Giovanni van Bronckhorst and James Tavernier confident Rangers can get back on track
- Simon Wilkes
- 8 November 2022
Giovanni van Bronckhorst has not had any talks with the Rangers board about his future - but skipper James Tavernier insists there is “definitely not a crisis” at the club despite their poor form.
Full-back Tavernier was confronted by some disgruntled Light Blues fans outside McDiarmid Park on Sunday after the shock 2-1 defeat by St Johnstone left them seven points behind Celtic at the top of the cinch Premiership with 13 fixtures played.
The damaging loss came days after Rangers became the worst team to ever play in the Champions League when they lost 3-1 at home to Ajax, leaving them with six straight defeats and a minus 20 goal difference.
However, Tavernier claimed there was "nothing to be worried about" ahead of the cinch Premiership game against Hearts at Ibrox on Wednesday night.
He said: "If you look at the (St Johnstone) game, especially in the first half they had one shot, but in the game itself, we hit the crossbar a couple of times and had the majority of possession.
"It's just the finer details and just being clinical in front of goal.
"In some games, you can score six and seven and in some games, you can score one. These are the finer details in games. It's definitely not a crisis.
"I have full belief in the team and what we know we can do. We have to, obviously, apply that on the pitch. It's all good saying it but we have to put that into our performances.
"Look at the stage of the season. There's still a lot more games to go. It would be criminal for us as a team to think it's all over at this stage of the season.
"We know there's plenty more games to go and we're only going to get better.
"We're going to get injured players back into the team, especially after the break and we know we've got performances in us. It's about us delivering that on the pitch.
"So there's nothing to be worried about but it is down to us as a team to nail it down and the finer details in games where we need to finish teams off."
Van Bronckhorst, meanwhile, has not had any talks with the Rangers board about his future as pressure on the Gers boss intensified over the weekend.
Ahead of the home game against Hearts on Wednesday night, the Dutchman said: "I speak to Ross (Wilson, sporting director) every day. They haven't discussed my position at all.
"Of course we know how the situation is, we need to add wins, that is all that matters at the moment but I didn't get any timeline or like 'you have to do this else', no I didn't have any discussions like that with the board."
The former Rangers player is aware of the growing clamour from the Gers supporters for him to be replaced.
"It's hard not to be aware of it, I don't live in a basement," said Van Bronckhorst, who has added Fashion Sakala to his lengthy list of injured players after the winger picked up a muscle injury in Perth.
"It's obvious for everyone to see, for myself as well.
"You don't want to disappoint anything you love. I love Rangers, I love this club, everything that this club embodies.
"Not getting the wins, it is quite disappointing for me to disappoint the fans, my players, everyone involved with Rangers, it is not a nice feeling to have. I am trying to reverse that feeling.
"The only thing is I have to focus on my performance and that of the team. That's all that matters.
"I know how it works in football. I am 47 and have been here for many years to know how it works so that is not a problem.
"My job is to win games. No manager is safe if he is not winning games, why should it be different for me? All I focus on is winning tomorrow."
The Gers boss remains adamant that Rangers can regain form and wrest the title back from Celtic Park.
He said: "Of course I can turn it around, otherwise, I am not sitting here.
"Anything can change in football we saw that last season, we had a six-point lead and it changed by the end of the season.
"It's football, you have difficult moments during the season and you have to come out of it as quickly and get points.
"But there are a lot of games to be played, a lot of points to be won but the most important thing is for us to win the game tomorrow."
The former Feyenoord boss put his current difficulties at Rangers into context.
He said: "My situation is not tough if you compare with other people around the world.
"It is not about tough. It is difficult. I had more difficult moments when I was at Feyenoord and when I was a player. All of us in life have positives and negatives.
"When you have bad moments you have to work hard, show your character and keep going and that's what I am doing now."
