Rangers out of Europe, humiliated by Luxembourg minnows
● Eliminated by Luxembourg minnows ● Caixinha takes full responsibility
0 Rangers skipper Lee Wallace and winger Dalcio in a state of shock as the Ibrox club slumped out of the Europa League qualifiers after a 2-0 defeat as Luxembourg minnows Progres Niederkorn recorded their first-ever win in Europe and condemned the Scots to what must be their worst ever European result
Pedro Caixinha took full responsibility after his Rangers side suffered humiliation in Europe at the hands of a team which finished fourth in the Luxembourg league last season.
Progres Niederkorn had previously scored just one goal in European competitions. They scored two last night to overturn a 1-0 first-leg deficit and consign Rangers to the worst result in the club’s proud history in continental football. It was Progres’ first-ever win in Europe.
Ten seasons ago the Ibrox side contested the final of the Uefa Cup. They now find themselves ousted from the first qualifying round of the Europa League by a team from a tiny nation state which has a smaller population than Glasgow.
Caixinha, who has overseen a massive overhaul of the playing staff this summer, insisted he is still the right man to guide Rangers going into the new domestic season.
He also absolved the players from blame and described the defeat in Luxembourg as “extraordinary” and “unthinkable”.
“If I’m not showing strength to move the things forward then I couldn’t be in this chair, so I’m strongly convinced I can do it,” Caixinha said.
“I’m strongly convinced I have the group to do it and I believe I need to be here to take the group forward.
“One thing I’m totally sure of and I strongly believe and even more now because I’m a guy that always sees things forward. On bad moments you see the right people and I know the group of players I have. I know I can count on them.
“I assume all the responsibility not to pass this qualifier and to miss out on the group stages that was our main goal.
“But I know this group is going to be on the top again and is going to build very good things for the club.
“One word for the fans, they are the only ones that don’t deserve this sort of thing. They need to be angry at this moment and we understand they are angry but we ask them to keep believing in the team and have loyalty because the team will come good.”
Caixinha said it was “totally the worst result of my managerial career”. He added: “I accept all the responsibility for what happened. I don’t have the answers as to why the players didn’t perform.”
The rebuilding process at Rangers is expected to continue today when Graham Dorrans could be confirmed as the club’s ninth summer signing, while Barrie Mckay leaves to join Nottingham Forest.
Scotland international midfielder Dorrans is scheduled to undergo a medical in Glasgow after Rangers finally agreed a transfer fee in the region of £1 million with Norwich City for his services. Dorrans, a boyhood Rangers supporter, is
understood to have agreed a three-yeardeal.mckay,meanwhile, has travelled south for a medical at Forest. The English Championship club, now managed by former Rangers boss Mark Warburton, will pay around £500,000 for the 22-year-old winger who had just one year remaining on his contract at Ibrox.
For Dorrans, 30, his career will come full circle as he started out as a youth trainee with Rangers before signing professional forms at Livingston.
His performances for the West Lothian club earned him a £200,000 move to West Bromwich Albion in 2008.
Dorrans spent seven seasons with West Brom – six of them in the Premier League – before he joined Norwich City in the summer of 2015 after an initial loan spell with the Carrow Road outfit. He has been capped 12 times for Scotland.
Rangers manager Caixinha continues to dramatically overhaul the group of personnel he inherited from Warburton at the end of last season. Dorrans follows Bruno Alves, Ryan Jack, Dalcio, Fabio Cardoso, Daniel Candeias, Alfredo Morelos, Eduardo Herrera and Carlos Pena as a new arrival at Ibrox.
Mckay joins a list of departures which has so far seen defenders Clint Hill and Philippe Senderos exit the club upon the expiry of their contracts, striker Joe Garner sold to Ipswich Town and midfielder Andy Halliday loaned out to Azerbaijani club Gabala.
Having turned down Rangers’ offer of a new contract last season, Mckay latterly fell out of favour with Caixinha. With only 12 months remaining on his existing deal, Rangers were content to accept Forest’s offer.