Giovanni van Bronckhorst (2021 to 2022)
Giovanni Van Bronckhorst (GVB) was sacked as Rangers manager in November 2022 after little more than 1 year in charge. On the face of it, this would suggest that the decision to appoint him as the 17th permanent manager (following the sudden departure of Steven Gerrard) had been a poor one. That would be an extremely harsh take on events.
Gio had played for Rangers during the late 1990’s, one of a large contingent of Dutchmen to join the Club during the Dick Advocaat era. A hugely talented midfielder, he won major honours with Feyenoord, Rangers, Arsenal and Barcelona during a distinguished playing career in addition to appearing in the 2010 World Cup Final. If his playing CV more than lived up to that of his predecessor, so too did his coaching resume. Returning to Rotterdam after hanging up his boots, GVB spent almost eight years with Feyenoord, initially as assistant and subsequently as manager where he delivered a first League title in 18 years. He was a popular appointment amongst the Rangers support and any hangover caused by Gerrard’s exit soon subsided.
Gio’s time as Rangers manager was the cliched roller-coaster ride, a mixture of unbelievable highs and real low points. The first two matches played following his arrival set the tone. A trip to Hampden would see his new side face Hibernian in the semi-final of the League Cup. Frustratingly, his work permit had not yet been finalised and he would have to watch helplessly from the Director’s Box, unable to offer any input as our dismal domestic Cup record continued. If the performance of the team would have come as a shock to GVB, the reception afforded to him by the large Gers support may have offered some degree of solace. In the very next game, his first in charge, he galvanised the group sufficiently to defeat Sparta Prague by the required 2-0 result thus ensuring qualification from the group stages of the Europa League.
It was in that Europa League competition where Rangers excelled during season 2021/22, defeating favourites Borussia Dortmund in Germany and scoring 4 goals in the process. Having completed that assignment in Glasgow there then followed further heroic performances against Red Star Belgrade and Braga at Ibrox. GVB appeared to relish the tactical aspects of these ties, regularly tweaking the formation throughout games. With the atmosphere within the stadium cranking up a level with each passing round, when RB Leipzig came to town on 5th May 2022 defending just a single goal lead, there were very few Rangers fans who doubted that we would reach the Final. It felt like it was written in the stars. The untimely death of long serving and much-loved kit man Jimmy Bell in the lead up to the match added to the raw emotion of the occasion. Almost 50 years on from our only European trophy success, Rangers triumphed 3-1 to set up a clash with Eintracht Frankfurt in Seville. Many of those Thursday evenings under the lights will live long in the memory but the RB Leipzig match must surely compare with anything in the first 150 years of the Club. Despite the trauma of the previous days and, indeed, much of the previous decade, Gio had incredibly led the side to a second European Final in just 14 years. There were tears of joy on the pitch and up in the stands.
Victory in Seville would ultimately elude Rangers but the players gave Gio everything and in the lost out by the finest of margins. Injuries to talisman Alfredo Morelos and Kemar Roofe left him without a recognised striker in the starting line-up in what was the biggest match of his managerial career. It was hardly ideal and yet his side still came agonisingly close to going all the way. Those who were fortunate enough to witness any of those nights at Ibrox or travel to Seville will, I am sure, always have fond memories of Gio’s relatively brief time in charge.
As Rangers marched on to Seville in some style, the league performances were nowhere near of the same level. Gio had inherited a 4-point lead over Celtic and initial results were good. However, a slow return to form following the winter shutdown saw the side drop vital points at Aberdeen and Dingwall (from winning positions) and alarm bells were ringing when his side capitulated at Parkhead. With the contest over by half-time in what was a truly dismal performance, Gio had seen his side surrender a healthy lead to hand Celtic a clear initiative in the title race. More dropped points followed against Dundee United and Motherwell and when Celtic recovered from losing an early goal to win at Ibrox on 3rd April 2022 there was little prospect of a miracle recovery.
