Doug Ward

Wed 17 November 2021 18:10, UK

Rangers have scheduled their pre-match press conference for the Hibernian game for Saturday, according to the Daily Record.

The newspaper reports that the media briefing was initially going to be held on Friday but it’s now been pushed back a day as Walter Smith’s memorial service is due to take place that day.

Speculation is also increasing about Giovanni van Bronckhorst and whether he’ll be in charge of Rangers when they play Hibernian in the Scottish League Cup semi-final at Hampden Park on Sunday.

If he isn’t, David McCallum will likely be in charge as caretaker manager and therefore likely to be thrust in front of the media for the press conference on Saturday.

Friday is for Walter

If Rangers do not officially appoint van Bronckhorst as their new manager bu the end of play on Thursday, then we’ll likely have to wait until Saturday or beyond for an announcement to be made.

No one wants anything to overshadow Smith on Friday as Rangers – and Scottish football as a whole – pay their respects to one of the game’s greatest managers.

Announcing van Bronckhorst on Friday and taking some of the shine away from Smith’s memorial would leave a sour taste in some of our mouths so we’ll more than happily wait until Saturday for Gio’s announcement to be made – if he is hired.

According to 90min, van Bronckhorst is already in Glasgow to put the finishing touches to his contract at Ibrox.

However, the ex-Feyenoord manager is yet to be spotted by anyone in the UK since his meeting in London at the weekend.

Rangers fans are scanning the skies, prowling the airports and probably even patrolling the seas and train stations to catch a glimpse of Gio if he’s coming into the country.

As no one has spotted him yet, we’re unsure about whether he’s actually in Glasgow but still, there are a lot of signs that an agreement is bound to happen at some stage.

In other Rangers news, a Celtic director has apologised for a word he used in the obituary for Ibrox legend Smith.