THE VAN WHO WOULD BE KING
Stein, Waddell, Fergie... and Gio? Gers boss eyes the Euro hall of fame
WORLD CUP finalist, Champions League winner and the holder of a glittering personal collection of domestic prizes plundered during stints in Holland, Scotland, England and Spain.
Gio van Bronckhorst did it all during a stellar playing career which saw him reach peaks only an elite few ever scale.
Now a manager, the Dutchman is putting together his application to join another exclusive club, one that has only ever dealt out three golden membership cards over the past 67 years.
Should he successfully guide his Rangers team past RB Leipzig and then go onto secure Europa League glory in the Seville final on May 18, then van Bronckhorst will take his place alongside Jock Stein, Willie Waddell and Sir Alex Ferguson as the only men to have led a Scottish team to a UEFA trophy since continental action kicked off back in 1955.
It would be easy to get carried away while drinking in the prospect of joining such exalted company.
But personal glories are the last thing on van Bronckhorst’s mind now he is responsible for shaping the hopes of so many in his team and throughout the Ibrox faithful.
“Of course it feels different because as a coach you are responsible for the team,” said the former Feyenoord, Rangers, Arsenal, Barcelona and Holland star as he compared the opportunity to the feats he achieved with his boots on.
“But what I had as a player I also have as a coach, you have to concentrate on the preparation for games.
“You have to block all the media, all the pressure you get from outside to win these legs and just concentrate on your preparation and your performance.
“That’s what the players also have to do, make sure we prepare well as normal and when the whistle goes, go into the game and give everything you have on the pitch and make sure you have a good result. In that aspect for me it’s no different.”
For every European high van Bronckhorst has recorded so far as Gers secured group-stage progression before dumping out Dortmund, Red Star Belgrade and Braga to reach the last four, there have been domestic lows as Ange Postecoglou’s refurbished Celtic squad were allowed to put themselves within touching distance of an unlikely title triumph.
But those league frustrations will all be forgotten if Rangers can march all the way.
Van Bronckhorst insisted: “Personally that’s what you want.
“I came in in November with my staff and I think we had to start straight away without any preparations.
“We reacted well, not only my staff and the staff that were already here, but also the players and we have to do it all together.
“Of course I am the manager and I will lead the team but I’m just very proud of the players and how they have performed in difficult circumstances against difficult opponents.
“We are now in the final weeks of the season and we will give everything we can to be successful in Europe and that’s what you want, being involved in Europe and playing big games.”
The Ibrox side’s continued participation in the tournament looked decidedly shaky after the Light Blues – still bossed by Steven Gerrard at the time – kicked off their group campaign with back-to-back defeats against Lyon and Sparta Prague. But four points from the double header with Brondby steadied the ship.
Then the newly appointed van Bronckhorst set a course for the knock-out rounds with victory over the Czechs in his first match in charge.
Since then it’s been plain sailing all the way to the semis and the gaffer reckons it’s his sides’ soaring confidence levels which has allowed them to blow with the wind.
He said: “Well, of course we have the belief.
“If we are still involved in Europe and in a semi-final and you see the run we’ve had in
Europe then it’s been very good. The confidence is there but I think also we know that we have to perform again tomorrow and next week and everything we achieved in the past doesn’t count against Leipzig.
“We are just preparing well for these two games and I am very confident in my team.
“I am sure that we can get good performances in and have a chance to make the final.”
Rangers’ sails will be filled by the roar of as many as 7000 travelling punters at Leipzig’s impressive Red Bull Arena.
And van Bronckhorst hopes the din of Rangers’ foreign legion can help his team send another shockwave across Europe as they gear up for facing a Leipzig side who have matched champions Bayern Munich point for point since new boss Domenico Tedesco took over back in December.
He said: “It’s always a factor when you have got a lot of fans travelling with you.
“We have had that the whole season when we have played abroad.
“The fan base who travel with us are amazing.
“It feels a little bit like playing at home when you are away. As for Leipzig, I think it is a very strong team.
“It is a very attacking team with a lot of pace up front with the strikers.
“It is a very well organised team as we have seen with the games they played against Atalanta.
“We have to prepare well because we are going to play against a very strong team.
“When you play in a semi-final then any team you play is strong, so we just have to prepare well.”