Rangers Fan View: Caixinha makes a good first impression

I wasn’t alone in thinking: ‘Who?’ when Pedro Caixinha’s name popped up a few weeks in regards to him replacing the now-Nottingham Forest manager Mark Warburton, but now that the man is in the post, I must admit: having watched his unveiling and the way he spoke about the game, I was very impressed.

Caixinha instantly gave me the impression that he could go into any room and get everyone in it to dance to his tune. He had a certain gravitas around him, and he seemed like he was in confident mood.

Furthermore, the answers he gave to the most mundane, mind-numbing line of questioning were clear, concise and he certainly got the message across to the journalists who were in attendance and the fans, like myself, who were hanging on his every word.

It’s always nice to go start your new job armed with facts. Caixinha had the only two facts he needed when he was asked: “You said you have joined the biggest club in Scotland, can you expand on that.”

To which he replied: “I have two numbers: 144 years old and 54 league titles.” Not only did he make the journalist in question look rather daft, but he made me laugh because he probably has about one million Twitter notifications today telling him: “Rangers died, Pedro.”

Despite a host of ridiculous questions put to Caixinha, a few things he touched on made me beam with delight. Firstly, he mentioned that his squad must have a strong mentality. For me, that has been the biggest disappointment of the season so far. I’ve been frustrated at just how weak mentally this squad has been. But against all the odds they showed that they had a backbone and a spirit within themselves on Sunday, and hopefully Caixinha can enhance their self-belief and confidence between now and the season’s end. And one can only hope that he will be able to continue with the development of that kind of mentality when he has the opportunity to bring in his own players during the summer window.

Secondly, he spoke about being able to adapt to situations which happen within the game and go into different games and environments and find a way to win. Basically, he is telling the Rangers fans that he is adaptable and will not put his own tactical philosophy before the need to get three points.

It was quite refreshing to hear a manager speak about winning at all costs rather than his footballing ideology. At this club, if you don’t win, your footballing style, philosophy, whatever you wish to call it, means absolutely nothing.

The bottom line is: winning is what matters and nothing else. I think it is clear from that 16-minute press conference that Caixinha knows exactly what is required and he doesn’t look like a man who is afraid of the battle. He doesn’t come across as someone who will tell everyone: “We will learn from it” after being beaten in every big away match. Do you know what? I like that.

The impressive press conference has only heightened my curiosity levels to find out how well Caixinha will fare in Scottish football and what he can bring to this club. I am also looking forward to witnessing what kind of coach he is and which members of this much-maligned playing squad he can get the best out of. And, of course, how he sets up tactically and which type of style he prefers to use.

Having read up on him, he tends to prefer either a 4-4-2 or 4-2-3-1 system, with quick transitions from back to front, with lots and lots of pressing. So we may have seen the last of the slow possession-based football that had no penetration.

There is no getting away from it, the board have to back this man properly in the transfer market in the summer if he is to be given a proper chance to compete next season. But with every new era, I am very open minded and positive about his appointment and what I have heard from him so far.

Ultimately, the proof of whether or not he’s up to the job will be played out on the pitch, starting with Hamilton on Saturday, so I am eagerly awaiting his Ibrox managerial debut and, more importantly, I am anxious to find out what the outcome will be – all going well, it should end in a resounding victory against a poor Hamilton side.

Thankfully, we are moving on to a new chapter and it will be one that brings with it a whole host of hope and excitement. As a support, we can only give Caixinha our full support and hope he can bring the trophies back to Ibrox during his tenure. I wish him nothing but success.