If the Rangers board were going to sack Giovanni van Bronckhorst, you would think that they would have done it by now. Three games against St Mirren, St Johnstone and Livingston all failing to see a victory in recent weeks would normally be enough when question marks were already being raised about style of play and our Champions League efforts.
The Gers gaffer is now on holiday like the rest of his squad with Ross Wilson in Germany on a conference relating to transfers and the movement of players, surely if he was getting relieved of his duties it would be done on a face to face basis?
Dutch football expert Marcel van Der Kraan looks as though he has some inside information and has backed his compatriot to still be around after the World Cup with The Daily Record reporting the journalist’s comments:
“I think he’s counting on the fact he will be there once the World Cup is over. He’s gone on holiday at the moment, he is aware that there is some unrest among the fans.
“But if you look at the way he entered the club…Rangers is a massive club in Scotland and has a reputation in Europe, you can see that with how they went to the Europa League Final.
“He had very little to invest, but they carried on in the Champions League this season. They played against all the big teams with a very limited squad, and that squad was not built for the Champions League, and the Scottish league, and the cup (all at once).
“Ten injuries at the moment, he knows he has to work harder with his team, but he needs players. He has the backing of the board very much, and he is counting on the backing of the board, because they have not invested any more, and if you see the amount of injuries they’ve had, it would be very unfair to sack him.”
The board very much seem to be thinking a lot more rationally than the fan base is. Injuries have, no doubt, had an effect on our results and performances, however, the squad that took to the field against the teams mentioned about should have had more than enough to get all three points, especially when you consider that it was in the forward areas that we struggled most where we have more options.
It’s a massive gamble by the board because, if they give Gio another few games and then decide to act, they have just wasted a five-week break and, potentially, a transfer window too for a new manager to get to grips with his new squad.
Either way, they owe us an explanation as to what their plans are, keeping us guessing only adds to the frustration.