JOHNSTON: NEW MAN CAN HAVE RODGERS EFFECT
RANGERS director Alastair Johnston believes Pedro Caixinha’s successor will be able to get more out of the current squad — just as Brendan Rodgers did at Celtic. The USA-based businessman took part in yesterday’s board conference call that ended Caixinha’s seven-month reign. Johnston admitted the future of the coach had been under scrutiny for some time and that he ultimately paid the price for ‘institutional failure.’ But the former Ibrox chairman also feels the group of players left behind are capable of producing better results under new leadership. ‘There are financial implications but, in the circumstances, they had to be seconded, if you will, to the best interests of the club,’ said Johnston of the decision to change management. My own view is we have a better squad than people think. A lot of Rangers fans thought the players we brought in during the summer were actually positive. ‘I don’t think we have seen the best of them and I would like to think the new management team will be able to get more out of them. In many ways, that’s what Celtic did when they brought in Brendan Rodgers. ‘They had good players but brought in a guy who got more out of them. They didn’t add too many players, but they got far better results once they brought in Rodgers.’ Johnston, who returned to an Ibrox boardroom role in June after a six-year absence, explained the process behind Caixinha’s dismissal. ‘We had a board teleconference this morning and the decision was made. I don’t think it was a fait accompli, there was a lot of sharing of opinions and lots of questions. It wasn’t a quick three-minute call, let’s put it that way. ‘But the decision was obviously something that was under consideration for a while, we are not deaf and blind. I think the events of the last couple of weeks demonstrated institutional failure. It was a systemic problem and not just one we thought could be corrected easily with the current personnel. ‘You can’t not be disappointed after losing a manager after seven months, but the board had to reach a decision which was in the best interests of the club in the long run and if a decision was going to be made it was better being made sooner rather than later.’