RANGERS manager Pedro Caixinha offered no excuses for his side’s dismal humiliation at the hands of Progres Niederkorn, in the knowledge that none would be palatable to an irate and embarrassed support.

Alex McLeish knows what it is like to carry the weight of expectation that comes with that job and while he has no definitive explanation for why Rangers went down to what he freely admits is the worst result in their history in Luxembourg on Tuesday night, one thing that did alarm him was the startling lack of leadership within that Rangers team as their European dream collapsed, beaten by the fourth-best team in the tiny principality.

Having played for most of his career beside Willie Miller at Aberdeen before going on to captain that side himself, he recognises the cloth that men of officer material are cut from. That is what he sees when he looks at Bruno Alves and Graham Dorrans, players who, of course, were unavailable to Caixinha for the tie against Progres Niederkorn.

McLeish does not believe that excuses what happened, but he is convinced there will be a marked improvement in the standard of Rangers’ play when these men are introduced to the fold.

This being the case, he asks Rangers supporters to cut Caixinha a little more slack, at least until the first meeting of the season against Celtic.

“There’s no doubt it’s the worst result of Rangers’ history,” McLeish said. “But it’s got to be too early to say Pedro is a dud or that he isn’t the right manager.

“We’ve still got to see Graham Dorrans and Bruno Alves, who had a good tournament with Portugal during the Confederations Cup. He looks a leader.

“It’s amazing what two or three players can do to a team in terms of inspiring others with confidence as well. If ever they needed a leader, it is now, and Alves is the one sticking out like a sore thumb.

“I don’t know what his legs are like now. Obviously he is playing alongside great players with Portugal, but he didn’t look like his legs were struggling.

“I like Graham as well. He would definitely have been a player I would have looked at if I was at Rangers, and even back when I was at Birmingham I liked him. At the time, I could never really get him, he had gone to West Brom and was doing well.

“He’s a good player. He’s stylish, he’s got the confidence and that’s exactly what that dressing room needs right now.

“He knows what it’s all about as a Rangers man, and it’s good to hear him say it’s a dream and that there’s never a bad time to play for Rangers. That’s a fantastic tribute to the club.

“But he has got some job on to show some leadership to the rest of the boys, and he’s got to give the team his best form as well.

“If these guys can get their top form it can inspire the other players. I remember that’s how we felt at Aberdeen when good new players came in, and Hans Gillhaus in particular stuck out when he came from PSV Eindhoven. He was just superb, and it made everybody else want to show him how good they were, and we had a really strong couple of seasons with these guys.

“That’s what you’re looking for from guys like Alves and Dorrans. Hopefully they can pick them up a wee bit. Or a big bit!”

McLeish knows the chances of Caixinha staging his own Brendan Rodgers style turnaround after a poor result in Europe early on in his tenure are slim, but he thinks the Portuguese should be given the chance to at least attempt to salve the wounds of the Rangers support over the next few months.

“I’m talking from a place that I’ve been before as a coach, and somewhere that Brendan Rodgers probably was last year with the Lincoln Imps game before he turned it around.

“Rangers had two stabs at it and couldn’t do it, which was all the more disappointing and shocking for everybody. Brendan obviously turned it around and went on to have an exceptional season.

“Believe me, everybody can get hysterical about pre-season results, so it’s no surprise they are in uproar over what isn’t a pre-season result, but in bloomin’ Europe. That’s what makes it all the worse.

“There’s no doubt it is galling and painful for the Rangers fans, but I don’t think that Pedro is delusional. He’ll accept that it is a horror and he needs to start endearing himself to the Rangers fans again.

“And how do you endear yourself to the Rangers fans? You’ve got to start winning football matches.”