Sunday Mirror (Northern Ireland)
It’s child’s play, says Gers boss
PEDRO CAIXINHA told his players to perform with the freedom of kids before his tenure as Rangers boss began with a 4-0 win over Hamilton at Ibrox.
The Portuguese coach was given a “fantastic” reception by the home fans when he emerged from the tunnel before his first Premiership game.
And his plea to the players to play with the enjoyment of youngsters was taken on board as they coasted to victory.
Goals from midfielder Emerson Hyndman and veteran defender Clint Hill had the Light Blues 2-0 up at the interval. A Martyn Waghorn penalty and a strike from captain Lee Wallace after the break kept the Govan side eight points behind secondplaced Aberdeen.
Caixinha said: “It was my first statement to the FRIDAY night’s game will mark the end of four months hibernation for Martin O’Neill’s Ireland squad, but he is confident they’ll come to life.
The Ireland squad will come together in Dublin today, and enjoy a full week’s preparation for the crunch World Cup qualifier.
Their last gathering was in November, when James McClean’s second half strike earned the win in Vienna that put Ireland top of the pile.
“If this game had been, let’s say a month after Austria, you can imagine the momentum that is being built on, so we’ve lost a bit of momentum because it was so long ago since November,” O’Neill said. “But the players genuinely enjoy coming into the squad, and I think the players will soon get their minds around to it.
“I actually think they get enthused relatively quickly when they meet up with each other.”
O’Neill is a master motivator, but he’ll also lean on senior squad members to help push the side forward, ready to peak for Wales.
“Some of the more vociferous players are good to have around the place and they create a bit of an atmosphere, but some of the lads who are pretty quiet, I think they end up joining in,” he said.
“By the time we’ve had our first training session done and the players are actually meeting up the players are into it.”