Gio van Bronckhorst never stood a single chance with this Rangers board
What chance did he have?
If one thing is obvious with the exit of Giovanni van Bronckhorst as Rangers manager, it’s that the Dutchman never stood a chance with this board.
It all started nicely enough, and got better and better as we reached Sevilla, but Giovanni was unsupported in the same way Steven Gerrard was, and while Gerrard’s exit was dreadfully poor, we are beginning to understand why he decided the offer from Villa was a better option.
This Rangers board simply do not have the manager’s back – they do not support the manager, whoever he is, don’t give him enough funds, don’t generally let him sign his own players, and don’t support him in times of crisis.
We’re not sure exactly what Gio was supposed to do, having earned the club approaching £130M in the last 12 months the-now former boss was given only £15M of that, and told that was his lot. Then before he knew it Ross Wilson was signing Rabbi Matondo and John Souttar.
The manager made errors of course, no Rangers manager is ever flawless, but we’re not quite clear on exactly what Gio was supposed to do with what he was given, even less with how he was supposed to cope losing around 15 first-team players.
Put Jurgen Klopp in charge of an injury crisis, and see what happens. And we did – as he surrendered the title and finished a distant third. This was definitely far from all on Gio but he has been the one to pay the price for the board’s frugality, mistakes and ego.
From achieving miracles with someone else’s squad by getting the cup and Sevilla, Gio was never given the support to truly build his own – he didn’t appear to sign a single player he personally wanted, unless you think Aaron Ramsey, Amad Diallo and Matondo were his idea?
No, Gerrard’s exit, while poorly conceived, looks more and more justified now as the board make his successor the fall guy for their own incompetency.
What is a new manager going to do with half the squad out and a budget of 3 quid that he can’t even spend on his own men? Of course, he may have a few players back by then, and that’ll help, but the truth is Gio was on a hiding to nothing by the end.
This decisions says more about the board than it does about GVB’s actual performance.
And it’s not good.