Giovanni van Bronckhorst speaks out on Rangers exit and takes gentle jab at board
Rangers' Dutch manager Giovanni van Bronckhorst speaks during a press conference at Ibrox Stadium in Glasgow on October 31, 2022, on the eve of their UEFA Champions League Group A football match against Ajax. (Photo by ANDY BUCHANAN / AFP) (Photo by ANDY BUCHANAN/AFP via Getty Images)
Giovanni van Bronckhorst has today spoken out for the first time on his time as Rangers manager, taking a gentle shot at the board while praising the club as a whole and especially the fans.
A week after losing his job as Rangers’ 17th boss, the Dutchman had the following to say on his exit from Govan:
“The opportunity to manage an institution like Rangers FC is a privilege which very few are afforded. As a former player, I understood the responsibility and magnitude of the task.
“My backroom team and I worked with energy, passion and were driven with a belief that we could achieve amazing things. We treated our roles with respect, optimism and determination.
“We experienced some incredible highs, especially on our European journey to Seville. Winning the Scottish Cup for the first time in over a decade and qualifying for the group stage of the Champions League is something I am very proud of. The passion of our support drove us on to achieve those wonderful memories. For that, I am forever grateful to every single one of you who travelled near and far, spent your hard earned money, and never gave up supporting our team.
“This season, like every year at Rangers, the first priority is domestic success. I understand the hurt when wins become draws, and worse, when we experience defeat. That isn’t acceptable at a club of Rangers standing, no one understood that and felt that more than I did. I faced unique challenges and some very difficult circumstances to operate in.
“Rangers FC will always be in my heart and I wish the club all the success for the future. Once a Ranger, always a Ranger.”
The most telling part is of course the third-last sentence:
“I faced unique challenges and some very difficult circumstances to operate in.”
Indeed he did – a board that didn’t play ball and didn’t support him, and little control over incomings or outgoings, all the while struggling with injuries which piled on high and gave him no one to choose from.
Generally his statement is gracious and shows the dignity of the man, praising the fans (even though 90% of them wanted him gone) and their continued support, and the club in general.
But the fact that he includes a veiled criticism of the board is very telling, making it dignified but subtle, explaining that while results went south, it hurt him as much as anyone – but tellingly Gio also doesn’t take any responsibility for his own errors, which he never did do.
Even in trying circumstances, there were still many situations of his own making, and he still doesn’t hold his hands up and say he got anything wrong.
He was part of the problem in the end, but Gio isn’t the kind of man to ever accept he was wrong.
But he’s not wrong to take a gentle jab at the suits either.