Barcelona Bear believes playing in front of crowds is a factor in the Giovanni revolution
Giovanni van Bronckhorst is reshaping Rangers into the sort of team he believes can bring success.
He was left a few posers by the Steven Gerrard management team when they nipped off to Aston Villa.
One that was uppermost in many minds was the players’ ability to cope with pressure when playing in front of fans.
They swept to the Premiership title last season when supporters were forced to stay at home, but their performances haven’t been as impressive now that grounds are full again.
Ibrox legend, Willie Mathieson, understands why it might not be easy for players new to the club.
The former left-back said: “I watch them regularly. They are a good team. The problem is last year there was no crowd, and that’s catching up on them now because to run out in front of 50,000 people is different.
“We were used to that. I think I played in five games with over 100,000 fans on the terracing. There was 124,000 against Celtic in the 1973 Scottish Cup Final.
“It’s just noise at both ends. If you do something wrong, Rangers supporters are on your back.
“If you do something right, Celtic supporters are on your back, but I enjoyed it.
“My worst experience is standing on the first tee at the golf. That’s when I get nerves, not running out in front of 100,000.”
Willie, a member of the legendary side that won the European Cup-winners’ Cup in 1972, says some of his old team-mates did show a bit of anxiety back then.
He went on: “Sandy Jardine was running in and out of the toilet, and ‘Bud’ Johnston was the same. He always had a smoke!
“The worst ever, though, was Davie Provan. Before games, he was in and out of the toilet every two minutes. He was a bag of nerves, whereas normally he was a great, big composed guy.
“Ronnie Mackinnon was another one, even on the park. He was always
screaming: ‘Cover me, cover me’.
“The big thing about Rangers is if you are brought up in the system – which I was, joining the club at 17 – you know what it’s like.
“These new players coming in, they don’t know what they are coming to, and about running out in front of 50,000.
“If they are nervous at all, it’s going to show.
“A classic example of that was Tommy Mclean. When he came to Rangers at first, he was a bit nervy.
“I used to room with Tommy, and he used to panic because he wasn’t playing well.
“But then, when he got his game going, he was brilliant.”
Willie is featured in the new book Barcelona – The Greatest Day in the History of Rangers FC, by Tom Miller.
The current team travel to face Lyon in the Europa League on Thursday, and you can be sure none of them will be asked to play like Willie did in the first leg of the Cup-winners’ Cup semi-final against Bayern Munich in 1972.
He recalled: “I was asked to do a manmarking job on their outside-right, and it turned out he played at left-half. So I just followed him all over park.
“If I was still playing, I’d be banned sine die, the way they play nowadays.”
Despite the fact that Rangers have already qualified for the next stage of the Europa League, there will still be plenty fans travelling to France to back their favourites this week.
That doesn’t surprise Mathieson. He said: “When the final whistle went in the Cup-winners’ Cup Final against Moscow Dynamo, there were 25,000 Rangers supporters on the park – and two guys were round my neck as I tried to get through the crowd.
“I said to them: ‘ Where are you from?’. They replied: ‘Glasgow – but we live in Australia, and have been there six years. We flew in to Barcelona this morning, and we are flying back tomorrow morning’.
“I said: Are you not going on to Glasgow to see your parents? ’and they said: ‘No, we’ve no money’.
“Unbelievable, but that’s what Rangers supporters are like.
“Fantastic!”