Giovanni van Bronckhorst singled out Ryan Kent in the aftermath of Wednesday evening’s victory over Hearts at Ibrox.
The much-maligned winger provided a real spark in the second half which included a pivotal role in the move that produced the only goal of the game from Malik Tillman, following an assist from Borna Barisic.
Gio declared himself most satisfied with the three points but it was Kent stepping up to take responsibility that earned a shout out from the manager, who also revealed that James Sands bumps and bruises should not rule him out of contention for St Mirren on Saturday.
Van Bronckhorst happy with the points. Says second half was an improvement because his side weren’t playing around Hearts as much.
Praises Ryan Kent who he hopes can take confidence from the game. pic.twitter.com/wy170vESQu
— Joshua Barrie (@JoshuaBarrieRR) November 9, 2022
It isn’t a case of papering of the cracks, the majority of the evidence showed that this was another frail, insipid performance from Rangers but there was life in the second half. It was essential that it came, with the hosts having the majority of possession once again. Several attempts on goal were created but as we’ve seen before, too few of these were clear cut chances.
The move for the goal from Tillman came long after a very similar situation that should have brought about an opener from John Lundstram after good work from Kent who has to take confidence from the outcome of his performance. His head needs to be lifted for his own good but clearly all is not well with him, given how under par he has been. It looked like another lacklustre display would peter out but the Englishman found his rhythm to make a crucial contribution.
Cohesion and quality was in short supply overall, as Gio’s Rangers continue to deflate and ultimately, disappoint. The manager is on record several times about the need to improve, be better, do x and y differently but there is very little to believe in going forward. That is squarely on the manager, his methods and leadership of the team at present which isn’t likely to be significantly altered with the return of the likes of Connor Goldson, Tom Lawrence and Ryan Jack. On we go.