Caixinha leap of faith would be plain reckless
FOR Rangers, the appointment of Pedro Caixinha would be a huge gamble. A leap of faith that is hard to fathom.
When an Old Firm club picks an unheralded coach, the same pattern of behaviour recurs.
As the shock abates, people talk themselves into believing that it might just be a stroke of genius.
The new man is hailed by a battalion of former players and colleagues as the next Jose Mourinho. A coach so talented you wonder what the hell he’s doing in Glasgow.
Ronny Deila pitched up at Celtic and his Stromsgodset No2 David Nielsen issued a blunt warning. The Norwegian wouldn’t be in Glasgow for long because he was so good, said Nielsen. He got the first part right.
The hype over Mark Warburton was no different. Desperate for a fresh start, Rangers and their supporters convinced themselves a fresh approach was the way ahead. Weary of the tired treadmill of former players and old faces, they yearned for the moneyball Midas touch of Brentford.
But Brentford are not Rangers. And cold, hard evidence now shows that Warburton was hopelessly ill-equipped for the Glasgow bear pit.
With that in mind, it would make sense for Rangers to play it safe now. But those who fail to learn the lessons of history are doomed to repeat their mistakes. Hence the desire to appoint Pedro Caixinha.
Former Celtic midfielder Marc Crosas has become the first Santos Laguna old boy to hail the board’s first-choice pick as one of the world’s most attacking coaches.
Caixinha won three major trophies in Mexico — and when Rangers managing director Stewart Robertson spoke of pursuing a ‘winner’, it was surely that he had in mind.
It can’t have been the other postings on an underwhelming CV. A resumé featuring no fewer than ten jobs in the last 12 years. Caixinha’s partnership with fellow Portuguese Jose Peseiro saw him become No 2 with Sporting Lisbon, Panathinaikos, Rapid Bucharest and Saudi Arabia.
After a period of scouting for Celtic, he struck out on his own in 2010 and took UD Leiria to tenth in the Portuguese League. His next job, at Nacional, ended six games into the 2012-13 season when the team slipped to second bottom of the league.
His success in Mexico shouldn’t be overlooked. But neither can the fact that his current team, Al-Gharafa, currently sit fifth in the Qatar Stars League, 17 points behind leaders Al Sadd.
Robertson says Rangers have been forensic in their search, studying every detail of each managerial candidate’s character, Cart before the horse: Caixinha is the favourite for the Rangers job, but won’t be appointed by the new director of football his work and his style. Caixinha speaks flawless English, showed up well in interview and did his coaching badges in Scotland.
Yet none of this changes a basic fact.
He has little or no concept of the demands and expectations of Rangers. He will have none of the riches available to previous overseas coaches like Dick Advocaat. And no idea of how fans might react should Celtic get close to ten in a row.
Neither can his past record offer any guarantees of a long-term commitment to delivering success. The longest he has stayed in any coaching job is two years.
The Ibrox board are poised to appoint a director of football to work hand-in-hand with the new man to lighten his load.
But the DoF won’t have the final say on the new manager. He might not even know him.
Frankly, that’s another gamble Rangers didn’t have to take.
The risk of appointing a couple of strangers to transform the club’s fortunes should be obvious to all.
Managerial dream teams thrown together by idealistic directors don’t tend to last too long.
The chance was there to do things differently — to minimise any risk of future conflict.
Celtic’s major shareholder is not averse to a wager from time to time. But Dermot Desmond watched Ronny Deila lose last season’s Scottish Cup semi-final and resolved to lay his cash on a sure-thing replacement.
David Moyes wouldn’t come, but Brendan Rodgers would.
Since then, Celtic have banked £30million from the Champions League. As bets go, Desmond’s return has been spectacular.
Rangers directors stand and fall by their judgments. And, come a plc board meeting this week, a three-man selection panel will be expected to name the man who can rein Celtic in.
Getting the Mark Warburton appointment wrong was human. Another bad managerial choice and the Ibrox board will start to look careless.
The director of football might not even know the manager