THE ANATOMY OF A VERY BITTER FEUD...
CAIXINHA UPON HIS UNVEILING IN FEBRUARY Day one in the job and the newly arrived Portuguese manager caused surprise when he said: ‘This is the squad we have for now and we really trust the players we have right now. For us, this is the best squad in Scotland.’ Given Aberdeen had been the nearest thing Celtic had had to a challenge, there was every likelihood that Derek McInnes’ nose was put out of joint.
CAIXINHA ON McINNES’ PERCEIVED DISRESPECT
Nothing was known about the incident that seemed to have instigated the ill-feeling between the pair until Caixinha revealed it in the wake of Wednesday night’s 2-1 defeat to Aberdeen at Ibrox. The Rangers boss recalled his first visit to Pittodrie in April when his side triumphed 3-0. In the aftermath of the win, Caixinha attends McInnes’ office for the traditional post-match drinks but the Aberdeen boss does not join him. Caixinha has taken this as a lack of respect and on Wednesday turned the tables on his opposite number. ‘I was just saluting him and saying I didn’t understand the reason why he invited me to be received in his office and didn’t show up at the previous match,’ said Caixinha. ‘So I said that if you didn’t show up in the previous match, you are definitely not welcome to come to my office.’ McInnes has denied he did anything wrong after the April encounter and said: ‘It’s wrong. He’s wrong. I was doing my media duties as I normally do. I’ve never been like that with any manager and never would be.’
CAIXINHA ON THE ABERDEEN ‘CYCLE’ In the build-up to this week’s match Caixinha claims Aberdeen, despite their success, are at a crossroads. Predicting an exodus of star names from Pittodrie he insists work will
have to be done if Aberdeen are to maintain their stranglehold on second place next season. ‘I do believe that football goes in cycles,’ said Caixinha. ‘Derek did a fantastic job but I do believe Aberdeen’s cycle is about to, not end, but needs to be renewed.’ In Aberdeen, McInnes is left boiling at the comments. He responds: ‘I find it strange that the Rangers manager feels the need to talk about other clubs so much. ‘If he thinks that doing brilliant at Rangers is by finishing ahead of Aberdeen then he is clearly mistaken. ‘Any manager, with the budget he has, should be finishing second. ‘They should be embarrassed they’ve not finished second.’
÷CAIXINHA ON RYAN JACK
As if questioning Aberdeen’s ‘cycle’ was not enough, Caixinha also talks openly about his admiration for Aberdeen skipper Ryan Jack — who is out of contract at the end of the season and has been linked with a move to Ibrox. ‘I scout and assess a lot of Scots players, at least those who play more against us,’ he said. ‘He is one player that because of his age, his quality and what he has done in the last two seasons, I like.’ McInnes is left raging at what he perceives is the breaking of an unwritten rule, namely a manager talking about a player at another club. ‘It’s normally the unwritten rule that we don’t talk about other teams’ players,’ he said. ‘I think that’s how the majority of people manage.’
÷CAIXINHA’S CONTROVERSIAL SIGN-OFF In the aftermath of defeat on Wednesday night and with the bad blood evident between the pair, Caixinha signs off by saying: ‘Our fans know I am here to defend the club. I’m working really hard to give them happiness. And we also learn that Derek, maybe, is not the only one desperate to be in this position that I’m occupying at the moment.’