Ludicrous Giovanni van Bronckhorst Rangers criticism takes us back to the 1990s - Jonny McFarlane

Surprisingly, Kevin Thomson was the most vociferous of the former professionals, giving a stark assessment of the situation with Rangers 3-1 down to Hibs with 45 minutes still to play.

He said: "I would have been waiting for them at half-time. This team needed a reaction and I'm not so sure David McCallum is the man to give them that. If I was van Bronckhorst I would have been in there waiting for them.”

Thomson was a solid player for the Ibrox club and is entitled to his opinion but it’s one of those that seems very easy to make in hindsight and doesn’t really stand up to scrutiny.

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For argument’s sake, let’s imagine van Bronckhorst storms down to the dressing room and introduced himself when passions are high and nobody is thinking straight. The cameras pick up the new manager leaving his spot in hospitality and everyone becomes aware of the decision. That’s now the story of the game. If Rangers lose, and given the way the first 45 went, that looked odds-on, it’s suddenly on him and the van Bronckhorst era begins on as a damp squib. Everyone wants to know what was said at half-time. Bruised players are put in front of the media after the game and potential carnage ensues.

The upside, that GVB could somehow inspire players he’s never met with Churchillian rhetoric and turn the game around is such an unlikely scenario it borders on ludicrous. The new manager hadn’t taken a moment of training at the club, doesn’t know the personalities and had already stated he wouldn’t be taking the team, something that caused no fuss in the days prior to the semi-final.

It’s hard to imagine what kind of impact GVB could have had by storming down to the Hampden dressing room to throw a few teacups around as the players try to refocus. It’s a regressive notion rooted in a old fashioned view of management and would show a flakiness of character modern players would recognise in an instant.

Those of us who have been watching them closely over the last few years have got a sense of this group at this point - do we really believe that a bollocking from a man sauntering into their lives from outside the club would have set them up to overcome a two-goal deficit in 45 minutes? Or solve the glaring malaise that set in under the previous manager?

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It seems an startlingly unlikely proposition on both counts.

The “one club” philosophy built by Ross Wilson is designed to be there for occasions such as this. It was built coldly and calmly with logic and thought, not in the heated aftermath of defeat when scapegoats are demanded. Did it work? That will be judged internally but football results are not the only metric on which it will be assessed as a system.

The Ibrox club moved with lightning precision to appoint the new manager, wrapping up what was a complex negotiation in six days. The reality of Brexit means that Europeans need work permits and with that only granted for his full team today, there was no way the Dutchman could have had any impact on the preparation of the team.

The players are well aware of the expectations surrounding the club and the pressure to begin a reverse of their awful recent record in cup competitions. With a new manager watching from the stand they couldn’t have possibly had more motivation to reach the final against Celtic in December.

The blame falls squarely in one place. It’s so obvious there’s no need to dwell on it.

Thankfully for Rangers, a new manager is in a position to attack the issues over the coming days and ensure the team is prepared for the challenges ahead.

Because preparation really matters in elite football. It’s not the 1990s anymore.