Pedro Caixinha on his football philosophy and the Glasgow goldfish bowl

Herald chief football writer Matthew Lindsay went along to speak to the man whose arrival in Scottish football has caused quite a stir.

Q. When did you learn of Rangers’ interest?

A. I received one message from Pedro Mendes (his agent). From the first moment, before he told me about it, I felt that it was something related to Rangers. It was two or three weeks ago, more or less after the last manger went out, that this thing started."

Q. Were you excited by their approach?

A. Of course, Rangers is a big name in football. It’s a massive club, a club that always has a responsibility to win. We know what has happened in the recent past, what is happening now and what we want to achieve in the near future. Everything will take time and a lot of work but we are here to do it.

Q. You were earning good money at Al-Gharafa in Qatar. Why did you give that up?

A. My goals have never been financial. I don’t care about the money. I care about doing the things I’m addicted to, doing the things I am passionate about. This is my dream.

All coaches have the dream of one day arriving at a big club, a massive club like this. I know that this is a massive chance for me and I want to take it. For me, the money is not important. What I want is to feel this pressure, to work at this level and to be able to put my philosophy in practice.

Q. Why do you never stay at one club for a long period of time?

A. I always believe in projects. I believe in the long term. You say that I move around for some reasons during my career, but that happened more when I was an assistant. I spent three years in Santos Laguna. If you go there (Mexico), you will see that the coaches are moving around after three match days.

I’m here to do it even if it takes a long time. I’ve had time to love the clubs I’ve worked with and this is not going to be any different. I’m the guy that’s going to defend Rangers all the way and I’m here to do it.

Q. You have stated the Rangers squad is the best in Scotland. How can you say that when they are third in the Ladbrokes Premiership?

A. I always believe in the players who work with me on a daily basis. These are the guys who win for me. I think all the time that they are the best. According to my point of view, they are the best in the country. If I don’t believe in my players, do you think they are going to believe in me?

Q. Celtic might disagree?

A. Definitely. I need to agree with the facts you are exposing me to. But I do believe that Celtic want Rangers to be strong. I believe that Scottish football wants Rangers to be strong. You don’t want the champion to always be in the pre-qualifiers for the Champions League. You don’t want a team to have four knockout games in order to arrive at the group stage. So definitely we need a strong Rangers.

Q. What is your "football philosophy"?

A. A big club needs to control the game all the time. You need to be in charge of the game. The big teams need to be aware of offensive organisation. They need to be leading the game by having the initiative and the only team who is having the initiative is the one that has possession of the ball.

After that, it’s to link that moment with the defensive transition. You need to be aggressive in the defensive transition because the majority of opponents will play against you on the counter. You need to know how to deal with those two moments.

Q. What is the biggest achievement of your career to date?

A. The one that is the ultimate is when you are a champion, win a cup or win a super cup. Because you have a trophy people say: “Oh, good work.”

But in Mexico what we did was to change the mentality, change the behaviour of players, and make them understand what it meant to be a professional. We created a dynamic at the club. Even when you leave, that dynamic keeps going. That’s what I want to do with a job.

I want to win. I want trophies. But, one day, when I leave here, people will maybe say: “Yes, he won those trophies – but look also at the dynamic he left behind for the next guy. The work will be easier because of what he did."

Q. Has it always been an ambition to work in British football?

A. Yes, it was a dream for me. I know a lot about the British football because of my time as assistant at Sporting (Lisbon). We played some British teams when we were in the UEFA Cup in the 2004/05 season.

I also had a chance to work with (Carlos) Queiroz when he was assistant to Sir Alex Ferguson. I spent two or three weeks at Carrington (the Manchester United training ground).

I like to collect information. I’m not a guy who knows everything. But I’m a guy who wants to know everything and keep learning. I’ve been a head coach for five or six years. But I’ve had a lot of experience.

Q. Vladimir Weiss, the former Rangers player who played for you at Al-Gharafa, said you were a tough guy. Are you?

A. When I need to say something, I say something in front of you. If that means I am a tough guy then I am a tough guy. I am a demanding guy. But the first person I need to be demanding with is myself. This is about results, this is about winning. I cannot let the other guys be less demanding than me.

Q. It has been claimed you are a matador. Do you like to fight bulls?

A. I don't fight bulls. Bulls try to fight me.

Q. People often compare managing Celtic and Rangers to being in a "goldfish bowl'. Can you cope with the scrutiny you will receive in Glasgow?

A. I am a working guy, but I am also a family guy. Of course I know I am going to be exposed, but, please, try to keep the family apart from this.

I am a quiet guy and dedicated to the work. I also know that, because I am a little bit of a workaholic, sometimes I need to cut it out and have one day, two days, off, recharge the batteries then start again.

I am addicted to my work. If I don't have work, I have nothing else. For me, the life of a football coach is 24 hours, less the time you spend with your family. Now, because my family is not here, the 24 hours are for football.

Q. Will you look to Qatar, Mexico and Portugal to recruit new players?

A. I always believe that it is much more easy to bring players that you really, really know. In Mexico, as I told the club in the interview process, in order to get the recruitment right, we tried to go deep.

We go for players in an interview process, because I really want to know the guys. I don't want to miss in this situation. Because above the football player you have the man. And the man is very important. I want men of character. Men who don't go down when I demand something of them.

Q. The club plans to appoint a Director of Football. Are you confident you can work with whoever they appoint?

A. First of all, we need to share the same philosophy. We have to have a close relationship. We will work together. I am a guy who focuses on the organisation and the planning. But what I really like most of all is to be with the players on the training pitch. That is where I spend most of my time. After that then I start on the planning side of things.

But regarding with the recruitment of players – which is going to be the major role for the football director – we will work together on a daily and weekly basis. We will set up a meeting every week to evaluate how things are going.

Q. Did anybody warn you not to take the Rangers job?

A. Nobody. But I am a guy who takes decisions by himself.