Next Manager Discussion Thread

[DiamondDan 2,386]

25 minutes ago, BlueSuedeSambas said:

Can you post the article? 

Just six weeks separated Rangers’ two trips to the Iberian peninsula this year, but the change in mood between those two visits could hardly have been greater. 

In May, Rangers arrived in Sevilla, the hottest city in Europe, as a team ablaze. They had trammeled over the odds to reach the Europa League final, and stood just one game away from winning the club’s second European trophy.

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At the heart of it all was Giovanni van Bronckhorst, looking every inch a manager ready to seize his shot at immortality. Ultimately, he fell agonisingly short, beaten in a penalty shootout by Eintracht Frankfurt, but at least winning the Scottish Cup a week later to end an 11-year wait for a domestic cup kept supporters’ spirits high going into the summer. 

It was another trip to the southern tip of Europe, however — a pre-season tour of the Algarve — that brought signs of challenges to come for the Van Bronckhorst regime, ones that have contributed towards his sacking on Monday. 

Various sources confirmed to The Athletic that there was a disagreement on the final day of the Algarve trip between the manager and a group of senior players after they consumed more alcohol than permitted in the team hotel.

It was not the sort of major row that caused lasting damage, but people close to the players doubted whether disobedience or backchat would have occurred under Van Bronckhorst’s predecessor Steven Gerrard.

It can hardly be argued that Van Bronckhorst is a soft touch. You do not win over a century of caps for the Netherlands, the Champions League with Barcelona and the Premier League with Arsenal, or play with some of the greatest players and biggest personalities in the game, and not have inner steel or a fiery side.

He saw how chief disciplinarian Dick Advocaat operated at Rangers and how ruthless and unsparing he could be when a player stepped out of line. There was evidence that he could be ruthless, too, in the way he handled Alfredo Morelos.

Morelos
Morelos had a turbulent relationship with Van Bronckhorst (Photo: Ross MacDonald/SNS Group via Getty Images)
The Colombia striker got on the wrong side of Gerrard numerous times for his indiscipline and lifestyle but for the first three months under Van Bronckhorst he was said to be the happiest and most integrated he had been at Rangers, which was attributed to the fact he had a manager and an assistant coach in Roy Makaay who spoke Spanish.

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Morelos scored 10 goals in his first 13 games under Van Bronckhorst but, after going down a couple of times before the international break in March, he missed the rest of the season after suffering a thigh injury that required surgery.

His comeback has been a disaster. He was sent off against Hibernian and was then left out of the squad for the trip to face PSV in the Champions League play-off. Van Bronckhorst said it had been “building for a while” due to the player’s behaviour, and The Athletic revealed that he was late for the recovery session on August 14, two days before the PSV first leg.

It was a bold step but overall morale in the camp was not an issue then, as Rangers produced a sophisticated display to qualify for the Champions League for the first time in 12 years.

In many ways, by coming through those two rounds of qualifying, Van Bronckhorst raised expectations to an impossibly high level. Rangers endured a horrific Champions League campaign against Liverpool, Napoli and Ajax, losing every game, scoring just twice and recording the worst group stage performance with a goal difference of -20.

A 4-0 loss to Celtic in September started what was a demoralising final 10 weeks in charge. Rangers won just seven times in his last 17 games as an injury crisis and repeated European drubbings killed their momentum.

A dressing room source described how the squad had not expected to struggle as much as they did in the Champions League and how the crushing nature of the European defeats had affected them physically and mentally, resulting in an atmosphere that was “very negative”. That is tough to endure at any club, but especially at Rangers, where winning is expected as a matter of course.

Rangers
Rangers digest their Europa League final defeat (Photo: Visionhaus/Getty Images)
Rangers racked up 27 games before the winter break, a mammoth schedule given the club had more than 10 players out injured by the time they travelled to St Mirren for the final game before the World Cup break. And player fitness and the work done at the training ground during the week is one of the aspects that came under scrutiny.

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Two players returned from the off-season behind on their fitness and were given individual programmes to get to the right level to be part of the group.

