A report in the Daily Record has explained that Steven Gerrard and Giovanni van Bronckhorst have very similar SPFL records at Ibrox this season with the Dutchman having the misfortune to walk into Angeball in full flow.
At the start of the season Celtic could very fairly be described as a work in progress. Three defeats on the road and a home draw against Dundee United didn’t suggest that the Australian’s side was about to set off on an incredible unbeaten run with victories far outnumbering draws.
When Gerrard decided that Aston Villa was the next step in his coaching career the Ibrox board turned to van Bronckhorst who was credited with an improvement in results and performances with Celtic virtually matching those results.
The new manager bounce died for van Bronckhorst at the turn of the year- with Angeball gaining momentum a 12 point swing has taken place that leaves Celtic six points ahead in the title race going into the last five matches.
Highlighting the force that the former Feyenoord boss has walked into, Keith Jackson informs Daily Record readers:
He set off like a house on fire in those opening few weeks just when it seemed Gerrard’s title defence was in danger of becoming a damp squib. Under new management, Rangers won eight of their first nine games, drawing only away to Lyon in Europe.
But, while Van Bronckhorst set a high water mark in those first few weeks, his points per game return in the top flight has been identical to the one Gerrard left behind.
With nine wins, three draws and one defeat from his 13 league games in charge the Englishman jumped a listing ship for Aston Villa with his side sitting top on 30 points. Van Bronckhorst has returned 42 points from the subsequent 20. All of which means both men have, give or take, averaged 2.3 points per game.
And that offers proof that Van Bronckhorst is not singularly to blame for the enormous momentum swing which has carried Celtic into a six-point lead over his time in charge. Rather, it’s indicative of the monumental transformation masterminded by Ange Postecoglou on the other side of the River Clyde.
Over the same 20-game period, Celtic have won 18, lost none and drawn two. Which means the Aussie is averaging a whopping 2.8 points per game against Van Bronckhorst. That compares to just 2 points per game when he was toe-to-toe with Gerrard over the first 13 matches of the season. Van Bronckhorst, then, is doing no better nor worse than Gerrard on the domestic scene.
With three of the last five Premiership matches at Celtic Park, including a Glasgow derby, Postecoglou has the opportunity to cement the swing by clinching the SPFL title in his debut season.
If that was the record that did the maths in that article well the calculator needs new batteries. Gvb average points, 42 from 20, is 2.1 not 2.3. The dj beaters mob would have 7 points more over the full season. Still not good enough to beat our Ange but enough to keep stirring into the newco’s ready to explode pot.