Kenny Miller: Giovanni van Bronckhorst can save Rangers job with new staff appointment
Kenny Miller believes Giovanni van Bronckhorst needs to bring in more energetic staff members to help him survive the sack at Rangers.
Van Bronckhorst is on the ropes at Ibrox and it’s up in the air whether he’ll remain Rangers boss throughout the World Cup break.
The Dutchman spearheaded the worst-ever Champions League campaign in history and has now allowed Gers to slip nine points behind Celtic in the title race by November. Throughout all of this, he’s remained fairly inanimate on the sidelines – something that has frustrated many Rangers fans in recent weeks.
But Miller believes that criticism of Van Bronckhorst’s touchline demeanour is unfair and that he needs staff members around him able to provide balance.
Via his Sunday Mail column (13 November, pg 61), BBC Scotland pundit Miller wrote: “He’s been slaughtered for being devoid of personality and character. He’s been accused of lacking passion and enthusiasm.
“But just because Gio isn’t a ranter and a raver – or doesn’t jump up and down at the side of the pitch – doesn’t mean there’s not a burning desire within him to succeed.
“Right now at Rangers, Gio is under severe scrutiny. An Old Firm job is up with the highest-pressure gigs in the game. So can some of his staff bring that energy? Because it’s important – in good times and bad – that someone is driving that behind the scenes. Particularly when they’re going through a tough spell like now.
“People are saying he could have appointed someone on his staff more in tune with Rangers as a club and the Scottish game. I agree.”
Too little, too late
Even if Van Bronckhorst bolstered his backroom staff with a passionate and energetic coach, fans would likely see it as desperation from the Dutchman.
Frankly, supporters have already turned on Van Bronckhorst and started admiring potential candidates – once that happens there’s no coming back for him.
On top of that, the players seem equally uninterested and would likely be open to a new manager coming in over the winter.
As Miller says, Van Bronckhorst was always going to remain calm and collected on the sidelines, and in his next job he’ll likely bring someone into his coaching staff that helps balance that out.
Players often look to the sidelines when things aren’t going to plan, and Van Bronckhorst repeatedly offered nothing to his players in that scenario. Lacklustre and lethargic performances came as a result, and it’s simply too late for him to address it.
Nothing can save Van Bronckhorst for the chop at Ibrox, but Miller’s suggestion is a vital lesson the 47-year-old can take with him throughout his career.
In other Rangers news, Giovanni van Bronckhorst was involved in a full-time bust-up with Glen Kamara