Kris Boyd has criticised Rangers manager Pedro Caixinha.
New Rangers manager Pedro Caixinha
Former Rangers striker Kris Boyd has told The Scottish Sun that Pedro Caixinha showed ‘arrogance’ earlier this week – and believes the Gers squad aren’t entirely happy with his methods.
Caixinha was brought in as the new Rangers manager last month following Mark Warburton’s abrupt departure in February, and he has so far taken charge of three games.
Spirits were high after a 4-0 thumping of Hamilton Academical, but draws with Motherwell and Kilmarnock have somewhat halted the optimism around Ibrox.
The Portuguese boss has largely impressed with his handling of the media, but he caused confusion and even some anger with his decision to name his team to face Kilmarnock 24 hours before the game kicked off.
Rangers went onto draw 0-0, but many felt that Caixinha was being disrespectful by telling Kilmarnock his starting line-up well in advance of the game, when the opposition usually find out what they’re facing 60 to 90 minutes before kick off.
That gave Kilmarnock plenty of time to adjust their plans, and Caixinha notably didn’t make the same revelations before today’s meeting with Aberdeen – a vital clash in the battle second place.
Ahead of that game, Kilmarnock striker and former Rangers hero Kris Boyd has told The Scottish Sun that he found Caixinha’s action ‘arrogant’, acting as if he could beat Killie even having named his team so early.
Boyd even claims that he has heard of unhappiness in the Rangers camp regarding Caixinha’s tough approach to training, suggesting that he should be careful not to work his players into the ground.
Kris Boyd of Kilmarnock
“Pedro Caixinha this week showed an arrogant streak that didn’t sit well with me,” said Boyd. “Naming his Rangers team 24 hours before they came to Rugby Park struck me as a downright cheek. The Ibrox manager was taking a liberty and I didn’t think very much of it, if I’m being honest. It was like he was saying to us at Kilmarnock, ‘Look, I can name my line-up and still beat you’. Put it this way, I’ll hopefully be a manager one day and it’s not something I’d ever do.”
“There have been rumblings in the game for weeks that the lads aren’t entirely happy with the new regime. Caixinha has brought in a six-day week and told the players they’ll only get 10 days off in the summer. That’s his call, but if he’s not careful that sort of thing can easily and quickly backfire on a manager. There’s a saying I like, ‘Too much water killed the plant’, and I think Caixinha should think about that.”
“It’s one thing to work hard but players sometimes need to get away from each other and switch off. Caixinha clearly has his own way, like how he revealed his team before he came to Kilmarnock. Like I say, I found that a weird one. It’s not the way we work here in Scotland, maybe that’s something he has to realise for himself. He didn’t do it for today’s match, did he? And I very much doubt he’ll make that mistake again,” he added.
What have you made of Caixinha’s start to life at Rangers?
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