Derek McInnes hits right Rangers notes after Celtic Park nadir and comical Hearts line of questions

New Ibrox boss know what is required - but actions speak louder than words

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For the third time in the space of a year, the press conference room at Rangers was filled with media to greet a new Rangers manager.

Russell Martin was sacked within three months of his tenure and Danny Rohl’s nine-month stint ended with a departure to RB Salzburg. The mantle has been handed to Derek McInnes, who has finally landed the Ibrox gig, nine years after saying no when in charge of Aberdeen.

McInnes wasn’t for turning Rangers down this time. After coming so close to landing the Premiership crown with Hearts this season, he says being in place at Ibrox gives him the best chance of going one better.

A vastly experienced Scottish football operator, McInnes came out with all the right phrases. Talk of players being able to cope with the weight of a Rangers shirt, a group of players who know how to win football matches. But as he correctly pointed out, “it’s not words that are going to do it; it’s actions, it’s day-to-day, it’s standards, it’s driving the pace of it all”.

McInnes transformed Hearts from a bottom-six outfit to one that was five minutes away from winning the league. In terms of domestic candidates, he is the best man for the job, a boyhood supporter of the club and a former player. His appointment has been met largely with approval by Rangers fans.

Sat next to McInnes was Rangers chief executive Jim Gillespie, who only a few weeks ago gave Rohl his backing. “Things evolve over time,” said Gillespie. “The decision for Danny to move on was our decision, Rangers Football Club’s decision. Danny was contracted to Rangers and had no buyout, so ultimately we could have told Salzburg he wasn't for sale. But we decided that we wanted to bring Derek in, and that was the motivation to let Danny go and bring Derek in because he was a man that we had already highlighted as a man to bring success to Rangers.”

Within the aforementioned media briefing last month was a mandate to be more “Scottish”, to procure the best this country has to offer. Signing striker Lawrence Shankland and then taking McInnes from the same club in Hearts is a good way to start.

McInnes has work to do. Lots of it. A new captain needs appointed after the departure of long-serving skipper James Tavernier. After losing four of their final five fixtures, a line must be drawn under such an underwhelming end to the 2025/26 campaign. And above all, there is a slew of recruitment to be done. This is another summer of transition at Ibrox.

“I think when the window closes, we’ve got to be as strong as we want to be for all the reasons we’ve just mentioned about trying to win a league this season,” said McInnes. “We’re not going to probably get everything we want, and it’s not many clubs do. But it’s important that the money we do have at our disposal, the budget we’ve got to work with, we use it well and wisely.”

Rangers have got good players at the club

McInnes was quick to point out that there are some very talented footballers at Rangers already. So much of his stellar work at Tynecastle came from improving those he inherited as well.

“I’d like to think that we’ve got players in the building who are capable of a bit more as well, and it’s up to me and the staff to get that out of them,” he continued. “So with all that in mind, there might be changes, players leaving, players coming in. But every player that comes in will give us something.

“We’re working hard currently to try and make sure we bring a level of player in that can deal with the expectation, but also give us that extra bit of quality that clearly we needed. Last season was disappointing for the club, and something similar isn’t going to get the job done, so there's work to be done.”

After two raids on Hearts in recent weeks, a media member of maroon persuasion asked if there would be more pillages of Gorgie. “Our job is to try and bring the best players now and as it stands we're not looking to go and get anybody from Hearts,” smiled McInnes. “I'm not saying we'll not do it all the time, but we've certainly not had any conversations this window. There's no player under contract at Hearts we've been discussing.”

Gillespie was more forthright. “I would never give any club any assurances that I'll never buy a player from them, or a coach,” he said.

McInnes was holidaying in Florida when the contact from Rangers first came. He was trying to come to terms with “probably the lowest point in his career” when Celtic pipped Hearts for the title after a week of VAR controversy. Things moved swiftly thereafter.

“The initial approach was Rangers wanting to speak to me,” explained McInnes. “So it kind of came out the blue. But I did have a really good time at Hearts and I worked with a lot of good people and I believed in the potential of Hearts. But at the same time, I believe in the potential here and I think this gives me the best chance to win a bit more.

“It was a sobering feeling leaving Celtic Park and probably the lowest point in my career because I had a firm belief that we were going to win the league for a long period. So all these things wrestle with you and I think Rangers gives me the best chance to win titles and go forward here.”

For all concerned at Rangers, the positivity has to quickly supersede the deep-seated negativity. But of course, we’ve been here before ...