Rangers Champions League exit leaves official partner humiliated
Rangers bowed out of the Champions League group stages with a sixth defeat in six matches at home to Dutch champions Ajax.
Despite a late James Tavernier penalty, goals from Steven Berghuis, Mohammed Kudus and Francisco Conceicao saw the Amsterdam side run out 3-1 winners at Ibrox.
The result leaves the Light Blues with the worst record in the history of the group stage of the Champions League with zero points to their name and a goal difference of minus 20.
Official club media partners Heart and Hand did not hold back in expressing their embarrassment at the record they picked up once the full-time whistle blew in Glasgow.
“And, mercifully, it’s over. A humiliating campaign which has exposed every weakness in this Rangers squad,” they said via Twitter. “The only positive is that it has ended. Dismal.”
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Such a disappointing campaign in Europe can easily have knock-on effects on the Light Blues’ domestic season and Giovanni van Bronckhorst has to ensure that does not happen.
Carrying the hangover into Premiership games could see Celtic slowly inch away at the top of the table although the Hoops themselves have been less than impressive on the continent.
van Bronckhorst’s job is currently on the line at Rangers if he can’t put together a string of positive results in the Premiership to overhaul Ange Postecoglu’s side.
Anything but success is not generally accepted by the Ibrox faithful and while a Scottish Cup win saves some grace, it was the remarkable run to the Europa League final which has arguably saved the Dutchman so far.
Any further mishaps on the field could easily put van Bronckhorst on very thin ice in the manager’s role at Ibrox and that ice could be broken if Celtic start to pull away in the Premiership title race.
In other Rangers news, the Glasgow police are set to investigate an incident that happened in the stands during Gers’ 4-1 win against Aberdeen.