CAIXINHA STEPS INTO RANGERS CAULDRON
Wallace pledges to support new boss as he makes the jump from Qatar to Rangers
SNORTS of derision when Wim Jansen was appointed Celtic head coach proved to be a most injudicious welcome. So too the reverential tone which greeted Paul Le Guen’s selection of Rangers to continue his apparent shooting star of a managerial career. Two salutary lessons, perhaps, about snap judgements on the latest foreign appointment tasked by one side of the Old Firm divide to catch up with the other.
In Pedro Caixinha signing on the dotted line yesterday, Rangers have surely completed the business of plucking the most daring and diverse candidate on their radar and paid compensation for the privilege. A man whose managerial name was made in Mexico — where he enjoyed by far his longest stint at 30 months — and who since 2015 had made the Qatar Stars League his football home.
Under their noses, as pointed out by Walter Smith last week, was ex-player Derek McInnes progressing every season at Aberdeen. Scottish football stalwart and former Rangers and national team manager Alex McLeish, meanwhile, could’ve settled in comfortably shortly after his Sky Sports stint at Ibrox around tea-time on Sunday, February 12.
Instead, Caixinha has more in common with Jansen, whose most recent coaching experience before Glasgow in 1997 was in Saudi Arabia and Japan. A pedigree in bullfighting and that old video in which Caixinha wished ‘Celtic brothers’ all the best from Mexico in the green and white hoops of Santos Laguna has created comedy for mischief makers from the dominant, boastful other side of the city.
That’s where the 46-year-old will sit this afternoon, at Celtic Park, to gaze for the first time at this curious and crazy part of the football world which is fully expected to serve him up the shock of his professional life in the months to come.
Rangers captain Lee Wallace, doubtless using his laptop to learn more about his new manager just like the rest of us, admits question marks over hiring of a foreign coach are inevitable particularly in light of the post-Mark Warburton expectation that the club would go with a man who truly ‘got’ what this gig was all about.
However, Wallace hopes a three-month crash course will afford Caixinha the time to adjust to new surroundings and brace himself for the challenges and pressures of trying to stay close to Celtic next year.
‘Hopefully that transition can happen quicker than a lot of people believe,’ said Wallace. ‘It can be quicker than you imagine because of everything that goes on here. The minute he’s in the door, a first Press conference, a first defeat and being challenged by the media. There’s scrutiny, the city in general, the outlook on this club, especially with how disappointed we’ve been.
‘I know, historically, there’s the Paul Le Guen scenario. I wasn’t here at that point. But I definitely understand how that can be questioned. But until we encounter these problems with the new manager, we’ll certainly hope everything goes well.
‘I personally feel the manager coming in at this point, rather than the summer, makes more sense. I’m not speaking rudely towards the decision or why it’s taken a bit longer than normal as I have to respect the fact the board have done their utmost to try and make sure it’s the best decision possible at the best time possible.
‘It’ll give him the head start for the remaining months of the season. It gives him an opportunity to look at players, learn about their mentality, learn if they can cope with what’s needed, learning with the training, learn with the system he’s going to bring and how we work in this environment.
‘It’s a great three-month trial period for that to happen. Then, step by step, players coming in, players going on and us getting used to how he works.
‘Hopefully, after a good end to the season and a good rest, we can hit the ground running with a real confidence and be ready to make sure that we challenge and close that gap.’
Ian Cathro mused that one of the biggest problems for a Portuguese gent will be finding somewhere in Glasgow to purchase an espresso at eight o’clock in the evening. It’s more likely that adding caffeine to a Rangers manager’s mind at that time of night turns out to be ill-advised. Walter Smith probably became a strict decaf man for a reason.
Smith’s assistant Ally McCoist has warned Caixinha that any managerial import to Glasgow has to accept ‘a different ball game’ of an environment where learning the expectation quickly is essential and more easily understood by a British boss.
McCoist said: ‘I’m not saying for a second that it’s better. There’s better football elsewhere. Spain, Italy, wherever. But it’s a completely different level of managing a football club at Rangers and Celtic.
‘And the pressure will be as great as anywhere in the world. Particularly if you’re the manager who is chasing. A lot of managers like Graeme Souness, Gordon Strachan and Martin O’Neill would’ve had an awareness of the magnitude of the job. And maybe others don’t have that.
‘It was kind of unique circumstances for me. Madness is the only way to describe my time. But I did know about
the focus as that went with the territory. I’m not surprised Mark was surprised by it.
‘A 1-1 draw at Ross County might have been acceptable at Brentford but it’s a different animal. And that’s not a criticism of Mark at all. It’s the same with anyone whether it’s Ronny Deila or Wim Jansen, coming in from a different environment.’
Barry Ferguson formed a view early on in the Le Guen reign that the Frenchman didn’t share McCoist’s thinking. That frustration from the established Scots spilled over into outright opposition to his methods and a dressing-room mutiny to spark a parting of the ways after six months. Wallace is keen to aid Caixinha’s learning process and deep-end arrival at Rangers which features a pursuit of Aberdeen for second place and a William Hill Scottish Cup semi-final against Celtic for starters. Kenny Miller stepped up to give assistance to caretaker Graeme Murty in recent weeks and Wallace stresses he and his friend and colleague will aspire to lend support as Caixinha prepares to bring in two coaching staff assistants Helder Baptista and Pedro Malta. ‘We can help him in any way shape or form,’ said Wallace. ‘Kenny has done a lot more than me in the game in terms of international football so, certainly, the two of us are more than able to speak to any manager and let him know the situations that have gone on. ‘If not, Kenny and I will get on with our job and try to help the boys as best we can. ‘Graeme and Kenny have a strong relationship having worked with each other at the Under-20s.’
As Celtic soar into the distance and prepare to collect more UEFA riches, being specific and realistic with the Rangers supporters about what might be possible under their appointment would be an encouraging start of Caixinha. For, as Brenda Rodgers delighted in identifying, the 'Going for 55’ propaganda at Ibrox was badly thought out.
Wallace admits there is untaped improvement for Caixinha to coax out of the current squad.
Wallace stated: ‘He's obviously inheriting a squad that has underachieved, underperformed up until the point Mark Warburton and Davie Weir left. But he’s also coming into a very good squad young squad. A talented, that’s evolving.
‘There is absolutely more to come. You’ll have seen flashes. But we've not shown anywhere near th that we can. That’s not good enough.'
I feel it makes more sense for him to arrive now rather than at the end of the season