NafisaDerek McInnes finally had something to celebrate at Ibrox on Sunday.
After four competitive matches without a victory, the Rangers manager watched his side produce the kind of performance that had been demanded of them, sweeping aside St Mirren to book their place in the quarter-finals of the Premier Sports Cup.
And McInnes did not exactly hide his delight.
The Rangers boss celebrated Ryan Naderi’s opener passionately from the touchline before watching his side eventually run riot, with Vanja Dragojevic, Djeidi Gassama, James Penrice and Ross McAusland all getting on the scoresheet. Penrice, making his debut after arriving from AEK Athens, both scored and assisted as Rangers cruised into the last eight.
It was precisely the kind of afternoon McInnes needed.
The pressure had been building rapidly after a miserable opening spell, with Rangers failing to win their first four matches and suffering a particularly painful Europa League exit against Jagiellonia Bialystok.
For a few hours at least, the noise around Ibrox was replaced by something Rangers supporters had been waiting desperately to hear:
confidence.
But then came the draw.
And suddenly, McInnes’ first big Rangers victory had been followed by something potentially even bigger.
Rangers get Celtic at Ibrox
The quarter-final draw produced the fixture nobody at either side could simply ignore.
Rangers will host Celtic at Ibrox.
The Old Firm rivals will meet during the weekend of September 12/13, giving McInnes his first competitive meeting with Celtic since taking over at Rangers.
And there is a particularly delicious twist to this one.
McInnes does not arrive at Rangers with a completely neutral history involving Celtic.
Far from it.
Only months ago, he was sitting in the Hearts dugout watching his side battle Celtic and Rangers near the top of the Scottish Premiership.
Then came one of the most controversial moments of his Hearts reign.
Celtic and McInnes already have unfinished business
Following Celtic’s controversial late penalty against Motherwell last season, McInnes was furious.
The then-Hearts boss described the decision as “disgusting”, with his comments eventually resulting in a four-match SFA touchline ban, one of which was suspended. Rangers subsequently appealed the punishment.
The controversy was particularly significant because Hearts were competing directly with Celtic for the title at the time.
McInnes therefore wasn’t simply commenting on an irrelevant refereeing decision.
His team had something at stake.
And now, after moving from Hearts to Rangers, he finds himself on the opposite side of Scottish football’s biggest rivalry.
The irony is almost too perfect.
The manager who spent last season fighting Celtic’s title challenge from the Hearts dugout is now being asked to lead Rangers against the same club.
And his first Old Firm encounter has landed at Ibrox.
McInnes just did something Celtic fans won’t enjoy:
This is where the reaction from the Rangers boss becomes interesting.
Rather than getting dragged into the inevitable noise surrounding the fixture, McInnes has effectively embraced the challenge.
The draw means he now knows exactly what awaits his team.
There is no hiding from it.
There is no gradual introduction to the rivalry.
No quiet first meeting at Celtic Park.
His first Old Firm game as Rangers manager will be at Ibrox, with the League Cup quarter-final carrying a place in the semi-finals on the line.
And after watching his team finally explode into life against St Mirren, McInnes now has the perfect opportunity to build on that momentum.
That is precisely what makes this draw so dangerous for Celtic.
Rangers have spent weeks looking short of confidence.
McInnes has been criticised for his tactics, his team selections and the lack of consistency in performances.
Even his first four games had left supporters increasingly restless.
But Sunday changed the atmosphere.
The 5-1 victory gave Rangers something they desperately needed: belief.
And then the draw handed them Celtic.
This could become the McInnes statement game
For Celtic, the timing is not necessarily ideal.
Martin O’Neill’s side are also through after beating Dundee United 4-0 at Tannadice, but the Old Firm draw means their progress will now be tested against a Rangers side that has just found its confidence.
McInnes, meanwhile, has weeks to prepare.
He will have the opportunity to strengthen his squad, work on his system and make sure the players understand exactly what an Old Firm match requires.
And there is another fascinating subplot.
The League Cup tie comes shortly before the league meeting between the clubs at Celtic Park on September 20.
So McInnes could potentially face Celtic twice in the space of just over a week.
That is not simply a fixture.
That is a statement of intent.
For Rangers, it is an opportunity to change the narrative surrounding the beginning of the McInnes era.
For Celtic, it is an early warning that the new Rangers boss has been handed exactly the kind of stage where reputations are made.
And considering everything that happened between McInnes and Celtic while he was at Hearts, there is an added layer to this one that makes it impossible to treat as an ordinary cup tie.
McInnes finally got his first Rangers win. Then the draw handed him Celtic at Ibrox. Now Celtic fans have to wait and see whether that 5-1 demolition was simply a much-needed good afternoon — or the moment Rangers finally started to wake up.
Nafisa
