Giovanni van Bronckhorst was hired as Rangers manager because he was a good fit, he ticked more boxes than any other candidate and was the proverbial open goal for Ross Wilson to tap-in.
One of his qualities is that his style of play and preferred systems suited the squad that we have which led to a shortened period of adaptation for the players, if anything, they look more comfortable under the Dutchman than his predecessor.
When asked about how well the squad has taken to the shift in philosophy, and how well the players have adapted, he said:
“They have handled it well and I am very pleased about it. There is fun and energy around the squad and the results have been going well too.
“Gerrard did an excellent job, but I am a manager with a different system. I try and play down the flanks with wingers and a No.10.
“So I would say the biggest change since I came in is that we have started playing with out-and-out wingers because we have the players with those qualities to do that.
“And I have to say that so far it has worked out very well.”
Several members of the squad have seen an upturn in form; the full-backs can concentrate on defending more, the centre-halves have more protection and less space to cover, our central striker doesn’t have to drop into midfield and our attacking players are given the freedom to create.
The early signs are good and hopefully we can get to the winter break in just as strong a position – if not better – when the manager will have two weeks where he can work with the squad without interruption, fines tuning a system that is already looking good.