Change on Rangers’ scale is going to ruffle a few feathers, says Steven Pressley

STEVEN PRESSLEY finds it easy to understand why the influx of foreign talent at Ibrox hasn’t been universally welcomed.

Rangers manager Pedro Caixinha has been bold in ushering in an eightsome reel of exotic new signings since the end of last season.

Mexican pair Eduardo Herrera and Carlos Pena flew in last Thursday to join fellow new arrivals Alfredo Morelos, who is Colombian, plus the Portuguese quartet of Bruno Alves, Dalcio, Fabio Cardoso and Daniel Candeias.

Not forgetting of course, the lone Scottish signing, Ryan Jack, who as Aberdeen’s captain right up until the Scottish Cup Final was something of a lively signing in its own right.

Feedback from internet forums and radio call-in shows, however, has pointed to a level of scepticism, with comments such as: ‘They can’t all be good’ and: ‘Let’s see how they get on a cold February night in Dingwall’ something of a running theme.

And striker Kenny Miller opened a window on dressing-room discontent when delivering the blunt message to his team-mates that they shouldn’t ‘mump and moan’ about Rangers signing new players because they were clearly needed.

Pressley was in a similar situation at Hearts prior to their sensational start to the 2005-06 season, when they won their first eight games on the trot.

He is urging the doubters to give Caixinha’s recruits a chance to show what they are made of.

“Listen, change on this kind of scale is going to ruffle a few feathers,” said the 43-year-old, who has been between jobs since resigning as Fleetwood Town boss last year.

“I have seen it as a player, and I have seen it as manager, and I can promise you it is an absolute certainty.

“We had it with Vladimir Romanov at Hearts back in 2005. He had big ambitions for the club and, under his direction, we were very active in the transfer market that summer.

“Then, as we are probably witnessing just now with Rangers, not everyone liked it.

“In particular, those who stood to lose their place in the team resented what was being done and were vocal in predicting the ways things could go wrong.

“But, of course, it turned out to be a huge success.

“I think there were a few reasons for that.

“Firstly, some of the guys George Burley brought in were fantastic players.

“I am talking about the likes of Rudi Skacel, Roman Bednar, Takis Fyssas, Edgaras Jankauskas and Saulius Mikoliunas.

“These were all proper footballers with lots of ability and a great attitude to the game.

“Secondly, they were fantastic guys, who made a big effort to blend straight in with the club, the fans and the dressing-room.

“For me, that might actually be the biggest question with the Rangers lads.

“The club will believe they are in that mould. They will have done their due diligence on their character as well as their playing ability.

“But you never really know until you actually see how they get on.

“And the final point is there was a pretty decent base at Hearts to start with (Pressley, Craig Gordon and Paul Hartley provided a Scottish core to the side), operating under a decent manager.

“You put it all together and it just worked. We won our first eight games in a row – a sequence which included a 1-0 victory over the reigning champions, Rangers – and went top of the league.

“At that point, you were seeing a lot of people – who had predicted things would blow up in our faces – talking in terms of us winning the title.

“Of course, it wasn’t to be. After just two more matches – draws against Falkirk and Celtic – George was shown the door.

“That was the one change we definitely didn’t need. Things were never really the same after it.”

Quite.

Just over a year later, in unprecedented scenes, Pressley, Gordon and Hartley held the infamous “Riccarton Three” press conference, in which they spoke out about the “impossible task” faced by players in dealing with owner Romanov.

It had originally been scheduled to be the unveiling of Eduard Malofeev as the fourth Hearts manager since Burley.

The fall out was considerable, with Pressley – viewed as the leader of the trio – having his contract terminated by the Edinburgh club.

If former submariner Romanov thought the sanction would sink the defender’s playing career, he was wrong.

Pressley went on to have spells with Celtic, Danish club Randers and Falkirk before taking his first steps into coaching with the Bairns.

“Management gives you different experiences, and I completely understand what it is like to be in the situation Pedro Caixinha is in just now,” he continued.

“When I took over at Coventry City, I found myself almost immediately having to ostracise seven senior players, and it was a tremendously hard thing to do on a personal and professional level.

“That is seven guys who are more embedded in the environment than you are, and who will all potentially want to put the knife in if things don’t go well for you.

“The fact was, though, that if HAD to be done. The club’s financial position was such that they had to make way for younger players.

“And, as manager, I was the one who had to make those changes. That was the job I was employed to do.

“So you think: ‘Right, we have to do this. What is the best way to go about it?’.

“For me, the answer was to be as honest as I possibly could be about it.

“So I had face-to-face meetings with every one of those seven players, and told them exactly what the situation was and why we were taking the action we were.

“They weren’t happy with me, far from it. You would not expect them to be. After all, these are people’s livelihoods we are talking about.

“I do, however, like to think there was a level of respect there just the same.

“I have met all of the guys in the time that has passed and they all spoke to me okay, which is a good sign.

“It is professional football. These things happen, we all know they do.”

To Pressley as much as anyone else.

Frustrated at the lack of decent management opportunities in England, he is currently giving serious consideration to moving to Asia.

“I have never seen the jobs market as bad as it is just now, as saturated with people looking for work,” he said.

“The Premier League is pretty much a closed shop, with all the foreign managers that are brought in by the owners looking to appoint people who are big names on the world scene.

“And now the Championship is starting to go the same way.

“The pressure that puts on the jobs at League One and Two clubs is incredible, and as a result I have been looking at opportunities much further afield.

“There have been some discussions so we will wait and see what happens.”

The point being Pressley’s original one. With managers, as with players, it is a person’s ability that counts – not nationality.