What I'd say to Rangers boss Gio van Bronckhorst about the Champions League excuse I didn't like - Kenny Miller

As if the 4-0 Champions League hammering by Ajax wasn’t enough for Rangers fans to stomach. They were then dealt another body blow with Giovanni van Bronckhorst ’s comments post-match in Amsterdam.

The manager said they can’t compete at that level without hundreds of millions of pounds to spend. I must admit, I didn’t like that. I’d say to Gio, “You didn’t need hundreds of millions to compete with Borussia Dortmund and RB Leipzig last season.”

Those two were dismantled by Rangers in the Europa League and both have spent far more on their squads than Rangers have. And we didn’t just compete with them, we played them off the park. Dortmund and Leipzig are serial Champions League clubs. They’re both in the competition again this season and have previously reached the semi-finals.

Over a league campaign, of course Rangers couldn’t compete with these clubs. It’s the same everywhere. That’s why the likes of Aberdeen, Hearts and Hibs can’t get near the Old Firm over a season.

So Gio should be wary of going down that route when he’s looking for excuses. Maybe he got caught up in the emotion of losing so heavily to Ajax but I think he’ll regret what he said.

The Rangers support didn’t react well to the comments. But it’s not a time for over-reaction in the boardroom at Ibrox. Gio deserves time to fix what’s gone wrong, just like Steven Gerrard got before he eventually led the club to its 55th title.

Only a matter of months ago Rangers reached a European final by competing with higher-budget teams. It wasn’t a worry for him then. Beating teams like Dortmund and Leipzig over two legs, was that not competing?

Remember when Rangers drew 0-0 with Barcelona at Ibrox in 2007? Barca’s front three that night was Ronaldinho, Thierry