Rangers journalist Jordan Campbell has said it was ‘pretty bemusing’ that Giovanni van Bronckhorst left it so late to make a substitution at Ibrox on Sunday.
The lowdown
Rangers led 2-0 at half-time at home to Graham Alexander’s Motherwell, only to surrender that advantage in the second half as Jordan Roberts and Kaiyne Woolery found the net for the visitors.
It could prove to be a costly slip-up for the Gers, who had the chance to move within a point of league leaders Celtic after their Glasgow rivals’ goalless draw at Hibernian earlier in the day.
Van Bronckhorst only made one personnel change during the game, sending on Kemar Roofe for Fashion Sakala (scorer of his team’s second goal) after 83 minutes.
The latest
Writing on The Athletic’s matchday discussion forum, Campbell said that Van Bronckhorst should have turned to his reserve options earlier but hinted that the Dutchman had little confidence in his unused substitutes.
Replying to a Rangers fan who was equally aghast over the lack of changes from the 47-year-old, the journalist said: “Only making a change in the final ten minutes was pretty bemusing. Doesn’t say much for those who didn’t get on. Arfield looked understandably tired in the second half yet still didn’t get rotated.”
The verdict
Is Van Bronckhorst just beginning to feel a little bit of heat for the first time since succeeding Steven Gerrard at Ibrox?
Rangers’ league form since the turn of the year has, in the words of Football Scotland’s Mark McDougall, been ‘sackable’ for any top-six manager.
Roofe, who is scoring once every 123 minutes this season, was a solid option to bring off the bench, but perhaps could have been introduced earlier.
Perhaps it was also worth unleashing Manchester United loanee Amad Diallo, rated as comfortably the most valuable player in the Rangers squad by Transfermarkt, as the Ivorian winger could have presented a fresh attacking threat to try and grab a late winner.
Given how the match played out, Campbell was right to be left bemused by Van Bronckhorst’s lack of proactivity in terms of substitutions.
In better news for Rangers, the club are set for a financial boost.
