From shaky start to statement wins — 100 days of McInnes at Rangers

Derek McInnes has completed 100 days as manager of Rangers and goes into the international break on 25 September 2026 after back-to-back victories over Celtic that have quelled early-season criticism.

McInnes, who grew up supporting Rangers and played for the club, took the job one month and one day after his Heart of Midlothian side lost the title to Celtic, replacing Danny Rohl; he had previously turned down the managerial role under Dave King eight-and-a-half years earlier and left playing at Rangers 26 years ago with a move to West Bromwich Albion. He inherited a squad undergoing a substantial overhaul and faced a sluggish start that prompted jeers at Ibrox, but he insisted on arrival: "It is no secret that I grew up a Rangers supporter and I am convinced this is the right time to take on this prestigious role," McInnes says. "There is a lot of hard work ahead."

The new era began with a 1-1 draw at Tannadice after Thelo Aasgaard's second-half equaliser, a match McInnes assessed bluntly: "We worked hard to get back into it, but I don't think we were good enough to win the game," McInnes says. "I thought the point was the right scoreline and we're disappointed with that first half. We wasted a lot, we didn't create too much and it was a bit too frantic."

Rangers' European campaign opened poorly with a 2-1 defeat in eastern Poland to Jagellonia Bialystok, a result McInnes blamed on his side's errors: "I just felt we beat ourselves, to be honest. We got off to a good start, being patient with what we were trying to do. We made two mistakes for the two goals." Back at Ibrox the club lost 2-1 to Hibernian when a late Callum Wright strike secured the win and striker Youseff Chermitti suffered an ACL injury amid reports of interest from Galatasaray; McInnes acknowledged the frustration: "There are little things going against us at the minute, but we have to stay strong - we're not as bad as people think," McInnes insists.

A subsequent home leg against Jagellonia saw Lawrence Shankland convert a penalty only for Nik Prelec to level, sending the visitors through on aggregate after McInnes admitted: "It is not great to watch. My team go from some good highs in the first half to being as poor as we were in the second half and you have to say we didn't do enough. We should be winning this game." Five games into the season Rangers registered a first win under McInnes with a 5-1 Premier Sports Cup victory over holders St Mirren, a result McInnes credited to his players' attacking threat: "We gave up a couple of chances, which we weren't too pleased about, but there was a good attacking threat from the team," McInnes concludes. "The players deserved that moment today against a St Mirren team who have been doing well."

Rangers were then eliminated from Europe after a 1-0 defeat by Lubos Kozel's Jablonec and a penalty shoot-out in which missed spot kicks by Findlay Curtis and James Penrice handed the Czechs victory; McInnes said: "I'm embarrassed with the performance. I think the only people who represented the club well tonight were my support staff and the supporters who, to a man, were outstanding, getting behind the team despite watching what we all watched." The side's first Scottish Premiership win under McInnes arrived at Pittodrie via a Shankland penalty, with McInnes praising Kim Min-Su as evidence recruitment was yielding returns: "It was a tough few days for us all," he says. "I thought we were far more like the Rangers team I want us to be."

Rangers followed with a 2-1 victory at Falkirk in which Shankland later tore a hamstring and was ruled out for months, Ryan Nederi replacing the captain and scoring the only goal. A stoppage-time winner from Bojan Miovski at Ibrox then secured another win over St Mirren, lifting Rangers into second place in the Premiership, five points behind Celtic, and McInnes urged continued progress: "There are obviously loads we have to improve on, but we have to keep winning while we are looking for those improvements," he says. Cup competition form continued when two goals from Dan Neill and a first for Kelsy booked a Premier Sports Cup semi-final meeting with Aberdeen at Hampden; McInnes stated: "It was the performance and result we were all looking for. It's a good reference point for my players. They're a young squad and they saw how much that result means to the supporters."

A Naderi goal at Celtic Park stunned the 60,000 home supporters and moved Rangers to within two points of Celtic in the league, a result McInnes framed simply: "It's just three points and it gets us three points closer to Celtic. We understood if we lost the game, that distance just starts to feel uncomfortable for us. I like putting my name to this team at the minute and I think we've got a good thing going." Former interim boss and captain Barry Ferguson added: "I've been really impressed since exiting in Europe. I think the reaction, not just the manager and the coaching staff, the players, I've been very impressed. Even before the two Celtic games, they played well in parts of it, other parts they didn't, but they found a way to win, and that's so important. It's always going to take a bit of time because there was a big turnaround of players and some players hit the ground running. It takes some players a wee bit of time to get going. But now I think you're starting to see a team that's got a real togetherness. That's the biggest thing for me."

Rangers now face Aberdeen at Hampden in the Premier Sports Cup semi-finals.