DANNY Röhl was delighted to sign off for 2025 in victorious fashion with a 2-1 win over St. Mirren at Ibrox this evening.
Thelo Aasgaard and Emmanuel Fernandez were on the scoresheet for the Gers as they rendered Mikael Mandron's late strike a mere consolation in St. Mirren's attempts to fight back in the latter stages.
Speaking to RangersTV after the triumph, which made it eight wins from the last eleven league outings under the German, he commented: "I thought we controlled the game really well for 75 minutes.
"We had good ball possession, were aggressive against the ball, and fully deserved the 2-0.
"But it's football and it's one moment where they make it 2-1 and you know what happens.
"One team then has nothing to lose and you need to protect the 2-1. In the end, it's a tight game, but I must give big, big respect to my team.
"They put a lot of effort in and this is what we need. It's about going again and again all the time.
"A big thank you to the supporters today. It was a pleasure to see and it was a great atmosphere.
"There are a lot of games ahead. We're on a long journey and we know what we need to do.
"There is work to do in January. Our goal was to close gaps and we've made good steps forward since I've been here, but we're still not at the end.
"Let's keep positive and continue our good work, have a good togetherness with our supporters like tonight in the stadium, and perhaps we can write a good story for the future."
On the performance of Youseff Chermiti, who teed up Emmanuel Fernandez to double the Gers' advantage and led the line impressively, Röhl continued: "He worked hard for the group. He always gives us a lift and he's the target player upfront.
"He pressed well and created a lot of good opportunities. I totally believe that if he continues with this work he'll score more goals for us.
"The first step was that he had a good game and if our fans recognise this then it lifts him and it creates more confidence."
Both goals this evening arrived from set-piece situations, with Aasgaard glancing home from Jayden Meghoma's delivery in the first half before Rangers stayed alive from the second phase of a corner to engineer Fernandez's strike.
It is testament to the work of Scott Fry, set-piece coach, who has saw several of his routines bear fruit on the pitch since his arrival.
Röhl added: "I'm really proud of my team. The belief is there in the dressing room, but we're hungry for more and we need to continue like this.
"We know in this league it's about scoring after ball possession, transition moments and set-pieces. We're improving and growing as a group.
"I see players stepping up more and more, and if we can continue this into the new year then we'll make the next good steps."
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