LIFE on the road has not been kind to Giovanni van Bronckhorst throughout his managerial career. It is just one area that must be addressed if his stay at Ibrox is to be prolonged and successful.
A trip to Hearts is hardly the fixture that Van Bronckhorst would have hand-picked as Rangers return to action this weekend. It is one that will shape the narrative, one which could go some way to determining the momentum between now and the break for the World Cup in November.
Ironically, his side fared well at one of the toughest venues in the league last term. A fine 2-0 win in December – earned thanks to early goals from Alfredo Morelos and Joe Aribo – came as Rangers continued to have the look of likely champions about them.
By the time Van Bronckhorst’s side rounded off the Premiership with a 3-1 victory at Tynecastle, the title had been blown and Rangers had repeatedly shot themselves in the foot as sub-standard performances were produced all too regularly.
The Dutchman would see his first Premiership title bid suffer severe damage away from Ibrox. The defeat to Celtic in February – the only loss incurred - was the toughest blow to take but the points dropped away to Aberdeen, Ross County and Dundee United rendered the draw in the final Old Firm of the campaign as largely meaningless.
The losses at Red Star Belgrade, Braga and RB Leipzig didn’t cost Rangers as rousing results were recorded back at Ibrox and progress was made on the road to Seville. In the domestic arena, ticking off the home games is never going to be enough.
Of the 16 league fixtures that Rangers have played away from home under Van Bronckhorst, only nine have been won. Whatever way you cut it, that just isn’t title clinching form.
A record of two defeats doesn’t sound that bad on the face of it but both of those reverses came against Celtic and Rangers are fortunate to have only conceded seven times across both Parkhead fixtures. Losing Old Firm encounters never bodes well for job security at Ibrox, but it has been the disgraceful nature of both performances that has really angered supporters and raised questions about Van Bronckhorst’s approach on the road.
He could point, and rightly so, to the inept Willie Collum as Hibernian earned a draw at Easter Road in August. But Rangers had a plethora of issues of their own on that day as Van Bronckhorst’s nine men were unable to hold out in the closing seconds.
Had it not been for Celtic’s surprising slip-up away to St Mirren before the international break, Rangers would have resumed the title race five points adrift. In that scenario, any further stumbles would have seen scrutiny on the manager and his players, as well as those in positions of power off the field, become even more intense.
As it stands, Rangers now have the chance to lay down a marker of their title intentions. Victory at Tynecastle on Saturday would be quite the start and trips to Motherwell, St Johnstone and St Mirren are on the schedule before the Premiership hiatus.
At Ibrox, there are never any excuses for not winning. Yet it remains to be seen if this side have the ability and the mindset to put together a sequence of victories and really prove themselves to be genuine contenders for the silverware.
And that applies to their form away from home as well. Teams that win titles handle the challenges of tricky lunchtime kick-offs on the back of European outings, they deal with the pitches, the supports and the rough and tumble and remove any excuses to simply get the job done.
Rangers have been unable to do that too often under Van Bronckhorst’s guidance and a win record on the road of just 46 per cent since the turn of the year doesn’t bode well. If that doesn’t rise significantly in the coming weeks, Rangers will surely see the deficit to their Old Firm rivals increase once again.
This is a side that found it within themselves to show such control and class to win in the Philips Stadion and secure Champions League football with victory over PSV Eindhoven. A couple of weeks before, they were humbled by Union Saint-Gillloise and their return to Holland saw them fortunate to only concede four to Ajax on a wretched evening.
That inconsistency of performance and result is nothing new to Van Bronckhorst and he has yet to find the right formula as a boss. Even in times of success, his away record doesn’t make for impressive reading.
His first term at Feyenoord saw him win eight out of 17 Eredivisie fixtures when he didn’t have De Kuip behind him. In seasons three and four, just nine and six victories respectively were recorded.
His finest campaign in the dugout came during 2016/17 as he ended Feyenoord’s long wait for Eredivisie glory. But even that triumph wasn’t without difficulties and Van Bronckhorst dropped 16 points away from home as he pipped Ajax to the silverware.
That season saw Feyenoord record 15 wins and two draws at their famous arena and it was that form that was the foundations for their shot at glory. Such a percentage should not be out of the question at Ibrox this time around and it will surely be required if Rangers are to give themselves any chance of reclaiming the Premiership, especially while they remain as erratic away.
There are, of course, no easy games and Van Bronckhorst will never dismiss any opponent or treat any challenge lightly. But there are times in a season when matches simply have to be won and Rangers are now entering a potentially defining run at a time when questions are being asked about the abilities of the manager and his players.
A win at Tynecastle would bring the noise level down and be a success that positively alters the statistics. It would, though, only be the start for Van Bronckhorst.
