Rangers catharsis: Why Giovanni van Bronckhorst needed Scottish Cup win as uncertainty hangs over squad

In his first six months in the Ibrox hot seat, Giovanni van Bronckhorst engineered some of the most memorable performances and wins the current generation of Rangers supporters have ever witnessed.

The triumphs away to Borussia Dortmund and at home to RB Leipzig in the epic run to the Europa League final offered powerful evidence that the Rangers board had chosen wisely in naming van Bronckhorst as Steven Gerrard’s successor last November.

Yet whatever else the Dutch coach goes on to achieve during his tenure, he may have cause to reflect upon Saturday’s Scottish Cup final victory over Hearts at Hampden as arguably the most crucial of his time in charge of the club.

Because as van Bronckhorst appreciates only too well from his time as a Rangers player more than 20 years ago, there is no room for nuance when it comes to defining a successful season for those who wear the jersey.

For all of the prestige and praise van Bronckhorst’s team rightly earned from their European exploits, the 2021-22 campaign would have been regarded as a failure if they had not overcome Hearts at the national stadium.

Rangers simply had to claim that revered old piece of silverware in their 65th game of the season to ensure van Bronckhorst can go into the summer with a truly upbeat narrative surrounding his standing in the job.

The agonising manner in which they missed out on the Europa League trophy in a penalty shoot-out against Eintracht Frankfurt in Seville may gnaw away at the Rangers players for a while yet, along with their regrets at the cheap frittering of points in the Premiership title race which saw them lose their domestic crown to Celtic.

But the cathartic effect of Saturday’s win at Hampden was clear to see in the joyful