De Uitverkorene
When Dick Advocaat took over as Rangers manager in 1998 he made it very clear that one of the players he had chosen to usher in this new era in the club's history was a young midfielder from Feyenoord by the name of Giovanni Van Bronckhorst.
He was so keen to have Van Bronckhorst help lead his Rangers Revolution that he was willing to part ways with Peter Van Vossen as part of the deal. A player that Advocaat had previously hinted at being a major part of his team when he arrived.
It turned out to be a brilliant decision, as Advocaat and Van Bronckhorst went on to win a domestic treble with Rangers that first year, followed by a domestic double the 2nd year. While things rapidly went downhill after that it was 2 wonderful years that saw some of the best football Rangers fans have ever seen, as well as some memorable European nights.
Van Bronckhorst went on to have an outstanding career once he left Rangers, winning honours in England, Spain, and the Netherlands, as well as success in the Champions League and making a World Cup Final with his country.
He continued this tradition when he moved into management, winning the Eredivisie with Feyenoord for the first time in 18 years and on a fraction of the budget rivals Ajax and PSV Eindhoven had. While that was his only league win he also won the KNVB cup twice and the Johan Cruyff Shield twice.
So he is certainly no stranger to silverware. Something that is a major factor in being a Rangers manager.
Fast forward 23 years and a few months from that time in 1998 and once again Giovanni Van Bronckhorst is the chosen one to lead a new Rangers Revolution. This time instead of Dick Advocaat making that choice it's Stewart Robertson, Ross Wilson, and most importantly the Rangers fans.
Almost from the moment there was a chance Steven Gerrard would leave Van Bronckhorst was the name the majority of the fan base was clamouring for.
This is a different Rangers from the one Van Bronckhorst will remember though. Back in 1998, they were a free-spending, if we have an injury we'll sign someone, type of team. Now Rangers have to be more careful with the money, each signing needs to be properly thought out and planned. There's no more signing Marcus Gayle to play 3 games on the left-wing and then move him on.
Van Bronckhorst will have known this before taking the job, however, and he's worked on a budget previously. Fortunately, he's not taking over a team that has been all but moved on and in need of a full overhaul. His main focus will be to galvanise a team that only a few months ago completed a domestic league invincibles season. A team that is capable of beating anyone on their day, but for one reason or another, this season has rarely had their day.
Another remit will be to win some domestic cups. Something his predecessor, Steven Gerrard, failed to do far too often. If there was one thing that can be criticised about Gerrad's time at Rangers it's that. Something that hung around like a bad smell on Sunday, when Gio will have had the opportunity to see firsthand how bad this team can perform in domestic cups.
With Gio thrown straight in at the deep end, in a must-win Europa League game against Sparta Prague, in front of an expectant Ibrox crowd, he did not let us down. The team were brilliant. They played with a freedom and a desire we've not witnessed this season.
Morelos scored two goals and was back to playing as a centre-forward instead of the holding midfielder role he seems to have adopted the last few months. Joe Aribo played with flair and intelligence, unlucky not to score with a rocket that ricocheted off the bar and then missed an absolute sitter. Ryan Kent also could have scored a couple. Hagi had a not-so-great game, yet came away with an assist and almost a 2nd if Aribo had buried his chance.
Most importantly we also kept a clean sheet, a zero. Something we prided ourselves on last season yet couldn't seem to buy this season. We even got to see Nathan Patterson and James Tavernier on the pitch at the same time. While it may have changed the flow of the game a little, it was encouraging to see the management team thinking outside the box and considering how to use one of the brightest talents to ever come through the Rangers youth set-up.
The win also guaranteed Rangers will play Europa League football after January for the third season in a row. Another thing we do owe a gratitude of debt to Steven Gerrard to. While I'm not his biggest fan about how he left and the weeks leading up to it, you also have to acknowledge the good that he did do.
It's very early days, it's only been one game, but I think it's fair to say Gio hasn't only galvanised the Rangers team, he's galvanised the support as well. I can not wait for the next game, away to Livingston, and then getting to Ibrox again to see us take on Dundee.
A special mention to bringing in Roy Makaay. At the club we now have Jermain Defoe and Roy Makaay as coaches, two of the best strikers to ever play the game. If that doesn't help Alfie rediscover his love of goals, like Thursday night, then nothing will.
From where I'm sitting right now the future certainly looks bright, the future's orange. Lets Gio.
On a more personal note, my 6yr old scored his first goal for his team last Sunday. That will mean nothing to 99.9% of you, but I was incredibly proud and I celebrated that goal just as much as any Rangers goal over the years.
The Rambling Ger
Twitter - @GerRambling
IG - TheRamblingGer
Comments
Post a Comment