GIOVANNI van Bronckhorst desperately needed a victory over Dundee United yesterday after heavy losses to Celtic, Ajax and Napoli and his players duly delivered it.
A draw or a defeat at Ibrox to opponents who are in bottom place in the cinch Premiership, have not won a league game and season and are without a permanent manager would have increased the pressure on him greatly and led to deafening calls from supporters for a change in the dugout.
The Dutchman savoured the Antonio Colak goals which secured the narrow 2-1 league triumph as much as anyone in the 49,334-strong crowd and looked a relieved man when he spoke afterwards.
But even when this Rangers side are winning they fail to convince entirely.
Big question marks remain over their ability, strength in depth and mentality despite the final scoreline. There is clearly much work for their manager to do before their meeting with Hearts at Tynecastle on Saturday week.
James Tavernier and his team mates should have wrapped up the three points easily after Colak put them two ahead early on in second-half. However, they allowed Liam Smith to pull one back 10 minutes later and endured an anxious end to the encounter.
Van Bronckhorst stressed that the final result was all that mattered. But he sensed an alarming lack of self-belief in his charges during the 90 minutes. Not least when they got into a position to score. He will need to lift their confidence in front of goal if they are to launch a serious title challenge in the weeks ahead.
The former Netherlands internationalist appreciates, having come through the youth ranks in the land of Total Football, that having the right mindset is everything. It was a Johan Cruyff philosophy that was drilled into him as a kid. He knows his men have to get their heads straight after a difficult spell in order to start putting teams away.
“It was three points,” he said after the United win. “The most important thing today was to get back to winning ways.
“We started the game really well and we could have scored two or three times in the first 15 minutes. In the second-half we scored quite early the second goal. But after we conceded maybe in the players’ minds they were asking: ‘What if? What if?’
“It affected the game. We had good chances to kill the game off and didn’t take them. Mentally it is quite difficult when you have three defeats in a row. At moments in the game today it affected us. In moments of stress, it is difficult to keep focusing on your task and on your play.”
Van Bronckhorst added: “I think it is more mental because it is still early in the season. We made some changes today in the line-up. I think it is more your mental ability to keep calm and decide what to do in key moments.
“That is the most important tool you have as a football player. It all starts in the head. Johan Cruyff always said: ‘Football starts in the head and then your feet will follow’. He was right many times, almost every time. It’s true, you play with your brains.”
The Dutchman - possibly with half an eye on the Champions League group game against Liverpool at Anfield next month which James Sands, who was sent off against Napoli in midweek, is suspended for – named Leon King at centre half.
The teenager was joined in the starting line-up by his contemporary Charlie McCann; the youngster slotted into the midfield alongside Ryan Jack and John Lundstram.
It was good to see two of Scotland’s most promising players getting starts for the Europa League finalists. It is to be hoped they continue to feature at home and abroad in the months ahead.
But the absences of Glen Kamara and Rabbi Matondo from the Rangers match day squad raised eyebrows more than the duo’s inclusion.
Matondo, the young Welsh winger who joined from Schalke 04 in Germany in July, looked fantastic in pre-season. But his last league start came in the 2-2 draw with Hibernian at Easter Road a month ago. Online rumours that he had been disciplined and dropped were rebutted by his employers yesterday.
Van Bronckhorst stated on Friday that he had the same squad available to him as he had for the Napoli match. Kamara came on in the second-half of that outing. But no explanation was forthcoming about why the Finnish midfielder was missing.
Rangers started the game at a high tempo and applied sustained early pressure to their opponents’ defence without seriously testing United keeper Carljohan Eriksson.
They broke the deadlock on the counter attack after Tavernier pinched the ball off Ian Harkes in his own half. The right back ran the length of the park before squaring to Colak. His team mate, who turned 29 yesterday, controlled the pass with his left foot before rifling a right foot shot into the bottom corner.
Some of the travelling supporters had booed and chanted during the minute’s silence that was held before kick-off to honour The Queen – which referee Kevin Clancy appeared to, quite sensibly, cut short – and the striker ran over to them with his finger to his lips as he celebrated.
It was the best possible start for a side struggling for form. They were unable, though, to build on their lead. A Scott Arfield attempt whistled just past the right post and Colak got a glancing header on target. But there was still a definite spark missing in their play.
Allan McGregor, who took over from the injured Jon McLaughlin against Napoli and saved two penalties, was far busier than his opposite number. He denied Aziz Behich after the left back had been teed up by Jamie McGrath, blocked a Glenn Middleton effort when the winger got the better of King and held a Harkes header.
Whatever Van Bronckhorst said to his charges in the dressing room at half-time had the desired impact; they were much improved when play resumed and Colak found the net once again with a fine finish from a Barisic cross in the 49th minute.
But Rangers switched off and allowed Smith to give United a lifeline. Scott Wright took over from Arfield and Jack made way for Malik Tillman. Wright tested Eriksson with 15 minutes remaining and Tillman forced the keeper to palm his header over the crossbar with eight minutes to go. But their lack of a cutting edge in the final third was obvious.
The tension around the ground was palpable and tempers flared when King brought down McGrath as the midfielder burst upfield. Both sets of players squared up to each other and Clancy booked King, Barisic and Charlie Mulgrew before play restarted. Just a goal separated them when the final whistle blew.
“We had some good chances,” said Van Bronckhorst. “In the first minute we had a big chance. We had some shooting opportunities. If you start the game well at home it can be decided in the first 20 minutes. It makes is easier for later in the game.
“They brought a lot of speed in the line-up to hurt us in the transition moments and a couple of times it was close. It is very hard and you have to be mentally strong to be very decisive. In the first 20 minutes we could have scored two more goals easily I think. That is what we have to do better.”
