PEDRO CAIXINHA was a name which precious few in Scottish football had heard of when the Portuguese coach was, quite out of the blue, chosen to be the new manager of Rangers back in March.
Indeed, Ian Cathro, the Hearts manager who spent two years as assistant at Rio Ave in Caixinha’s homeland, may well have been one
of the only people in this country familiar with him and his career.
So it is perhaps little surprise to learn that the 46-year-old won’t put great stock in the reputation and profile of players in the coming weeks as he attempts to assemble a squad at Ibrox capable of challenging Celtic for the Scottish title.
Read more: Danny Wilson in danger of missing Rangers' Europa League opener with injury
Mark Warburton generated much excitement among the Rangers support last summer when he managed to lure Joey Barton and Niko Kranjcar, two men with impressive track records in the English top flight, to Glasgow.
But Barton, after talking a very good game, failed to deliver and departed following a training ground altercation. Kranjcar, meanwhile, showed just occasional flashes of his brilliance before suffering a serious knee injury.
Caixinha, whose side host Cathro’s team tomorrow with just three games of a desperately disappointing 2016/17 campaign to go, has a huge rebuilding job on his hands.
Rangers have failed to convince greatly since he took over exactly two months ago. Performances have often left much to be desired and some of the results have been dire.
The former Uniao Leiria, Nacional, Santos Laguna and Al-Gharafa manager yesterday admitted that the back-to-back defeats to Celtic in the William Hill Scottish Cup semi-final at Hampden and Ladbrokes Premiership at Ibrox had been “disastrous”.
Even the 2-1 win over Partick Thistle at Firhill last Sunday, achieved courtesy of two late goals from Barrie McKay and Joe Garner, came after a poor display.
Read more: Pedro Caixinha timeline: The story so far for the Rangers manager
Yet Caixinha, despite being linked with a move for his compatriot Bruno Alves, the Cagliari and Portugal centre-half, has indicated he will resist the temptation to go down the same route as Warburton and bring in marquee signings.
He believes the Rangers supporters – 25,000 of whom have already renewed their season tickets for next season ahead of the public sale next week – will take to any player who gives their all and performs to a high standard irrespective of how renowned they are.
“Sometimes the names can create excitement among fans,” he said.
“Other times, maybe the names can create some doubts, but after their first tackle on the pitch, after their first pass, after they have scored the first goal, all the doubts are gone.
“We know what the club needs. We are working to bring those warriors that the club needs to help us to get to another level. And I really believe that, if things are going in that direction,
the fans will love it.
“It’s very easy to be heroes for the Rangers fans. You just need to give everything on the pitch. That’s what they love. Of course you need to know the game and you need to have ability, but you need to show that passion individually and collectively.”
Caixinha is undeterred by the criticism which he has come in for having spoken to club legends John Greig and Walter Smith at length about their experiences as manager. He appreciates the scrutiny comes with the territory.
Read more: Danny Wilson in danger of missing Rangers' Europa League opener with injury
“Nothing is going to change,” he said. “I know the history from Walter Smith. When he was winning the treble, people were asking more from him. This is the situation that we need to live with at this club and I’m not going to run away from it. It’s about results that we need to deliver.
“Walter is fantastic to speak with. I totally enjoyed his company.
He didn’t take a glass of wine so far. John Greig is more the guy that takes the glass of wine. But all the people that are connected with Rangers have given us a lot of support and help.”
Caixinha will not have a huge amount of time to put together a squad capable of challenging for honours because the first leg of the Europa League first qualifying round will be played on June 29. The players will only have a fortnight off after the final game on Sunday week and pre-season will be spent entirely at Auchenhowie.
But he recalled how he had rapidly assembled a side capable of winning the league in Mexico and expressed confidence he would be able to do the same in Scotland.
“Bringing a lot of new players together can be done,” he said.
Caixinha has found that the lure of the Ibrox club, despite the years spent in the lower leagues, is still great for players. He also feels his presence will help to attract new personnel.
“First of all, the club itself, even without playing Europa League, is something that grabs the attention of the players,” he said. “The second point is to play for me. I want to bring players who are keen to play for the club and to play for me."
Asked what attributes he would be looking for in his new signings, he said: “Experience, knowledge, understanding and performing the way I want. And to know what it really means to play for this club.”
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