NafisaThere is already a growing sense that Derek McInnes cannot afford for Rangers’ early-season problems to continue, despite the club finally managing to put together a couple of victories.
The Ibrox boss has watched his side endure a turbulent opening to the campaign, with the mood around the club becoming increasingly difficult after a succession of disappointing results and a European campaign that ended far earlier than anyone at Rangers would have wanted.
Back-to-back league wins over Aberdeen and Falkirk have provided some much-needed breathing space, but they have not completely changed the atmosphere around Ibrox.
Rangers supporters are still waiting to see convincing evidence that McInnes can transform the team into genuine title contenders after last season’s third-place finish under Danny Rohl.
And behind the scenes, the expectation is understood to be clear: results need to improve sooner rather than later.
Football Insider has been told that McInnes is already facing question marks over his position as Rangers manager, although there remains an overall feeling that he will be given time to implement his ideas.
Former Manchester United chief scout Mick Brown has also warned that the Rangers boss is already under pressure following what has been a difficult start.
McInnes’ biggest problem has arguably been the manner in which Rangers exited Europe.
After being eliminated by Jagiellonia in Champions League qualifying, Rangers were then knocked out of the Europa Conference League by Czech side Jablonec on penalties.
For a club of Rangers’ stature, failing to reach the league phase of any European competition represented a huge financial and sporting setback.
McInnes himself admitted that he was “mortified” following the Jablonec defeat, and he knows that the response domestically now has to be strong.
Speaking on the Transfer Insider podcast, Football Insider’s reporter explained:
“When you’re the manager of Rangers, results are vital and you need to be winning, there’s no doubt about that.
“Obviously, crashing out of European competition altogether was a disaster for Rangers and losing that game to the Czech side, Jablonek, was a huge blow for Derek McInnes.
“They’ve bounced back with two wins in the league now against Aberdeen and Falkirk, and it looks like they’re starting to get going.
“He’s sort of steadied the ship right now with those two wins, and if he can get a couple more wins and put of a bit of a run together, he’ll be definitely feeling a lot more settled.
“The fans will be a lot more settled at Ibrox as well in that case, but there is still work to be done if McInnes wants to get them on side, which could be key for him at Rangers.”
Those two victories have therefore bought McInnes some valuable time.
However, the pressure is unlikely to disappear unless Rangers can turn them into the beginning of a sustained run.
The Ibrox crowd expects victories, particularly domestically, and the manager will know that patience can disappear quickly if performances continue to fall below expectations.
How has the transfer window impacted McInnes?
Interestingly, much of the scrutiny surrounding McInnes has been temporarily pushed into the background by Rangers’ activity in the transfer market.
The club were extremely busy throughout the window and ultimately completed 14 summer signings as McInnes looked to reshape his squad.
Those arrivals will naturally require time to settle, particularly given the number of new players arriving at once, and that provides the manager with at least some justification for Rangers’ inconsistent start.
But it also creates a different problem.
Rangers have now given McInnes significant backing.
During the window, former Aberdeen CEO Keith Wyness criticised the manager for publicly demanding more support from the board, describing the decision as “stupid”.
McInnes’ decision to make his frustrations known added another layer of tension around Ibrox at a time when results were already causing concern.
There was, however, a clear outcome.
Rangers eventually strengthened extensively, addressing several areas of the squad and giving McInnes a considerably deeper group to work with.
That could prove crucial in the coming weeks.
With the transfer window now closed, there is little opportunity for the manager to point towards missing pieces in his squad.
The expectation is increasingly going to be that he gets the best out of the players Rangers have provided him with.
That makes the next run of fixtures particularly important.
If the new signings begin to gel and Rangers start collecting victories consistently, the early turbulence could quickly become a distant memory.
But if performances remain unconvincing and points continue to be dropped, the argument that the squad needed more time to settle will become increasingly difficult to sustain.
For now, McInnes remains in charge and the two consecutive league victories have steadied the situation.
But Football Insider’s report makes the underlying reality clear.
There are already questions being asked around his position.
The Rangers board may still be prepared to give him time, but patience at Ibrox has never been unlimited.
And after a summer in which McInnes was handed 14 new players, the responsibility for turning Rangers’ fortunes around now sits increasingly on his shoulders.
Nafisa
