Kris Boyd has been left stunned by Andrew Cavenagh’s handling of the Danny Rohl situation, and the former Rangers striker believes the chairman has pulled off a masterstroke that nobody saw coming.
Rohl is on the verge of leaving his role as the Light Blues head coach, as he is expected to be unveiled as the new Red Bull Salzburg boss on Monday.
This has come as a surprise, as it appeared Rangers would go into the 2026-27 season with Rohl at the helm, especially after Cavenagh publicly backed the German tactician at the end of the campaign.
The decision was met with fury from some sections of the Rangers support, as four consecutive defeats in the post-split fixtures, a third-place finish and a series of damaging behind-the-scenes revelations had left supporters convinced the change was needed immediately.
However, Kris Boyd now believes Cavenagh was playing a far more calculated game than anyone realised at the time, and the end result speaks for itself.
Now that Danny Rohl seems set to leave Rangers, how would you rate his time at the club?
Boyd left stunned as Cavenagh’s Rangers masterplan is revealed
Speaking on the Scottish Sun’s Go Ballistic show, Boyd delivered a glowing verdict on Cavenagh’s handling of the situation, suggesting the Gers chairman had backed Rohl with one eye firmly on what might follow.
His assessment was that the Ibrox outfit had effectively positioned themselves to receive compensation for a head coach many fans wanted sacked.
Boyd claimed that the Rangers board have “played a blinder” by getting a fee for Rohl, while simultaneously opening the door for a superior replacement in Derek McInnes.
He said: “I think if it does materialise the way that you’d expect it to do, I think you’ve got to say that Andrew Cavenagh and the Rangers board have played a blinder.
“Because there were a lot of Rangers fans unhappy when Andrew Cavenagh came out and backed Danny Rohl and thought they were wanting change because it’s all well getting back into a title race, but the way it finished at the end of the season wasn’t great.
“There were a lot of question marks over Danny Rohl, but for Andrew Cavenagh and the Rangers board to then look at it and say, ‘We’re going to back him’, I think they’ve come out with that fully expecting someone – a club – to come along and ask the question.
“And that’s exactly what’s happened. So, from potentially having to pay another manager off, now Rangers are in a situation where they’re going to get money for Danny Rohl, and for me, an upgraded manager, someone who understands the football club.”
What would your concerns be about Derek McInnes replacing Danny Rohl?
Why Boyd’s verdict matters – and why Cavenagh deserves credit
Boyd is not the first person to suspect Cavenagh was playing the long game all along, as Keith Jackson always believed the chairman was playing a game of bluff.
However, the pundit’s assessment cuts through the noise that surrounded Cavenagh’s decision-making all summer, and it is a verdict that Rangers fans should sit with for a moment before rushing to the next controversy.
The alternative scenario was stark, as the Glaswegian would have been liable for the remaining years of Rohl’s contract had Cavenagh sacked him immediately.
Instead, by standing firm and backing Rohl publicly, Cavenagh created the conditions for a European club to come calling, and when Salzburg duly arrived with Jurgen Klopp’s personal endorsement, the Gers were in a position to receive compensation rather than pay it out.