Criticism of the style of play was also becoming prominent with many feeling that GVB’s tactics domestically were both too negative and hugely predictable. The attacking prowess of Tavernier and Barisic from full-back positions seemed curtailed with flair players such as Ryan Kent appearing to lose their unpredictability having to now operate in a far more rigid formation. The side was accused of lacking the identity that had been so evident throughout the previous 3 years (even when results may not have always been perfect). The Europa run certainly helped to dampen that criticism and two hugely impressive extra-time victories over Celtic and Hearts at Hampden (on the back of effort sapping Euro nights) saw the Scottish Cup return to Ibrox for the first time in 14 years. All things considered, Gio’s first six months at the Club had to have been considered as being a success and there was much optimism going into 2022/23.
It would be fair to say that most observers anticipated a major overhaul of the playing side following the SCF win over Hearts. With several of the ‘old guard’ coming to the end of their contracts and a number of loan deals also expiring, the expectation was that Gio would turn to his homeland (or mainland Europe) to add young and upcoming talent. It did not materialise. Whilst Rangers were active in the market, none of the signings appeared to have any obvious connection to Gio and there remains a school of thought that he was badly let down by his recruitment team and Director of Football. The departure of key players Calvin Bassey and Joe Aribo made great business sense but undoubtedly massively weakened Gio's starting XI and with the season barely underway his team was again very much reliant on the players assembled by Gerrard.
The warning signs were evident from the opening games of the season as Rangers scraped past Livingston in the league before crashing to defeat in Belgium versus USG in a Champions League qualifier. That situation was salvaged with a 3-0 return leg win which set up a play-off with PSV. For once, Rangers were unable to gain advantage on home soil but did travel to Eindhoven knowing that any sort of victory would result in qualification. New signing Colak scored the only goal of the game and Rangers were back competing in Europe’s premier competition. It was another significant moment in the rehabilitation of the Club and another huge boost financially.
The euphoria of CL qualification was quickly forgotten when, for the second time in 2022, Rangers were humiliated at Parkhead. In what felt like a re-run of the horror showing in February, the game was once again out of sight by half time. The 4-0 loss was even heavier and it had been an afternoon to forget for goalkeeper Jon McLaughlin. The elevation of McLaughlin to No.1 at the start of the season (at the expense of Allan McGregor) had been a bold decision by Gio and it was not one many appeared to agree with.
If returning to the CL had started to feel like no more than a pipe dream in recent years, that dream quickly turned into a nightmare. Hot on the heels of the latest Parkhead debacle, Rangers began by conceding another four to Ajax without reply in Amsterdam. This prompted the manager to suggest that the financial gulf meant his side had little prospect of competing with Europe’s elite. There was little sympathy for those remarks back home, Rangers themselves enjoying that huge advantage in Scotland (with the exception of Celtic) in terms of spending power. Furthermore, it was less than six months since his team were regularly competing with opponents deemed to be of CL quality. Having previously declared himself content with the business undertaken in the summer transfer window, it was certainly far too late to be firing a message to the Board of Directors (if that, indeed, had been the purpose).
A CL group containing Liverpool, Napoli and Ajax was always going to be a tall order and expectations of progression were realistically low. A credible performance against Napoli at Ibrox on Matchday 2 still resulted in a 3-0 loss but the scoreline did not reflect large parts of the game. A double header against Liverpool was to follow and the English side ran out comfortable winners at Anfield with Rangers appearing almost content with a 2-0 defeat. When Scott Arfield opened the scoring against Liverpool at Ibrox it seemed that finally the fans would have another European night to savour. Although Liverpool had quickly equalised, there was all to play for going in at the interval. Fast forward 45 minutes and the huge majority of supporters left the stadium simply stunned having seen their side lose six second half goals. For the third time in Gio’s reign, the players had appeared to literally crumble. It was an embarrassment and not the kind of result that could be shrugged off. Further defeats in Italy and at home to Ajax meant Rangers had failed to secure a single point. Two goals scored with 22 conceded in 6 games. The worst set of statistics from any team since the CL was revamped 30 years ago.
