‘I always feel the pressure’ - Giovanni van Bronckhorst opens up on Rangers future after drab Livingston draw

Steven Gerrard paid the ultimate price for poor results and performances after being sacked by Aston Villa last week and his Ibrox successor Giovanni van Bronckhorst now finds himself in a similarly precarious position.

The Rangers boss was on the receiving end of yet more criticism for the second home game in a row after his side were held to a 1-1 draw with ten-man Livingston at Ibrox on Saturday.

A dramatic injury-time equaliser from John Lundstram rescued a share of the spoils to deny Livi a first ever win in Govan after Joel Nouble’s early strike had the visitors on course to secure a famous victory.

Fans frustration have now reached fever pitch at Rangers and this latest result did little to paper over the cracks of yet another unconvincing display as the 49,000 crowd made their feelings clear towards Van Bronckhorst and his players in no uncertain terms at full-time.

The Dutchman confessed in his post-match interview that he is now under increasing pressure to turn the club’s fortunes around quickly as he slammed his side’s lack of intensity.

The Light Blues slipped four points behind Glasgow rivals Celtic at the top of the Scottish Premiership table, with their poor domestic and European form leading to calls for Van Bronckhorst to be sacked.

He told BBC Sportsound: “I feel the same as the fans of course. I’m not happy that we dropped points at home and I’m not happy with the performance so I feel their frustrations. We’re low on confidence, normally we start well at home, but that wasn’t the case today.

“We started really bad and conceded early. Our intensity went up when Livingston went down to ten men but they defended well and waited for the transitional moments. We didn’t create a lot of chances. We missed the spark, it only came when it was 1-1 at the end. Our end product is unacceptable just now.

“I always feel the pressure, I’m responsible for the results, the line up and the structure. That comes down to me, I’m used to it but you want it the other way and you know when results aren’t going your way you’ll have that.”

Van Bronckhorst’s future now in question

Former Rangers striker Kris Boyd believes questions must now be asked of Van Bronckhorst after his side struggled to break down another well-disciplined opponent.

Speaking on Sky Sports, Boyd said: “The performances haven’t been great but he’s managed to win games of football. Livingston at home, it’s an opportunity to get a few goals and the confidence back ahead of an away trip to Naples.

“But it was another lacklustre performance from Rangers, Flat, lack of creativity again, and I think that’s been the main reason why the fans have been acting the way they have been. Livingston were organised and when Rangers got into the final third, the final ball was poor.

“You expect Rangers to be a class above the rest in the Scottish premiership but it’s not been the case. Everything seems to be a struggle at this moment in time and it’s like everything else, if you don’t win games of football then there’s added pressure on the manager. I’m sure that will be no different at Ibrox.”