Caixinha couldn’t stand Old Firm heat

SAYS NEIL LENNON

NEIL LENNON expressed his sympathy for Pedro Caixinha yesterday — but admitted he was just the latest figure to discover that Old Firm management is an ‘unforgiving environment’.

The Northern Irishman’s time in charge of the other half of the Glasgow divide was a far happier, trophy-laden experience by comparison.

But Lennon, now in charge of Hibernian, is still better placed than most to understand the pressures that Caixinha must have been under during his disastrously brief stewardship at Ibrox.

And he could see the telltale signs that the Portuguese was beginning to slip underneath the waves.

‘It’s an unforgiving environment and they (Rangers) have had a really difficult week,’ said Lennon.

‘The semi-final (defeat to Motherwell) was a huge blow and that was then followed up with the disappointing result against Kilmarnock.

‘It’s not just been this week, though, it’s been over the course of the seven months. It’s well documented that all is not well within the dressing room, which is something that shouldn’t lose a manager his job, but it doesn’t help.’

After Caixinha took the blame for last Sunday’s defeat to Motherwell in the immediate aftermath of the match, he then performed a staggering U-turn by branding his players ‘embarrassing’.

If it was designed to stir them into action for the midweek game against Kilmarnock, it ultimately didn’t work as the Ibrox men stumbled to a dismal draw against their visitors.

The decision to go public with his feelings was a tactic that Lennon would have avoided at that stage, instead opting to keep it in-house until any issues were resolved.

‘You have to keep it in-house and batten down the hatches,’ he said. ‘You have to try to let nothing get out and try to work with the players if you’re going through a difficult period, rather than going the other way.

‘It (Caixinha’s reign) was a bit loose at times — you have to try to nip that in the bud, as well.’

Asked if Caixinha had lost the dressing room, he said: ‘It is a cliche, but it can happen.’

Having been in charge of Celtic between 2010 and 2014, Lennon remains well-versed in the demands of Old Firm life.

And he recognises that a Rangers manager is expected to deliver the very best, even when their fierce rivals are miles ahead of them in resources.

Caixinha clearly couldn’t cope with the challenge, but Lennon feels the players he bought in an £8million shopping spree must look at themselves, too.

‘I have a lot of sympathy and empathy for him because I don’t like to see anyone lose their job,’ continued the Easter Road boss.

‘But the expectation at Rangers is huge. They’re still in a transitional period since going down the leagues but, with the money they’ve spent, the players should be looking at themselves and thinking that they should be doing better.

‘At one stage, they started looking like the team I thought they were going to be when they went to Hamilton and scored four, then they went and beat St Johnstone 3-0.

‘They were starting to look like a decent, powerful side. I thought at the start of the season that they recruited well and brought some good players into the club, but I just think it came down to the results.’

Lennon’s Hibs are currently fifth in the Premiership table, two points adrift of Rangers and three adrift of this afternoon’s opponents Motherwell.

Any positive result for Edinburgh rivals Hearts at Murrayfield against Rangers today could see the men from Leith place even greater pressure on the Ibrox club. Aberdeen boss Derek McInnes is being touted as the most likely replacement for Caixinha, but Lennon laughed when asked where he might figure in the runners and riders for the job.

‘I think my life has been difficult enough,’ he joked. ‘It would be a challenge in more ways than one.’

I WILL BEHAVE, SAYS ROBINSON: See Page 120