Dismissal of Rangers boss Pedro Caixinha's tactical chats shows Scottish football is closed-minded

[PRW. 5,631]

I’m not just talking about Rangers here, although it is the Ibrox side who have brought this topic to mind, but as a country I think we need to be a lot more open-minded than we are when it comes to outside influence in our game.

Look at the reaction to Pedro Caixinha’s post-match press conference after the defeat to Celtic on Sunday where he used glasses as illustrative tools to explain his tactics.

What he was saying was not particularly revolutionary, but I got the impression from a few people that they thought he was speaking a different language or talking about a different sport.

I think that in Scotland, for whatever reason, we’re far more comfortable talking about battles, commitment, guts and courage than we are about technique and tactics or defensive systems.

I’m not saying we have to be obsessed with such things, but as a broadcaster and as a journalist, when a manager starts to talk about such subjects then I’m interested in what he has to say.

I think we would be better off as a football country if every manager spoke that way and was encouraged to speak that way, rather than it being dismissed as gobbledygook or irrelevant.

I’ve even heard some former Rangers players this week talking about how when they played they didn’t really spend that much time on tactics, and that tactics weren’t the thing that was uppermost in a player’s mind in this fixture.

But tactics can win you a game and it was clear that the Rangers players maybe hadn’t quite got the message that Pedro Caixinha was trying to put across to them on Sunday.

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It’s early doors for the Rangers manager of course, and he will take time to bed in, get his points across and get the players in that he wants.

When you have a better quality of player, then you can do more interesting things tactically, and any coach or manager would tell you that.

It becomes very easy just to say things like ‘why didn’t Rangers press?’ or ‘why didn’t Rangers get in Celtic’s faces?’, but it is far from as simple as that.

A coach is analysing every aspect of every minute of every game in a way that fans, broadcasters or journalists aren’t, and I do think that we are being left behind a bit in this country.

I’ve heard Ian Cathro reference this, that in Portugal the analysis is much more analytical, whereas in Scotland we like the headlines and we like the soap opera.

Sometimes I actually wonder how much we like the football as much as we think we do. We know good football when we see it, but I’m not sure if we like the technical side of the game as much as we should.

It was said to me on Twitter recently that tactics and the technical side of the game were not things that you could talk to your mates about in the pub, but maybe it’s time we did start talking about it in the pub if we want to get better as a country.

Fighting qualities and heart and spirit and everything that Scottish football is renowned for are wonderful attributes to have, but on their own, they are not enough.

Hopefully, the Rangers players are open-minded enough to give Pedro Caixinha a chance to do something a bit different, and hopefully they buy into it.

And maybe we, as fans of the Scottish game, should have more time for tactical chat and more interest in the technical side of the game than we currently do as well.

By Derek Rae

http://www.eveningtimes.co.uk/news/15249829.Derek_Rae__Dismissal_of_Rangers_boss_Pedro_Caixinha_s_tactical_chats_shows_Scottish_football_is_closed_minded/

[PRW. 5,631]

Glad to read that. Shows there is at least some journos out there who really do enjoy football and don't just try and create a soap opera with sensationalist headlines because they lack any knowledge on football.

More Derek Raes, Dougie_Analysis'. Less Keith Jacksons and Kris Boyds. 

[Getstiffed 8,863]

Lies. 11 expensive mercenaries and a broom to manage them. 55 in the bag.

[RangersMedia 35,961]

People on here had the same reaction, saying the manager was talking shite etc when all he was doing was having a technical football conversation with journos. 

We don't appreciate the mechanics of football and tactics in Scotland. 

[Bluenose1986 703]

7 minutes ago, psb07158 said:

People on here had the same reaction, saying the manager was talking shite etc when all he was doing was having a technical football conversation with journos. 

We don't appreciate the mechanics of football and tactics in Scotland. 

And it shows. The state of our game from top to bottom in a footballing sense is in the gutter. 

It's still all blood and thunder, kick and rush, battle and aggression played by limited tank like men. 

