Is Giovanni Var Bronckhorst feeling the pressure? Well, he’s certainly changing his tune that’s for sure.
Only a week after proclaiming referee’s decisions simply have to be absorbed due to a lack of VAR assistance available to them, theRangers manager has turned full circle.
According to STV Sport, Var Bronckhorst points to an apparently offside Liam Shaw being missed by the match officials – amongst other questionable refereeing calls during theRangers 2-2 draw at Ibrox – was to blame for the Ibrox side chucking a two-goal lead over Motherwell, rather that the performance and questionable mentality of his players. And it’s now a lack of VAR that’s to blame.
Rangers manager Giovanni van Bronckhorst claimed his side would have beaten Motherwell if Scottish referees had video assistance as he defended his players’ mentality following a 2-2 Ibrox draw. https://t.co/if7fRLI0WX
— STV Sport (@STVSport) February 27, 2022
‘Rangers manager Giovanni van Bronckhorst claimed his side would have beaten Motherwell if Scottish referees had video assistance as he defended his players’ mentality following a 2-2 Ibrox draw.’
You can understand the tactics van Bronckhorst is adopting, after all the alternative is to go all Stevie G and throw his players under the bus for surrendering a two-goal advantage at Ibrox. And with a somewhat delicate mentality to contend with in the Ibrox dressing room, it makes far more sense to deflect elsewhere.
Shame it’s not true however, as social media account Inside the SPFL noted last night:
If VAR was in place in Scottish Football Rangers would be 8 points worse off than they are tonight, this narrative is disingenuous & designed with sole intention to put pressure on officials who’ve already given an extraordinary amount of wrong calls in their favour this season. https://t.co/vQYXuJx4cS
— Inside The SPFL (@AgentScotland) February 27, 2022
‘If VAR was in place in Scottish Football Rangers would be 8 points worse off than they are tonight, this narrative is disingenuous & designed with sole intention to put pressure on officials who’ve already given an extraordinary amount of wrong calls in their favour this season.’
After running to the SFA demanding a meeting to discuss refereeing standards after a recent match at Pittodrie, it appears the Ibrox playbook of referee intimidation will continue under Var Bronckhorst. After all what else can there be to explain dropped points at home to Motherwell, alongside no wins away from Ibrox since the league returned from the winter break, and a nine-point turnaround that sees Celtic sit three points clear at the top of the league.
When it’s your tactics and your players to blame the easiest thing in the world is to deflect to external influences, yet it appears if VAR was in operation theRangers would be in an even worse position than they find themselves in now.
Var Bronckhorst will soon need to look closer to home for answers, but how will his players respond to criticism? I think we’ve all seen how that movie ends.
Niall J
