‘That’s my fault’: Manager linked with Rangers could be relegated after third-straight loss

Rangers associate manager with relegation as team “crumbles” in 5-1 defeat

If Rangers’ professional 2-0 victory over Hearts in the Scottish Cup semi-final over the past few days has taught us anything, it’s that deep-rooted problems take time to resolve. When he lifted the Rangers off the canvas in the early Autumn, Philippe Clement gave them new life.

However, it will take more than a few months to address the team’s self-defeating propensity to lose composure when victory is within reach. This was demonstrated by the team’s collapse against Ross County, clumsiness against Dundee, and perhaps their worst performance of the season in the first half against Celtic in the Old Firm derby.

Before Clement arrived in October, one of the men who was connected to the Ibrox project is also learning how swiftly things can change, going from swimming in warmer waters to struggling to breathe in a lifeboat with a puncture.

Nenad Bjelica, the manager of Rangers who is currently in a dogfight for relegation, had a big shoes to fill when he was selected to succeed the late Urs Fischer as Union Berlin’s manager. But Bjelica seemed to have put those relegation worries far behind him after going undefeated for four games in February.

That purple match in February feels less like a turning point and more like a “false dawn” now that Union is staring down the barrel of disaster once more. Union is finding it difficult to adjust to a very different challenge following years of consistent and rather remarkable growth—from the second tier to the Champions League in the span of only a few seasons—after Saturday’s 5-1 collapse at home to Bayern Munich marked their third consecutive loss and their fifth in seven. As a result, the gap between themselves and a relegation play-off spot is now just two meagre points.

“I’m happy with how the first half went. We had our opportunities to counterattack. I saw a great deal of dedication and tactical discipline in the first half. The former coach of Trabzonspor, Lech Poznan, and Dinamo Zagreb, Bjelica, told One Football that the match was “perfect.” His team had gone from behind 2-0 at halftime to behind 5-0 in just 16 minutes.

We made some new adjustments and tried something different in the second half. However, Bayern’s first opportunity saw them make it 3-0. That was my team’s last stand. We desired to exert additional pressure on them. After trailing 3-0, we give up two more goals during a ten-minute blackout. I’m responsible for that.

The fall of Union puts the Rangers’ issues in context.

The two players who were rated the worst by Bjelica may have given the most damning evaluation. And two very seasoned players at that. The former forward for Monaco and Bayer Leverkusen, Kevin Volland, acknowledged that Union “completely fell apart.”

The fair assessment of Germany international Robin Gosens was “crumbled.”

Although the fans’ dream league title may not materialise in Rangers’ inaugural season under Philippe Clement, two domestic cups will serve as solace. The penalties for a sudden decline in performance for Nenad Bjelica’s Union Berlin could be far worse.