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TOUGH GUY

By ALAN POTTS

RANGERS boss Giovanni van Bronckhorst vowed to get tough on his Ibrox squad.

Now former Feyenoord ace Dirk Kuyt has warned the Light Blues stars that their new gaffer won’t hesitate to drop ANYONE if he believes it will lead to success.

The ex-Liverpool frontman was captain of the Dutch side during Van Bronckorst’s first two seasons in charge.

Kuyt helped the club win the KNVB Cup as well as a first league title in 18 years, breaking the dominance of Ajax and PSV.

Most captains play week in week out when fit, but Kuyt found himself axed by his old international team-mate.

The ex-striker reckons that shows Van Bronckhorst’s ruthless streak and how he will stop at nothing to get glory.

Kuyt told the BBC: “I think he is very experienced now as a manager.

“I played with him for ten years as a team-mate and then he became my manager at Feyenoord.

“I came back to the club after several years away and it was quite tough for us.

“We had played together for so long and we became friends over that time.

“Suddenly he was my manager and I was his captain and we struggled some times.

“But he doesn’t hesitate to make difficult choices.

“Gio makes decisions to give the team the best chance to win the game.

“In my spell at Feyenoord we were very successful, we won the league and the cup.

“But as the captain he put me on the bench and that must have been tough for him to have to make that kind of decision.

“We had played together for so long and I was the club captain but he still didn’t play me. But he did it for the team.

“He obviously thought it was the right thing to do to try and help the team win the league title.

“I can see him being very successful at Rangers because of the experience he has had.

“He did a great job at Feyenoord. He was always so calm and he always made the right decisions.

“He is not only a very good coach on the training field but he is also a great manager.

“It is typical for Gio to watch the first game from the stand.

“It’s very difficult to make changes as a new manager in the beginning and I’m sure that’s why he was in the stand.

“He will be well prepared for a very tough game on Thursday against Sparta Prague.

“If I know Gio, he will be more than ready for that match and he will make sure the team is ready to give them the best chance to win.”

Van Bronckhorst replaced another of Kuyt’s former team-mates in Steven Gerrard, after the Liverpool legend took over at Aston Villa.