Gio van Bronckhorst insists he retains the backing of his players after another below-par performance from Rangers ended with booing and a 1-1 draw with Livingston.
The Ibrox boss left the field to loud criticism after slipping four points behind Premiership leaders Celtic and the Dutchman admitted his call for big improvements from a dire League Cup win over Dundee in midweek fell on deaf ears. John Lundstram 's injury time equaliser salvaged a point but it did nothing to deflect from savage disapproval raining down from the stands and he's adamant he'll continue to try and steer his club through the current storm with a Champions League clash against Napoli looming on Wednesday.
He said: “What can I say? I am trying my best. As a manager, you have to stick with your beliefs, with your way of playing, and sometimes it is not going the right way. I also understand that.
"It is one thing for sure when you are not performing as a coach, as a team, when you are not getting your results then of course people will not buy into it. That is not just for me, that is for every coach in this profession.
"You see if it is not going well then eventually it is end of story. That is for everyone. But I think we can still turn it around.
"I have to believe that we can still play the way that we can play. But we have to put energy into it and for me all the energy goes into my team, into making sure they are ready for the next opponent.”
Asked if he believed his dressing room remained united behind him, the Dutchman insisted they still have his back. He said: “Ask them. You talk with players as well. I have the belief they believe me.”
Van Bronckhorst had urged his side to start shouldering some responsibility for playing attractive football and entertaining their fans but after a desperate and dull display against the Lions, he admitted once again they fell well short. He said: "If it is that easy that is very simple, then everyone would be a coach.
"Then every game you can say: ‘Guys we need a response on Saturday’. And we win 3-0. It doesn’t work like that. There are so many factors influencing the mind of players.
"Physically, different circumstances. That is why it is a very demanding job. We have to not only think about tactics, we have to think about players’ mindsets, players’ physicality, tactics.
"There is also the players’ form. Today we had three or four players who were not in their best form. That is also something you have to take into account. If you put it all together you will find the line-up.
"Then again you have to wait and see if the line-up works. It is the most difficult decision you have to make in the job. But I believe my players are still behind me and working hard to overturn this moment.
"I'm not happy with the performance or with dropping points at home so I feel bad. I think we are low in confidence, it was because of the way we started as normally we start really well in games, especially at home but also away. I think that wasn't the case today. We started really badly and then we conceded the goal.
"That is the blueprint for an opponent coming here, to score an early goal and then make sure they defend well, be compact and wait for the transition moments which they did."
Van Bronckhorst will now turn his focus on Wednesday night's Champions League clash against Napoli. He said: “It’s a big game against a really good opponent, at the moment one of the best teams in Europe.
"They are the leaders in Serie A and strong but it’s also a big opportunity for us in this big game on Wednesday. We need to get something out of the game to have a slight chance of going further in Europe.
"But it’s going to be difficult. First of all my focus is to pick the right team and start in the right manner. We have to do everything we can to get a good result.”
Light Blues kid Leon King had to be replaced at half-time but van Bronckhorst revealed illness was the reason he was replaced by James Sands. He said: “He had to come off because he was feeling a little bit sick and nauseous. So that was why we brought James in.”
READ NEXT