Pre-season saw Rangers incorporate the same 5×3-minute runs that were a staple of Gerrard’s camps, but otherwise it was deemed to be a considerably lighter workload. One player even shared with a competitor that he felt slightly undercooked compared to where he would expect to be once the season had started.

Scott Arfield spoke publicly about the difference in approach between Van Bronckhorst and other British managers he has worked with.

“We’ve got a European coach here now and predominantly it’s all about the ball, being football fit,” he said. “With British coaches like Yogi (John Hughes) or (Sean) Dyche (at Burnley), he had a day where it was all about running and trying to break you mentally, which I loved,” he said.

“If I become a manager I’ll definitely put that into my style because you see a different side to the players when you put demands on them to run and to see if you can break them, because it’s a long season.”

Rangers
Van Bronckhorst had a more relaxed approach to training sessions (Photo: Ross MacDonald/SNS Group via Getty Images)
Training during the season usually started at 11am and would not consist of many double sessions, part of which was due to the heavy schedule limiting the number of first-team players available.

Nevertheless, some players found the sessions to be slower and less intense, with the content more focused on tactical messaging than the British staple of small-sided games.

Rangers’ endurance was a major part of their success last season but that base fitness was put in place last summer by Gerrard’s regime. It is understood that the running numbers being posted by the players did not show a decline but injuries reached a peak in recent weeks and did not help Van Bronckhorst’s cause.

Far too many of the squad were not contributing, including Morelos — one of the biggest earners. The manager sought to rehabilitate him quicker than expected after bombing him out but it did not work as he was unable to displace Antonio Colak, who has scored 14 goals since signing from PAOK. When Morelos has been on the field he has looked off the pace or frustrated at his peripheral role.

Recruitment is the other cause behind Van Bronckhorst’s struggles. It is not the case that he did not have a say in which players came in, rather that he had the final say once the scouting process had delivered the shortlist of names to him for the specific position.

He added seven players but only Colak and Malik Tillman were able to cement themselves as starters, with the others not able to play regularly due to injuries or struggles with form. The relative lack of firepower compared to Celtic can be seen in the numbers delivered by their forward players.

In his second season at Feyenoord, Van Bronckhorst requested that all summer signings be made before the team returned for training as he wanted as much time as possible to integrate them and get across his messages.

Rangers returned to training at the end of June and Colak was his first signing on July 7 but the club did act quickly to add another five players in the next 18 days, after banking money for Calvin Bassey and Joe Aribo.

It was the only prolonged period of time he had to coach his team in his full tenure. Ceri Bowley, who joined from City Football Group after working closely with Van Bronckhorst for six months there, helped influence the framework of the coaching methodology but his arrival took months after having to work his notice period.

A clear structure was put in place at the start of the season but over time this appeared to become diluted. Van Bronckhorst seemed like the man who knew how to strike the right balance in most scenarios, but Celtic Park seemed to haunt his team.

In February his team were routed 3-0 in a game so one-sided it was reminiscent of the years when Rangers turned up expecting to be a punchbag. Gerrard had banished the fear factor but when they then lost 4-0 again in September — a scoreline that included two goalkeeper errors and two quick dead-ball situations — that style of build-up appeared less prominent.

The lack of incision and variety in the final third became a big issue in his final games in charge and it did not seem to be improving, bar a one-off win against Aberdeen.

He did a lot of video sessions and analysis work, consistent with his time at Feyenoord. He was a stickler for details and discipline, which is why at Feyenoord he would be phoning the boss of the club’s data partner to ask where the post-match analysis was the next morning if it hadn’t been sent exactly on the minute it was meant to be.

Van Bronckhorst made a lot of changes from game to game and the amount of analysis increased considerably, including going over the last game and combing over his own team’s style rather than focusing mainly on the opposition.

Van Bronckhorst leaves having lost the lead in the Premiership last season and now having fallen too far behind again this year to mount a credible challenge to Celtic. He gave Rangers fans one of the most thrilling rides imaginable on the way to Seville but he never managed to crack it domestically and get Rangers to a place where they could win the league.

