The Press and Journal (Inverness, Highlands, and Islands)
St Johnstone Rangers
1 2
Manager Pedro Caixinha has vowed to do all he can to deliver a brighter future for Rangers.
The Light Blues finished by beating St Johnstone 2-1 in Perth on Sunday but it will not wash away the disappointments of a season which has ended with the club trudging home in third, a massive 39 points adrift of champions Celtic and nine behind the Dons.
However Caixinha is determined to ensure the supporters who mobbed him at full-time for a rendition of the Bouncy do not have to suffer a repeat next year.
Speaking after goals from Kenny Miller and Jon Toral sealed victory, with a reply from the Perth Saints’ Graham Cummins, he said: “I’m a man of the people, I like to enjoy these times with supporters.
“For sure I hope there will be more success for them in future. We work for the supporters. We have the best in the world.
“We love to make them happy and we want to share that happiness with them.”
With little more than a month to prepare for the club’s first Europa League qualifier on June 29, the job now for the Portuguese coach is to assemble a group of players better able to meet expectations.
Caixinha would not comment on reports he has agreed a deal to sign Aberdeen’s Ryan Jack, but he did insist he was well down the road to securing fresh talent.
Asked if the hard work starts now, the Ibrox manager said: “No, we’ve been working in that direction since we arrived.” Celtic manager Brendan Rodgers tested the vocabulary of his players by labelling them the “infrangibles” after they finished the Premiership campaign unbeaten with a 2-0 victory against Hearts at Parkhead yesterday.
A run of 34 victories and four draws sealed a record 106-point tally as Celtic won their sixth title in a row.
Second-half goals from Leigh Griffiths and Stuart Armstrong sealed a fitting end to Celtic’s dominant league season before they lifted the trophy.
Rodgers has been coy about the prospect of going