Danny Rohl insists one Rangers question can never be asked of his players again despite Celtic set-back

Gers clawed their way back into Premier Sports Cup semi-final despite going a goal and a man down in the first half but ran out of gas

Danny Rohl inherited a group of Rangers players who have constantly been queried on character and mentality.

But the German says those questions should STOP after Sunday’s defeat to Celtic at Hampden.

In his first Old Firm derby, Rohl suffered a heartbreaking loss in the Premier Sports Cup semi-final.

With 10 men after Thelo Aasgaard’s red card, Rangers defied the odds to take Celtic to extra-time, thanks to James Tavernier’s late penalty equaliser.

In the end, his side ran out of gas.

Their legs had gone by the time Callum McGregor and Callum Osmand put the tie to bed and sent Martin O’Neill’s men to the final.

At full-time, Rohl was dejected at the result – but not by the performance.

He hailed his team’s courage in the face of adversity and claimed they looked favourites to win it at 1-1, despite being a man down.

Rangers fans will point to the ropey display of ref Nick Walsh as to why they lost.

But Rohl was determined to concentrate on the positives.

He’s only been in the job a fortnight but insists they’ve taken huge strides forward.

Before, these players might have crumbled in a derby where they were a goal behind with 10 men.

Rohl believes the fact they didn’t is proof that they’re on the right track and says it gives him huge encouragement for the future.

As he reflected on his first Old Firm experience, the 36-year-old said: “Consistency is the next step for us.

“The last two results went in our direction but today after a 3-1 everything isn’t nice. It’s still a defeat.

“But I saw us do a lot of things right to take something. After 90 minutes, I really felt we could win this game even with 10 men and our supporters were there for us.

“I’ve said there will be a few setbacks on our journey. This wasn’t a nice defeat. But even today I saw a huge step forward from a team who didn’t care if they had 11 or 10 men.

“They believed in what they were doing and what direction we’re going in. We had four times one v one with their goalkeeper with 10 men.

“But it’s small steps. I’m convinced if we carry on in this direction, we’ll get a lot of wins in the future.

“That’s the job of myself and my coaches, to go in that direction. We’ll show them what was good, what we have to improve – and then we’ll carry on.

“It’s about what we did well today. We showed a big character which was outstanding.

“We should never speak again about the mentality of this team because they showed how big that part of our game is.”

Rohl’s side were second best in the first half at Hampden as Celtic dominated – but they still carved out gilt-edged chances.

Youssef Chermiti and Nico Raskin both missed golden opportunities to score after Kenny had put their rivals in front.

Rohl’s tactical switches with 10 men helped them and by the end, he says it’s a clear sign of their progress that they were gutted not to win it.

He said: “At first, there’s disappointment there in the dressing-room and I felt it.

“With 10 men, that’s a good signal that my team is disappointed.

“After the red card we were on the front foot and brave.

“That was also how I acted at half-time with the team – we put one more offensive player in and changed the shape to 4-3-2.

“We had two guys up front to put pressure on the ball and we attacked them on the last line.

“I felt in the space behind we’d get chances.

“For me, the equaliser was fully deserved. Of course, the opponent will have some moments.

“But what we put into it, how brave we were, how we ran – it was outstanding for me.

“Of course at the end, the result at the end is 3-1 so we’re disappointed to be out of the cup.

“We have to be more clinical in both boxes to win games, that’s crucial.

“On Wednesday night we had a performance with not so many chances against us.

“Of course, we have to improve. But at the moment, I’m focusing on the parts where we’ve taken big steps forward.”

Rohl was reluctant to pin any blame on ref Walsh for the defeat, despite the official facing the wrath of the Rangers support.

Aasgaard was sent packing in the first half for a high challenge on Tony Ralston.

But later, Celtic defender Auston Trusty escaped with a yellow card despite kicking out at Gers keeper Jack Butland.

And Ralston was already on a booking when his handball won Rohl’s men the penalty which Tavernier buried.

The Rangers boss refused to slate Walsh for his performance – but questioned why Ralston didn’t see red.

He said: “I think there’s a rule. If it’s a handball, a block and a pen – it could be a yellow card.

“But there are so many rules about handball in the box and I don’t know everything.

“I haven’t watched the red card back yet but that’s the ref. It’s not my part to speak about this.

“My focus is always on myself. I said before the game, I won’t speak about other managers, other teams or refs.

“We can speak about all the single, individual decisions during the game.

“But that’s not my part, I won’t speak abou