Whilst difficult to gloss over such a woeful European campaign, Gio would not be judged solely on those results even if the pressure was intensifying. Injuries were mounting at an incredible rate and there were question marks over the general fitness of players. Many who had thrived in the battles of extra time months earlier now seemed laboured throughout matches. A draw against Livingston at Ibrox in the middle of the CL campaign had seen Rangers fall 4 points behind Celtic. Rangers had enjoyed 81% possession having 14 corners and 24 shots. Yet, until the visitors went down to 10 men, there was no real belief in the stands that Rangers would go on to win the game. An injury time equaliser set up grandstand finish but it was too little too late. Teams had now become comfortable letting Rangers dominate the ball in the knowledge that what would come next would be entirely predictable. It felt that the writing was on the wall for Gio from the moment the final whistle was sounded in that match.
With the distraction of the CL matches coming to an end, it was vital Rangers did not lose any more ground to Celtic in the 4 league games scheduled before the planned World Cup break. A 4-1 win over Aberdeen at Ibrox provided some optimism but, in truth, it was a shambolic performance from the visitors who themselves were about to go on a humiliating run. One interested spectator that day was Michael Beale, the former 1st team coach under Gerrard. Beale’s massive contribution under Gerrard was well documented and his stock had risen further having started the season brightly now in charge of QPR. If Gio was already feeling the heat, the presence of Beale as a guest of the Club could have only exacerbated the situation. Although it may have been entirely innocent, it was not a great reflection on those running the Club and seemed thoughtless at best.
A slender win over Hearts was sandwiched between a defeat at St. Johnstone and a draw at St. Mirren and Rangers went into the afore mentioned break now 9 points adrift. With Celtic rarely slipping up, even the most optimistic of fans were already resigned to a second place league finish with some 23 games still left to play. Gio’s badly depleted side was now one extremely low in confidence and appearing at times to even lack motivation. From the outside, there no longer appeared to be much enjoyment from the players and rumours of discontent within the dressing room spread. The only surprise following the draw in Paisley was that it took a further nine days to announce that Gio would be leaving, the delay presumably down to negotiating a severance package for the entire backroom staff.
The records will show that Giovanni Van Bronckhorst led Rangers to a European Final, won the Scottish Cup, secured qualification for the CL and never lost a domestic Cup Tie. A man of class and great integrity, his love for the Club is clear and he will always be warmly welcomed back to Ibrox.
Honours
Scottish Cup Winners 2022
Europa League Finalists 2022
by Rick Plews
Giovanni van Bronckhorst (2021 to 2022)
Giovanni Van Bronckhorst (GVB) was sacked as Rangers manager in November 2022 after little more than 1 year in charge. On the face of it, this would suggest that the decision to appoint him as the 17th permanent manager (following the sudden departure of Steven Gerrard) had been a poor one. That would be an extremely harsh take on events.
Gio had played for Rangers during the late 1990’s, one of a large contingent of Dutchmen to join the Club during the Dick Advocaat era. A hugely talented midfielder, he won major honours with Feyenoord, Rangers, Arsenal and Barcelona during a distinguished playing career in addition to appearing in the 2010 World Cup Final. If his playing CV more than lived up to that of his predecessor, so too did his coaching resume. Returning to Rotterdam after hanging up his boots, GVB spent almost eight years with Feyenoord, initially as assistant and subsequently as manager where he delivered a first League title in 18 years. He was a popular appointment amongst the Rangers support and any hangover caused by Gerrard’s exit soon subsided.
Gio’s time as Rangers manager was the cliched roller-coaster ride, a mixture of unbelievable highs and real low points. The first two matches played following his arrival set the tone. A trip to Hampden would see his new side face Hibernian in the semi-final of the League Cup. Frustratingly, his work permit had not yet been finalised and he would have to watch helplessly from the Director’s Box, unable to offer any input as our dismal domestic Cup record continued. If the performance of the team would have come as a shock to GVB, the reception afforded to him by the large Gers support may have offered some degree of solace. In the very next game, his first in charge, he galvanised the group sufficiently to defeat Sparta Prague by the required 2-0 result thus ensuring qualification from the group stages of the Europa League.
