Okay, we'll wrap this up here.

Giovanni van Bronckhorst is now the 17th man to take on the position of Rangers manager on a permanent basis as he succeeds Steven Gerrard.

He won't be in charge at the weekend but is expected to be at Hampden for Sunday's Scottish League Cup semi-final against Hibs - and he's sure to get a rousing reception.

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Giovanni van Bronckhorst’s main task is to emulate the Scottish Premiership title win of his predecessor Steven Gerrard.

However, that was the only trophy Gerrard won at Ibrox.

Rangers have gone more than a decade without winning either the League Cup or Scottish Cup.

Rangers recently announced an operating loss of £23.5m for the year ending on 30 June 2021, so Giovanni van Bronckhorst may not be very busy in the January transfer window even if he wants to make changes.

However, new managers are usually pretty good at getting the board to cough up and the club have raked in some useful compensation for Steven Gerrard and the other departed coaches.

The new Rangers boss inherits a squad that steamrolled their way to the Scottish Premiership title last season, going undefeated and winning every home game.

It's not been quite as smooth this time round but the champions are four points clear at the top, with a semi-final to look forward to on Sunday.

There's stiff competition for places all over the park and Ryan Kent and Ryan Jack are fit again after injury worries.

Sweden defender Filip Helander is the only player sidelined at the moment.

All the managers love Pep Guardiola, right?

Guardiola was coaching Barcelona's B team during Giovanni van Bronckhorst's last season at the Nou Camp.

And the new Rangers boss spent five months in Manchester in 2019 learning under the great man.

"Those are moments you can see him really in action and he is a very special coach," he told Sky Sports last year. "Those months with him in Manchester I could see a lot of things I didn't see before and it helped to develop me as a coach."

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Hang on. It has now been confirmed that the new manager won't be in place for Sunday's semi-final against Hibs at Hampden.

Ibrox sporting director Ross Wilson tells RangersTV that Giovanni van Bronckhorst should be in attendance but he won't be in charge of the team.

"He won't be in the dugout at Hampden but we expect him to be at the game, in fact I'm sure he'll be at the game," he explains.

"He'll be with us very soon, I'll see him in Glasgow very soon and he'll be in the dugout very soon, albeit not on Sunday."

It is not clear yet what type or length of contract Giovanni van Bronckhorst has been given or if he will be in charge for Sunday's League semi-final against Hibernian since a working visa must be arranged first.

There's no official word on backroom staff yet either but the Daily Record reckon Roy Makaay is on his way.

Good Scottish name...

Dick Advocaat, who signed fellow Dutchman Giovanni van Bronckhorst for Rangers, was the club’s first foreign manager. Advocaat won five trophies over a three-and-a-half spell, secured two Champions League group stage appearances and guided the team to the last 16 of the Uefa Cup before moving into a director of football role.

Frenchman Paul le Guen lasted half of season 2006-07 before making way for Walter Smith’s return to the Ibrox dugout.

Mark Warburton became Rangers’ first English manager in 2015 and secured promotion to the Premiership by winning the Championship. He also won the club’s first Challenge Cup and reached the Scottish Cup final.

After Warburton left midway through the 2016-17 season, Portuguese coach Pedro Caixinha took charge but lasted just seven months owing to poor results.

After Scotland international Graeme Murty’s short reign, former England captain Steven Gerrard was appointed manager in 2018, winning the club’s first major trophy in 10 years last season before taking the Aston Villa job this month. Gerrard also led the side to the last 16 of the Europa League twice.

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Rangers chairman Douglas Park said: “I am delighted to welcome Giovanni as our manager to begin a new era and build further on what has already been achieved at the club.

“The team is in a good position on the park and, as a board, we will support both Giovanni and Ross Wilson to continue to make Rangers a success.

“I wish Giovanni all the very best in his role and look forward to working closely alongside him.”

Sporting director Ross Wilson added: “I am delighted to welcome Gio back to Rangers. He was respected throughout Europe as a player and has already shown why he has that same respect as a coach.

“Gio has already shown himself to be a winner, he knows the club, he knows the quality of the squad and is absolutely aligned with our approach and mindset.

“Outside of the formal discussions, Gio and I have already had numerous other informal conversations and I can see how excited he is. I am looking forward to introducing him to the squad soon.”

So, has the new Ibrox manager been talking?

In his first club interview, Giovanni von Bronckhorst had this to say...

"I feel so lucky to be going to work with a squad which is in a great position on all fronts and largely has that experience of being winners.

"I look forward to carrying on and enhancing the work that has been done already and I'm grateful for the chance to work again at this huge football club.

"I cannot wait to meet the club's incredible supporters again and begin this new era for us all."

Giovanni van Bronckhorst is the first manager Rangers have appointed while top-flight champions since Ally McCoist in 2011.

But the circumstances he faces are closer to those faced by Walter Smith in 1991 and Alex McLeish in 2002.

Smith took over the defence of Rangers’ Premier Division defence when Graeme Souness left for Liverpool late in the 1990-91 season. Defend it Smith did, and six more before the end of his first spell as Ibrox boss.

McLeish was Rangers’ first appointment of the 2000s, with the Scot inheriting players from Dick Advocaat that had previously enjoyed success but fallen behind Martin O’Neill’s Celtic.

It was a similar stage of the season to Van Bronckhorst’s appointment when McLeish took charge and he ended the 2001-02 with both the League Cup and Scottish Cup in the trophy cabinet. A treble and league and League Cup double followed for McLeish.

In 2011, Van Bronckhorst joined Ronald Koeman’s coaching staff at Feyenoord and succeeded Fred Rutten as manager in 2015.

His first season brought success with victory in the KNVB Cup final against Utrecht.

And, the following year, he guided the Rotterdam side to their first Eredivisie title in 18 years.

Another KNVB Cup followed in 2018 and he departed at the end of season 2018-19.

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Van Bronckhorst first broke into the Netherlands squad in 1996 and, unlike at Rangers, tended to play at left-back.

He was part of his country’s squad for three World Cups and three European Championships and became captain in 2008.

And the pinnacle of his international career was skippering the Dutch to the 2010 World Cup final, which was his last match as a professional footballer and his 106th cap.

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As well as five medals at Rangers, Van Bronckhorst won a KNVB Cup in each of his playing spells with Feyenoord, the Premier League and FA Cup with Arsenal and two La Liga titles and the Champions League with Barcelona.

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Giovanni van Bronckhorst left Feyenoord to become one of Dick Advocaat’s first signings as Rangers manager in 1998.

Within a year, he midfielder had helped Rangers win the domestic treble. The following season, Rangers won the league again and added the Scottish Cup, with Van Bronckhorst scoring in the final. There were also two Champions League group stage appearances with the Dutchman in midfield.

His final season at Ibrox was affected by injury and he left in 2001 to join Arsenal in a £8m deal.

Overall, ‘Gio’ was a popular player with Rangers fans and scored 22 goals in 117 appearances for the club.

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Van Bronckhorst joins a Rangers side defending their title top of the Scottish Premiership, one win away from the Europa League knockout rounds and in the semi-finals of the League Cup.

After Sunday's Hampden meeting with Hibernian in the League Cup, Rangers host Sparta Prague in the Europa League and a win by a margin of more than one goal will secure a place in the knockout rounds.

And the first Premiership game on his watch will be on Sunday 28 November away to Livingston.

It will be a busy December for the new manager with eight games over a 28-day period.