GORDON STRACHAN believes Pedro Caixinha contributed to the Ibrox side’s downfall because of his silly spat with Celtic skipper Scott Brown.
The Portuguese coach had a touchline bust-up with the midfielder at half-time on Saturday with the game still goalless.
Caixinha’s actions backfired spectacularly as a fired-up Brown came out for the second period and bossed the encounter as the Hoops won 2-0 with goals from Tom Rogic and Leigh Griffiths.
The Scotland boss spoke yesterday after naming key man Brown in his squad for next month’s crucial double-header against Slovakia and Slovenia which can secure a place in the World Cup play-offs.
When asked about Brown’s involvement in the astonishing flashpoint – which flared when Caixinha wrongly accused the Celt of throwing an elbow into the face of Alfredo Morelos – Strachan said: “There are some players who, if you make them angry, they get better. Seriously.
“There are some players, and I’m not just talking about Broony, that making them angry just makes them better. They become more focused.”
Strachan signed Brown from Hibs for £4.4million more than a decade ago and insisted at no point has he ever attempted to provoke a reaction by deliberately goading the player inside a dressing room.
He said: “He has no reaction to whatever you say to him. I remember saying to Garry Pendrey: ‘I think we should get a doctor to see him’.
“He just kept staring at me! It doesn’t matter if you are calling him the best player in the world or the worst player in the world, his expression stays the same.
“It’s actually a bit off-putting at times!”
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Enjoy the new podcast…
The CQN Podcast: A Celtic State of Mind (EP13) The Quality Street Gang Part 1
This week, ‘A Celtic State of Mind’ pays tribute to The Quality Street Gang.
In the first of a two-part series, Paul John Dykes interviews Billy Murdoch, Bobby Wraith, HughMcKellar and Lou Macari to discuss one of the finest crops of youngsters ever to emerge from Celtic Park.