It was in that Europa League competition where Rangers excelled during season 2021/22, defeating favourites Borussia Dortmund in Germany and scoring 4 goals in the process. Having completed that assignment in Glasgow there then followed further heroic performances against Red Star Belgrade and Braga at Ibrox. GVB appeared to relish the tactical aspects of these ties, regularly tweaking the formation throughout games. With the atmosphere within the stadium cranking up a level with each passing round, when RB Leipzig came to town on 5th May 2022 defending just a single goal lead, there were very few Rangers fans who doubted that we would reach the Final. It felt like it was written in the stars. The untimely death of long serving and much-loved kit man Jimmy Bell in the lead up to the match added to the raw emotion of the occasion. Almost 50 years on from our only European trophy success, Rangers triumphed 3-1 to set up a clash with Eintracht Frankfurt in Seville. Many of those Thursday evenings under the lights will live long in the memory but the RB Leipzig match must surely compare with anything in the first 150 years of the Club. Despite the trauma of the previous days and, indeed, much of the previous decade, Gio had incredibly led the side to a second European Final in just 14 years. There were tears of joy on the pitch and up in the stands.
Victory in Seville would ultimately elude Rangers but the players gave Gio everything and in the lost out by the finest of margins. Injuries to talisman Alfredo Morelos and Kemar Roofe left him without a recognised striker in the starting line-up in what was the biggest match of his managerial career. It was hardly ideal and yet his side still came agonisingly close to going all the way. Those who were fortunate enough to witness any of those nights at Ibrox or travel to Seville will, I am sure, always have fond memories of Gio’s relatively brief time in charge.
As Rangers marched on to Seville in some style, the league performances were nowhere near of the same level. Gio had inherited a 4-point lead over Celtic and initial results were good. However, a slow return to form following the winter shutdown saw the side drop vital points at Aberdeen and Dingwall (from winning positions) and alarm bells were ringing when his side capitulated at Parkhead. With the contest over by half-time in what was a truly dismal performance, Gio had seen his side surrender a healthy lead to hand Celtic a clear initiative in the title race. More dropped points followed against Dundee United and Motherwell and when Celtic recovered from losing an early goal to win at Ibrox on 3rd April 2022 there was little prospect of a miracle recovery.
Criticism of the style of play was also becoming prominent with many feeling that GVB’s tactics domestically were both too negative and hugely predictable. The attacking prowess of Tavernier and Barisic from full-back positions seemed curtailed with flair players such as Ryan Kent appearing to lose their unpredictability having to now operate in a far more rigid formation. The side was accused of lacking the identity that had been so evident throughout the previous 3 years (even when results may not have always been perfect). The Europa run certainly helped to dampen that criticism and two hugely impressive extra-time victories over Celtic and Hearts at Hampden (on the back of effort sapping Euro nights) saw the Scottish Cup return to Ibrox for the first time in 14 years. All things considered, Gio’s first six months at the Club had to have been considered as being a success and there was much optimism going into 2022/23.
It would be fair to say that most observers anticipated a major overhaul of the playing side following the SCF win over Hearts. With several of the ‘old guard’ coming to the end of their contracts and a number of loan deals also expiring, the expectation was that Gio would turn to his homeland (or mainland Europe) to add young and upcoming talent. It did not materialise. Whilst Rangers were active in the market, none of the signings appeared to have any obvious connection to Gio and there remains a school of thought that he was badly let down by his recruitment team and Director of Football. The departure of key players Calvin Bassey and Joe Aribo made great business sense but undoubtedly massively weakened Gio's starting XI and with the season barely underway his team was again very much reliant on the players assembled by Gerrard.
The warning signs were evident from the opening games of the season as Rangers scraped past Livingston in the league before crashing to defeat in Belgium versus USG in a Champions League qualifier. That situation was salvaged with a 3-0 return leg win which set up a play-off with PSV. For once, Rangers were unable to gain advantage on home soil but did travel to Eindhoven knowing that any sort of victory would result in qualification. New signing Colak scored the only goal of the game and Rangers were back competing in Europe’s premier competition. It was another significant moment in the rehabilitation of the Club and another huge boost financially.
The euphoria of CL qualification was quickly forgotten when, for the second time in 2022, Rangers were humiliated at Parkhead. In what felt like a re-run of the horror showing in February, the game was once again out of sight by half time. The 4-0 loss was even heavier and it had been an afternoon to forget for goalkeeper Jon McLaughlin. The elevation of McLaughlin to No.1 at the start of the season (at the expense of Allan McGregor) had been a bold decision by Gio and it was not one many appeared to agree with.
