Giovanni van Bronckhorst in line for Rangers stay as board take extra factors into account
Giovanni van Bronckhorst is set to keep his Rangers job during the World Cup as the board accept mitigating factors, Keith Jackson reports.
The Dutchman is currently on holiday with the Gers off now for a month, and his job is hanging in the balance after increasingly poor club form.
But there is now a belief that he will return to Ibrox during the tournament in Qatar and be given the chance to work on solving the current issues, as the injury crisis he is dealing with is being taken into account, as is the fact that “he’s still picking up the tab” for the 55th title win.
Jackson reported in the Daily Record late on Tuesday night: “Sources in Holland believe van Bronckhorst still has the backing of a board sympathetic to his predicament after asking him to bite the bullet in the transfer market to cover the costs of financing Steven Gerrard ’s title-winning season of 2019/20.
“It’s thought the Rangers hierarchy accept his situation has been further undermined by a crippling injury list.
“Van Bronckhorst has now headed off for a short break in the belief he’ll be back at Auchenhowie to resume work while the World Cup is ongoing.”
A source told the Record: “There have been no discussions that would make him feel otherwise.”
Stay of execution
If the board is essentially accepting that the dismal state of the season is not Gio’s fault then it is certainly a charitable assessment.
It cannot be denied that the injury issues are extensive, and any manager would struggle to keep the team running in top gear in those circumstances.
But at the same time, he hasn’t had them anywhere near top gear, and in the league it could be argued he also didn’t for most of last season.
The exploits in Europe in the previous campaign were fantastic and won’t be forgotten, but the step up to the Champions League this year was an abject failure, and surely wasn’t helped by van Bronckhorst publicly communicating that it was impossible for his side to compete.
The players look like they have taken that message to heart in some of their performances, including back in the SPFL where there is no excuse not to compete.
If the board have been trying to cut back in the transfer market because of spending under Gerrard then the recent accounts for last year would suggest they have done that, and don’t really explain why more wasn’t done this summer after the sales of Calvin Bassey and Joe Aribo, and certainly once Champions League qualification was secured.
The ongoing lack of clarity isn’t portraying a firm decision to back the manager, and suggests more that they are leaving him there because they can’t or won’t arrange an alternative, but the situation isn’t helping van Bronckhorst’s authority if they do decide to keep him.
In other Rangers news, the club can now finally hit the transfer market hard in January after a £55million windfall.