Barry Ferguson believes Pedro Caixinha’s criticism of members of his Rangers squad is a dangerous move to make.
The Rangers boss hit out at some of his home-based players after last weekend’s 2-0 defeat against Celtic, accusing them of creating a divide in the dressing room.
Ferguson says Caixinha’s behaviour is similar to something he experienced during his own playing days at Ibrox.
“I see certain similarities between the problems (Paul) Le Guen created for himself and the battle Pedro Caixinha seems to be hell-bent on fighting with some of the home-based players,” he told the Daily Record.
“To turn on them in the wake of yet another Old Firm defeat and to blame them for the problems he’s supposed to be solving looks to me like a dangerous road for the manager to go down.
“There’s nothing out of the ordinary about a Monday morning crisis meeting after you’ve been beaten by your arch rivals. It’s normal and healthy to get together and clear the air.
“But what I do find highly unusual are some of the soundbites coming out of Murray Park.
“When I picked up my Daily Record and read the details about Pedro’s team meeting, it gave me cause for concern.
“For him to point the finger at a specific group of his own players and accuse them of not making him, his staff and his foreign signings feel welcome got the alarm bells ringing.
“I simply can’t see what good can come out of it.”
Last week’s result left Rangers eight points behind Celtic and has led to many pundits questioning whether Caixinha is the right man for the job.
Rangers visit Hamilton Academical on Friday and Ferguson says it’s a game Caixinha simply cannot afford to lose.
“The magnifying glass is going to be on his relationship with his players and the way they react against Hamilton,” he added.
“Anything other than a win will not just pile the pressure on the manager but will ask the board some difficult questions.”
Rangers are 1/2 to win at Hamilton, with the hosts priced at 11/2. The draw is on offer at 7/2.
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