And they wonder why Scottish teams can't compete in Europe nor the national team qualify for a tournament. 

[William McBeath 2,154]

Agree it would be better if more of our coaches talked tactics but not that we aren't open to it. If anything we usually lap it up like with Advocaat, Le Guen, and Delia. It's only when the talk amounts to not much when Pedro discussed pressing experienced players like Lustig or Brown as a big part of the game plan. I do think foreign coaches probably get it more difficult towards the end of their reign because the journalists know they are unlikely to have to deal with the guy again. Worse one I mind was the Sun 'This Turkey won't last to Christmas' with Advocaat.

Foreign coaches though get a good reception for me though unless our teams are rubbish on the pitch. I remember that guy Delia was being talked about as some sort of revolutionary before being proven to be hopeless. This was just because he talked about diet and playing expansive European style football.

[RFCRobertson 11,773]

13 minutes ago, psb07158 said:

People on here had the same reaction, saying the manager was talking shite etc when all he was doing was having a technical football conversation with journos. 

We don't appreciate the mechanics of football and tactics in Scotland. 

Cause it's a bunch of hammer throwing cunts up here 

[K.A.I 36,183]

The article is spot-on and I include myself in that. I don't want to hear tactical talk, though. 

I much preferred his conference today and think he's learned pretty quickly the way to deal with the media if today is anything to go by. Call me closed minded or a dinosaur I'm not that bothered but success in Scottish football isn't compicated - it's when you try too many new things and over complicate a simple game you flop. 

 

[Reformation Bear 6,453]

In general in this country we are not good at mastering foreign languages.   What chance therefore that we can move from the football equivalent of an abacus to intricacies of modern tactical analysis?    We're not well adapted, and certainly not well minded, to make much of a collective effort in that direction.   Which means that the messages from coaches like Pedro need to be adapted downwards to fit the ability of the journo listeners to begin to understand the messages.     

They'd get the messages quicker and absorb the messages more accurately if Pedro simply resorted to treating journalists like being in a contest in the bull ring.   Besides which, it'd be entertaining.

 

[PRW. 5,631]

10 minutes ago, RFCRobertson said:

Cause it's a bunch of hammer throwing cunts up here 

You get "hammer throwers" in most leagues though. Dirty players are not confined to Scotland.

[graeme_4 34,376]

It's sad that he's ridiculed on here by some and by the scum in the media, all for actually having the decency to attempt (in a second language) to expand and discuss the nuances of his game plan.

Says it's all about Scottish football and the media - would rather bigotry and brawls, than actually providing some insight into the game. 

[Bobby Hume 12,993]

Tactics is not a subject that gets normal fans going mental about ..... or something that stirs the fans imagination generally.

It is important for players and managers especially ... to be able to change a game ... when to attack / when to defend.

But the most important aspect is the quality of the player and his ability to take onboard the instructions then produce the desired effect the tactical plan means to achieve.

One can't work without the other.

This article is fair enough .... but what I want is a winning side on the park ... if the players are not capable then all the tactical nous the manager has will be of no value ... and it won't protect him from criticism from fans such as ours who demand... quite rightly .... that we win every game we play ..... tactics are important ... but winning is mandatory .... especially at our Club.

Personally I don't give a toss what some "sports journalist" thinks about our manager and only care that our manager has the ability to motivate the team to succeed ... and that is more down to his ability to do this and get the desired results than his tactical competency ... as said above ... one can't work without the other.

Pedro's a big boy and doesn't need any help from the press .... who the next day will flay him alive just to get their headline.

                   

[Ivybank 4,577]

He can talk all the tactics,all day long as far as I'm concerned, the most worrying thing for me is he watched us at the girodome and by and large Murtys tactics were OK ,hodson at right back tav in the midfield and never Gave Sinclair a look in, plus leaving hill on the bench when he kept dumbass quiet, ( if hill was fit for the bench then he was fit to play) that's what's worrying,not what he says,what he does

[PRW. 5,631]

2 minutes ago, Ivybank said:

He can talk all the tactics,all day long as far as I'm concerned, the most worrying thing for me is he watched us at the girodome and by and large Murtys tactics were OK ,hodson at right back tav in the midfield and never Gave Sinclair a look in, plus leaving hill on the bench when he kept dumbass quiet, ( if hill was fit for the bench then he was fit to play) that's what's worrying,not what he says,what he does

Not the case regarding Hill.

