Dirk Kuyt was a close friend of Gio van Bronckhorst 's at Feyenoord but that didn't stop him from being dropped.
And he's warned Rangers stars this no mercy approach will continue as the Dutchman takes over at Ibrox.
Kuyt helped fire Van Bronckhorst's side to the Eredivisie title in his second spell there as a player in 2017.
That title win launched the managerial career as that ultimately led Van Bronckhorst back to Rangers, where he replaces Steven Gerrard.
And while Kuyt says his former boss is a "relaxed" character, he's warned Ibrox stars not to let their guard down.
Because he'll drop them just as quickly as he dropped him when he wasn't doing the business.
Speaking on BBC Scotland's 'The Nine', Kuyt said: "Gio's a very relaxed person. He's not very emotional but he doesn't hesitate to make very difficult decisions. He always says those decisions are about giving the team the best chance to win.
"In my second spell at Feyenoord under him I was the captain and his friend but he put me on the bench. It must have been tough for him, but it was for the team.
"He was always very calm. Even in the first season when we struggled a little in the league he never got stressed and we managed to win the cup. The year after, we won the title for the first time in 18 years.
"I can see him being very successful at Rangers. He is one of the best coaches Feyenoord has had and he will take that experience with him."
Van Bronckhorst's career appeared to get off to a rocky start before it had even begun with many questioning his decision not to intervene at Hampden when Rangers were down 3-1 to Hibs at half-time.
But he had made it clear going in that he wouldn't intervene and Kuyt says this is "typical" in the early stages of his time at a club.
He added: "It's typical Gio to watch the first game from the stands. It's very difficult to make changes right at the beginning, so he will be well prepared for a very tough game on Thursday.
"Steven Gerrard, another great friend of mine, did a great job and hopefully Gio will be as successful.
"As well as being a great manager, he has a good team around him, like Gerrard had. Roy Makaay is a very good coach.
"For Gio, the most important thing is first of all to win games. It won't be tiki-taka in the first place, it's all about winning.
"He likes to attack, he knows the 4-3-3 system very well and I think he will build on that like Gerrard did."
