Flop Rangers boss Pedro Caixinha sacked by SIXTH club since Ibrox exit as latest nightmare reign ended after THREE GAMES

FORMER Rangers boss Pedro Caixinha has been SACKED as Santos coach.

He’s been dismissed just THREE games into the new Brazilian Serie A season after a disastrous start to the campaign.

On the same day Santos celebrated 113 years of history, Caixinha’s tenure at the club came to an end.

He was axed after two defeats and a draw in the first three games of the Brasileirao.

The Portuguese coach, hired at the end of December, was sacked early this morning.

Together with Caixinha, his assistant coaches Pedro Malta and José Pratas, fitness coach Guilherme Gomes and goalkeeping coach Jose Belman are also leaving the club.

Brazilian assistant coach César Sampaio will take over as interim coach.

Last Sunday, Santos lost 1-0 to Fluminense and, with only one point, fund themselves in the relegation zone, in 18th position.

Under Caixinha’s leadership, Santos won six matches, drew three and lost seven.

The defeat at the Maracana stadium against Fluminense, intensified the pressure on the former Rangers coach.

The Portuguese coach was expected to have more time in charge, but president Marcelo Teixeira called an emergency meeting with chief executive Pedro Martins to reassess plans.

Santos is now looking for a new coach in the market, as they face challenging fixtures in the coming days. Next Wednesday, Santos will host Atlético Mineiro, in Vila Belmiro, and next Sunday they have the derby against São Paulo, in Morumbi.

Incredibly, this is the SIXTH job Caixinha has been sacked from since leaving Rangers in October 2017.

His turbulent reign at Ibrox lasted just eight months and included the infamous European humiliation at the hands of Luxembourg minnows Progres Niederkorn.

Following his Gers axe, Caixinha had stints with Mexican clubs Cruz Azul and Santos Laguna, Saudi outfit Al Shabab and Talleres in Argentina.

He headed for Brazil in 2023 as head coach of Red Bull Bragantino and enjoyed an upturn in fortunes.

Caixinha had his side in unlikely title contention in the 2023 season and he was widely praised.

Last year’s campaign didn’t go as smoothly, however, and he was sacked in October amid a seven-game winless run.

He returned to management just a couple of days before Christmas, staying in Brazil with Santos.

The club where Pele became a superstar had been a fallen giant, suffering relegation from the top flight for the first time in 2023.

They returned from Serie B at the first time of asking and Caixinha was tasked with improving their fortunes further.

But their horror start to the season has seen him lose his job.

Prior to the start of the Serie A campaign, Caixinha had steered Santos to the semi-finals of the regional Campeonato Paulista but that hasn’t been enough to buy him any more time.