A look at the news regarding Rangers this past week. With the international calendar dominating things, it’s been largely quiet.
A couple of good news stories have emerged this week. The club and charity foundation have been awarded an Employer Recognition Scheme Silver Award by the Ministry of Defence. Whilst this will no doubt be twisted in some way by certain media outlets in Scotland, it’s something the club can be proud of. They were also awarded the Autism Friendly Award on Wednesday. Rangers have been very active in designing a space for fans with sensory difficulties or Autism to still enjoy the match, and this has been recognised. Again, this is something the club should be very proud of. In general, I’d hope that all clubs who can offer this will look to do so.
Despite the positive news above, the situation regarding Michael O’Halloran is what will be most talked about. At the time of writing, our scheduled press conference hasn’t taken place. I’m willing to bet at least 3 questions have been asked regarding this, and Pedro will have said he’s not interested in discussing it.
O’Halloran had every right to respond to Caixinha’s comments. A lot has been made out of very little. It’s hilarious that the media ask this sort of question, then criticise when an honest answer is given. The very fact Caixinha let O’Halloran go out on loan tells you he didn’t rate him. What I believe is rather telling, though, is a big part of what O’Halloran said.
His response pointed to two perceived issues. Firstly, that he couldn’t understand Caixinha or his tactics. Secondly, that training wasn’t intense enough and he had to work on his fitness elsewhere. I’m of the opinion that neither complaint paints O’Halloran in a great light. The ability to understand tactics or keep yourself fit isn’t something that should come from others. A professional footballer who relies upon a manager for vital elements of their craft isn’t doing their job. I understand that there’s an argument for tactics being the responsibility of a manager, but fitness certainly can’t be all down to them.
Pedro Caixinha’s approach is akin to the better managers you’ll have encountered in working life. Training is about approaches and skills to help the players perform to their best. They’re given various scenarios they’ll likely encounter, and guidance on how best to deal with them. After that, the rest is up to them. There’s no micro-management or hand-holding. They’ve been shown what to do, how to adapt to changes, and given the responsibility to make decisions. This is why Kenny Miller plays so often, outside of performances. He’s intelligent enough on the park to recognise how the game is going and is adaptable in terms of playing style. Caixinha isn’t letting the players run things, but he is treating them like adults and giving them more responsibility.
By admitting that he looked to his manager for guidance on pretty much everything, O’Halloran confirmed why Caixinha described him as a player he doesn’t think fits in at Rangers. O’Halloran is playing well at St Johnstone and deserves praise, but that doesn’t mean Caixinha was wrong.
Back to league duty this weekend, and I’m sure we’re all looking forward to it! Tweet us @rangersnewsuk with any comments.