CARETAKER CONTENT TO BE THE CALM AFTER THE STORM
PEDRO CAIXINHA riled opposition managers Derek McInnes, Tommy Wright and Stephen Robinson, railed against officials and Neil Lennon’s celebrations, confronted Scott Brown and started an internal row with the club’s most respected player.
In Graeme Murty, Rangers have reached out to a caretaker intent on taking care not to make himself a figure either of fury or fun. That was one of a load of lessons learned by Murty in his 30-day stint between Mark Warburton’s departure and the arrival of Caixinha.
His bizarre headstand on the sidelines at Dens Park was light-hearted enough and remains a source of self-deprecating amusement to the 42-year-old.
Thankfully that image in defeat to Dundee did not define his short reign in temporary charge. For Rangers fans, Murty snatching a draw at Celtic did.
Yet on that Old Firm afternoon, watched by the incoming Portuguese appointment, Murty admits that controlling the emotions of the occasion was a challenge. If only Caixinha could have followed the Englishman’s lead in not making himself the distraction from duty.
‘What I learned about myself is that I am more able to take emotion out of the equation and give the players what they want,’ said Murty. ‘That experience at Parkhead was potentially the best learning I have had in that regard because it would be really easy to get swept up in the colour, the noise and the vibrancy of it.
‘But we had to put it to one side in order to deliver clarity and concise information to the players, so they could go on and perform.
‘I’m an emotional guy and I get caught up in the game. I love the game.
‘But I’ve taken that no matter how I feel or het up I get — when the players need direction, I need to wind my neck in and just give them what they need. That has been a big learning curve.
‘I’m going to be watched, everyone is watching all the time. So I need to conduct myself in a manner that gives the players permission to go and be brilliant.
‘It’s not about me doing gymnastics on the sidelines and getting caught up to that extent.
‘Making sure the coach