PEDRO CAIXINHA, the Rangers manager, has called for calm in the face of concern after his misfiring side failed to hit the target in a closed-door defeat to St Johnstone.
The Ibrox club have been forced to schedule non-competitive matches after their premature European exit left their pre-season calendar empty.
However, there was no friendly fire as the Portuguese’s side went down 1-0 to fellow Europa League flops St Johnstone at Murray Park with Callum Hendry netting the only goal.
In their games against Progres Neiderkorn, Rangers managed to find the back of the net just once and after drawing another blank, Caixinha insists the goals will come as the Premiership season looms large.
“The boys are getting the message and getting the idea,” said the Rangers head coach. “We are creating a lot of scoring chances and we know the goals are going to appear at the right moment. There is nothing to be shocked or alarmed about – if the team was not producing or the team was not playing or giving the philosophy we want from them, then I would be worried.
“The boys are getting along, most of them are getting into the same rhythm and, for sure, on Saturday we will be better, next Sunday we will be better and most definitely the following Sunday we will be better for our target which is August 6.”
As Caixinha’s new-look Rangers side toiled to find their feet in Glasgow, forgotten midfielder Matt Crooks was sealing a three-year deal with League One Northampton Town for an undisclosed fee.
The 23-year-old played just three games for the Premiership side after joining from Accrington Stanley last year.
He said: “[Cobblers manager Justin Edinburgh] and I had a good couple of chats and he talked about how he wanted the club to progress, how he wanted to play – it does excite me.
“It’s a club on the rise. I had a bit of a sticky year last year and want to be back on the rise, so I hope we can do it together.”
Meanwhile, it emerged yesterday Rangers have been handed a €7,000 fine by UEFA after fans threw objects on to the pitch during their Europa League qualifier against Progres Niederkorn at Ibrox.
The incident took place during the 1-0 first leg win in Glasgow on June 29 with what looked to be scrunched up paper cards raining down from the ground’s Broomloan Stand.
The Control, Ethics and Disciplinary Body of European football’s governing body announced their decision yesterday, with Rangers being judged to have breached Article 16 (2) of the disciplinary regulations.
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