FULLY FOCUSED
Caixinha’s complete attention on reaching final after taking vow of silence over Miller
RANGERS boss Pedro Caixinha says he will have no distractions ahead of tomorrow’s Betfred Cup semi-final with Motherwell after taking a vow of silence over the Kenny Miller saga.
The Ibrox side’s build-up to the Hampden clash has been overshadowed by Miller’s agent launching a scathing attack on the club.
Dave Baldwin accused them of disrespecting his client, who hasn’t been selected by Caixinha since a series of dressing-room leaks emerged following last month’s defeat to Celtic. He further claimed that Miller had been made a scapegoat before calling on the club to clarify he was not a ‘rat’ or a ‘traitor’.
But Caixinha refused to address the matter yesterday, saying bullishly: ‘The last three weeks, we have been discussing one point (Miller) that is no point at all. I want to bring a period to it and period means final.’
Asked if Miller would be in the squad to face Motherwell, he replied: ‘Period. Period. Period. Period in Portuguese means “point finale”. It means finished, no more questions.’
He insisted the affair had not shifted his focus from Motherwell as he seeks to lead Rangers to their first major silverware since a league and League Cup Double in 2011.
‘It is (frustrating to still be discussing this) but I need to be polite in some moments and kind and respectful,’ he said. ‘In others, I need to be abrupt and say it is time to place a period on this issue.
‘Am I distracted? No. Nothing distracts me. I’m a guy who places my focus and follow my focus. Nothing can distract me.
‘One of the good characteristics I recognise in myself is that I do not give up. I’m too persistent. When I want one thing, I just go for it.
‘I’m very demanding. I’m never happy, I’m never satisfied. So I’m very focused on my work.’
As Caixinha was taking his vow of silence, Ibrox icon Ally McCoist accused Rangers of ‘cutting their own throat’ over the Miller row.
Last week, McCoist said Caixinha should find and sack the dressingroom mole and called on the Portuguese to clear up whether or not his claims about a leak refer to Miller.
Speaking on talkSPORT, McCoist said: ‘He (Pedro) has not alleged anything at the moment. He’s not happy — he has a mole in the dressing room. He has insinuated there is a mole and that things have been leaked. He has not said it is Kenny Miller. But it has been noticeable that Kenny hasn’t been in the last couple of squads.
‘There has been a meeting with Kenny and the manager. And I did notice that Kenny’s agent has very recently had a serious go at the management and the way the management has handled the situation. It’s not good. As if Rangers don’t have trouble to seek at the moment, people seem to be cutting their own throat with some of the stuff.
‘Why doesn’t he (Caixinha) say it’s Miller? He should, clearly he should, but he hasn’t. He’s left everyone in the dark about that.’
The only message Caixinha wished to make clear yesterday is that failure is simply not an option against Motherwell.
‘I am here to discuss the game and we only have two options: to win, or win,’ he said.
‘It is not going to be easy, especially in a semi-final, and Motherwell are one of the toughest opponents we have faced so far this season.
‘But taking the team to the final would mean nothing. Two seasons ago, Rangers went to a (Scottish Cup) final and didn’t win it. Once we get to the final, finals are made to win.
‘We have the ambition of winning the cup. We think we can win a major trophy in November. But, right now, the only goal is win on Sunday. ’
If questions on Miller were off the menu, Caixinha did throw in a morsel of observation from last Friday’s 3-0 win in Perth against St Johnstone as he attempted to prove there is squad harmony at Ibrox. ‘I remember one detail. When (Graham) Dorrans got a yellow card, it started with a one versus one situation and finished with eight Rangers players against two. So when you attack one Rangers player, you attack the others. ‘That only happens when the team are together, united and fighting for the same goal. ‘That’s one of the things that has really grown over the last three weeks, along with our organisation. The progression is there as a group, a team and a unit.’
Caixinha will not attend today’s other semi-final between Celtic and Hibs — and doesn’t expect to have any difficulty nodding off before the latest test in his short Ibrox reign.
‘I sleep like an angel,’ he grinned. ‘I don’t change my habits. I do exactly the same because the work has already been done. You win games with your preparations during the week.
‘Will I be at the other semi? No, we will be training on Saturday morning and then I want to finish all the details. After that, I will have the afternoon free, go to the city centre, have a coffee, do some shopping. Then have dinner and wait.’
Caixinha expects Stephen Robinson’s side to be dangerous from dead balls tomorrow. And he is an admirer of star striker Louis Moult, admitting the Fir Park striker was on his shopping wish list in the summer.
‘Moult is a great striker, a great threat,’ said Caixinha. ‘He’s a goalscorer and we need to be aware of him because he is a very strong player for Motherwell.
‘I can tell you he was on our list. He was not the (first) one on it, otherwise he would be here with us. But he was a player we looked at.
‘Motherwell have scored six goals from free-kicks this season, including one against us, so we need to be ready and not commit stupid or unnecessary fouls. It will be an interesting challenge to see which side can stamp their own identity on the game.’
Since Caixinha replaced Mark Warburton in March, Rangers have yet to win three matches in a row. Motherwell, for their part, have yet to beat the Ibrox side in a semi-final. Something has to give tomorrow.