YOU only get one chance to make a good first impression. Pedro Caixinha made the most of his at Ibrox.

The Portuguese had a few days to get his feet under the desk following his appointment on a two-and-a-half year deal but it was on Saturday that he really got down to business.

It was job done for Caixinha and Rangers. A home fixture against Hamilton was never going to be the toughest of starts, but it was a victory that was earned with minimal fuss as the Light Blues eased to a 4-0 win.

When Emerson Hyndman added the finishing touch to a neat move from James Tavernier and Kenny Miller after 26 minutes, it already looked as if there was no way back for Accies. And so it was to prove.

The points were secured before the break as Clint Hill got his third goal in as many games by converting Jon Toral’s free-kick at the back post and the second half became a matter of game management for Rangers.

A penalty from Martyn Waghorn and strike from Lee Wallace added a deserved shine to the score line. It could have been more, but this was certainly a satisfactory start.

Caixinha was given a warm reception by the Ibrox crowd but he will be well aware that there are doubters in the support. The 46-year-old’s appointment is bold and certainly a risk, and the only way to ease nerves on the terraces and the pressure on his shoulders is to win matches.

As he took his first steps down the tunnel and emerged into a sea of blue around Ibrox, a banner in the Broomloan Stand read: ‘Thanks for your efforts Graeme Murty. Welcome to the world’s most successful football club Pedro’. The handover of power had been completed.

Caixinha’s messages have been well received by supporters in recent days as he has completed his opening rounds of media duties with confidence. The Portuguese is friendly and engaging, but there are hints that he could possess a tougher streak as well. His players would certainly not have seen the devil inside him on Saturday, though.

Having spent the days before his appointment studying video footage of Rangers’ recent outings, Caixinha was ready to hit the ground running when he arrived at Auchenhowie on Monday morning.

The changes haven't been wholesale so far but Caixinha is determined to make his mark at Ibrox. He has a solid performance, and most importantly a win, to build upon on.

His focus last week was not just on Rangers and how they would approach a crucial Premiership fixture. Hyndman spoke after the match of the structured approach that Caixinha has, the attention to detail on how Martin Canning’s side would shape up as well as what he expected from his own players.

Caixinha has inherited a squad that are third in the Premiership for a reason. Too often, they have underperformed this term and have been consistently inconsistent.

But Murty proved in his short spell as caretaker that it is possible to get more out of the same players than Mark Warburton did before his controversial Ibrox exit. Murty was more flexible tactically than his predecessor, and Caixinha will not stick to one approach and hope that it pays dividends more often than not.

He made just one change to the side that drew with Celtic at Parkhead as Toral returned to the starting line-up in place of Lee Hodson, with Tavernier reverting to a defensive berth.

The full-back had the freedom of the right flank at times, though, with Hyndman often tucking in to a more central position alongside Toral and Jason Holt.

That side of the team is an area that Caixinha will surely address in the summer to give Rangers the same balance that they have with Wallace and Barrie McKay on the opposite flank.

Another striker is likely to be on his shopping list as well, especially if he is to stick with two strikers. Waghorn and Miller again combined well and there was certainly no lack of attacking intent from Rangers as Accies found themselves under siege for large swathes of a one-sided encounter.

There was a tempo and energy to Rangers’ play that has been lacking so often in recent months. Both with the ball and without it, the Gers were quicker and sharper.

It was these ‘behaviours’, as Caixinha refers to them, that would have stood out for the Ibrox crowd. This was better, and now further improvement must be found.

The first 90 minutes of action pleased Caixinha and now he has a fortnight to hammer home his message as attentions turn to the visit of Motherwell after the international break.

The Portuguese will have most of his squad – Wallace and Hodson apart as they join up with the Scotland and Northern Ireland squads respectively – at his disposal during the shutdown and the time on the training pitch will be beneficial as the dust settles at Auchenhowie.

Caixinha will already have his targets for the summer transfer window but it is his coaching and man-management skills that will be put to the test in what is left of Rangers’ first season back in the top flight.

He has vowed to demand high standards from himself and his players, while targets have already been set as he looks to finish second in the Premiership and lift the Scottish Cup.

Rangers are undoubtedly capable of much more than they have showed for most of the season. It is now up to Caixinha to bring out the best in them.