Giovanni van Bronckhorst confessed the only way to shelter from Rangers fans' spiralling anger would be to hide away underground.
A seven point Premiership gap to leaders Celtic and a Champions League campaign that broke records for all the wrong reasons has piled pressure on the beleaguered Ibrox boss as his team limp towards the World Cup break.
No less than three points at home to Hearts on Wednesday night will do for Van Bronckhorst after Rangers lost to St Johnstone on Sunday, a result that thrust the Dutchman's tenure beyond the point of no return with a sizeable section of the club's supporters.
Some confronted captain James Tavernier outside McDiarmid Park while others vented on social media to demand change in the dugout. And although the 47-year-old former Feyenoord coach is convinced he can turn the tide, the fact he doesn't "live in a basement" makes it difficult to escape a rising swell of fury.
Van Bronckhorst said: “It’s only natural to be aware of it, I don’t live in a basement. So it’s obvious for everyone to see, myself as well, all I can do is focus on my performance with the team and to focus on winning games, that’s all that matters.
“I’m 47, I’ve been in football many years and know how it works so for me that’s not a problem.”
But can he really salvage the situation?
“Of course, I can turn it around, otherwise I’m not sitting here," the Dutchman insisted.
Intriguingly, Van Bronckhorst views Rangers' own failings last season as evidence the title race could still take a dramatic turn in their favour.
He said: “We saw last season, we had a six point gap and it changes in the end of the season. It’s football, you have difficult moments over the period of a season.
“You have to come out of it as quickly as possible and get points. There are a lot of games to be played and points to be won.
“The most important thing is for us to win the game tomorrow.”
