Pedro’s hangover
at What happens Murray Park, stays ... at Murray Park
THE problem with playing dumb is you run the risk of starting to look it.
Pedro Caixinha may have thought he was taking the sting out of Monday’s stormy post-Old Firm game with the “What happens in Vegas stays in Vegas” mantra he stoically stuck by yesterday.
But the more he tried to play it down and insist there is nothing but unity in a dressing room that smells more of roses than Ralgex, the more preposterous yesterday’s meeting with the Press became.
The rough gist? We have a mole in the camp but I’m happy he leaked this story because now we know it for sure.
Ask him if he has the 100 per cent backing of every player in the dressing room and he couldn’t be more unequivocal – “totally, of course.” But in the next breath he’s saying we’ll find out tomorrow how united they are if they provide the reaction he demands when they travel to face Hamilton Accies.
In 15 minutes the Rangers boss offered more contradictions than Vegas has strippers – but remember we’re not allowed to talk about them.
Yet maybe there is something in the image he drew, right enough.
Because like many a gambler in America’s infamous sin city, Caixinha has just put all his chips on one colour of the roulette wheel and if the ball rolls the wrong way tomorrow he could lose the lot.
By ripping into his players in such a ferocious manner – as exclusively revealed by Record Sport – and by accusing the homegrown players of not making him and his foreign signings feel welcome, Caixinha risks splitting his dressing room. And such divides are often followed quickly by mutiny. Just ask Paul Le Guen.
But whatever you do don’t be asking about what happened on his holidays.
Caixinha said: “I speak to the players most days. On the day after the match I always analyse and speak to them. Why are you just asking me this now? Is there something going on I don’t know?
“It’s weird you are telling me about that. I don’t know anything about it. But I can tell you all the analysis we do, we do it privately.
“Have some of you been to Las Vegas? Yes, okay. So did you tell your wife everything that happened when you left Las Vegas?
“What happens in Las Vegas stays in Las Vegas. That’s the way it is. Is the story inaccurate? I don’t know. I don’t know the story.
“I know what happened in Las Vegas. But I know also that what happens in Las Vegas should stay in Las Vegas.”
Of course he knows the story – he played a starring role in it. But for avoidance of doubt, Record Sport offered him a quick recap prompting the Portuguese boss to interrupt: “Look, I don’t care about the story. I know what happened. It happened exactly in this room. Exactly with that TV set. But it’s between me and my players. It’s private.” But it’s not private any more ... “That’s not my problem. It’s not my problem and concern, I can tell you that.”
So is there anyone in the squad you’ll not be inviting back to Vegas again?
“My friend, I’m not going to speak to you any more about Las Vegas.”
This was getting surreal. Talking about a holiday no one took? It’s just one step away from sending postcards from the edge.
Whether Monday’s meeting galvanises or gazumps what Caixinha is trying to achieve going forward could be answered in the tricky surroundings of Hamilton’s plastic pitch.
With a stiff wind forecast for tomorrow it will be one of those nights to roll up the sleeves and battle to get the job done against a highly-motivated Accies side who have started the season well.
Does he still feel the dressing room is united behind him to do just that?
Caixinha said: “Totally, but you will need to ask me that after Friday. Because if you feel that reaction, the reaction we want, we will have our answer on Friday. The boys have been brilliant working as a team.
“At the end of the Celtic game I
We are going to see who is in favour of this vision and who is against it PEDRO CAIXINHA EUAN McLEAN
said I expected a reaction, a strong reaction. I also said it was time to show which (muscle) mass, which blood we have in us to show a strong reaction.
“I also said something else. We are going to see who is in favour of this vision, this process and who is against it. That’s all. I did it just after the match. It has nothing to do with what happens in Las Vegas.
“The boys have shown a very good reaction in training – it was good hard work. But the reaction I want is on Friday.”
Caixinha revealed he doesn’t expect to change his line-up from the one that began the 2-0 defeat by Celtic. That would again mean Carlos Pena starting ahead of Kenny Miller. That element of his team selection was questioned by many in the wake of the game, especially as Pena was hooked after just 53 minutes to make way for Miller. That raised accusations the Mexican is not fit enough to play such a key role as the link between midfield and striker Alfredo Morelos.
But the manager defended his £2.6million signing’s fitness and insists he has the stats to back up his claim he’s the third fittest player in the squad.
The 27-year-old was put on an individual training programme at the start of the season and – although he appears to have made little progress – Caixinha denied reports he criticised the player following the Celtic defeat.
He said: “I didn’t say that after the game. When I was young the boys used to call me Elephant because elephants have a great memory and I have a great memory. I know what I say and the moment I say it.
“I said that (he was struggling to reach the right fitness levels) about Carlos when we had the team picture at Ibrox and I said then he would need to improve. I never said it after the match. In that action we identified he needs to improve – he still needs to improve.
“We know the type of player we have and the work that needs doing. I can show you the data we have on a daily basis that is the total distance covered and the high intensity runs the players do.
“I can tell you that for a long time Carlos is in the top three of that list.”
He can tell you that, no problem. But he still won’t tell you what happened in Vegas.