Danny Rohl’s in-tray after Rangers appoint him head coach

Danny Rohl has been appointed new head coach of Rangers on a two-and-a-half-year deal.

The 36-year-old former Sheffield Wednesday boss, who enjoyed coaching stints at the likes of Bayern Munich and the Germany national team, takes charge for the first time in Thursday night’s Europa League clash with Brann in Norway.

Here, PA news agency looks at the in-tray awaiting the new Rangers boss.

Get fans back on board

Russell Martin’s appointment and disastrous tenure has led to a huge disconnect between Rangers fans and the team and the club board. The Ibrox club had a £20million net spend in the summer in a bid to refurbish the squad and arguably the team has deteriorated. Martin’s five wins in 17 games in charge riled the fans, who have little to no confidence in the players. Chief executive Patrick Stewart and sporting director Kevin Thelwell have come under fire and as the search for a new boss turned into something of a fiasco, fingers were pointed at chairman Andrew Cavenagh and vice-chairman Paraag Marathe. Rohl will have enough on his plate convincing sceptical fans that he is the man for the job but will he also have to somehow gel the club together.

Get a tune out of the players

Rangers have yet to win two games in a row this season. They sit sixth in the William Hill Premiership table, 13 points behind leaders Hearts and it is not yet Halloween. There has been nothing of note – and certainly no goals – from Youssef Chermiti, signed from Everton for a jaw-dropping £8.5million. Other summer recruits such as Thelo Aasgaard, Oliver Antman and Joe Rothwell have failed to impress, as have loan players like Mikey Moore and Max Aarons. Indeed, skipper James Tavernier has been the best outfield player, with goalkeeper Jack Butland’s fine form preventing even poorer results. More is required from this squad before the January transfer window offers the chance to bring players in.

Rescue Europa League hopes

After a humiliating 9-1 aggregate defeat by Belgian side Club Brugge in the Champions League play-off, Rangers lost their opening two Europa League fixtures, against two sides widely believed to offer the best possibility of points in the League phase of the competition. A 1-0 defeat at home to Genk – another Belgian club – and a 2-1 defeat away to Austrian outfit Sturm Graz has left the Light Blues with no margin of error in their next six European fixtures. After Brann, there are matches against Roma, Braga, Ferencvaros, Ludogorets and Porto and it will take a huge upturn in form to pick up enough points to make the knockout stages.

Beat Celtic in the cup

A goalless draw in the Old Firm league game at Ibrox in August was widely regarded as one of the worst matches between the two teams in living memory. The two sides meet again in the Premier Sports Cup semi-final at Hampden Park on November 2. Rangers’ long-term aim is to overtake their Old Firm rivals, who have won 13 out of the last 14 titles and who rule the roost in Scottish football, albeit they are also in poor form this season. In the short term, a victory to set up a final meeting against either Motherwell or St Mirren would be a huge boost for the Ibrox club, its new boss and fans.