Just one look at the table tells you that Pedro’s claims are really a load of bull
SAYS MAURICE JOHNSTON
MAURICE Johnston regards Pedro Caixinha as a man more likely to go head to head with the bull than talk it. When the new Rangers manager claims to have inherited the best squad of players in the country, however, the former Scotland striker cites the 33-point gap between the teams at the top of the SPFL Premiership as proof to the contrary.
A former Celtic and Rangers player, Johnston has no horse in the race these days.
Casting doubt on Caixinha’s bold claim on a rare trip to Glasgow from his Florida home, Johnston said: ‘Well, I don’t know how you can judge after just one game. He surely doesn’t know the full squad. There is no way they are better than Celtic. Maybe he was trying a bit of reverse psychology there.
‘But there is no danger that Celtic aren’t way better.
‘The gap is as big as everyone says; the points are on the board. It’s there for everyone to see.
‘That tells you where the two teams are at this moment in time. It might even get further before this season is out.’
Caixinha could hardly say anything else. Anecdotal evidence would also suggest the new Rangers boss is unlikely to waste time explaining or apologising.
A former coach of Toronto, Johnston now runs a sports management business in the United States. He remembers the Portuguese from the 2013 CONCACAF Champions League, when his Santos Laguna side reached the final, beating Toronto, Houston Dynamo and Seattle on the way.
Mexico is, by some way, the most productive section of an underwhelming CV.
Rangers, most agree, have gambled hugely on their new choice of coach. Yet Johnston insisted: ‘I believe Caixinha will be fine.
‘He has a good CV and did well at the clubs he’s worked at, which are all at a decent level.
‘I know a little bit about him. He did really well at Santos and that’s a big club.
‘The standard of Mexican football is pretty good. It’s similar to the MLS. Just look at the CONCACAF.
‘America has three teams in it, and Mexico has teams which have reached the semi-finals. Is it better than Scotland? Yes.
‘He won three trophies with them, which isn’t bad. He did fairly well in Portugal.
‘Look, he’s bringing a different perspective, a different mindset, so it will be interesting.
‘He’s feisty, I’ll tell you that. He’s a bullfighter, isn’t he? I think he will be fine, But he’s got to win. That’s the most important thing for him. Second isn’t good enough for Rangers.’
His predecessor’s downfall was recruitment. If Mark Warburton never had fortunes to spend, he
did benefit from a significantly higher budget than Aberdeen or Hearts.
The expectation and demand will be for Caixinha to be given more. How he spends remains just as important as the bottom line, however.
Rangers simply cannot afford another Joey Barton.
‘One thing I will say about Pedro is that he’ll bring in better players to Rangers through his contacts,’ added Johnston.
‘They spend a lot of money over in Mexico, so he won’t be able to go back there to buy in players. ‘However, he needs money to spend. I don’t think they have spent enough money since they (the current board) took over.’ Caixinha impressed at interviews despite asking some hard, probing questions. How much he might have to spend was one of them. Ibrox managing director Stewart Robertson has acknowledged the need for investment in players. Rangers took heart from a courageous fightback to draw at Parkhead on Sunday, becoming only the second team to take league points from the champions-elect.
Yet few believe the current squad can sustain it over the course of a season.
In Glasgow, the gap is rarely as big as people think it is, but Celtic could win a sixth successive title this weekend, should other results also go in their favour.
Charlie Nicholas — Johnston’s former team-mate and friend — believes they could reach ten and beyond.
‘It’s hard to say that Celtic can never be caught,’ he insisted. ‘If someone does come in with a bit of money, which would mean better players going to Ibrox, then Rangers will challenge them. Right now, though, that’s not going to happen.
‘A different coach will bring a different mindset and, with some investment, you just never know.’
If Dave King (left) will not put the money up, it is hard to see who might.
Scottish football enjoys none of the worldwide broadcasting exposure of bigger leagues and when American Robert Sarver showed an interest in buying Rangers he received little encouragement.
‘Rangers are a big, big club. They both are,’ said Johnston. ‘If you get it right, you’ll get your money back. The amount of money going about the Champions League is ridiculous, and that is what they’re striving for, but right now they are not even close.’
This, argues Johnston, has wider implications for the Scottish game as a whole.
‘Rangers being no good is what has been hurting the national team for the last four or five years,’ he said. ‘Do Celtic need a strong Rangers? Well, what I would say about that is Celtic are different class right now. They are playing really good football. Brendan Rodgers has done a great job. But Scottish football needs a strong Rangers. The league needs it.
‘It was a different era when I played. David Murray was spending money and we had some great players back then. We had the money to back us.
‘And we had Aberdeen, Dundee United, Hearts and Hibs, as well as Celtic, pushing us.
‘It’s now a one-horse race. Celtic are so far in front of the rest that it’s not even funny.
‘Rodgers deserves huge credit, but it’s not going to help them if nobody is pushing them.’
There is no danger that Celtic aren’t way better than Rangers