FORMER Rangers boss Pedro Caixinha says he feels sympathy for sacked head coach Russell Martin as he faced similar challenges when he was at the club.
Martin’s 123-day tenure was cut short after a 1-1 draw with Falkirk, leaving him with just five wins in 17 games.
His tactics and style of play were heavily criticised by fans, and Martin himself felt he was never truly accepted by the supporters.
Caixinha, whose own 229-day reign in 2017 is infamous for moments like the embarrassing Europa League exit to Progres Niederkorn and standing in a bush gesturing at fans afterwards, believes he too was up against it from day one.
He told Give Me Sport: “I took a lot of wrong decisions at Rangers. I admit that. My man management and understanding the players I had [could have been better].
“I had the idea I knew the Scottish culture quite well because I did my UEFA and Pro Licence badges there. But I arrived at Rangers from Qatar, and no one respected that.
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“They said, ‘This guy is coming from Qatar. This guy is Portuguese. He’s only won stuff in Mexico!’. So they questioned what I was going to do at Rangers.
“I didn’t care about it. And I tried to implement my methodology. But in Scotland it’s totally different to even in England.
“They are much more open-minded in football in England because there are different cultures there. I love Scotland, but it’s much more closed.
“I tried to implement my methodology and a weekly training programme and philosophy. And it was not accepted from the very first moment, and that was the first shock to me.“
Both managers’ tenures were plagued by internal friction.
Martin’s time was marked by dressing-room division, leaked team information, and a public fallout with star player Nico Raskin.
Caixinha said leaks were a major issue for him as well.
He said: “The second one I got worried a lot with gossips and leaks. Everybody was leaking information. Everybody was talking about something on the progression of the club – something that needs to be inside.
“I tried to fight that to defend the club and of course I took the consequences. There was no protection. The owner King was in South Africa.
“We met with him, he was gentleman, a great person, he was a great support but he was far away. Mark Allan came after I was already here.
“I fought against everything to defend the club and that is why I found myself in a lot of negative situations. “
Despite the struggles, Caixinha believes his difficult time at the club ultimately helped his successor Steven Gerrard, who is being tipped with a return to the Ibrox dugout.
“But let me tell you, the day after, when someone [like me] leaves and has cleaned the house, it can help the club move in the right direction [for the next manager].”
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