Gio van Bronckhorst knows the painful perils of getting swept away amid the Parkhead tempest.
The Rangers manager’s first experience of the derby din at Celtic Park left his senses scrambled and his head swirling as the Hoops dished out a 5-1 dismantling in 1998. There was another barrage on his fifth and final trip across Glasgow as an Ibrox player 20 months later as Martin O’Neill’s men whipped up a fresh storm that engulfed the Dutchman and his team-mates as Rangers were blown away 6-2.
He found it no easier to get his bearings on his first visit as boss of the club in February, with Ange Postecoglou ’s super-slick outfit tying Rangers in knots as they raced to a three-goal lead inside 45 minutes. So when the manager warns Old Firm rookies such as James Sands, Malik Tillman, Rabbi Matondo and Antonio Colak on the need to keep their wits about them, he certainly knows what he’s talking about.
