Gary Keown lashes out at Rangers boss Giovanni van Bronckhorst
Gary Keown has lashed out at Rangers boss Giovanni van Bronckhorst for his side’s poor European campaign this season.
The journalist wrote for Scottish Mail on Sunday (6 November, page 102) that it was the negative mentality of the Dutchman that resulted in the worst performance ever by any side in the Champions League group stages.
He has branded it as a “loser” mentality, adding Van Bronckhorst’s comments against Ajax was the “final insult” that eventually led to their downfall.
“Absolute loser behaviour. At Rangers, the tone was different during their great Champions League return. It was set from the start with manager Giovanni van Bronckhorst emerging in the wake of a 4-0 opening-day loss to Ajax and admitting his team can’t compete at that level because of money,” wrote Keown.
“When Van Bronckhorst (below) was waving the white flag with five games still to go, is it any wonder his players gave up the ghost? And they absolutely chucked it in that second half when going down 7-1 to Liverpool in the worst home defeat of the club’s history.
“t didn’t get much better. After being taken apart by Ajax at Ibrox in the last of Group A’s ritual sacrifices on Tuesday, Van Bronckhorst’s press conference was just the final insult in a campaign full of them.
“Trying to deflect blame for what unfolded on Ajax being given six days off by the Dutch league? For those of us who spoke to the Rangers manager after a grim 1-1 home draw with Livingston two weeks ago, those words most certainly jarred.”
Moving on
Keown is right to a certain extent. After taking the club to the final of the Europa League, it was expected that the Bears will at least put up a fight in the Champions League this season.
However, after the 4-0 defeat against Ajax in their opening game, it felt like the players were led to believe that they can’t bridge the gulf in quality.
It is a fact that the Bears were pitted in a group of death, where they had to face strong terms like Liverpool and Napoli as well.
Also, it is a fact that these European clubs earn a lot of money compared to Rangers. They can attract world-class players, and in terms of finance, there is no comparison.
Nobody expected them to make the knock-out stages either. But the manner, body language, and attitude with which they approached the tournament deserve strong criticism.
The injuries didn’t help either but there was hardly any positive reaction from the Dutchman which could have galvanized the team.
In other Rangers news, Nicola Sturgeon has been called out amid a worrying recent development at Ibrox.