Gio van Bronckhorst and Michael Beale haven’t been able to match Steven Gerrard’s heroics, but he did bring the championship back to Ibrox.
If Rangers are serious about preventing a repeat of Gio van Bronckhorst and Michael Beale’s abrupt departures, Neil Murray has urged them to give their next manager the same backing they provided Steven Gerrard.
Gers are still debating whether to hire Kevin Muscat or Philippe Clement, and a decision isn’t expected until the weekend. The interview process is being led by chairman John Bennett and chief executive James Bisgrove as they look for someone to restore success to Ibrox. The Light Blues won their first championship in ten years under former manager Gerrard in 2021, but only after the Gers board decided to support the Liverpool star through two trophy-less campaigns.
However, neither of the two players who took Gerrard’s place in the Ibrox hot seat survived more than a year. Van Bronckhorst received his jotters despite leading the team to within striking reach of Europa League victory in Seville last November.
replacing him Beale was then given £13 million to spend during the summer, but he was only given eight weeks of the new season before he was fired after yet another poor performance. In order to see a worthwhile return, nine-in-a-row hero Murray believes his former team must be willing to devote more time in the Londoner’s replacement.
“The one thing you have to say about the Rangers board is that they’ve been fantastic backing their managers financially in recent years,” the team’s former head scout stated.
“On that score, no one can really complain. However, if you’re going to give a manager the freedom to enter the club and recruit players by himself, you should actually give him the time to do so, regardless of the outcome.
Otherwise, a manager will sign players, get fired, and the new manager will find a group of players he doesn’t want and will get rid of them in order to sign his own players. No matter who the board chooses, they must be given the same amount of time as Steven Gerrard to establish their ideology and players.
What standard does the new man need to meet is the fundamental decision that Rangers need to make. Gio van Bronckhorst was sacked despite making it to the final of the Europa League, earning a spot in the Champions League, and winning the Scottish Cup.
What must the new manager accomplish in order to maintain his position? Could Gio have been given more time considering the level of success he had attained in just nine months was unheard of for Rangers managers? The basic idea is that a manager needs time.
