SDF
Well-Known Member
Pedro Caixinha looks like a man who could start a fight with his own shadow.
I don’t know if that’s just part of his fiery character or if he’s making a deliberate, calculated attempt to create a siege mentality inside the walls of Auchenhowie.
But right now it seems to be working. And so long as he’s delivering results, that’s all that matters as far as the Rangers boss is concerned.
I’ve not always been convinced by his methods and I remain sceptical where the whole feud with Kenny Miller is concerned.
But, as I’ve stated many times in this column, there is only one rule at Rangers. Winning is all that counts.
So for that reason I must give him credit. After the defeat against Celtic he was in a difficult situation. A lot was made of the performance and the result in that derby and rightly so.
It was not acceptable for any team lucky enough to be wearing those shirts.
But the reaction to that defeat and nature of the wins they’ve rattled off away to Hamilton and St Johnstone has impressed me.
If that is a result of a siege mentality inside the dressing room then Caixinha is getting something right. During my time as a player we always felt that everyone outside of the club wanted to see us fail. No one liked us, we didn’t care.
That’s part of the mentality at Rangers and if the man in charge has found a way of instilling it into his group and channelling it into their performances then it’s a huge step in the right direction.
But two wins do not make a Rangers manager. What Caixinha has to do now is turn two straight victories into three, four and five. Then six, seven, eight, nine and 10.
That’s the standard expected at Ibrox and it’s only when Rangers are capable of going on an extended winning run that people will be convinced Caixinha really is the right man for the job.
Which is why tomorrow’s Betfred Cup semi final is now his next big test. Make no mistake, this is yet another must-win match for the club.
Only one outcome will ever be seen as acceptable.
And the good news is I firmly believe Caixinha and the players are fully aware of that. It may have taken some time but the penny seems to have dropped. The way they responded to the Celtic defeat tells me they get what playing for Rangers is all about.
That’s why I fully expect them to beat Motherwell tomorrow even though they can expect a really difficult afternoon at Hampden.
Like everyone else, I’ve been really impressed by Well’s start to the season and they will go into this with their tails up and high on confidence, especially after dealing comprehensively with Aberdeen in the last round.
But this is Rangers in a semi final at the National Stadium. There is only one acceptable outcome. There will be 38,000 Rangers fans inside the stadium and they will demand nothing less.
This is a club built around getting to finals and winning trophies, it’s the responsibility of the manager and current players to carry on that tradition. For this club, failure will never be an option.
Caixinha understands that and he’ll realise defeat will be regarded as a disaster.
And let’s face it, he can’t afford too many more.
But the manager and his players have shut a lot of people up over the last two games because these were potential banana skins. Had they failed to get the results it would have looked as if everything was coming apart at the seams.
But the bottom line is they produced results when they needed to and have earned a bit of respect. They’ve given themselves a platform to build on and they must push on and go on the kind of extended winning run people expect of a Rangers side.
They’ve had enough time to bed in. There is no more room for excuses.
If they think they’ll be forgiven for failing to reach this final then they have another thing coming but I don’t think they are that daft.
They know exactly what is at stake and that’s why I’m so certain they they’ll deliver.
As for Caixinha, who has been picking fights with everyone from the media, to Miller and his rival managers, I still can’t really read him.
But if this is all part of his plan, then it’s not a bad one.
When you’re inside those walls it’s all about fighting together against the rest of the world. If you want to shut them all up then go out and get results.
I don’t know if that’s just part of his fiery character or if he’s making a deliberate, calculated attempt to create a siege mentality inside the walls of Auchenhowie.
But right now it seems to be working. And so long as he’s delivering results, that’s all that matters as far as the Rangers boss is concerned.
I’ve not always been convinced by his methods and I remain sceptical where the whole feud with Kenny Miller is concerned.
But, as I’ve stated many times in this column, there is only one rule at Rangers. Winning is all that counts.
So for that reason I must give him credit. After the defeat against Celtic he was in a difficult situation. A lot was made of the performance and the result in that derby and rightly so.
It was not acceptable for any team lucky enough to be wearing those shirts.
But the reaction to that defeat and nature of the wins they’ve rattled off away to Hamilton and St Johnstone has impressed me.
If that is a result of a siege mentality inside the dressing room then Caixinha is getting something right. During my time as a player we always felt that everyone outside of the club wanted to see us fail. No one liked us, we didn’t care.
That’s part of the mentality at Rangers and if the man in charge has found a way of instilling it into his group and channelling it into their performances then it’s a huge step in the right direction.
But two wins do not make a Rangers manager. What Caixinha has to do now is turn two straight victories into three, four and five. Then six, seven, eight, nine and 10.
That’s the standard expected at Ibrox and it’s only when Rangers are capable of going on an extended winning run that people will be convinced Caixinha really is the right man for the job.
Which is why tomorrow’s Betfred Cup semi final is now his next big test. Make no mistake, this is yet another must-win match for the club.
Only one outcome will ever be seen as acceptable.
And the good news is I firmly believe Caixinha and the players are fully aware of that. It may have taken some time but the penny seems to have dropped. The way they responded to the Celtic defeat tells me they get what playing for Rangers is all about.
That’s why I fully expect them to beat Motherwell tomorrow even though they can expect a really difficult afternoon at Hampden.
Like everyone else, I’ve been really impressed by Well’s start to the season and they will go into this with their tails up and high on confidence, especially after dealing comprehensively with Aberdeen in the last round.
But this is Rangers in a semi final at the National Stadium. There is only one acceptable outcome. There will be 38,000 Rangers fans inside the stadium and they will demand nothing less.
This is a club built around getting to finals and winning trophies, it’s the responsibility of the manager and current players to carry on that tradition. For this club, failure will never be an option.
Caixinha understands that and he’ll realise defeat will be regarded as a disaster.
And let’s face it, he can’t afford too many more.
But the manager and his players have shut a lot of people up over the last two games because these were potential banana skins. Had they failed to get the results it would have looked as if everything was coming apart at the seams.
But the bottom line is they produced results when they needed to and have earned a bit of respect. They’ve given themselves a platform to build on and they must push on and go on the kind of extended winning run people expect of a Rangers side.
They’ve had enough time to bed in. There is no more room for excuses.
If they think they’ll be forgiven for failing to reach this final then they have another thing coming but I don’t think they are that daft.
They know exactly what is at stake and that’s why I’m so certain they they’ll deliver.
As for Caixinha, who has been picking fights with everyone from the media, to Miller and his rival managers, I still can’t really read him.
But if this is all part of his plan, then it’s not a bad one.
When you’re inside those walls it’s all about fighting together against the rest of the world. If you want to shut them all up then go out and get results.
