Where Has It Gone Wrong for Rangers This Season?

Club football has stopped for a month due to the 2022 Qatar World Cup, and Rangers find themselves nine points behind leaders Celtic in the Scottish Premiership. On Monday, the 21st of November, Rangers sacked manager Giovanni van Bronckhorst, a year and three days after he was appointed. The Dutchman had been in charge for 65 matches, winning 41, drawing 11, and losing 13.

Rangers released a statement that said: “Unfortunately, recent results have not met neither our nor Gio’s expectations, and we have taken this difficult decision today. Everyone at Rangers wishes Gio every success in the future.”

As a Rangers fan, I like van Bronckhorst. The night Rangers beat RB Leipzig at Ibrox in the Europa League semi-final was one of the best nights of my life. I will always be grateful to the Dutchman for that extraordinary European run. Despite the agony of losing the Europa League final in such heart-breaking fashion on penalties to Eintracht Frankfurt, Rangers still managed to end the season on a high by beating Hearts 2-0 in the Scottish Cup final.

I had always been a strong defender of the Dutchman, but this was the correct decision from the Rangers board. Results domestically this season haven’t been anywhere near good enough. After the highs of last season's European run, defeating the likes of Borussia Dortmund and RB Leipzig, I felt optimistic going into this season. Rangers defeated PSV Eindhoven 3-2 on aggregate to qualify for the Champions League for the first time in 12 years.