I’ve been annoyed recently at Rangers fans discussing who they would want as the next Rangers manager when there is still one in place, things haven’t been great – to put it mildly – but Giovanni van Bronckhorst has done enough for the club to deserve a little respect.
And yet…
Jumping on the bandwagon, replacing Gio could be an expensive procedure unless we can bring in a currently available manager, and one name that could well be a possibility, if reports are to be believed, is Ralf Hasenhuttl.
The obvious issue is that he is still employed by Southampton but The Athletic has claimed that a decision has already been made, a big call to make without verifying and trusting sources.
Some of his Southampton results might be alarming and off-putting, however, it is his style of play, mindset and approach that makes him an attractive proposition.
When he first moved to the Premier League from RB Leipzig, this is what he had to say:
“It’s a very proactive way to play
“Anyone who knows my teams before can see there are a lot of intensive runs and everyone knowing what to do.
“It depends on heart and a lot of running, and also on mind work and flexibility, and also being very quick in your decisions, and that’s what we try to improve in the training sessions we have.
“I try to create here an atmosphere where everyone is prepared to work hard. It’s an intensive way. They have to go with me and I think I force a lot from them, but when they do that they are welcome and they can follow us, and the guys who don’t will feel very quickly that they fall behind and it will be difficult.
“We try to give everyone the chance to come with us and go on this journey and I think if they want to they will develop themselves. When the team develops, each player will do so and will help themselves to a higher level.
“It’s about playing with young guys, and also a very intensive way to play. I think that’s what the people want to see.”
Almost everything that the current Rangers team is accused of lacking. Hasenhuttl also loves to play younger players given their energy and enthusiasm. Players like Charlie McCann and Alex Lowry could well be introduced at the expense of perennial failures.
It’s a strange season given the World Cup in the middle of it but it gives clubs the perfect chance to reset if things aren’t going their way, the question is, will Rangers be one of them?