NafisaDerek McInnes has warned his Rangers players that they cannot expect him to guide them through every moment of a match after a frustrating night at Ibrox.
The Light Blues secured a narrow 1-0 victory over Jablonec in the first leg of their Conference League play-off tie, but the performance left McInnes with considerably more questions than answers.
Ryan Naderi’s 50th-minute goal ultimately separated the teams, giving Rangers something to take to the Czech Republic for the return leg.
But the Ibrox crowd had already made their feelings known at half-time after an uninspiring opening 45 minutes.
And matters became even more complicated when substitute Cammy Devlin was sent off in the closing stages, forcing Rangers to defend their slender lead with ten men.
For McInnes, the victory was welcome.
The performance, however, highlighted a problem he believes his players must solve themselves.
McInnes wants Rangers to become a team nobody likes facing
The Rangers boss has already overseen a major rebuild since taking charge, with 11 new players arriving and further additions expected.
But McInnes insists recruitment alone will not solve everything.
He wants his team to develop an identity based on aggression, organisation and intensity.
«“I want us to be a team nobody really likes to play against, but there’s two sides to that.”»
He explained exactly what he wants that identity to look like.
«“We want to be a team nobody likes to play against because of how organised and how ferocious we are with our press, and aggression.”»
However, the manager believes Rangers are still too inconsistent in how they approach matches.
«“I think as a team, we have to be more sure what we’re doing, not just playing fits and starts.”»
The warning that will catch Rangers fans’ attention
The biggest criticism from McInnes centred on Rangers’ inability to maintain control after moments when the crowd began to generate momentum.
The goal immediately lifted Ibrox.
The supporters responded.
But McInnes felt his players then made avoidable mistakes that allowed Jablonec to regain some belief.
«“You get the punters up, they’re singing, they’re getting behind the team. They said ‘Here we go’ and inexplicably make one or two little errors of judgement and we have to defend a corner, and it brings an anxiety again.”»
That is where the Rangers boss believes his players need to become more experienced and “streetwise”.
And then came his bluntest message of the night.
«“To build confidence, to build momentum here at Ibrox, you’re going to have to stay on top of the job all the time, and you can’t be holding people’s hands the whole 90 minutes.”»
McInnes wants his players to take ownership rather than constantly looking towards the dugout for instructions.
«“They’re going to have to really take a bit of ownership with that and be more responsible, and a bit more communication would not go amiss at times on the pitch.”»
It is a clear challenge to a Rangers squad still adapting to a new manager and a heavily reshaped team.
A win — but nowhere near enough
Despite the criticism, McInnes was keen to recognise the positives.
Rangers now have a clean sheet, another victory and a one-goal advantage heading into the return fixture.
«“So, in a positive way, we get a clean sheet, it’s another win, it’s another goal for Ryan and we’ve got something to take over to the Czech Republic.”»
But the manager refused to pretend the job was complete.
«“But in the bigger scheme of things, there’s still loads of work to do here but it’s important that, while we’re looking for those improvements, we try to win games of football and we try and build a bit of confidence.”»
That balance appears to be central to McInnes’ approach.
Rangers need results immediately, but they also need to improve the way they play.
McInnes gives his verdict on Devlin’s red card
The other major talking point from the match was Devlin’s dismissal.
The midfielder had only recently come off the bench before being shown a straight red for a high challenge on Jiri Slama.
McInnes had initially thought Rangers might receive a penalty, but after reviewing the incident he accepted the referee’s decision.
«“Having seen it again, it is a red card and there’s no debate.”»
However, the Rangers boss also offered an interesting explanation of what he believed Devlin was attempting to do.
«“I’ve seen him doing this before when he’s trying to buy fouls. He’s trying to just get his leg up and put his body in to be fouled because he’s in the penalty box.”»
McInnes suggested Devlin was attempting to draw contact from the Jablonec defender.
But the situation quickly turned against the Rangers midfielder.
«“He’s obviously trying to feel the contact to get down, but because where his leg goes up to try put his body in, it hits the boy in the shin and it looks terrible.”»
The manager believes the incident looked worse when viewed in still images than it actually was in real time.
«“But I think it looks worse than it actually was if you know what I mean.”»
Regardless, Rangers were left to see out the final stages with ten men.
McInnes demands more before the return leg
The 1-0 advantage means Rangers have a platform to work from, but the manager knows Jablonec will have home advantage in the second leg.
That makes his call for greater maturity and responsibility particularly important.
Rangers cannot afford to produce another inconsistent performance and expect to simply survive.
McInnes has already warned his players that he cannot “hold their hands” for the full 90 minutes.
Now they have to demonstrate that they have listened.
The result at Ibrox gives Rangers the advantage.
But judging by McInnes’ assessment, the bigger battle is still taking place within his own squad.
Nafisa
