- Danny Rohl described Rangers’ recent period as an “emotional rollercoaster” amid the James Tavernier fallout and final-day build-up.
- The Rangers boss insisted the decision to drop Tavernier was made with both emotion and team-first judgement, not personal conflict.
- Rohl confirmed he always intended to give Tavernier a proper Ibrox farewell, despite ultimately excluding him from the Hibs match.
Danny Rohl has opened up on the circumstances surrounding James Tavernier’s omission and departure, describing the past few weeks at Rangers as an “emotional rollercoaster” ahead of the final-day trip to Falkirk.
Tavernier was left out of the squad for what would have been his final Ibrox appearance against Hibs on Wednesday.
With the Rangers head coach’s decision prompting widespread discussion amid reports of a breakdown in relations.
Danny Rohl addresses James Tavernier departure
“I can share the emotional level in the full situation,” he said.
“When we speak about the full picture in the last three weeks for us as a group, for us as a club, it’s a very emotional rollercoaster.”
Reflecting on recent events, including a high-profile Old Firm atmosphere and damaging results, Rohl highlighted how quickly sentiment can shift in football.
“Let’s look back three weeks ago. It was a nice evening with the famous manager, Souness. Great atmosphere around the stadium. A lot of emotional ups and downs,” he explained.
The German coach went on to underline the distinction he believes is required between emotional reaction and structured decision-making.
“I think in all this time, there’s a huge difference between emotional decisions and decisions with emotions and I think this is my job as a manager,” he said.
“To make decisions, of course, with a lot of emotions. But also to look at what is the picture, what is best for the team, what is best for the club.”
Rohl on James Tavernier relationship
Rohl was keen to stress that his relationship with Tavernier remained professional throughout, despite the scrutiny surrounding the defender’s exclusion.
“I respect Tav and I think in the last couple of weeks, even when we knew he would leave the club and he made his decision in this moment, I think I always respect him,” he reiterated.
“We had a great communication. I was honest to him.”
He added that, in hindsight, certain conversations could have been handled differently, but maintained transparency was never lacking.
“When you come to a point where we are now, then of course we can reflect and can say, OK, maybe at this point and this point we could speak more in detail but I think I was, from the first part, very clear and open to him.”
James Tavernier Hibs snub
Rohl also explained his thinking behind the final decision to exclude Tavernier from the Hibs matchday squad, despite the emotional context of a farewell appearance.
“It was my final decision for him in this moment. But it was always in my mind to give him this goodbye,” he said.
“I think if you ask me what was in my head for this day, it was, at first, take three points, win a game, see Tav with his family, walking in, take the trophy, what he deserved, make a walk around the stadium and then finally get some minutes on the pitch.”
He confirmed the selection call was only finalised on matchday.
“My final decision is always on match day, three hours before the game, never overnight because as a manager, you make decisions with emotions and sometimes you have to sleep over your decisions,” Rohl explained.
The backlash from current and former Rangers
Rohl also addressed whether there was any regret over how publicly the situation has unfolded, particularly amid external scrutiny and social media reaction from former and current players.
“Yeah, I think in general there was a lot of questions,” he said.
“I tried to be very calm, explain just what happens, that everyone gets a view from this point. It was not emotional; it was also respect.”
Despite the controversy, Rohl reiterated there was no personal breakdown in his relationship with the long-serving captain.
“He was last week in my office, he was before the Celtic game in my office, we spoke,” he revealed.
“I respect him, what he did. I think I used the word legend of the club for a long, long time.”
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Rangers prepare to face Falkirk in their final fixture of a turbulent season, a match in which they will again be without Tavernier.
Rohl’s comments underline both the emotional strain of recent weeks and the managerial balancing act behind one of the club’s most controvertial modern exits.
