MyGers palDelis bestman forIbrox
KANCHELSKIS COLIN PATERSON
three groups – the Dutch players, the other foreign players and the Scottish boys. It’s not good.
“Advocaat left and McLeish came in. He was a coach with a double face – today he speak with you okay and after an hour he was double faced and tell you a lot of rubbish.”
Kanchelskis rates Sir Alex up there with the late Ukrainian legend Valery Lobanovsky as the greatest managers he played under.
He said: “Fergie would be very angry if we lost a game – he would be shouting. But Advocaat was quiet in the dressing room and never said anything after the game.
“He wouldn’t say you played a bad game. Next game you would just be dropped from the team.
“Fergie would be in your face. He would say you were terrible, blah blah blah – you would understand.
“But Advocaat never said anything like this. He would say it’s all right but then drop you next week. I preferred Fergie’s style because it was face to face and you understood.” Rangers splashed the cash when Advocaat was in charge with Kanchelskis feeling there were too many big-name signings.
And he suggests Scotland cap Colin Hendry was signed by former owner and chairman David Murray for whom he only has kind words despite his role in the financial disaster that engulfed the club.
He said: “Someone like Colin Hendry, the chairman liked him, the chairman bought him but Advocaat did not like him. But he was a good defender.
“Every season it isn’t possible to buy five, six or seven players.
“One or two years, play the same team and bring in only one or two. You cannot always change the players and the systems.
“David Murray was a great man. He was always speaking to the players after training sessions.
“I remember one time when I signed my contract. There were stupid stories about me and the Russian mafia. David came out and said I was here to play football and said no more questions about this, which was good. Sometimes people speak a lot of rubbish.” Kanchelskis arrived at Ibrox in 1998 but was introduced to the Scottish game a decade earlier as a wide-eyed teenager when USSR boss Lobanovsky had his men watch “real football” – an Old Firm game.
Kanchelskis added: “He said this was about fighting – there were a lot of tackles and no space to play.
“He said this was good as the fans were happy. No players were jumping out of the way – in the middle it was boom when players were going for the ball.
“The whole team were watching this game. We’re sitting there thinking, ‘It is not possible to play this kind of football’. I come here and the welcome I get in my first game against Celtic is a broken arm. Welcome to Scotland!” ANDREI KANCHELSKIS insists former team-mate Derek McInnes has what it takes to be Rangers boss.
The ex-Ibrox winger believes the Aberdeen gaffer ticks all the boxes as the Light Blues board search for a replacement to sacked Pedro Caixinha.
Gers chiefs will step up their bid to recruit a new gaffer this week following Saturday’s 2-0 humbling at home to Hamilton with McInnes the bookies’ favourite.
And Kanchelskis – who played with the 46-year-old at Ibrox – reckons they should be looking to prise him away from Pittodrie rather than chase an Alex McLeish or Gordon Strachan-type figure.
He said: “Rangers need to bring in someone who understands Scottish and English football and the mentality. Caixinha was working in Qatar but the football over there is different and a different level to the football in Scotland.
“The club needs someone who can understand the mentality but not someone like a McLeish or Strachan – they need some new, younger coach.
“Sometimes young coaches get brought in and changed after six months but they need some time.
“I remember Derek when he played for Rangers as a midfielder. He was a nice guy. He has been working at Aberdeen and been successful so why not?
“When you think of his age and what he has done it is a great moment. He played for Rangers and understands the Scottish football mentality.”