Former Rangers star David Robertson has said that managerial flop Pedro Caixinha “never stood a chance” at Ibrox because he was not a known name to the Bears faithful.
The Portuguese boss lasted eight months in Glasgow after initially arriving in March 2017, taking charge of 26 of the Light Blues’ matches before finding himself axed and eventually replaced by youth coach Graeme Murty, with Steven Gerrard now the man in the dugout.
Speaking of the current Cruz Azul boss, Robertson insisted he was always destined for trouble in Scotland, while compared Gerrard to Gers icon Graeme Souness.
He told the Scottish Sun: “Pedro Caixinha never stood a chance from day one because everyone asked ‘who?’ I don’t think it was ever going to work.
“Gerrard has never managed before but because of who he is – like Souness – he will get time. He’s been smart because he took Gary (McAllister) with him. Souness was the same getting Walter Smith in – they are good coaches.
“I think he will be successful but a lot of that is because of who he is.”
Opinion
It might be harsh to say that Caixinha was always destined for the bin, but it was definitely a gamble which failed to pay off for the Gers. He ruled with an iron fist and alienated plenty of the squad, conducting a first team overhaul which saw many experienced heads out the Ibrox door. The difference between Caixinha and Gerrard, who both had busy first transfer windows, is that the former Liverpool man looked for talents who either had a proven record in a top division – such as Connor Goldson from Brighton – or were highly rated future talents by their clubs, like Ryan Kent and Ovie Ejaria at Liverpool. His more risky signings like Eros Grezda and Umar Sadiq, are yet to make the grade and that is what the problem was with Caixinha. As for the comparison with Souness, you can be sure Gerrard wants to make his own mark on the club rather than being compared to the Ibrox icon.