New manager is no drama and all business

Ever since Graeme Souness was ushered through the adjoining doors which link the manager’s office with the Blue Room at Ibrox 35 years ago, there has always been a sense of theatre about the media conferences held by Rangers in what is a uniquely ornate and historic football setting.

They cannot always be as dramatic, of course, as that day when Souness was announced as player-manager, or the jaw-dropping morning three years later when Mo Johnston jilted Celtic and became a Rangers player.

So it was no surprise Giovanni van Bronckhorst’s formal unveiling yesterday as the club’s 17th permanent manager should be a largely understated affair.

Right on the appointed time of 3.30pm, marked solemnly by the antique grandfather clock which sits in the corner of the room, van Bronckhorst entered to take his place at the top table, where he was flanked by sporting director Ross Wilson

and managing director Stewart Robertson.

A few minutes earlier, his backroom staff of Roy Makaay, Arno Philips and Yori Bosschaart had filed in, along with van Bronckhorst’s smiling oldest son Jake, to take standing positions at the back of the room behind the assembled media and witness his first official appearance as Rangers manager.

During the subsequent half-hour as the cameras rolled, van Bronckhorst looked assured and comfortable. While many of his compatriots have a reputation for being outspoken, there has never been any bombast to this Dutchman.

As a cultured and highly effective midfielder for Rangers, van Bronckhorst was as careful with his words in media interviews as he was precise with his passes on the pitch. Little had changed as he fielded his first questions in his new role with a serious and determined demeanour.

Having successfully handled the pressure of being head coach of his hometown club Feyenoord, the 46-year-old believes he is now equipped to cope with the intense scrutiny which is part of the job description for a Rangers manager.

Like the 16 men who have gone before him, he will ultimately be judged on results and whether he can make any fresh additions to the glittering haul of silverware in the Trophy Room just along the corridor from the Blue Room.