Van Bronckhorst facing ‘uphill battle’ with Rangers stars after ‘shocking’ reveal – pundit
Giovanni van Bronckhorst is facing an “uphill battle” to win over the players at Rangers after taking over as manager, according to Noel Whelan.
The former Aberdeen striker, speaking exclusively to Football Insider, insisted the 46-year-old has a “lot of work” ahead if he is to achieve success with the Gers this season.
Rangers secured their place in the Europa League knockout stage with a 2-0 victory over Sparta Prague in Van Bronckhorst’s first game in charge last night (25th November).
However, concerns will remain after comments from Connor Goldson following the League Cup semi-final loss against Hibernian on Sunday (21 November).
The defender remarked that the Gers stars have “lost their hunger” and said the “game was over” at 3-1 down after 45 minutes (as quoted by talkSPORT).
When asked about the magnitude of the task facing Van Bronckhorst, Whelan told Football Insider‘s Ewan Kingsbury: “The task at hand is pretty plain – he’s got to win trophies with Rangers.
“But first up, it seems like he will have to win over the players.
“He will be thinking he has got a lot of work to do at the club – even if they’re through in Europe and top of the league.
“He’ll be more shocked by what came out from Connor Goldson after the match, rather than the defeat against Hibernian.
“Defeats you can work on. What is harder to change is the players’ mental state and that work ethic to go and win football matches. He’s got an uphill battle ahead of him at Rangers.”
Rangers face Livingston on Sunday in the Scottish Premiership.
Van Bronckhorst’s side will be looking to extend their four-point lead over Celtic.
In other news, Alex McLeish reveals what he is hearing about Rangers training under Van Bronckhorst from Ibrox sources.