Maurice Johnston: Pedro Caixinha needs financial backing to succeed at Rangers
Maurice Johnston has warned Rangers their Pedro Caixinha gamble is bound to fail unless they give the new boss money to play with.
Last updated 14th Mar 2017
The man who controversially crossed the Old Firm divide back in 1989 can barely believe the size of the gulf currently separating his old sides.
New Ibrox boss Caixinha has inherited a Rangers side languishing in third place in the Ladbrokes Premiership, 33 points behind Brendan Rodgers' rampant Celtic.
Johnston - who lives in the US - is aware of the Portuguese coach following his stint in charge of Mexican outfit Santos Laguna but fears his lack of Scottish knowledge hamper his efforts to rebuild Rangers.
The Light Blues board have promised the 46-year-old money to spend this summer.
But Johnston fears the club may never catch their bitter rivals unless major investment is delivered.
The former Scotland frontman - speaking at an event to promote next month's William Hill Scottish Cup Old Firm semi-final showdown - said: "He's a good coach. He spent a couple of years in Mexico and won three trophies. But I think he needs some money now he's at Rangers.
"It's a huge gap he needs to close. How many points is it at the top of the championship, 33? I've been really impressed by the work Brendan Rodgers has done but the gap is so big.
"I think it's a big gamble for Rangers because he really doesn't know much about Scottish football. I don't think you can prepare yourself for the Old Firm.
"Right now it's not possible to close that gap. Rangers are so far behind it's not even funny.
"It was a great draw they got at the weekend because they are so far behind in the league. They can take a lot of confidence from that.
"We all thought Celtic would have run away with Sunday's game but the game proved to be different. I thought Rangers played well the last 20 minutes and deserved a draw.
"It's a little bit sad that Rangers are so happy with a draw. They really need to spend a bit of money, give the coach a little bit of finance and allow him to bring in better players to try and bridge this gap."