of it sounded like an admission that Rangers still believe they are trying to catch Celtic’s level over the last decade and more.
Röhl addressed all of that ahead of Sunday’s meeting at Celtic Park.
He said: (Rangers FC YouTube), “In the last 15 years we didn’t win what we should do.
“A good process is not enough. We want to have titles. For this game you don’t need motivation.
“When it comes to some difficult moments, you have to survive. You have to come back to your strength and not drop back to old habits.
“It was a little bit the starting point where we really felt the belief. We are looking for is that you consistently play for the title again and again.”
That final quote probably says more than anything else.
Celtic supporters have spent years watching the club win league titles, and rebuild squads while remaining competitive. Rangers are still speaking about building consistency and creating standards.
Even Röhl’s comments about their January win at Celtic Park revealed how psychologically important beating Celtic still is for Rangers. He described it as the moment they finally believed they could challenge properly.
For Celtic, that expectation has existed for years.
Sunday’s match now gives O’Neill’s side the chance to put Rangers back into the same position they looked trapped in earlier this season, chasing Celtic while talking about next year instead of finishing the job in this one.
