Let's get one thing straight. Giovanni van Bronckhorst should not be losing his job as Rangers manager after a 7-1 defeat to Liverpool.
We’re not at that stage yet. And within the club, he WON’T be under pressure in terms of his position. As long as Rangers are in contention to win the league title, there won’t be a change of manager. If that changes and Celtic get away from them? That’s a different story altogether. Gio knows that there’s pressure on his shoulders to win every game at Rangers.
And it will NEVER be acceptable to lose 7-1 in the manner they did. That type of result and performance will always result in serious scrutiny. But is it now time to get rid of Gio? Not for me. This is a time for calm. Make no mistake, everyone inside Ibrox will be counting down the days until this Champions League campaign is over.
They’ll want to see the back of it. Which is ironic, given that it’s something they’ve been pining for. They have two games left to salvage some pride. And that’s important. Rangers don’t want to be the worst team ever in the competition without a point. But that’s where they’re heading at the moment. Domestically, they’re still just two points behind Celtic in the Premiership table, with the next Old Firm game at Ibrox.
They’ve had two 4-0 wins in the league and if they beat Dundee on Wednesday night, they’ll have a Premier Sports Cup semi-final to look forward to. So any questions about the manager’s position have to be shut down - for now. Unfortunately for Gio, these heavy Champions League defeats are like body blows.
They are knocking confidence and inviting a huge amount of flak. That dents confidence. But as a Rangers player or manager, you have to deal with it. Europe has been a harsh lesson for everyone at the club.
But if they want another crack at it next season - they have to win the league. That’s where the focus has to be now. The team capitulated against Liverpool, there’s no getting away from that. For a half, I was on the TV gantry with all the stats in front of me. At 1-1, they were all in Rangers’ favour.
There was some good stuff in the first 45 minutes. After that? There was none of that. I’ve watched the Liverpool goals again and again. By the way, the loss of Connor Goldson before half-time was pivotal - and will be for Rangers going forward. Liverpool’s first, second, third and fourth goals were the result of some really poor decisions by players in blue shirts.
Fashion Sakala, Borna Barisic, Leon King and Ben Davies could all have done better. You watch each goal and think: ‘What is he doing’? It was rookie mistakes. Against world class players, you have to make them earn goals.
But it was far too easy for Liverpool. Mo Salah had the freedom of Ibrox when he came on. There didn’t seem to be a fear among the back four that they were going to concede more. When it gets to four, players have to start pulling team-mates in beside them to shut up shop and be compact so you don’t get embarrassed.
Who was doing that in the Rangers side? That second half performance can’t be brushed under the carpet. Because if they’re going to defend like that, they’ll also get shown up in a domestic fixture. It might be one game out of 10. But it could be the one that costs them the title.
These frailties were there at Celtic Park, remember. They lost 4-0 when it could have been six. It just can’t happen again. On TV the other night, Ally McCoist kept mentioning the word ‘compete’. Guys like us expect Rangers to compete against anyone. And it’s because we know they can.
For an hour against Napoli, they competed. For 45 minutes in midweek against one of the best teams in the world, they were on top. They did it last season against Borussia Dortmund and RB Leipzig when they were at the peak of their powers. But the truth is, this Rangers team hasn’t got anywhere close to those performance levels this year.
After the Liverpool game, Gio apparently stayed silent in the dressing-room. There is no right way for a manager to handle a situation like that. Every gaffer will be different. Some get highly emotional. They feel they have to unload and a few home truths come out.
I’ve also been a player when the manager has said nothing and I’ve thought: ‘That’s not good enough’. I’ve lost games by four and five to Celtic as a Rangers player and nothing was said after the game. Now, I don’t know the current regime well enough. But all I’d say is this, as long as issues get addressed and they’re not allowed to linger.
I’ve been there. People saying it’ll be dealt with the following day and it never happens. That’s not good enough, not for a club like Rangers. Because that’s acceptance. And that second half against Liverpool should never be accepted. As a Rangers player, you can’t get done by six or seven. It’s as simple as that.
Gio’s way of working will be different to Walter Smith’s way, for example. How would Walter have dealt with losing 7-1 at home? Something would have been said. Whether it was from Walter himself or Super Ally, who would have been sickened by it, something would have been said.
There might even have been a tear-up in the dressing-room. And I mean among the players! Because in the teams I played in, there were proud pros. And I believe it’s the same now because I know a few of them. They do care. They’ll know they’ve let themselves down. And it’s happened too often already this season.
Any time they’ve faced a good side in a big game, it’s been horrific. Celtic, Ajax and Liverpool. If Gio is to stay secure in his job at Ibrox - that HAS to change.
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