I have been to Ibrox but Benfica was the only stadium where I’ve felt intimidated

SAYS IAN CATHRO

After five minutes, you are completely unaware of the crowd

IAN CATHRO seems like an honest sort. The type who freely admits when he is not entirely sure about how to answer a question or — tougher still — make a prediction.

Despite the volume of comment about his youth, the 30-year-old is sufficiently steeped in football to know that nothing ever goes as intended in this illogical game.

And, to be blunt, there is no way he can take even an educated guess as to how his first game in charge of Hearts — indeed his first game as a manager — is going to pan out.

From how he’ll feel at kick-off, to the ability of his team to follow whatever instructions he has managed to cram into just four training sessions, there are so many variables that no amount of pre-planning can eliminate every possible wrinkle.

So, yes, he’s got an idea of how he will respond to striding out tomorrow in front of 50,000 fans at Ibrox, the vast majority of those supporting the home team and — because normal rules of engagement almost demand it — directing a few barbs at the (very) new boy in the away technical area.

Cathro can draw on his experience of being in Govan on Champions League nights of old, as well as some first-hand memories of the only time he ever felt intimidated in a stadium. That was when he was assistant manager at Portuguese club Rio Ave. At Estadio da Luz, home of Benfica, for the record.

Yet it won’t be until he exits the tunnel and shakes hands with Rangers manager Mark Warburton that he’ll really understand what he has let himself in for.

He at least seems optimistic. And ready to have a laugh about it all.

Asked yesterday what kind of touchline presence he would be, either a cerebral thinker or a frantic arm waver, Cathro said: ‘Crazy!

‘No, I’m just whatever’s natural. I’m generally a calm person but I can be a bit mad. Nature takes care of those things.

‘That’s one of the most important things. We are people as well. We are what we are. That’s part of how you learn and build relationships with people. You just allow people to see you and what’s real.

‘I’ve been to Ibrox before. It was maybe some Champions League games way back. A lot of the times, it was to see the other team. But it was a long time ago.

‘It’s a powerful stadium, of course. It’s good. It’s what makes football what we all love it for.

‘The only time in my life I’ve ever walked into a stadium and felt remotely intimidated was the very first time we went to Benfica’s Estadio da Luz.

‘It’s an incredible arena and I was on the touchline looking around, thinking: “Oooh”. But then five minutes went past and it was a game, with our players trying to do the things we wanted them to do against what we thought their players would do.

‘And after that you’re completely unaware of the crowd. But I must admit, we didn’t do that well against Benfica!’

Portrayed in some quarters as a purist who only trusts one method of coaching and one way of playing, Cathro sounds more pragmatic than his reputation suggests.

Sure, he’s no disciple of the Groucho Marx philosophy on core beliefs — ‘These are my principles. And, if you don’t like them, well, I have others’ — but the former Valencia and Newcastle United No 2 is adamant about the need for flexibility in this team.

‘It’s essential to be able to do different things,’ he said. ‘Football has different parts — and you can’t tell the referee to stop when it’s a part of the game you don’t fancy.

‘It’s about having a smart team who knows how to feel its way through games, learning to react when games are stressed or when the match opens up for us.

‘It’s not about doing that in three days and it doesn’t need to happen in that time because things are okay here.

‘I see football as a whole and I’m not obsessed about it being a specific way. There are some things I prefer more than others but the game will express itself and we need to play in all bits of it. We need to try and be ready for that.’

Addressing criticism that Warburton’s Rangers have too often been lacking the adaptability needed to outsmart opponents, Cathro insisted: ‘I think that’s slightly unfair. They have other movements, they have other ways that they can bring the ball out.

‘I think there is a clear process in the team. They have done good work. It’s a well-trained team. There is more than one thing that goes on.’

With three sessions under his belt as of yesterday afternoon, Cathro

has begun focusing on the specifics of tomorrow’s game. Already, it feels like he’s embedded in the job.

‘It’s been enjoyable this week. I’ve felt an extra percentage of life, extra energy,’ he said. ‘It’s slightly easier to get out of bed. It’s all been positive.

‘I’m trying to make improvements, not changes. There’s nothing particularly wrong here. There was a lot of good work done. It’s about continuing the good work but also trying to make improvements.

‘I’ve got a responsibility to help and support all the staff and all the work that’s been done, the positive things and good routines that exist. And then it’s about adding the improvements where I believe we can and maybe evolve things slightly. But there’s no major surgery needed.’

What might take some getting used to, on the part of Cathro, is simply the interest levels in him as an individual.

Nothing he has done in the backroom of even major clubs can compare to the spotlight of management.

Asked if he would be a tracksuit or a suit-and-tie gaffer, he laughed as he said: ‘That suggests you’re excited to see how I’m going to dress! I don’t know.

‘A hat? I doubt very much that there will be hats. I do have an issue here (points to head), but hairspray will take care of it.’