Ex-Sheffield Wednesday boss Danny Röhl makes reporters chuckle with Dejphon Chansiri jab in Rangers press conference
Former Sheffield Wednesday manager Danny Röhl raised a titter from reporters gathered at a Rangers press conference as he delivered a cheeky sideways dig at his old boss Dejphon Chansiri.
The talented German coach, since replaced by his assistant Henrik Pedersen, left the Hillsborough club after a protracted saga that stretched throughout the summer. His last year with the club was punctuated with a calamitous public falling-out with outed former Owls chairman Dejphon Chansiri, with a torrid relationship coming to a head over the turn of the year before the Thai laid bare their struggles in a mammoth fans forum in mid-January.
It is well publicised that the pair didn’t speak for long periods and that Röhl was frustrated with Chansiri’s way of running the club. The German would have left the club much sooner for Southampton had the Owls owner not blocked the move and a summer of speculation over prospective suitors for the 36-year-old ended with Röhl walking away for no financial benefit to Wednesday.
Röhl has since moved on to take the top job at Scottish giants Rangers and faces a tough task in turning around a difficult start to the season under previous boss Russell Martin. In what are the embryonic stages of his time at Ibrox, encouraging results in league football have not yet transferred into European outings and his first Old Firm clash ended in defeat.
Speaking on the early stages of his time in Glasgow, Röhl spoke positively on his working relationship with Gers chairman Andrew Cavenagh - and contrasted his new experience with that of working with Chansiri, who has ceded power at Wednesday having been forced to place the club into administration.
“So far I must say, we have a great connection and relationship. We are always in touch after games, we speak or it is a message. I think this is good. I must say, I missed such a relationship in the last two years!”
After a pause that raised a knowing chuckle from reporters present, Röhl continued: “All of the people around me try to support me, they help in all the different parts of this job and my focus is to give them a lot back. This is my responsibility.
“I would say it was a different environment,” he smiled. “I think the club structure was a bit different. It was just the owner and me. I did from recruitment to match prep to looking for pre-season camps, a lot of things by myself. Of course, I had some great people. I think the relationship in the club was good. There were a lot of good people there and they're still there.
“But, of course, now you have more people around you. I think it's also important for me now to take the first three weeks. I put my notice together, all the information, and then soon we're on the national break. It's about focus.”