THERE are few situations in the game that Giovanni van Bronckhorst hasn't seen or lived through in an illustrious career on both sides of the white line.
And James Tavernier reckons that experience will help him through his current difficulties at Ibrox as Rangers battle to transform their fortunes this term.
Van Bronckhorst guided his side to the Europa League final and a long-awaited Scottish Cup triumph last season after returning to Glasgow to succeed Steven Gerrard as boss.
But those achievements count for nothing just months on from Seville and Hampden amid calls for the Dutchman to be shown the door by the Ibrox board.
Van Bronckhorst has vowed to fight on in the coming weeks as Rangers attempt to end the first stage of the campaign with wins over Hearts and St Mirren.
Performances and results have fluctuated throughout the campaign and captain Tavernier knows Van Bronckhorst is due a series of improved showings from the squad he has put his faith in.
Tavernier said: "I have a really good close relationship with the boss. I see him regularly, more than the players see, but he has a great relationship with everybody.
"That is just the type of boss he is, he is really hands on with the team and everyone respects him.
"We owe everyone. We owe ourselves, we owe the fans, we owe the boss, the club. You never want to lose.
"That is the thing. You never want to lose. We have to put things right and the only way we can put it right is by putting three points on the board.
"He (Van Bronckhorst) has been the same all the way through. He is experienced in the game, he knows this game and has been at the highest level you can be.
"He will understand pressure. He has played for this club as well so he knows the situation we are in.
"It will feel different being a manager compared to a player but he will understand what the players are going through and that is what he has relayed to the team."
Rangers head into the final fixtures before the break trailing Old Firm rivals Celtic by seven points and still smarting from a Champions League campaign that was historic for all the wrong reasons.
Tavernier insisted it is 'definitely not a crisis' when quizzed on the eve of the Hearts clash that will be another barometer of the mood of supporters amid growing frustrations at key figures on and off the park.
Fans confronted the squad as they boarded the bus in the aftermath of the defeat to St Johnstone on Sunday and Tavernier has done his best to explain the unique pressures that come with being a Rangers player to the latest Ibrox recruits.
Tavernier said: "A defeat hurts everyone. It hurts us as players, hurts the fans and hurts everyone involved. We don’t want to lose and emotions can always run high after getting beat.
"My emotions were all over the place after the game. You take it home, you are quiet when you see your family.
"You never want to get beat but it is about moving forward and trying to rectify what has been done. We keep pushing, keep driving forward and we have to keep looking forward and learning from our mistakes
"I think you can prepare [the new players] as best you can but nothing really prepares you for Glasgow and the fans and how intense it is.
"That comes down to the individual character. I know they are all good lads in there. It is about helping each other and being together and we obviously need to do that.
"I think it is about getting through these last two games then we have the break and players coming back from injury, which will help the squad.
"It is about helping each other and trying to use our experiences as senior pros as best we can."
