Poor recruitment played a major part in Pedro Caixinha losing his job at Rangers.
At the start of the summer transfer window, it seemed that Rangers manager Pedro Caixinha was set to prioritise homegrown players who knew the Scottish game like the back of their hand to ensure they were immediately ready to challenge in the top flight.
Instead, Caixinha got rid of Barrie McKay (below), Andy Halliday, Michael O’Halloran and co and replaced them with a number of unknown imports. And with the majority of those flattering to deceive, it’s fair to say poor recruitment was one of the primary factors that led to Caixinha’s downfall at Ibrox.
But with the January transfer window on the horizon, it appears that Rangers are planning to put more thought into their signings after a slapdash approach left them with a number of overpriced misfits this summer.
“More than specific targets, we are speaking about attributes that we believe the squad needs, the composition of the squad but also the composition of the people who make up a Rangers player,” interim boss Graeme Murty told the Daily Record, insisting that director of football Mark Allen is putting plans in place for new signings.
“What does it mean to play for Rangers? What do they need to have technically, tactically, but also psychologically to go and play in front of 50,000 people who demand a high level of performance week in week out?”
Allen and co would not go too far wrong by bringing in players who know, or are at least aware, of the status of Rangers and the sheer size of the club.
Perhaps players with a greater connection to the Scottish game, a la Graham Dorrans, would help create a Rangers side with greater spirit and togetherness than the mismatched group that plodded through the first few weeks of the season under Caixinha.
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