Former Rangers manager Giovanni van Bronckhorst has lifted the lid on his tenure with the Scottish Premiership outfit.
The Dutchman spent just over a year at the Ibrox, winning the Scottish Cup and reaching the Europa League final.
But in his second season in charge, the club fell short of providing enough funds to bolster the side, he believes.
Speaking exclusively to FourFourTwo, the former Arsenal full-back said: “As far as I’m concerned, our squad could have been strengthened after we reached the Champions League group stage that August at PSV’s expense. Unfortunately, it didn’t happen. When I got fired a few months later, I missed the support from above.
“Things didn’t go well at that stage, especially when we fell nine points behind Celtic – that isn’t allowed – but it’s also good to look at the broader picture. I believe some guys on the board could have handled the situation in another way, especially if you assess how we performed in the previous campaign, but that’s quickly forgotten."
He continued: "I had other meetings with the board in November 2022 and told them what needed to happen to turn things around. I hope Rangers can find their way back to the top, as I’ll forever be associated with the club and cherish the wonderful memories. Sadly, I didn’t leave in the way I wanted.”
While Van Bronckhorst was under pressure, one of the candidates to take over the reign was Michael Beale, who was spotted in the stands watching over a game. The former QPR boss eventually took over the role - but Van Bronckhorst says he felt that Beale should have stayed away from the stadium amid uncertainty around his future as manager of Rangers.
He said: “I don’t think you should really do that as a fellow manager. You shouldn’t sit in the stands at a match when your colleague is feeling the pressure at that moment. I would never have done it.”
Indeed, Rangers secured a place in the 2022/23 Champions League group stage but then lost a string of six consecutive defeats in the tournament, while they trailed Celtic by nine points in the Scottish Premiership. Van Bronckhorst was let go from his position during the World Cup break.
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