If returning to the CL had started to feel like no more than a pipe dream in recent years, that dream quickly turned into a nightmare. Hot on the heels of the latest Parkhead debacle, Rangers began by conceding another four to Ajax without reply in Amsterdam. This prompted the manager to suggest that the financial gulf meant his side had little prospect of competing with Europe’s elite. There was little sympathy for those remarks back home, Rangers themselves enjoying that huge advantage in Scotland (with the exception of Celtic) in terms of spending power. Furthermore, it was less than six months since his team were regularly competing with opponents deemed to be of CL quality. Having previously declared himself content with the business undertaken in the summer transfer window, it was certainly far too late to be firing a message to the Board of Directors (if that, indeed, had been the purpose).
A CL group containing Liverpool, Napoli and Ajax was always going to be a tall order and expectations of progression were realistically low. A credible performance against Napoli at Ibrox on Matchday 2 still resulted in a 3-0 loss but the scoreline did not reflect large parts of the game. A double header against Liverpool was to follow and the English side ran out comfortable winners at Anfield with Rangers appearing almost content with a 2-0 defeat. When Scott Arfield opened the scoring against Liverpool at Ibrox it seemed that finally the fans would have another European night to savour. Although Liverpool had quickly equalised, there was all to play for going in at the interval. Fast forward 45 minutes and the huge majority of supporters left the stadium simply stunned having seen their side lose six second half goals. For the third time in Gio’s reign, the players had appeared to literally crumble. It was an embarrassment and not the kind of result that could be shrugged off. Further defeats in Italy and at home to Ajax meant Rangers had failed to secure a single point. Two goals scored with 22 conceded in 6 games. The worst set of statistics from any team since the CL was revamped 30 years ago.
Whilst difficult to gloss over such a woeful European campaign, Gio would not be judged solely on those results even if the pressure was intensifying. Injuries were mounting at an incredible rate and there were question marks over the general fitness of players. Many who had thrived in the battles of extra time months earlier now seemed laboured throughout matches. A draw against Livingston at Ibrox in the middle of the CL campaign had seen Rangers fall 4 points behind Celtic. Rangers had enjoyed 81% possession having 14 corners and 24 shots. Yet, until the visitors went down to 10 men, there was no real belief in the stands that Rangers would go on to win the game. An injury time equaliser set up grandstand finish but it was too little too late. Teams had now become comfortable letting Rangers dominate the ball in the knowledge that what would come next would be entirely predictable. It felt that the writing was on the wall for Gio from the moment the final whistle was sounded in that match.
With the distraction of the CL matches coming to an end, it was vital Rangers did not lose any more ground to Celtic in the 4 league games scheduled before the planned World Cup break. A 4-1 win over Aberdeen at Ibrox provided some optimism but, in truth, it was a shambolic performance from the visitors who themselves were about to go on a humiliating run. One interested spectator that day was Michael Beale, the former 1st team coach under Gerrard. Beale’s massive contribution under Gerrard was well documented and his stock had risen further having started the season brightly now in charge of QPR. If Gio was already feeling the heat, the presence of Beale as a guest of the Club could have only exacerbated the situation. Although it may have been entirely innocent, it was not a great reflection on those running the Club and seemed thoughtless at best.
A slender win over Hearts was sandwiched between a defeat at St. Johnstone and a draw at St. Mirren and Rangers went into the afore mentioned break now 9 points adrift. With Celtic rarely slipping up, even the most optimistic of fans were already resigned to a second place league finish with some 23 games still left to play. Gio’s badly depleted side was now one extremely low in confidence and appearing at times to even lack motivation. From the outside, there no longer appeared to be much enjoyment from the players and rumours of discontent within the dressing room spread. The only surprise following the draw in Paisley was that it took a further nine days to announce that Gio would be leaving, the delay presumably down to negotiating a severance package for the entire backroom staff.
The records will show that Giovanni Van Bronckhorst led Rangers to a European Final, won the Scottish Cup, secured qualification for the CL and never lost a domestic Cup Tie. A man of class and great integrity, his love for the Club is clear and he will always be warmly welcomed back to Ibrox.
Honours
Scottish Cup Winners 2022
Europa League Finalists 2022
by Rick Plews
