ECK FLYING HIGH
McLeish’s joy at sports honour
The current Rangers Board have taken the biggest gamble of their time in charge of the club.
Appointing Pedro Caixinha as manager is, to say the least, a curious decision.
If it proves to be a success, then many people will have to hold their hands up and applaud an inspired choice.
However, there will undoubtedly be intense criticism heading in the direction of chairman Dave King and his colleagues if the Portuguese coach fails to make an impact.
Looking from the outside, I see very little to suggest he is the right man for Rangers, but I have to be fair and give him every opportunity to prove himself.
He will need time to get adjusted to Scottish football because he is moving from an environment that couldn’t be any more different from the one he will find in Glasgow.
His team in Qatar have been playing in front of an average crowd of 400. They are sitting fifth in the league, 19 points off the top.
Coming to the Glasgow goldfish bowl will be a completely new experience for him.
Mark Warburton never seemed to fully adjust to the constant attention – and he had Davie Weir, a man who knew all about Rangers and Scottish football, at his side.
Caixinha might not have an overly impressive CV, but my experience in football tells me that you should not rush to pre-judge things.
The relationship between a manager and the players is like a chemical reaction, and sometimes one man mysteriously gets a better response from the group than his predecessor.
That said, I’m surprised Rangers have gone ahead with this type of appointment.
There were people available, like Alex McLeish, who has an in-depth knowledge of Scottish football as well as experience of being a manager in England and abroad.
He could have perhaps teamed up with someone like Lee McCulloch or Barry Ferguson, men who know what Rangers is all about.
They could also have spent a bit of money and gone for a manager like Aberdeen’s Derek McInnes or Tommy Wright of St Johnstone.
The choice, whatever we think of it, has been made before the appointment of a Director of Football.
I agree with Ally McCoist that this isn’t a big problem because filling that post wouldn’t turn things around immediately.
The Director of Football’s role is a medium to long-term one.
He helps co-ordinate the different aspects of the football department and makes sure they achieve their targets and budgets.
It’s good Rangers are going down this line. It’s the right way to go.
Ideally, this job would have been filled first but the club were in desperate need of a new manager.
Caixinha won’t be in charge for today’s Old Firm game, but it can be a significant afternoon for him.
Moving forward, Rangers maybe don’t need a result against Celtic – but they do need a performance.
The last thing they need is another hammering.
I think they should go to Parkhead and adopt a very tight formation.
They have shown they find it hard to cope with the power Celtic have going forward.
The big factor is how Rangers defend, and I would field a back five.
I would have three centre-halves and two full-backs who hold their position.
If Celtic get goals early on, that will be a real problem for Rangers.
Brendan Rodgers’ team doesn’t let up once they hit the net and the home support will demand a big victory that shows the gap between the sides.
It’s a damage limitation exercise for Rangers from the start.
Even a draw would give the new manager a chance to get things going in a positive atmosphere.