BBC Sport pundit: Sir Alex Ferguson at Rangers could not catch Celtic on current form
Giovanni van Bronckhorst should be given time to rescue the situation at Rangers because nobody could do better currently, says Richard Foster.
The Dutchman is under immense pressure at the moment, with the fairytale return to the Champions League over in nightmare fashion, and a seven point gap opened at the top of the SPFL table to leaders Celtic.
But Foster believes it is reactionary to want him sacked, as his successes last season in reaching the Europa League final proved he has the ability, and even Manchester United legend Sir Alex Ferguson would struggle to rectify the current situation at Ibrox quickly.
In his BBC Sport column on Wednesday (9 November) Foster said: “Van Bronckhorst took Rangers to the Europa League final just a few months ago with his tactical awareness. He’s a good coach. You don’t lose that because you’re on a poor run.
“He needs time to take stock and just calm it all down. In Scotland we get caught up the hype, especially the Old Firm. Fans can shout “Gio out” on Twitter or have a go at players. I’m not saying to keep him only because there’s a question mark over who to bring in. It doesn’t matter.
“I don’t think anyone else could catch Celtic on current form. You could bring in Sir Alex Ferguson and he’s not going to instantly turn around seven points. So why not just give Van Bronckhorst time to rebuild?
“He deserves the right to put it right. Changing now would just mean starting again, like Van Bronckhorst had to do a year ago, where the whole process goes back to stage one. That doesn’t help Rangers.”
Direction of travel
Clearly nobody can instantly make a seven point gap disappear because it relies massively on Celtic dropping that many points.
That in itself is a big ask and is sure to require at least one Old Firm derby victory to claw back, but the bigger concern in light of recent results is whether the Light Blues can even keep up their end of the bargain in putting the pressure on.
A loss at St. Johnstone and a home draw against Livingston in the previous three games is not title-challenging form, before the European defeats in that time are even considered.
Maybe there isn’t a better coach available, and Foster is right to point out what van Bronckhorst has achieved in his time at Ibrox.
But it is equally possible to argue that he is a cup coach, since the league form last season was patchy even as the Bears were conquering all-comers in Europe.
Winning against Celtic is a must if you want to win the title at Rangers, and the current manager has only managed that once in five tries, in the cup no less, and has also been on the wrong end of 3-0 and 4-0 thrashings.
If he can get to the World Cup break on the back of two wins then there’s a chance he can turn things around with the right work during those weeks off, but any more dropped points before then and this season may be a write-off.
In other Rangers news, club accounts show a major £18million shortfall to Celtic even despite a cash influx that dwarfs the entire last decade.