Premature Execution- Keith Jackson’s hatchet job on van Bronckhorst

Keith Jackson has slaughtered every aspect of Giovanni van Bronckhorst’s team selection despite the Tribute Act getting out of Napoli with just a 3-0 defeat.

Last night’s result was similar to the 2-0 defeat at Anfield at the start of the month, a damage limitation exercise unlike the 4-0 loss in Ajax or the 7-1 hammering from Liverpool.

Before the kick-off van Bronckhorst would happily have accepted a 3-0 defeat which seems to have been when Jackson opted to put the boot into the team announced at 6.30pm last night.

Writing in the Daily Record he explains:

For some weeks now it has felt as if Van Bronckhorst has been throwing mud at the wall in the hope of seeing what sticks. And now here he was, in this of all places, taking his pin-the-tail on the donkey experimentation to a whole new level.

By handing starting places to Ridvan Yilmaz, James Sands, Scott Wright, Malik Tillman and Morelos, the man in charge wasn’t just throwing the dice. He was tossing the last scraps of his reputation onto a Neapolitan bonfire.

It seemed a ludicrously high-risk selection, especially given the tried and tested options sitting on his bench. An out-of-shape and demotivated Morelos picked before top scorer Antonio Colak. Tillman’s undoubted talent over Scott Arfield’s unquestionable workrate despite the American’s lethargy.

Comparative novice Sands keeping the streetwise experience of Steve Davis out of midfield. Wright suddenly trusted to run the right flank despite disappearing onto the fringes since being hooked at half-time on a dismal opening night against Ajax. And from nowhere, little Yilmaz pitched in at left-back ahead of Borna Barisic. This team sheet was either a stroke of genius. Or a suicide note.

After 16 minutes Jackson’s criticisms looked justified but after losing just 3-0 van Bronckhorst was praising the players character having escaped the sort of scoreline that would have forced his reluctant board of directors into action.

Since the start of September van Bronckhorst’s side have lost six matches and been booed off the park following a home draw with Livingston.