talkSPORT pundits clash on Rafa Benitez to replace Giovanni van Bronckhorst at Rangers shout
Rafa Benitez is never going to replace Giovanni van Bronckhorst as Rangers manager as speculation increases around the Dutchman, according to Jason Cundy.
The Tuesday night (1 November) defeat at home to Ajax is just the latest damaging result for the Ibrox boss, who has presided over the worst group stage record for any side in Champions League history.
Potential replacements are starting to be linked, and while Cundy has scoffed at the idea of the Champions League winning former Liverpool, Chelsea and Newcastle boss heading to Glasgow, Jamie O’Hara is fairly convinced by it.
Reacting to a Gers fan mentioning the possibilities of Sean Dyche or Benitez live on talkSPORT, in a video posted on YouTube (1 November, 2min 40sec) Cundy said: “Rafa Benitez is not going to Rangers. He’s not.”
When asked why not by his co-host he turned the question back around, to which O’Hara said: “Well, it’s a big football club. Where else is he going to go? He flopped at Everton.”
Cundy went on: “I don’t know, but he’s not going to Rangers mate. Rafa Benitez going to Rangers!?”
He then turned back to the caller and added: “It’s not going to happen mate is it, come on.”
When the called suggested that it’s impossible to know for sure he cut in and shut the suggestion down with: “No, I do know.”
Sensible?
Benitez taking over at Ibrox would have a concerning element of the Aaron Ramsey deal to it, as a big name on big money who is nowhere near his previous levels.
The Spaniard was a top manager at Valencia, won trophies at Liverpool, added the Europa League as caretaker at Stamford Bridge, and had a good reputation at Newcastle, perhaps more than warranted.
His time in charge at Everton was miserable however, and while that reign was heavily coloured by his unpopularity as a former Anfield man, it doesn’t bode especially well for consideration at Rangers.
Dyche is surely a more reasonable suggestion, considering his record of punching above his weight on a small budget at Burnley.
Since the Light Blues are adamant that they have nowhere near the money that everyone thought they did from European football and sales recently that would be a boost.
The former Clarets boss has been angling for a return to the English Premier League, but it is proving harder to come by than he might have hoped, so he could do a lot worse than a tilt at the Scottish title.
Whether the hierarchy are minded to make a change with van Bronckhorst at all remains to be seen, as he has been backed through a miserable couple of months, but fans aren’t happy and if things fall away domestically he won’t have a leg to stand on.
In other Rangers news, the authorities may now be on the hook for an entirely-avoidable £75million to a former Ibrox man.