It was in stark contrast to his achievements with Feyenoord in 2016-17. Then, as the pressure was mounting on his team, who needed a win on the final day to end the long wait for a title, he gave his squad two days off. When they came back, instead of training, he prepared a boat trip and a nice dinner. As the manager he wanted to show them that he felt the pressure they were living under that week, and this act helped give the team the confidence to go out and play their natural game.

Should he have been given more time at Rangers? Is the failure this season down to recruitment more than coaching? Is the core of this squad, looking likely to only win a single league in five years, in need of a refresh?

These are the questions that will dominate the post-mortem but Van Bronckhorst’s year in charge featured a rollercoaster of emotions that made his tenure feel like a full parliamentary term.

Van Bronckhorst believed he could improve in the second half of the season with a stronger squad and that with more time he could build a team to become champions.

He had meetings with members of the Rangers board since the 1-1 draw with St Mirren ten days ago, but it became clear over the weekend that he was going to be relieved of his duties.

Rangers will need to pay a compensation package to get rid of him and his coaching team, with two and a half years remaining on his contract.

He leaves amicably but there is a sense from his side that, after being tasked with helping to build an international brand by reaching the Europa League final, developing Bassey into a record sale and guiding the club back to the Champions League, he became a victim of his own success.

He was not a philosophy or a personality. He was a technocratic coach who believed in adapting and that winning, regardless of style, would bring success.

There were undoubted triumphs. He harnessed a team that seemed to have hit a ceiling at the last 16 of the Europa League and somehow conjured a belief and aggressive style of football that saw better teams with far bigger budgets blown away.

He took a raw jumble of attributes in Bassey, identified his best position and blended them to make a freakish £25million centre-back.

St Mirren
St Mirren inflict the final blow on Giovanni van Bronckhorst (Photo: Jeff Holmes/PA Images via Getty Images)
He defied the poor record of Gerrard in knockout competitions by beating Hearts in the Scottish Cup final, and eclipsed his predecessor by overcoming Royale Union Saint-Gilloise and PSV to end a 12-year absence from the Champions League.

But his sacking proves that these achievements are all negligible if the league title goes to Celtic Park, which is why an an uninspiring 1-1 draw at St Mirren — where he was forced to throw on 18-year-old striker Robbie Ure and saw him end up in a disagreement with Glen Kamara at full-time — brought down the curtain on his 368-day reign. 

The DJ at SMISA Stadium was not to know but there was something fitting in him playing ‘Que sera, sera’ at the final whistle that day. Van Bronckhorst would have identified with that kind of fatalism. 

(Top photo: Carlo Hermann/DeFodi Images via Getty Images)

[scottyc06 6,927]

1 minute ago, teddybear1975 said:

One year rolling hopefully.

Aye defo, it’s a risk obviously as it leaves us open to losing him for nothing if he does well but we can’t be in a position where 6 months in we need a new manager and are having to pay millions just to get rid of him.

[teddybear1975 2,110]

2 minutes ago, MisterC said:

I think we need to take our time and not rush into an appointment. Even if we went with someone like Craig Levein as interim for a few weeks while we scour the market.

Wont even need a fit striker in some of his setups.

[The Godfather 72,635]

Just now, The Specky Liar said:

Why would someone who was here for over 3 years need a Scottish assistant, an absolute fucking embarrassment

Imagine it was Thomson....sends me to sleep on RTV, good luck getting the boys motivated 

[chris182 6,366]

1 minute ago, The Specky Liar said:

Why would someone who was here for over 3 years need a Scottish assistant, an absolute fucking embarrassment

The Sun could have just outed themselves as knowing absolutely fuck all

[BlueSuedeSambas 54,397]

13 minutes ago, falkirkNS said:

Gerrard done the same ..

Gerrard gave a soundbite after a game, not a sit down seven minute interview with the clubs in-house media.

