Al-Gharafa manager Pedro Caixinha appears to be Rangers’ top target to become their new boss.
Vladimir Weiss at Rangers
Former Rangers winger Vladimir Weiss has told The Scottish Sun that he isn’t surprised by the Gers’ interest in Al-Gharafa manager Pedro Caixinha.
Rangers have been looking for a new manager since Mark Warburton’s abrupt exit last month, but the board have been prepared to take their time.
Interim boss Graeme Murty has overseen two wins and two defeats in this four games in charge, but doesn’t look to be in with a shout of winning the job on a full-time basis, with the club’s top target allegedly clear.
The Daily Record claim that Al-Gharafa boss Pedro Caixinha – formerly of clubs like Uniao Leiria, Nacional and Santos Laguna – is the club’s first choice for the job having been interviewed for the post last week.
Caixinha, 46, isn’t a household name and won’t be known by many Rangers fans, but former Gers winger Vladimir Weiss currently plays under him for Al-Gharafa, and has offered an insight into the man who could be in the Ibrox dugout.
Slovakian wide man Weiss, 27, spent the 2010/11 season on loan at Rangers, and has told The Scottish Sun that Caixinha is the type of manager who will allow one mistake, but won’t forgive making the same mistake twice.
Weiss added that he isn’t surprised by Rangers’ interest in the Portuguese boss, believing he could bring something different to Ibrox whilst also being able to handle the pressure of managing such a huge club – something Warburton was often criticised for lacking.
Pedro Caixinha
“Pedro is a very positive person in every situation. But if there is something wrong with the way we are playing, or our discipline isn’t what he thinks it should be, then he can be very strict. There have been times when players have made mistakes and that’s OK. But you can only do that once with Pedro. If they do it twice, he’s not a guy who forgives people. He has his principles and that’s a very good thing for any manager to have.”
“I am not surprised Pedro is someone Rangers are interested in. I know the fans maybe haven’t heard about Pedro Caixinha, but I didn’t know him either before working with him here. But although there are a lot of good managers in the world, I think Pedro could help Rangers. I watch all their games and from what I can see there is talent there. But there is something missing. If you ask me, Pedro could be the guy to change that.”
“Pedro is not someone who feels pressure. Let’s talk about Rangers as a club. They are massive and there is a huge expectancy level at Ibrox no matter what. People will probably be thinking about how this is a massive chance for Pedro. But he won’t see it that way. Sure, it’s a big opportunity and a big team, but he’ll believe in himself and he’ll be confident he could do well. He’s not a guy who will think about the size of Rangers and be scared by it. And no matter what, he’s not a guy to feel pressure,” he continued.
Weiss has often suggested that he would like to return to Ibrox, and following Caixinha to Glasgow would give him that return – but he suggested that a move could be tough given his three-year deal with Al-Gharafa.
“I have a three-year contract here, so that’s not going to be easy. But you never know,” added Weiss.
Would you like to see Weiss join Caixinha at Ibrox?
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