DANNY ROHL discovered Rangers’ problems run deeper than former boss Russell Martin as the Light Blues were blitzed 3-0 by Brann in Bergen.
The 36-year-old German head coach was installed as Martin’s successor on Monday with the Gers sitting sixth in the William Hill Premiership and having lost their opening two league phase games in the Europa League to Genk and Sturm Graz.
However, a new era at Rangers continued along familiar lines against a side third in the Norwegian top flight.
Emil Kornvig scored five minutes before the break to give Freyr Alexandersson’s side a deserved interval lead. Jacob Sorensen added a second after 55 minutes with Noah Holm firing in a third in the 79th minute, on a night when once again the beleaguered Light Blues performed to an embarrassingly low standard, and now sit pointless.
It seems there will be no quick fix for Gers fans desperate to see the Ibrox club shake themselves out of their lethargy.
With five remaining Europa League games against tough opposition, progress into the knockout phase looks unlikely, and after a sobering debut, the former Sheffield Wednesday boss now has to prepare his side to face Kilmarnock at Ibrox on Sunday.
Rohl’s first team selection saw him bring in defender Nasser Djiga and much-maligned 21-year-old striker Youssef Chermiti for Derek Cornelius and Bojan Miovski, who were both on the bench.
Sporting director Keven Thelwell had this week defended the signing of unproven Chermiti for a reported fee of £8.5million (€10 million) from Everton, and he found little joy with some early touches and missed a first-half sitter, but his teammates were really no better.
The home side looked more fluid and organised, and in the 14th minute, Eivind Helland headed a corner wide before Gers keeper Jack Butland made a terrific save from Ulrik Mathisen’s point-blank header, after he was set up by Holm.
Butland then parried Bard Finne’s angled drive before Holm fired over the bar but Rangers came back and Norway international Thelo Aasgaard miskicked 14 yards from goal after taking a pass from skipper James Tavernier.
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There was more profligacy when Chermiti meekly headed a curling Nicolas Raskin cross into the hands of Brann keeper Mathias Dyngeland.
The Norwegian side had regained control when Finne raced into the box with Tavernier nowhere to be seen, but although he took a poor touch as defender John Souttar challenged, the ball moved past Butland with Kornvig first there to knock it into the net.
It was more of the same after the break for Rangers, and the second goal was soon conceded, after Gers winger Oliver Antman conceded a foul wide on the left.
When Finne curled the free-kick into the box, Sorensen easily got away from defender Jayden Meghoma to knock the ball past Butland.
Antman made way for Mikey Moore, who flashed a cross from Meghoma over the bar from 12 yards, but Holm was more clinical from the same distance when a cross from Vetle Dragsnes landed at his feet.
For frustrated Gers fans, it was a new face in the dugout but the same old frailties on the pitch.
Aberdeen's Leighton Clarkson walks on the pitch after AEK score the fifth goal. Alamy Stock Photo
Alamy Stock Photo
AEK Athens 6
Aberdeen 0
Aberdeen’s mini-revival was halted in demoralising fashion as they crashed to a meek 6-0 Conference League defeat at the hands of AEK Athens in the noisy OPAP Arena.
Jimmy Thelin’s side arrived in the Greek capital buoyed by moving off the bottom of the William Hill Premiership following back-to-back wins over Dundee and St Mirren.
But their hopes of building further momentum and picking up their first Conference League points were destroyed as the ruthless hosts eased into a three-goal half-time lead.
The Greeks continued in the ascendancy after the break to leave the bedraggled Reds, who travel to Cyprus to play Larnaca in a fortnight, languishing at the foot of the table with no points and a goal difference of minus seven.
Thelin made two changes to the side that started in Paisley last Saturday as Topi Keskinen and Marko Lazetic replaced Irish defender Gavin Molloy and Kevin Nisbet, while former Livingston and Hearts left-back James Penrice started for AEK.
The visitors looked the more threatening side in the opening 10 minutes, with Jesper Karlsson, who fizzed a free-kick just wide from 30 yards, particularly lively.
But the wind was soon removed from their sails when AEK went ahead in the 11th minute as Aboubakary Koita stepped away from Graeme Shinnie and fired a low left-footed strike across goalkeeper Dimitar Mitov and into the far corner from just outside the box.
The Dons completely lost their way thereafter as the Greeks turned the screw.
Shortly after defender Filipe Relvas headed against a post from a Penrice free-kick, the home side doubled their lead in the 18th minute.
It came from a counter-attack after Dons pair, Stuart Armstrong and Karlsson, both turned down inviting shooting opportunities, with Koita slotting an angled shot beyond Mitov from just outside the six-yard box after being fed by Lazaros Rota.
AEK’s third came in the 27th minute when Niclas Eliasson produced a cool finish from 10 yards after the home side stole possession on the edge of the box from Jack Milne, who had been put in trouble by a needlessly risky pass from Mitov.
Thelin responded by replacing Keskinen, who had been playing left wing-back, with centre-back Alfie Dorrington and switching from 3-4-3 to a 5-3-2 formation in an effort to stem the bleeding.
The change made little difference, with AEK spurning no less than five great chances to stretch their lead further before the interval.
Boos were audible from the travelling Dons support at half-time, and Thelin made a double change for the start of the second half as Dante Polvara and Ante Palaversa came on for Shinnie and Adil Aouchiche.
But AEK’s dominance remained after the break, and Razvan Marin produced an acrobatic close-range finish in the 55th minute after Frantzdy Pierrot’s effort rebounded off a post.
Further goals in the closing 10 minutes from substitutes Luka Jovic, who outfoxed Mitov from six yards, and Dereck Kutesa, who went clean through and finished clinically, completed a humiliating evening for the Dons and brought fresh pressure on Thelin.
