NO matter the opposition or the occasion, the expectation is the same. The circumstances are secondary and victory is the only thing that matters.

When the blueprint doesn’t go to plan, when the points aren’t collected, the pain of defeat serves to inspire and motivate. The doubters have to be won over, the critics have to be silenced.

That is as true for Pedro Caixinha as it was for his predecessors. It was a situation that Alex McLeish saw both sides of during his Ibrox career.

On the opening day of the SPL campaign back in 2002, McLeish’s side were held to a draw at Kilmarnock as Andy McLaren cancelled out Shota Arveladze’s opener to deny the Gers a perfect league start.

After Celtic got off and running with victory over Dunfermline, the Light Blues were written off in some quarters. A few months later, McLeish toasted a Treble at Hampden.

Caixinha has already suffered what he hopes will be the worst defeat of his season after Rangers were humiliated in Luxembourg and a league loss to Hibernian won’t be greeted with the same level of scrutiny or criticism.

But McLeish knows the Portuguese will be determined to get back to winning ways sooner rather than later and get back on track after an early Premiership reverse.

“Rangers losing to Hibs is a bit of blow, but Rangers losing any game at Ibrox is a blow,” he told SportTimes.

“That is to do with the expectations of the Rangers supporters. It doesn’t matter if you are from Glasgow, England, Portugal, wherever, you are fair game when you don’t win as Rangers manager.

“I had players that I trusted. It is always a very stressful time in any dugout but when you have got players that you feel you can trust it is a different ball game.

“That draw at Kilmarnock was a minor setback. I had brilliant players in the dressing room but it was still early in the season and we were finding the rhythm as a team.

“Of course, we ended up winning the league. You just have to keep your nerve and keep your powder dry.

“You don’t have to talk in the media in terms of saying this cost you or that cost you.

“You just need to focus on stringing victories together, getting everybody on side and trying to make it almost like a siege mentality.”

The defeat to Neil Lennon’s side at the weekend may have come in controversial circumstances but it was a setback that Rangers could have done without after an encouraging couple of weeks.

Wins over Watford and Sheffield Wednesday helped supporters move on from the memories of Progres, while league and cup successes against Motherwell and Dunfermline were welcomed and deserved.

Much of the aftermath on Saturday surrounded the sending off of Ryan Jack, the performance of John Beaton and the touchline antics of Lennon.

Amongst all the background noise and amid all the headlines, the job in hand remained the same for Caixinha.

“I can’t talk for other people but personally I tried not to read things or take in any negativity,” McLeish said. “You had to be aware of what was going and what was being said but you don’t immerse yourself in it.

“As a coach or a manager, you walk onto the training field on the Monday and, because of what you have read, you are there with that negativity. I tried to distance myself from that side of it so that I could focus on the team.

“Pedro is in a great position and at an amazing club. It is a club that demands to win every week and there are probably only six to ten in the world that have those demands, and Rangers are one of them. You have to be prepared for that.”

The loss to Hibernian was a stumble that Rangers could have avoided but it is not one from which they cannot recover in the coming weeks.

The visit of Hearts is a chance to get back on track, while momentum can be regained in the matches with Ross County and Dundee and the double header with Partick Thistle before the first Old Firm fixture of the season.

Mistakes were made on the park and in the dugout on Saturday. Now, the Light Blues must show that they have learned their lessons.

McLeish said: “Fans are fans and it doesn’t matter where you are or what club you are at, they all want their team to win.

“My first job was at Motherwell and if we didn’t win and weren’t playing well then you would get it in the neck.

“Let’s not make any bones about it, it is a difficult game when you are not winning. The expectations at Rangers are at a different level, especially when you are at Ibrox.

“Pedro I am sure will be working in training with the guys this week to make sure that they bounce back.

“That is always the most important thing after a defeat. You have to show your character, show that it is merely a blip and they have to go on.

“There is no reason why they can’t go and have a good run of victories just because they have had one defeat.

“That is down to the strength of character of the coaching team and the players and the leaders in the side need to set an example for everybody else.”