‘There are no excuses’ – Johnstone issues warning to Rangers boss Caixinha
By Danny Wright
Ibrox favourite Derek Johnstone has warned Pedro Caixinha that he must achieve some sort of success with Rangers for the 2017/18 season, which began against Progres Niederkorn on Thursday night.
Johnstone believes that Caixinha had a “grace period” when he first arrived in Glasgow but has suggested that he cannot make excuses any more after adding his own new look to the squad.
The Portuguese boss bemoaned the strength of the team that was left for him after Mark Warburton’s acrimonious exit from Ibrox in February, but since the 2016/17 season concluded, he has added eight new faces to his squad – with three of them starting in the Europa League clash with Progres Niederkorn on Thursday night.
Ryan Jack, Dalcio and Fabio Cardoso were all given starting berths while Alfredo Morelos, Bruno Alves, Daniel Candeias, Eduardo Herrera and Carlos Pena will have to wait a while longer for their full debuts.
Former Gers striker Johnstone, 63, is now expecting a lot from his old club in the Scottish Premiership next season after the glut of arrivals in recent weeks.
“Everyone knew that big changes had to be made, and the board realised that as much as anybody because they are all fans and they would have been gutted at how last season panned out,” he said in his column on the Evening Times website.
“Well, they have done something about it and put their money in to help Rangers get back to where they want to be in Scotland and in Europe.
“There are no excuses for Pedro now. He came in last season and there was a grace period while he got up to speed and assessed the squad.
“It wasn’t his group that he was working with then but it certainly is now and he will know that he has to go and deliver this season.”
Johnstone spent 13 years on the books at Rangers before leaving for Chelsea in 1983.
He would later return to Ibrox for one season in 1985, when he made the last of his 358 league appearances with the club he won three Scottish league titles with.
In other Rangers news, the Light Blues are battling with Warburton’s Nottingham Forest to sign this Borussia Dortmund academy product.
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