Rangers boss on brink of emulating Old Firm legends but knows only silverware will make him an Ibrox success

Giovanni van Bronckhorst is on the cusp of becoming only the third manager to lead a Scottish club into the semi-finals of a European tournament this century.

Braga's players celebrate a goal by Andre Horta during their impressive 3-2 win over Benfica in a Portuguese Primeira Liga match last Friday night. (Photo by MIGUEL RIOPA/AFP via Getty Images)

If he can engineer a Rangers victory over Braga in their Europa League quarter-final, advancing to territory where only Walter Smith (2008) and Martin O’Neill (2003) were previously able to venture since the millennium, it will be a remarkable achievement by any metric.

Yet van Bronckhorst knows that the only true measure of success in the role to which he was appointed last November is the delivery of silverware to the Ibrox trophy room.

Retaining the Premiership title which last season ended a barren decade on the major trophy front for Rangers now looks a very long shot after Sunday’s Old Firm defeat which leaves van Bronckhorst’s side trailing Celtic by six points with six league games left.

If it places greater emphasis on the Europa League and Scottish Cup for Rangers, van Bronckhorst insists the club’s board had no need to outline his requirement to win trophies when they handed him the job.

“They don’t have to explain the pressure of being manager of Rangers,” he said. “I’ve been here as a player, I had the pressure when I was manager at Feyenoord.

“So the pressure is always there. Of course you need to perform. I want to perform well with my team. The players want to perform well and that’s what we are trying to do and work hard for.

“Of course, in the end you want to have silverware. That’s why you work hard all season and that’s what we are going to do until the end of the season.

Rangers manager Giovanni van Bronckhorst is under no illusions about the demands placed upon him to win silverware for the Ibrox club. (Photo by Alex Pantling/Getty Images)

“There is disappointment, obviously. You have to switch immediately to focus on the game that’s ahead and that’s Braga.

“That’s what the players have done, what we all have done and it’s the only thing we can do and have to do.”

Rangers have been installed as favourites to defeat Braga in the tie but, ahead of Thursday night’s first leg in Portugal, van Bronckhorst is wary of opponents who defeated Benfica 3-2 in their league last Friday night.

“I think people were saying it’s the best draw we could have a couple of weeks ago but Braga are a very good team, very strong,” he said.

“They won against Benfica last weekend, so it’s a team who are difficult to overcome. We have a big challenge ahead of us but we relish the chance to go to the semi-finals.

“It’s a big opportunity. It’s not often you play a quarter-final in Europe and you have the chance to reach the semi-finals.

“It’s not for many players, so we have to work hard and get the performance tomorrow and also next week at Ibrox to overcome Braga.

“It’s Europe, it’s very difficult as we’ve seen in all the games we have played so far. Against Borussia Dortmund and Red Star Belgrade in the last two rounds, we had to be there in every department you need on the pitch - tactical awareness, physical awareness, know your way of playing when attacking and defending.

“We have managed to do that so far and now it’s an opportunity to do it again and to win against a strong opponent.”

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