JEALOUS GUY
McInnes is miffed I got Ibrox post, says Pedro
THE feud between Pedro Caixinha and Derek McInnes reached new heights last night when the Portuguese claimed his counterpart was motivated by jealousy over him landing the Rangers post.
The pair clashed before and after Aberdeen’s 2-1 victory at Ibrox on Wednesday — the Dons’ first triumph there since 1991 — which wrapped up second place in the Premiership.
In a remarkable press conference, the Rangers manager told McInnes he was not welcome in his office for the traditional post-match drink because the Dons boss had snubbed him in the corresponding game at Pittodrie last month.
McInnes vehemently denied that accusation — claiming he was carrying out his normal media duties at that time.
Earlier in the week, McInnes had taken umbrage at Caixinha’s assertion that Aberdeen were coming to the end of a ‘cycle’ — pointedly telling him he should be ‘embarrassed’ to finish behind the Dons in the league this season.
With little sign of the matter abating, Caixinha yesterday took a further swipe by claiming the Pittodrie boss was desperate to be in his shoes.
‘Our fans know I am here to defend
the club. I’m working really hard to give them happiness,’ he said. ‘And we also learn that Derek, maybe, is not the only one desperate to be in this position I’m occupying at the moment.’ McInnes said: ‘It’s not about managers, it’s about performances and that performance was exactly what I wanted.’ Caixinha had also irked McInnes by talking openly about his liking for Ryan Jack. The Dons skipper is out of contract this summer and has been strongly linked with a move to Ibrox. Elsewhere, it is understood Rangers are stepping up their pursuit of Portuguese centre-half Bruno Alves. Clint Hill and Philippe Senderos are due to leave Ibrox and Alves looks like becoming Caixinha’s first signing. Meanwhile, chairman Dave King has told fans their season-ticket money will be invested in Caixinha’s squad after the club reported renewals are soaring to a record high. A club statement said the current figure already stands at 34,700, raising the prospect of exceeding record sales of 43,000 this season. King said: ‘The team didn’t perform to expectation this season but it is important to remember some targets have been met. In particular, getting back into European competition was one of our non-negotiables. ‘Pedro Caixinha and his backroom team have been assessing the squad and will make the necessary changes in the summer.’