Relieved Danny Rohl admits Rangers will have learn to kill off their rivals

Danny Rohl tells Rangers stars how they can make his life easier despite Ibrox upturn in form
Gers passed up several opportunities in front of goal to give themselves more breathing room against Hibs

Relieved Danny Rohl admits Rangers will have learn to kill off their rivals before he’ll be able to relax on the Ibrox touchline.

The anxious German gaffer watched his side edge out Hibs to maintain his eight game unbeaten streak – but it was anything but comfortable.

The Leith side only had one big chance on a night of tension in Govan but saw Dujon Sterling clear off the line from Warren O’Hora’s header.

The returning defender then teed up Manny Fernandez to score the only goal 10 minutes from the break but it was another ragged display from the injury-hit Light Blues as they continually coughed up possession.

Rohl’s side could have calmed fraying nerves but Djeidi Gassama and Youssef Chermiti both wasted big chances late on to settle the result.

And a frazzled Rohl said: “I wish in the future that we use the open spaces from the opponent to kill them.

“I think this is also crucial, because then I can relax a bit more on the touchline!

“In the last 15 minutes, we had four opportunities to make it 2-0, and then we go home and we say, ‘Yeah, it was a good game’.

“But then we lose the ball one minute before the end, and end up with a corner against us – then you never know, it could be that something happens

This is what we have to improve.

“but I’m very happy for the result, for me an exceptional effort today from the group.

“We know it was not the nicest game in some parts of the game, I think also in the first half between minute 10 to 25 we lost a little bit of control, but always when we’re attacking forward, when we play forward, then you feel we can really hurt opponents, this is what we have to do more.

But when I see at the moment how many players we have unavailable and I see then that we’re running 95 minutes and put everything in, for me it was a fully deserved win.”

Rangers – who climb up to third – have yet to hit top gear but they are motoring at last in the league under Rohl, who has now won six and drawn two of his Premiership games so far.

And if they can find a way to put the brakes on leaders Hearts at Tynecastle on Sunday, they will suddenly find themselves only six points behind with a game in hand.

That would be a remarkable turnaround for a side that looked to have crashed out of the title race after that disastrous start under former boss Russell Martin.

But Rohl – who hopes to have striker Bojabn Miovski back available in Gorgie – isn’t getting carried away with that potential scenario, saying: “That’s the word – ‘if’.

“At the moment, it’s about recovery. I spoke about small steps, and I think we made steps, again.

“It’s five clean sheets now in the league. Yeah, we missed the three points against Dundee United a couple of weeks ago but we know what it means this weekend.

“But also, Sunday we will not decide the league, I think this is also important to understand.

We will go there, we will try everything to take the next points, to continue our unbeaten run, and then let’s see after the game where we are.”

Hibs could have overtaken Gers and moved up to fourth with a win.

But instead they are left deflated again having lost to the Light Blues for the third time this season.

And boss David Gray said: “I’m very frustrated because I asked the players to be brave, be aggressive, get after Rangers and go toe-to-toe and I thought they did.

“I thought they won the ball back well, in good areas and had a lot of control in the first half.

But the bit that let us down all night, which has been really unlike us, is the final third.

“So, for all the control I felt we had, Jack Butland didn’t really have a save to make. It wasn’t as if we had chance after chance and I think that was down to a lack of decision making sometimes and a lack of quality. The final third let us down.”