We all know what Giovanni van Bronckhorst was like as a player – well those of us old enough to remember do – tenacious but class, powerful but elegant, but what is he like as a man, and more importantly, what would he bring as manager of Rangers if he is appointed?
Speaking exclusively to Vital Rangers, a former member of Feyenoord’s analysis team has given us an insight into what it was like to work for Van Bronckhorst and how he managed to overcome significant financial obstacles to guide them to their first Eredivisie title in 18 years:
“Van Bronckhorst creates a group that understands the objective, the position the club is in and protecting club culture while incorporating fans. He is not a tactically brilliant man, like Erik ten Hag, but he understands big games and got every domestic silverware possible.
“Watch the 6-2 win against Ajax and you know what it means to the club, how the players run for him and how you can dismantle a tactically good team like Ajax’s 2018/2019 – he inspires and motivates players.
“He gives responsibility to assistants and is approachable – he is calm and won’t be trapped into saying something stupid. He will always be respectful when talking about rivals, but resolute and his backroom staff is a nice mix of non-football background and former players.”
There are a lot of similarities between Van Bronckhorst and the man that he could replace. Steven Gerrard accepted that he wasn’t a master tactician and that is why he brought Michael Beale with him, it’s also why he has taken him to Aston Villa too.
The ability to motivate individuals and inspire them to become better than they are is an admirable quality and one that they obviously share, there haven’t been many occasions when the players let Gerrard down in Old Firm games or in the Europa League.
That they both prefer a 4-3-3 formation with attacking full-backs makes it an obvious decision, as does Jan Wouters’s previous relationship with Rangers – he was Van Bronckhorst’s assistant at Feyenoord too – by surrounding themselves with the best individuals for the job and not just former team-mates, it shows a level of humility that suggests they know they can’t do it on their own.
It’s a fascinating insight into our – potential – next manager, if you weren’t convinced already, surely you are now?!