Old habits haunt Rangers in early McInnes tenure
Rangers manager Derek McInnes is still searching for his first win after two games in charge, following a goalless draw at Dundee United and a 2-1 first-leg Europa League qualifying defeat away to Jagiellonia Bialystok. Many fans had hoped his appointment would break the cycle of managers arriving with promise and leaving under criticism, but the same defensive frailties that undermined Rangers last season have resurfaced, with McInnes himself admitting the team "beat ourselves" in Poland.
Rangers conceded a soft goal within 13 minutes after being cut open on the counter-attack, with the central defensive pairing of Dujon Sterling and Emmanuel Fernandez particularly exposed; former Rangers midfielder Andy Halliday questioned whether McInnes could currently trust Fernandez despite his attributes. Nine new signings have arrived this summer with more expected, yet McInnes says his side must become "far more stingy" defensively. A half-time triple substitution, bringing on Cammy Devlin, Findlay Curtis and Nicolas Raskin, improved Rangers' second-half performance as they push for a positive result in the second leg.
- McInnes winless after two games as Rangers boss
- 2-1 Europa League qualifying defeat away to Jagiellonia Bialystok
- Defensive frailties from last season persist despite summer signings
Both sides, in good faith
The strongest fair case each way — we don't pick a winner.
The case for
Two matches constitute an insufficient basis for assessment. McInnes has integrated nine new players and requires time to establish defensive cohesion within his system. The second-half substitutions demonstrated tactical responsiveness, whilst away European fixtures present uniquely challenging circumstances. Meaningful evaluation should await a larger sample of results as familiarity develops.
The case against
The rapid reappearance of last season's defensive frailties suggests structural rather than purely personnel-based issues. McInnes's own acknowledgment that Rangers 'beat themselves' indicates fundamental shape and discipline problems that should be remediable early on, irrespective of integration timelines. The established pattern of Rangers managers struggling early, combined with how quickly soft goals are conceded despite substantial summer investment, represents a legitimate basis for concern.