Giovanni van Bronckhorst probably won’t be in much of a mood to celebrate his birthday as the Rangers boss turns 47 ahead of Sunday’s visit of Hearts.
The Dutchman has found himself under scrutiny for the first time since his seamless start in the Ibrox dug-out.
Seven points dropped from a possible 12 since the winter break have turned up the heat with the midweek thrashing by Celtic at Parkhead bringing things to a head.
And the champions now face the prospect of being four points behind by the time they kick off against the Jambos with the Hoops in action at Motherwell earlier.
But Van Bronckhorst is no stranger to managerial pressure after a sticky start in his maiden season as a boss at Feyenoord.
However, he defied his doubters and eventually led the club he served as a player to their first Eredivisie title in almost two decades.
Mikos Gouka is a Rotterdam-based journalist who has covered Feyenoord for 20 years and he took time out to give Record Sport an insight into the Rangers gaffer’s time at De Kuip.
And speaking on this week’s edition of the Record Rangers podcast, he told how Van Bronckhorst refused to panic or change his approach and his single-minded attitude brought him success.
However, he didn’t ram that success down the throats of his critics with Gouka admitting his Mr Nice Guy tag remained.
Van Bronckhorst has been calm in the face of some early heat with questions being asked after the derby mauling which has seen them drop seven points in three games since the winter break.
And that, according to Gouka, is how he will remain and won’t ever become a tea cup-throwing style manager.
Here, we pick out some of the key points from the podcast which you can listen to in full by clicking here.
REACTION IN HOLLAND TO OLD FIRM DEFEAT
“There was a little surprise because we wrote some articles about his sensational start - 13 matches without a loss.
“He was doing fine, we read some interviews with him and he was in the right spot we thought it but it started with Ross County’s injury time goal and Celtic’s winner against Dundee United.
“That changed it to knowing you had to play at Celtic Park with the chance of losing top spot. You can lose that game but going in 3-0 down at half time was a big mess.
“We are feeling for him because we all think that he’s a nice person and we hope has some success but it’s a doubt because Celtic are the favourites.”
TACTICS
“In every game with Feyenoord he played 4-3-3 with real wingers but he was also realistic and when he had some defenders who weren’t fast he didn’t get them to play too advanced.
“He made some changes when he worked at the Manchester City Group and in China. He doesn’t stick to one plan just because it’s the Dutch style but in Holland he wasn’t seen as defensive.
“The leagues are similar in Holland with Feyenoord and Rangers probably expected to win nine out of 10 games.
“I remember one game which is comparable to the Old Firm. Ajax almost always won in Rotterdam for several years.
“The Dutch fans were shouting for him to attack and blow them off the field and go for the throat. He tried it several times and they lost.
“But there was one match where he took a different approach. Robin van Persie was the central striker and he fell back a bit, more defensive, and tried to catch them on the counter. They won 6-2 in Rotterdam!
“Maybe he thought that would be the way against Celtic. I saw some minutes of the match but this time it was all about Celtic.”
PRESSURE
“In his first season at Feyenoord he had nine matches without a win but still believed in his team and stuck to his principles.
“He didn’t make war in the dressing room and he had several success moments so I think he trusts in developing the team and training in the normal way and not making things worse than they are.
“In the period when he failed to win in nine games he was always the gentleman and quiet and trusting himself.
“We wrote several articles saying he wasn't the man and too inexperienced and when he won the Dutch Cup and title we had an interview and I told him it was the moment to get his revenge.
“But he said he wasn’t that kind of guy. He said at that time it was right to write that but that he had to stick to the plan and be comfortable with the players.
“I think he’s dong that at this time. He’s not panicking. He didn’t panic as a player. He played top level at Arsenal, Barcelona and knows how to handle it and the Rangers fans shouldn’t panic either.
“There are a lot of games Rangers will win without problems and he will stand up after this game.”
PERSONALITY
“I spoke to him several times a player but as a manager I saw him three times a week and he’s a well educated, nice guy.
“He’s a gentleman in Holland. He never made anyone angry. He has no enemies but first we didn’t think he would be a manager.
“When he stopped as a player he didn’t have big interest in managing a team but that changed. He started at the Dutch national team youth, Under-21s, where he was assistant coach.
“I followed them and sometimes he’d be absent and I’d find out he was abroad so I didn’t think he was focused.
“But Fred Rutten stopped as head coach of Feyenoord. Van Bronckhorst was his assistant and Jean-Paul van Gastel was the other assistant. Everyone thought Van Gastel would replace Rotten with Van Bronckhosrt as his number two.
“But after talks with the board the people at the club realised Van Bronckhorst was the one and not Van Gastel and that surprised us.
“Everything changed when he started at Feyenoord, he is a focused manger now, and he had some experience abroad and we hope he has success in Scotland.”
MANAGEMENT STYLE
“ Steven Gerrard, as a player, was different to Van Bronckhorst. Gerrard was the one with the knife between his teeth but Gio had 106 caps for Holland so he must be a guy who can show that as well.
“But I spoke to him before about his favourite coaches and he always mentioned Frank Rijkaard and Guus Hiddink, who weren’t those who banged their heads off the door or shouted.
“He was fond of managers who stuck to the plan and were not aggressive and took time to develop the team in a normal way.
“I don't think this is the moment of GVB shouting in the dressing room and making aggressive moments with the players.
“He’s not that kind of guy. He’s always trying to focus on the next game and not making enemies with players.
“I understand in Scotland, especially when you lose the Old Firm, that fans hope he will do so but he will keep quiet.”
