LEE Wallace watched his gaffer getting a grilling live on BT Sport after the victory against Ross County a fortnight ago and thought to himself that Brendan Rodgers would never be treated in the same manner.
While Celtic’s Northern Irish manager understandably has considerably more credit in the bank with an invincible treble win compared to the Ibrox side’s Europa League humbling, the Rangers captain said last night that for his part he finds Pedro Caixinha passionate and inspirational. In other words, exactly the way he tries to be when he coaches his amateur boys’ club Tynecastle BC.
And as for his manager’s oft derided claim that Rangers had the best squad in Scotland – the nub of TV pundit Chris Sutton’s criticism on that occasion – Wallace simply hopes to prove him correct one day.
“I’m not sure [if Caixinha gets treated unfairly],” said Wallace. “But I remember watching the situation you are talking about and I did feel there was a small part of that. I’m not sure if it was Brendan Rodgers standing next to the guys that that might have been the way that the questions were going.
“But these guys are in these jobs for these reasons, and we will never complain about that,” he added. “We just have to get on with it, keep fighting through it, and understand that sometimes that is the way the things go, especially at a top club. I think the manager was quite strong and handled himself well.”
The truth is often bent a little when it comes to sporting pyschology, and Caixinha eulogising a squad which finished 39 points behind the Parkhead side and was promptly scattered to the wind was merely another example of that.
“We always respect what the manager says and, at the same time as an aspiring coach myself, I can totally understand where he is coming from,” he said. “I get where you guys take and it how you take it, which is fine, but I can totally understand that the manager is showing he has got faith in his players as individuals and as a team. One day, we want to make sure that he is proven right.”
Reared by Jim Jefferies at Hearts, Wallace is used to managers who are prepared to call a spade a spade.
“Growing up at Hearts, we had a lot of strong characters,” he added. “Back then, I was quite thick skinned and strong at a young age and I took it on board. I had my off the field stuff, but I think as I grew and played more games and got more mature, the next cycle came in.
“For what its worth, it is how I try to coach the lads at Tynecastle and how I try and captain the lads here. I think I have got a not bad grasp of people’s body language and what they respond to best. Some players might need a bit more than others, while some might be the arm round the shoulder and be a bit easier with your communication. That is the way football has gone. There is no right or wrong way. The manager has got a bit of both and he will have his own understanding of who responds best to what situation. I think we have got a good balance.”
In the short term, Rangers simply face a momentous eight-day spell which could utterly shape their season. After back-to-back wins against Ross County and Dundee, a four-goal margin of victory at Firhill tonight would lead to the rarity of Rangers sitting top of the Scottish top flight
There then follows a chance to book a BetFred Cup semi-final place, back at the newly-named Energy Check Stadium at Firhill on Tuesday, before the biggest match of the season so far, a home Old Firm derby against Celtic.
“There is more confidence for sure,” said Wallace. “I can see that in the players’ eyes.”
Why are you making commenting on The National only available to subscribers?
We know there are thousands of National readers who want to debate, argue and go back and forth in the comments section of our stories. We’ve got the most informed readers in Scotland, asking each other the big questions about the future of our country.
Unfortunately, though, these important debates are being spoiled by a vocal minority of trolls who aren’t really interested in the issues, try to derail the conversations, register under fake names, and post vile abuse.
So that’s why we’ve decided to make the ability to comment only available to our paying subscribers. That way, all the trolls who post abuse on our website will have to pay if they want to join the debate – and risk a permanent ban from the account that they subscribe with.
The conversation will go back to what it should be about – people who care passionately about the issues, but disagree constructively on what we should do about them. Let’s get that debate started!
Callum Baird, Editor of The National
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here