Rangers fired Giovanni van Bronckhorst after a year in charge, leaving the Ibrox club nine points behind Celtic in the Scottish Premiership.
The Dutchman took over in November 2021, leading his team to the Europa League final and the Scottish Cup last season.
Van Bronckhorst’s 12-month tenure is over, however, after recording the Champions League’s worst-ever group stage campaign and falling further behind the title race.
“I want to thank Gio for the hard work he has put in over the last 12 months and, especially, the achievements of taking the club to the Europa League final and winning the Scottish Cup last season,” said Rangers chairman Douglas Park.
“Unfortunately, recent results have not met neither our nor Gio’s expectations, and we have taken this difficult decision today. Everyone at Rangers wishes Gio every success in the future.”
Rangers dropped points in three of their last five league games after a 1-1 draw at St Mirren on November 12, following a loss at St Johnstone the previous weekend and a home draw with Livingston.
Van Bronckhorst was under increasing pressure after heavy defeats by reigning champions Celtic and Champions League opponents Ajax, Liverpool, and Napoli, with several of the club’s summer signings struggling to make an impact.
Defender John Souttar and midfielder Tom Lawrence have been out with injuries for the majority of the season, while winger Rabbi Matondo and left back Ridvan Yilmaz have seen limited action.
The Ibrox side did beat Union Saint Gilloise and PSV Eindhoven in Champions League qualifying to help the club’s finances early in the season, but they have lost nine of their 27 games this season, winning 14.
Last season, Rangers let a six-point league lead slip under the former Netherlands captain, before winning their first domestic cup since 2011 and losing on penalties to Eintracht Frankfurt in the Europa League final.
Rangers will hold their annual meeting early next month and resume their Premiership campaign against Hibernian at home on December 15th, after reporting an operating profit of £5.9 million last season.
The Ibrox club will face Aberdeen in the League Cup semi-finals before beginning their Scottish Cup defense in January.
