Champions League: As he got ready for Tuesday night’s first leg of the play-off against PSV Eindhoven at Ibrox, Giovanni van Bronckhorst emphasised the significance of Champions League football to both himself and Rangers.
Rangers last competed in the premier club league of European football in the 2010–11 season. As a result of their financial difficulties, they later made a comeback in the second division of Scottish football and were promoted to the top division.
Following their elimination from the Champions League qualifying round by Malmo the previous campaign, the Gers’ players and supporters enjoyed a spectacular journey to the Europa League final before falling to Eintracht Frankfurt in Seville on penalties.
The Rangers boss, who took over last November, has set his sights on the elite tournament.
“It is my hope and our hope,” said the former Feyenoord boss, who confirmed Ryan Kent and James Sands are available after missing the 4-0 Premiership win over St Johnstone at Ibrox on Saturday.
“We are playing European football every season. Last season was the Europa League.
“Of course the disappointment in not going through to the group stage [of the Champions League] against Malmo, we changed that into a very positive year in Europe.
“But no doubt in my mind that, every year we are involved in European football, we want to be part of the Champions League.
“That has to be our goal and that’s why we work hard.
“It doesn’t mean we will play every year in the Champions League, but the desire [is to do that] and we want to show everyone that we want to be in that tournament.
“I obviously coached before in the Champions League, it is a tournament you want to be involved in a player, as club, as a coach.
“I came here and wanted to win this club prizes and wanted to play at the highest level and that is Champions League.
“The main thing for me is to qualify and bring the club back into the biggest stage in European football.”
Van Bronckhorst is a former Netherlands team-mate of PSV manager Ruud van Nistelrooy and he also worked under his assistant, Fred Rutten, at Feyenoord.
The Gers boss said: “I haven’t been in touch with him lately.
“I never thought that he would be a coach, I never thought of being a coach when I was playing either.
“He took his badges for a couple of years and made the decision to get his experience in the PSV academy and he did well with the U19s and last season with the PSV second team.
“He has been given the chance to coach the first team and PSV is a place he is familiar with and the back-up and support he gets from the club is similar to what I got at Feyenoord, so I am looking forward to meeting him again, to see a player I played with also making his steps in management”
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