[El-Hadji Spit RFC 733]

Tbf id take Lennon over GVB! If it’s Beale he has my backing…

[The Godfather 72,635]

Just now, El-Hadji Spit RFC said:

Tbf id take Lennon over GVB! If it’s Beale he has my backing…

[The Specky Forum Organiser 66,072]

1 minute ago, El-Hadji Spit RFC said:

Tbf id take Lennon over GVB! If it’s Beale he has my backing…

Fanny

[leam_baw 166]

2 minutes ago, El-Hadji Spit RFC said:

Tbf id take Lennon over GVB! If it’s Beale he has my backing…

Admin

[Brackley Bluenose 4,479]

8 minutes ago, The Specky Liar said:

You started to claim to be in the know 10 minutes after the 2 biggest papers in the country reported it  

Not really Frank looks like you’ve made a cunt of it again been saying since early October I think it would be Beale. All the best son 

[superallysbears 7,844]

[The Specky Forum Organiser 66,072]

5 minutes ago, scottyc06 said:

Aye defo, it’s a risk obviously as it leaves us open to losing him for nothing if he does well but we can’t be in a position where 6 months in we need a new manager and are having to pay millions just to get rid of him.

You cant lose someone for nothing on a rolling contract, but agree hopefully that's what we give him and not a 3/4 year deal

[MillarNotMiller 48]

10 minutes ago, ForeverAndEver said:

Players chucked it under him and Gerrard. 
 

Football under him and Gerrard was grim a lot of the time which is what people are greeting about now.

 

in fairness... due to our board's utter incompetence, half the squad that played under Gerrard have their contracts expiring next year. So he'll have a bit longer to demoralise the entire squad than you're giving him credit for. 

An obvious 'crowd-pleaser', and been hyped up in the press recently too (re his comments about him and Gerrard would have won the league last year).

[BlueSuedeSambas 54,397]

I think Beale will become a decent manager, but it’s too soon for him to get our job. We need a manager right now, rather than a strong head coach.

The main worry I have with Beale is that he’s loyal to a lot of the players we have and this squad is crying out for a harsh clear out of six or seven of them.

It would be all fine and well getting Beale in to pick them up and get them playing again in the short term because he’s their pal and there are already established relationships, but what happens come the end of the season when we have to cut ties with guys he will have spent four of the last five years working with? Does he have that ruthless streak in him? I’m really not convinced.
 

[The Specky Forum Organiser 66,072]

1 minute ago, Brackley Bluenose said:

Not really Frank looks like you’ve made a cunt of it again been saying since early October I think it would be Beale. All the best son 

How's that the same as you claiming to have heard details about the deal  

[McEwan's Lager 30,874]

7 minutes ago, The Specky Liar said:

Why would someone who was here for over 3 years need a Scottish assistant, an absolute fucking embarrassment

It’s the type of moronic thing that you read on here, Twitter and FF at least once a week and some genius has thought that would appease the fans if we stipulate he has to do this.

[LegendofCoop 17,481]

It's a while since we've seen @MisterC's rod!  Let's hope it's another wee while!!

[graeme_4 35,142]

Honestly it can’t be Beale. What the fuck are the Board thinking man.

Guy hasn’t won a game in 6, has QPR in mid table, and 6 months experience as a manager. 

[Brackley Bluenose 4,479]

Just now, The Specky Liar said:

How's that the same as you claiming to have heard details about the deal  

Where did I say that Frank? 

[ElBufalo20 7,973]

28 minutes ago, Brackley Bluenose said:

Very easy to say that but at that point in time he was part of a team and was increasing his salary 5 fold it was reported. 

Great so he could be off in a couple of months then if some other team offers him a huge salary increase 

[scottyc06 6,927]

I don’t think Beale needs somebody Scottish, that makes no sense, he’s from England, absolutely lives for football & has been here for 3 years.. he knows exactly what Rangers are about. 
 

His number two would have to be a decent man manager for me though. I’m not a massive fan of Beale getting the job but he is tactically sound, I just can’t see the manager in him yet. 

[teddybear1975 2,110]

9 minutes ago, Marky. said:

No need to go that rogue when someone like Mark McGhee could come in and steady the ship.

Face for radio that cunt.😀

[ElBufalo20 7,973]

Anyone know his style of play at qpr?

[The Godfather 72,635]

Just now, graeme_4 said:

Honestly it can’t be Beale. What the fuck are the Board thinking man.

Guy hasn’t won a game in 6, has QPR in mid table, and 6 months experience as a manager. 

Then you realise who our board are.

Fits like a glove