GIOVANNI VAN BRONCKHORST has insisted he isn't rattled by Celtic's big-spending transfer window splurge and revealed he was thrilled to land a £12million windfall for 'back-up' Nathan Patterson.

The new Rangers boss has made a hugely impressive start to life at Ibrox and his club are six points ahead of Celtic in the winter break as they aim to retain the title.

So far, van Bronckhorst has only brought in American talent James Sands on a long-term loan, with Celtic investing heavily in the Japanese market with the arrival of Daizen Maeda, Yosuke Ideguchi and Reo Hatate for serious money.

However, the Dutch boss is adamant he very relaxed about the transfer situation and handed a defiant warning to the rest of the league.

He said: "I don't care what other clubs do.

"Nathan Patterson was a 'backup player.' This was a win-win situation and basically, we don't get any weaker.

"He was sold for a record amount and that fits the long-term vision of the club. The club now gets a financial injection and the player goes to the Premier League.”

Since taking a watching brief in the stand for Rangers' Premier Sports Cup semi-final defeat to Hibs after he succeeded Steven Gerrard, the former Dutch captain has enjoyed a near-flawless start to his Ibrox career in the hot-seat after eight wins and a draw in a dead-rubber Europa League tie in Lyon.

And van Bronckhorst, in an interview in his homeland's De Telegraaf, has given an indication into what he expects from his new charges and the tactical differences between him and predecessor Gerrard.

He said: "We are the champions of Scotland. This is Rangers, only first place counts for this club. We have to have that appearance of flair and spirit in every game and I expect that. No, I demand that from my players.

"I'm the manager, I had to show what I want from day one.

"I have to show the players that, that's very important. For me, it was nice to see that they have opened up to something new. Of course, it helps that you win matches with the way I play. When that is successful, then confidence in the team grows.

"I have opted for a slightly different formation in possession of the ball and when we defend we are also slightly different. "Steven Gerrard also played 4-3-3, but if you see our matches, it is clear that we operate significantly differently in a number of positions.

"I have access to classic wingers at Rangers. So I want to use that. I also have a real number 10, so we can vary it a lot. The boys have handled it really well and everything has come off.

"It would have been nice if we could have trained the whole squad under the sun for a while in the winter, but Rangers has a fantastic training complex and we can train well here just fine."

And the former Barcelona and Arsenal ace is delighted at the welcome he has received in Glasgow...but not surprised.

He said: "I knew what it was like from my time as a player, but now it feels very good again. I think it's great that they immediately welcomed me back into the Rangers family.

"And so are the others on my staff. It is and remains such a huge club to work for. It's really ideal."