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Former Rangers manager ‘SACKED’ less than six months into role
Things turned sour for the manager very quickly
BESIKTAS have sacked Giovanni van Bronckhorst after less than six months in charge, according to a report.
The former Rangers manager was under serious pressure in Turkey before last night's latest defeat gave chiefs no other option than to wield the axe.
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Van Bronckhorst, 49, last night admitted that his time could be up in Istanbul after his side crashed to a 3-1 defeat at home to Maccabi Tel Aviv.
Besiktas currently sit sixth in the Turkish Super Lig and 12 points behind leaders and rivals Galatasaray.
Now reports in Turkey suggest his time is officially up.
Fanatik claim the Dutchman has been relieved of his duties after holding crunch talks with the board over his future today.
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The latest development comes after it was announced club president Hasan Arat announced he is stepping down due to personal reasons.
There is major upheaval within the Istanbul giants as Samet Aybaba, Brad Friedel and Okay Karacan have all been dismissed in recent days.
Now Van Bronckhorst is the latest man to join the conveyor belt of exits and an official announcement is expected imminently.
It is said his assistant Serdar Topraktepe, who was at the club before Van Bronckhorst, will take over the hot-seat on an interim basis while the club search for a permanent replacement.
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It has been a monumental collapse for the Dutchman in the dugout in recent weeks after a rather impressive start to his reign in Turkey.
Van Bronckhorst kicked off his tenure with a stunning 5-0 win over rivals Galatasaray in the Super Cup before clinching Europa League qualification against Lugano and winning his first three league games.
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Things started to turn on its head when the Black and Whites fell to a 4-0 defeat to Ajax in their opening Europa League clash, before losing to Eintracht Frankfurt at home in their second fixture.
But despite winning back-to-back European ties against Malmo and Lyon, Besiktas started to fall away from the pack in the league at the same time.
The club haven't won in four league matches and one of those losses included a 2-1 defeat to Galatasaray - which was the most costly of all.
Fans quickly forgot about their Super Cup rout in August and began turning on the Dutchman after the derby defeat.
However, he was given more time to turn things around.
But the board have now decided his time is up after their shock defeat in Europe last night.
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