A player can be fit to play only 45 minutes or so, he was there incase Bates or Wilson got injured.

[bluedylan 11,555]

If it had have been Brendan David Brent Rodgers the Scottish press would having been creaming themselves how unique and inclusive his press conference was.

[Ivybank 4,577]

2 minutes ago, PRW. said:

Not the case regarding Hill.

A player can be fit to play only 45 minutes or so, he was there incase Bates or Wilson got injured.

Hill said at the awards on Sunday night he was 100per cent fit

[writingranger 1,412]

He'll stop being ridiculed when he wins contests like the one we capitulated in last Sunday. When he's successful, they'll listen, when he isn't, they'll scoff. It's what they do.

[esquire8 42,381]

Who gives a fuck that the mhedia up here still see football the same way as it was in the 80's. They don't have a fucking clue.

[kaiser1041 9,088]

It's hardly surprising when the majority who attend games either don't have a clue what they are watching or like me see everything through tinted glasses.

we have a just win mentality at Rangers and don't bore us with the details 

[DrLaudrup 4,572]

I think to a certain extent we choose to misunderstand and ridicule foreign coaches a little because they have different mannerisms or ways of doing things instead of being more open minded and trying to learn from them. Not necessarily are they always right of course, for example Le Guen misread our culture and what was required when he was here and that cost him ultimately. 

Also, comments about sports journalism in Scotland are dead on. If you compare our supposed sports journalists to the way games are discussed and analysed in 'Marca' or 'Corriere dello Sport', they are far more analytical of tactics and styles than our partisan journalists and their desire for sensationalist headlines.  

[Getstiffed 8,863]

57 minutes ago, esquire8 said:

Who gives a fuck that the mhedia up here still see football the same way as it was in the 80's. They don't have a fucking clue.

Its not just the media though. We should give a fuck.

Coaches and managers in this country have vested interest in holding the entire game back because they don't fit into modern football as it exists outside Scotland.

[piperpete 3,186]

3 hours ago, Ivybank said:

Hill said ate twonthe awards on Sunday night  he was 100per cent fit

Bates deseved his shot as he hadif itshown IN the two games before he was comfortable and reliable to take the chance on, I would like him to learn from a new CH next year, I Think Hill should be thanked and sent on his way at the end of the season ascwe need young hungry winners  Not an old journeyman.

 

[cushynumber 25,178]

Here's the thing. I want to see them in action,  working, being effective. Then you can talk about them all day . What I dont want to hear is " I had a great plan but the players didn't execute it" or " next week I am going to do this 10 second magic philosophy".

Put it in action, to good effect, then talk about it. Don't talk about what you are going to do next, because the last tactic failed.

[Blumhoilann 6,712]

A good tactical/technical ethos thru-out the Club can only be a good thing,we'll see how it progresses.

MW tried his version but it had no teeth,hopefully Pedro is much better in every aspect of the game. Time will tell.

[Thewhitesettler 2,711]

10 hours ago, K.A.I said:

The article is spot-on and I include myself in that. I don't want to hear tactical talk, though. 

I much preferred his conference today and think he's learned pretty quickly the way to deal with the media if today is anything to go by. Call me closed minded or a dinosaur I'm not that bothered but success in Scottish football isn't compicated - it's when you try too many new things and over complicate a simple game you flop. 

 

I don't think that Pedro is over complicating things, it's just that the players, ex players, and certain journalists, are too thick to take it all in.

Our players have been coached in a certain way, under Warburton, they are now getting coached a very different way. However, players with a good footballing brain will get it, while others may suffer.