As unchecked excitement gripped the support and panic rippled through Feyenoord's dressing room, Giovanni van Bronckhorst didn't flinch. His side had come this far and he wasn't about to let them squander it now.

Having topped the Dutch Eredivisie from the opening day of the 2016-17 season, the penultimate game gave Feyenoord the chance to secure their first title in 18 years.

A 3-0 defeat at relegation-threatened city rivals Excelsior, taking the race to the wire, wasn't supposed to be in the script.

It meant the suffocating pressure and expectation that had been building for weeks went up a notch. Navigating a path through the tumult would test the acumen of even the most experienced coach.

Van Bronckhorst, in just his second year in charge of his boyhood club, remained unflappable amid adversity. The title was duly delivered on home soil the following week with captain Dirk Kuyt scoring a hat-trick in a 3-1 home win over Heracles.

That season was the making of head coach Van Bronckhorst and will serve him well in his new role as Rangers boss where he's been parachuted into a title battle.

His man-management skills came to the fore during the fraught run-in, says Brad Jones, who kept goal for that title-winning Feyenoord team and offers an insight into Van Bronckhorst's methods.

"It wasn't easy in those final few weeks, I tell you. That pressure was mounting and in the last month the fans were desperate," Jones tells BBC Scotland. "We were leaving the stadium the day before a game and there were flares and fireworks going off. It was pretty intense.

"That was very much where the cool, calm Gio came in. He didn't change anything, he wasn't frantic, no changes to training or the routine, didn't go off on any tangents. It was just a case of we'll be the same people we've been all season and that'll get us where we need to be. That's exactly how it panned out.

"It was phenomenal to break that 18-year duck. For the city and club, it was huge. Losing to Excelsior ended up being the best thing that happened to us. It was a massive learning curve because it had become so full on. People at the club were getting carried away, the energy was just too much.

"That was a massive step for Gio, he eradicated all the outside noise going into that last game. He is a very calm and relaxed guy and that's what people thrive off. They want to play for him. That's his asset, bringing the calmness to the dressing room."
'A people person who makes players better'

Underneath the Dutchman's cool exterior lies a sharp - and flexible - tactical mind. Van Bronckhorst blended a disparate group of players into champions by adapting and honing the strengths at his disposal.

Similar to Ibrox predecessor Steven Gerrard, Van Bronckhorst's impressive CV - titles at Rangers and Arsenal, Champions League glory with Barcelona, captain of his country and 106 caps - commands instant respect in a dressing room.

There is no air of superiority about his leadership, though. At Feyenoord he was always approachable, espousing unity and a collective spirit.

"He's very much a people person, from the staff to the players," adds Jones. "Not many players were complaining about him, whether they were in the team or not, which isn't always the case.

"He's very genuine, easy to get along with. But at the same time commanded that respect a coach needs. He knew how to work people in terms of the personalities and how different players tick.

"As a captain you tend to learn that. I worked with [Gareth] Southgate at Middlesbrough, who went from captain to coach and same with Gerrard at Liverpool - Gio's in the same mould.

"He is definitely a coach who makes players better. It wasn't an easy group of players we had, we had some difficult characters. But when the players all want to work for the coach, it's a massive thing."