Genuine affection isn’t always on show when managers go through the motions in the traditional pre-match meet and greet. But there was no doubt the terms of endearment Gio van Bronckhorst showered on Derek McInnes was heart-felt.
Whether the mutual appreciation remains intact after the Rangers boss goes head to head with his Kilmarnock counterpart this afternoon remains to be seen. The Dutchman’s fondness for his old Ibrox team-mate was forged during a spell in the late 1990s which included a Scottish Cup Final win over Celtic when they shared midfield duties.
Today the pair will have polar opposite agendas with Rangers aiming to iron out the issues which saw them lose 2-0 to Union Saint-Gilloise in a Champions League qualifier and brought a scathing assessment from their boss. The stakes couldn’t be higher going into a recovery mission against the Belgians on Tuesday. But for McInnes and his Rugby Park side this afternoon’s something of a free hit.
Van Bronckhorst has pored over some of the unsettling footage from last Tuesday night in Belgium as he aims to right a few wrongs when he welcomes his old mate. He said: “Derek McInnes is doing a lovely job at Kilmarnock.
“I know him personally, I played with him and it’s always nice to see your ex-team-mates getting into management as well. I am really looking forward to meeting Derek again on Saturday. He was a great midfield player, very comfortable on the ball.
"You always see a little bit of the style of player in the manager and the teams he coaches. He took Kilmarnock from the Championship back to the Premier League.
“It was a great year for him and of course they started the league season reasonably well against Dundee United so it will be good to see him back. Kilmarnock is a team which can make it really difficult, like all the teams in Scotland can.
“I am confident when we reach our levels and the standard I expect from my players, then we should be fine.”
The ring rust in the Rangers side was clear to see last weekend in a Premiership curtain-raiser which required a fightback from a goal down to finally edge out Livingston 2-1 in West Lothian. The lack of cohesion from that display was carried into the Champions League qualifier against the Belgians.
Van Bronckhorst admits he sat down with his players and conducted a post mortem into the flop show in Leuven – but he insists it was a shared conclusion and the need to shake off the frustration and find a way to make amends.
He said: “The first emotion I had was one of disappointment. After, when I saw the game back and we analysed the game back with the players we all felt the same.
“We were disappointed in the performance and we need the desire and the hunger to turn it around starts tomorrow against Kilmarnock.”
Killie opened their own campaign by taking a point against Dundee United last Saturday with an injury-time leveller from Ash Taylor ensuring their top-flight return didn’t end in defeat.
McInnes has more than enough experience in the ranks to make sure this trip to Ibrox isn’t faced with trepidation as the likes of Kyle Lafferty will also be aiming to put one over his old club.
Van Bronckhorst listed a host of areas where his side need to improve and he also insists he’s done his homework on Killie.
But is all sounded less than fine tuning and more of an overhaul. He said: “We have to analyse them well. Their game against Dundee United last week was a draw. It’s a team which has come from the Championship with a coach who likes to play good football.
“We have prepared the players well for this game. Our improving point needs to be when we are on the ball. We need to improve what we didn’t do well on Tuesday.
“We need to improve against Kilmarnock with our positions, speed of play, with our movements, runs and creating chances. Those are the areas where we have to improve tomorrow.”
It could well prove to be the perfect tonic of a first league game at Ibrox to lift spirits and a positive result would serve as the ideal preparation for Tuesday night’s clash with USG.
And Van Bronckhorst is well aware of generating some momentum for the challenge on all fronts in the months ahead.
He said: “Every game at home is exciting, whether it’s a friendly, Europe or cup games. Of course the league games as well, and we switch now from the European campaign to the domestic league.
“We started well with a win last week against Livingston and we want to continue to get the three points every game we play. Tomorrow’s another opportunity and Ibrox will be filled and supporting us with everything they can. We have to make it a positive game, win and get a positive feeling towards Tuesday.”
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