Pedro Caixinha managerial history '“ how does new Rangers boss stack up?

Pedro Caixinha will be the new Rangers manager. Picture: Getty

Pending a disaster, Rangers should have a new manager in a matter of hours '“ and its something of a left-field choice.

Portuguese coach Pedro Caixinha looks set to take the reigns at Ibrox this weekend, although he is unlikely to be in the dugout for the Old Firm game on Sunday.

The former goalkeeper has proven throughout his managerial career that he isn’t averse to travelling for his work, so comes to Glasgow with a varied CV, to say the least.

One note of concern for fans who would rather see a Dick Advocaat style reign over a Paul Le Guen-esque disaster is that longevity doesn’t seem to be Caixinha’s strong-point.

The longest he has lasted at any one club is his 30 month stint in Mexico.

With that in mind, and with his arrival as third foreign manager to take the reins at Ibrox almost guaranteed, we look back over Caixinha’s career so far.

UD Leira: July 2010 – September 2011

Caixinha was in good company by making the club, based in central Portugal, an early stop on his managerial journey.

A certain Jose Mourniho managed the club at the turn of the century, leading Leira to their joint second highest league finish.

The club were pretty much main stays in the top league in Portugal when Caixinha took over in the summer of 2010.

He led them to a mid-table finish in his only full season, though they won just nine games in the league.

A troubled follow up season saw Caixinha leave after just a few games, and the club were later relegated.

Nacional: October 2011 – October 2012

Caixinha wasn’t unemployed for long, and after leaving his troubles behind him in Leira, he moved to idyllic Madeira, the home of Nacional.

A year in charge saw Caixinha lead the club to a seventh placed finish, although they were outside the European places.

A strong finish to the 2011/12 season saw the club retain their creditable league finish, but the following season was far less successful.

The club was skirting around the relegation zone when Caixinha was relieved of his managerial duties, seeking a new job for the second time in just 13 months.

Nacional managed to avoid the drop after sacking Caixinha, and the island club finished the season in eighth place while Caixinha looked further afield for work.

Santos Laguna: January 2013 – August 2015

Putting his Nacional problems behind him, Caixinha found himself in Mexica, taking the reins of Santos Laguna.

The SPFL split might not appear quite as outlandish to the incoming Rangers manager, after encountering a similar system in Central America.

Santos Laguna was arguably where Caixinha found most success, winning one section of the truncated Mexican league season, and also winning a domestic cup competition.

Caixinha also led the club to the brink of intercontinental glory in his first season, taking Santos to within half an hour of winning the Concacaf Champions League.

Santos were winning 2-1 in the second leg of the final before ultimately going down 4-2 to fellow Mexican club Monterrey.

A difficult relationship with the media underscored his time in Mexico, and at a brusque press conference in August 2015, Caixinha announced his departure.

At the time he was linked with the vacant job managing the Portugal national team, but his next move took everyone by surprise.

Al-Gharafa: December 2015 – March 2017

Caixinha found himself in Qatar at the end of that year, at the home of All-Stars league team Al-Gharafa, playing at a World Cup 2022 venue.

Caixinha only lost three games in his first season, taking over midway through to lead the club to a ninth placed finish following their improvement in form.

Al Gharafa’s form in what was meant to be Caixinha’s first full season has been largely indifferent, although the club is still in fifth place.

Bizarrely, the speculation linking Caixinha to Ibrox isn’t the only connection between Al-Gharafa to Rangers.

The club’s top scorer is currently former Rangers winger Wladmir Weiss, who has netted nine times this season.