Giovanni van Bronckhorst on thin ice as Rangers Champions League stat emerges
Giovanni van Bronckhorst may have Rangers sat second in the Premiership, two points off Celtic, but his job may be far from safe at Ibrox.
The Light Blues were unceremoniously dumped out of the Champions League on Tuesday night (1 November) as Dutch champions Ajax controlled a 3-1 victory in Glasgow.
Having already been mathematically ruled out of the running to make the knockout rounds after gameweek four’s 7-1 hammering at the hands of Liverpool, they were hoping to avoid a remarkable statistic against Ajax.
They had to lose by less than two goals against Calvin Bassey and company to avoid becoming the worst team in the history of the Champions League group stage but they failed to do so.
Rangers ended their six matches with six defeats and a minus 20 goal difference, obviously missing out on the Europa League even though they could have made it on the final day.
European heroics last season were what endeared van Bronckhorst to Bears supporters everywhere but the tide could now be turning after this continental horror show.
All hopes are now pinned on their domestic form with a potential treble still on the cards in the Premiership, Scottish Cup and Premier Sports Cup.
Winning all three would almost be a miracle season for Rangers regardless of their European failures and it might be the only way van Bronckhorst can keep his job long-term.
He may already be on very thin ice at Ibrox after overseeing such a disappointing half-dozen games in what was an extremely tough group in all fairness.
A long run of wins is now almost necessary in the league to not only keep the pressure on Celtic in the title race but also restore some faith from the stands.
In other Rangers news, an investigation has been launched by the police after what happened during the Bears’ 4-1 win against Aberdeen.