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Danny Rohl suffers eye-opening defeat in first game in charge of Rangers
Brann 3
Rangers 0
DANNY ROHL discovered Rangers’ problems run deeper than former boss Russell Martin as the Light Blues were blitzed 3-0 by Brann in Bergen.
The 36-year-old German head coach was installed as Martin’s successor on Monday with the Gers sitting sixth in the William Hill Premiership and having lost their opening two league phase games in the Europa League to Genk and Sturm Graz.
However, a new era at Rangers continued along familiar lines against a side third in the Norwegian top flight.
Emil Kornvig scored five minutes before the break to give Freyr Alexandersson’s side a deserved interval lead. Jacob Sorensen added a second after 55 minutes with Noah Holm firing in a third in the 79th minute, on a night when once again the beleaguered Light Blues performed to an embarrassingly low standard, and now sit pointless.
It seems there will be no quick fix for Gers fans desperate to see the Ibrox club shake themselves out of their lethargy.
With five remaining Europa League games against tough opposition, progress into the knockout phase looks unlikely, and after a sobering debut, the former Sheffield Wednesday boss now has to prepare his side to face Kilmarnock at Ibrox on Sunday.
Rohl’s first team selection saw him bring in defender Nasser Djiga and much-maligned 21-year-old striker Youssef Chermiti for Derek Cornelius and Bojan Miovski, who were both on the bench.
Sporting director Keven Thelwell had this week defended the signing of unproven Chermiti for a reported fee of £8.5million (€10 million) from Everton, and he found little joy with some early touches and missed a first-half sitter, but his teammates were really no better.
The home side looked more fluid and organised, and in the 14th minute, Eivind Helland headed a corner wide before Gers keeper Jack Butland made a terrific save from Ulrik Mathisen’s point-blank header, after he was set up by Holm.
Butland then parried Bard Finne’s angled drive before Holm fired over the bar but Rangers came back and Norway international Thelo Aasgaard miskicked 14 yards from goal after taking a pass from skipper James Tavernier.
There was more profligacy when Chermiti meekly headed a curling Nicolas Raskin cross into the hands of Brann keeper Mathias Dyngeland.
The Norwegian side had regained control when Finne raced into the box with Tavernier nowhere to be seen, but although he took a poor touch as defender John Souttar challenged, the ball moved past Butland with Kornvig first there to knock it into the net.
It was more of the same after the break for Rangers, and the second goal was soon conceded, after Gers winger Oliver Antman conceded a foul wide on the left.
When Finne curled the free-kick into the box, Sorensen easily got away from defender Jayden Meghoma to knock the ball past Butland.
Antman made way for Mikey Moore, who flashed a cross from Meghoma over the bar from 12 yards, but Holm was more clinical from the same distance when a cross from Vetle Dragsnes landed at his feet.
For frustrated Gers fans, it was a new face in the dugout but the same old frailties on the pitch.
AEK Athens 6
Aberdeen 0
Aberdeen’s mini-revival was halted in demoralising fashion as they crashed to a meek 6-0 Conference League defeat at the hands of AEK Athens in the noisy OPAP Arena.
Jimmy Thelin’s side arrived in the Greek capital buoyed by moving off the bottom of the William Hill Premiership following back-to-back wins over Dundee and St Mirren.
But their hopes of building further momentum and picking up their first Conference League points were destroyed as the ruthless hosts eased into a three-goal half-time lead.
The Greeks continued in the ascendancy after the break to leave the bedraggled Reds, who travel to Cyprus to play Larnaca in a fortnight, languishing at the foot of the table with no points and a goal difference of minus seven.
Thelin made two changes to the side that started in Paisley last Saturday as Topi Keskinen and Marko Lazetic replaced Irish defender Gavin Molloy and Kevin Nisbet, while former Livingston and Hearts left-back James Penrice started for AEK.
The visitors looked the more threatening side in the opening 10 minutes, with Jesper Karlsson, who fizzed a free-kick just wide from 30 yards, particularly lively.
But the wind was soon removed from their sails when AEK went ahead in the 11th minute as Aboubakary Koita stepped away from Graeme Shinnie and fired a low left-footed strike across goalkeeper Dimitar Mitov and into the far corner from just outside the box.
The Dons completely lost their way thereafter as the Greeks turned the screw.
Shortly after defender Filipe Relvas headed against a post from a Penrice free-kick, the home side doubled their lead in the 18th minute.
It came from a counter-attack after Dons pair, Stuart Armstrong and Karlsson, both turned down inviting shooting opportunities, with Koita slotting an angled shot beyond Mitov from just outside the six-yard box after being fed by Lazaros Rota.
AEK’s third came in the 27th minute when Niclas Eliasson produced a cool finish from 10 yards after the home side stole possession on the edge of the box from Jack Milne, who had been put in trouble by a needlessly risky pass from Mitov.
Thelin responded by replacing Keskinen, who had been playing left wing-back, with centre-back Alfie Dorrington and switching from 3-4-3 to a 5-3-2 formation in an effort to stem the bleeding.
The change made little difference, with AEK spurning no less than five great chances to stretch their lead further before the interval.
Boos were audible from the travelling Dons support at half-time, and Thelin made a double change for the start of the second half as Dante Polvara and Ante Palaversa came on for Shinnie and Adil Aouchiche.
But AEK’s dominance remained after the break, and Razvan Marin produced an acrobatic close-range finish in the 55th minute after Frantzdy Pierrot’s effort rebounded off a post.
Further goals in the closing 10 minutes from substitutes Luka Jovic, who outfoxed Mitov from six yards, and Dereck Kutesa, who went clean through and finished clinically, completed a humiliating evening for the Dons and brought fresh pressure on Thelin.
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Danny Rohl Russell Martin Soccer Aberdeen Rangers Woe