RANGERS do not expect Pedro Caixinha to join the club as their new head coach at least until after Sunday's Old Firm match at Celtic Park.
It had been hoped that the 46-year-old Portuguese, currently working in Qatar with Al-Gharafa, would arrive in Glasgow this week ahead of the derby game for further talks.
Caixinha has been told the job is his by the Rangers board but has yet to formally agree the terms of his contract.
As of last night the power-brokers inside Ibrox were preparing to wait longer for the man they have chosen to lead Rangers after the departure of Mark Warburton, David Weir and Frank McParland last month. The would-be new manager will have nothing at all to do with the Celtic match.
This means Graeme Murty, who has fulfilled the role of interim manager for the past five games, will be in charge as Rangers attempt to avoid their fourth defeat of the season at the hands of their rivals.
The 43-year-old, who had never coached at senior level before his temporary promotion, did admit he would look forward to the challenge of taking a team to the runaway league leaders who are odds-on favourites to complete a domestic clean sweep in Brendan Rodgers's first season at Celtic.
And there also remains uncertainty regarding the appointment of Southampton’s director of scouting Ross Wilson into the new and much talked about role as director of football.
Again, the hope was that the club could announce him this week but, as with Caixinha, more patience will have to be shown before he walks thought the front door of Ibrox.
Rangers supporters got more of a sense of Caixinha yesterday when it was revealed, from a past interview, some of his thoughts on coaching and the fact he would always work with a methodologist; just like fellow Portuguese Jose Mourinho who uses Rui Faria for that exact same role role at Manchester United.
Caixinha said: "As a coach, you always depend on the footballer. For example, I give players maximum freedom, but that is linked to maximum responsibility. Like Jose, I also use a methodologist. His work primarily focuses on training schedules.
"I do the training, but my planning is controlled by my methodologist, who focuses on the physiological impact of my exercises. He also gives me all the physiological data needed to plan my workouts.
"For example, if we play on a Sunday, by the Tuesday I would organise my tactical work for the week, but if my methodologist tells me certain players need more training, I can send them to the pool or the bike instead.
"I think you must always adapt to your players and innovate. I do not have a book where I make up exercises. I believe training methodology is linked with a player’s motivation and the togetherness of the team."
Mourinho clearly holds a huge influence over Caixinha who remains a dedicated disciple of one of European football's most respected and successful coaches.
Caixinha said: "When I first started coaching, the season was divided into preparatory period, a competition period, a transitional period. It was the same structure as an individual athlete. Jose changed all that. Everything gravitated around tactics. The tactics was the most important thing, not the physical side of the game.
"I admire Jose Mourinho, he is a friend of mine, but I don't copy him. I do think he has had an enormous influence on all the coaches of my generation, especially in Portugal .
"His personality, his character marked us, but what I remember most about him was his trust in methodology. But one day I hope to coach again in Europe and I would love to beat Jose's team."
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