Kris Commons is adamant it’s time up for Gio van Bronckhorst at Rangers and the only thing keeping him in post just now is the cost of sacking him.
The Dutchman is under severe pressure after a 2-1 defeat to St Johnstone saw his team fall seven points behind Celtic at the top of the Premiership. And a record-breakingly poor Champions League group stage campaign coupled with a dour style that isn't producing results domestically has the fans calling for his his head.
And Commons doesn’t blame them. He believes it all started to unravel after the negativity on and off the pitch following a 4-0 hammering away to Ajax on matchday one of the Champions League and was the first sign that the former Ibrox midfielder wasn’t going to be in the dugout long term. The former Hoops favourite sees no fight or life in a team that reached the Europa League Final six months ago with the current cop simply going through the motions for the manager.
“Time’s up for Giovanni van Bronckhorst,” Commons wrote in his Daily Mail column. “He is finished at Rangers. Truth be told, he's been finished for quite some time now. Probably from the moment he gave such a negative interview on the back of a 4-0 Champions League defeat in Amsterdam in early September.
“Rangers had also been thrashed 4-0 against Celtic just a few days prior to that game against Ajax. That's when things really started to unravel. The writing was on the wall.
“Van Bronckhorst claimed Rangers couldn't compete in the Champions League. It wasn't a one-off or a throwaway comment. His public utterances became increasingly negative and defeatist.
“There's no fight or leadership in this team. Too many players are going through the motions. There's no sense of identity or direction and that stems from the very top of the club.
“I wrote in these pages last week that a 4-1 home win over Aberdeen only papered over the cracks. One result wasn't going to solve all the problems. I said that if Rangers lost heavily to Ajax at Ibrox in their final Champions League game, the whole thing could come crashing back down like a pack of cards. Well, not only did that happen, Rangers have compounded matters a few days later by losing against St Johnstone in Perth.
“When a manager is fighting to save his job, there comes a point when the situation simply becomes irretrievable, the damage irreparable. That juncture has now arrived for Van Bronckhorst. He has nothing left to offer Rangers. The club are wasting their time if they allow him to continue.
“Perhaps the only thing stopping Rangers from pulling the trigger is because they can't afford to sack him and pay up his contract. But there's no doubt he's now a busted flush at Ibrox. In the space of six months, he's gone from legend to lame duck.
“A European final represented the chance to claim iconic status. Now most fans would gladly drive him to the airport. They can't wait to see the back of him and I honestly can't blame them. This Rangers team are dreadful to watch.
“I said recently that I'd rather watch paint dry than watch van Bronckhorst's side. Nothing I've seen since then has changed my mind.
“There is no style or identity whatsoever. That's a poor indictment of van Bronckhorst's coaching methods. This was a fantastic footballer who played for Arsenal and Barcelona, but you don't see a trace of any of those teams in his Rangers side.
“There was a moment late in yesterday's game against St Johnstone when Ryan Kent got the ball out wide and had the chance to run at his full-back. He tried to go past his man with a burst of pace but ended up kicking the ball straight out of play with a horrendous touch.
“That basically sums up Kent's season so far. He has been miles off it. He has been an empty jersey for months. The only reason he still gets a game is because Rangers have no viable alternative in their squad, which speaks of a woeful recruitment record over the past 18 months. Kent's decline is symptomatic of the wider failings at Rangers. The same can be said of Alfredo Morelos.
“The pair of them are shadows of the players they used to be. They used to be Rangers' top two assets.
“Now it looks like Kent and Morelos will be allowed to run down their contracts and leave the club for free next summer. If that does happen, then sporting director Ross Wilson has major questions to answer. In fact, questions should be asked of him in any case. Wilson is supposed to oversee the club's recruitment, but Rangers have signed too much dross over the past 18 months and it's now caught up with them.”
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