I’VE HAD TO CHANGE MY GAME PLAN NOW PEDRO’S BEEN SACKED
Levein forced to mug up on Murty after switch
HEARTS boss Craig Levein admits he has been forced to scrap his game-plan at the last minute after Rangers sacked Pedro Caixinha.
The Jambos spent the majority of last week preparing to face Caixinha’s Gers side and Levein was in attendance at Ibrox for their 1-1 draw against Kilmarnock on Wednesday evening.
It turned out to be the Portuguese coach’s final match in charge.
And Levein has been forced into alterations after Graham Murty was named interim boss of the Glasgow giants.
It is Murty’s second stint in the role after taking charge of Rangers for six matches following the departure of Mark Warburton in February.
He claimed three wins and an impressive 1-1 draw against Celtic at Parkhead during his brief tenure.
And, while he spared a thought for Caixinha, Levein has been quick to do his homework on the new man at the helm.
The former Scotland manager said: “It’s a difficult job and I feel sorry for Caixinha. But that’s just the nature of football these days.
“Graham Murty is in charge for this match and we have looked back on some of the matches he was involved in before and it will change things.
“We had done a lot of work on Rangers and I had an idea how they would play – that might change now.”
Meanwhile, Jambos ace Isma Goncalves reckons Caixinha might have been a success if Rangers had been based in Edinburgh.
The Portuguese striker has put himself on a collision course with the Glasgow tourist board by claiming it’s much easier to settle in the capital.
Caixinha relied on a Latin wave of players from his homeland, Mexico and Colombia to turn around the fortunes of Rangers but to no avail.
Goncalves, 26, spent half a season on loan at St Mirren four years ago and lived in Glasgow but a move to the east earlier this year has left him in no doubt which part of the country is best.
He said: “I haven’t been following everything that is happening with Rangers.
“I didn’t know Caixinha, although people in Portugal were following what he was doing here.
“It was different for me in terms of settling when I first arrived in Scotland.
“When I came to St Mirren I was already used to moving around.
“However, for people who don’t know Scottish football it can be hard.
“The weather is grey but I like that. I don’t like the sun. You have two ways of life here in Scotland and Edinburgh suits me better than Glasgow. The people are nice here and the city is more multi-cultural.”