IF Pedro Caixinha really wants to make an entrance as Rangers manager tomorrow, he could always take a page out of Stephen Kenny's playbook. Now in charge of Dundalk, where he oversaw a record-breaking stint for an Irish club in the Europa League last season, Kenny was the man to whom Dunfermline Athletic turned to in an attempt to salvage their 2006-07 season.

Okay, so it ultimately proved to be unsuccessful, as the Pars - who also reached the Scottish Cup final that season - tumbled into the second tier, but his first match in charge was something to behold. The thing was, he wasn't really meant to be in charge that day. Lou Macari might have memorably claimed an Old Firm win in his very first match, but like Caixinha, Kenny's plan too was to take the game in from the stands.

Dundee United were the visitors to East End Park and Kenny, his departure from Derry City delayed by the fact he had just lost the League of Ireland on goal difference, decided to leave team matters for this must-win match in the hands of caretaker boss Craig Robertson, who had inherited the hot seat earlier in the season from the self-styled Bard of Lochgelly, Jim Leishman.

You might have the Irishman would have been happy enough with going in at half time goalless. But instead he used the interval to march out of the directors' box and into the dressing room, eager to dispense a few home truths and do a little bit of managerial tinkering and motivation. He would even have taken a place in the technical area if the requisite paperwork was there for the fourth official to allow him to.

Things, it turned out, got worse before they got better - as Barry Robson's 52nd minute opener for United left Dunfermline behind the eight ball. But, as bemused as the players must have been by it all, they did get the reaction which Kenny presumably was hoping for. Steven Simmons pushed up a bit in central midfield, and Greg Shields knocked in an equaliser with 76 minutes on the clock before Gary Mason scored an 89th minute winner.

"I had no intention of going in at half time," Kenny said afterwards. "I was just going to watch the game from the stand but I couldn't stop myself. I had to get involved and I wanted to get into the dugout at half time but my name was not on the technical sheet. We asked the referee but he wouldn't let me because wasn't on the sheet going out before the game. Such are the rules of the SPL. I wanted to get involved but it is some solace to get a win.

"I can't really say exactly what I said, that's private," he added. "I understand the apprehension and the unorthodoxy of coming in on match day. That is unusual and a bit surreal for me. The players were in the dark, they were not really sure who I am or what the story is."

Alas, Dunfermline would then go eight matches without a win, a spell which left them unable to escape the trap door into Scotland's second tier. But perhaps the story is one which Rangers' new bull-fighting Portuguese manager should bear in mind if things aren't exactly going to plan after 45 minutes at Celtic Park on Sunday.