Aaron Ramsey has finally, after over 14 months, broken his silence on that missed penalty in Sevilla, and diabolically pinned the blame squarely on Giovanni van Bronckhorst, because, of course, the manager was kicking the ball.
In embarrassing comments where it’s taken him well over a year to address the debacle of his shambolic spot kick which effectively cost Rangers the Europa League trophy and Giovanni van Bronckhorst his job, the Welshman tore into Gio and blamed him for not giving him more of a say in the final itself.
He said:
“I just wish that I’d played longer in the final. I felt I could have brought something different to the table had I come on a bit earlier. I was essentially brought on solely to take a penalty in the shootout, which I’m not sure is the best idea. That played on my mind as I went to take it, instead of being clear about where I wanted to put it. I’m still gutted that I missed that penalty and gutted for the fans that we couldn’t lift the trophy for them.”
So, Ramsey, who had been literal garbage on the pitch for Rangers, reckons he should have played a bigger role in the final when he’d earned absolutely nothing and no right to do so, potentially costing another player or two a role.
He went on:
“I was really excited to go to Rangers – I wanted to experience the Old Firm derby and I knew they were playing in the Europa League, which I was pretty excited about. I had a couple of injuries during my time there, which made it difficult to get into any kind of rhythm. I [also] had a horrible case of Covid shortly before I signed, which meant I didn’t arrive in the best shape and it was no surprise that my body broke down.”
Actually, Aaron Ramsey, during his unveiling, admitted the Old Firm derby was the main/only reason he joined the club. He wasn’t interested in Rangers at all, he just wanted to play in a huge match of that magnitude. It wasn’t a good look at the time, and as faithful Rangers fans who backed the signings, Ibrox Noise dismissed and overlooked those comments.
But now he’s compounding his nonsense by admitting he actually had COVID that January meaning he wasn’t even remotely fit for a minute during his time at Rangers.
And he reckons not only should he have played more despite this, but he should have played more of the final, and Gio’s the big bad wolf?
Was it a bad call by Gio to bring him on for a penalty? No, it’s exactly what he should have been capable of doing – a swift kick of the ball for a big-time player who wasn’t massively fit shouldn’t have been a big ask, but it cost the club the biggest trophy in our history.
And Ramsey blames Gio.
Not even an apology, just self-serving nonsense decrying the manager.
“It was frustrating but I still made some great memories – the incredible run to that final, playing in an Old Firm game, scoring in an Old Firm game and lifting the Scottish Cup….it’s a special club.”
So, nothing really about the fans, the history, the size of the club – just about the run to Sevilla and especially the Old Firm match.
Thanks for the ‘special’ superlative, sadly it’s not reciprocated.
You were a waste of time and a waste of a wage – and Gio didn’t even want you. Turns out, despite the fans’ excitement, the manager was bang on.