Since our last news round up, it’s been a busy week. We’ve beaten Aberdeen twice, held our AGM, and made a move for our next manager. In many ways, it’s hard to imagine a more important week coming up any time soon.
The AGM was greeted with a mixed response. Both the questions and answers were criticised by many, with it coming across as a missed opportunity. However, it’s fair to say that these things are always like that. The board didn’t go down the line of just telling us what we wanted to hear, and that’s a good thing. Similarly, it’s absolutely fine for fans to question the board and their ability to do the required job. These are the sort of conflicts which will help the club grow, as long as they don’t cross the line into self-preservation. After everything the club has went through, we should never again be in a place where anything is taken for granted or deemed safe.
The news that the club were still relying on the loans from board members wasn’t a surprise, but hopefully gave some clarity to those who have been critical of the job they’ve done. There are many things we could improve upon, but we need to be on a far more sound foundation than we are just now to get there. The AGM also saw Resolution 11 passed, which will allow for more investment. This won’t change things overnight, but it will certainly make a huge difference in the medium-to-long term.
Even though questions were asked surrounding the allocation of Celtic fans at Ibrox, or even what school Dave King went to (a poorly judged attempt at humour), the main consideration was the search for our next manager. The comments from King at the time all seemed to point to one man, and it’s the man the club made an approach for in the last couple of days.
Derek McInnes, who was the preferred choice of many fans, is the manager our club want. Aberdeen released a statement yesterday saying that we had made an approach, and they rejected it. By the time you read this, it’s likely that more news will have broken about this. It will be no surprise if McInnes hands in a resignation, only for that to be rejected as well. This will then allow Aberdeen to blame the move on McInnes, and fully turn their fans away from any criticism of their ambition to an all-out hatred of the manager. It’s a technique that’s been used by loads of clubs in the past, and it’s not one I would blame them for doing. A statement using phrases like “we didn’t want to keep a manager who didn’t want to be here” is pretty likely. Aberdeen know that any media pressure will turn to Rangers. Already, we’ve had some say that the club should have been apologising for their behaviour. What said behaviour was is beyond me. In fact, the club have been so quiet about this, some fans were starting to turn on the board. Any suggestion that Rangers have had more of an influence on all the noise than the media in Scotland is utter fantasy.
And it’s that level of confidentiality which is the strongest suggestion yet that the club won’t be dissuaded from pursuing McInnes. The very fact that no other approaches have broken suggests that no others have really been made. We may have sounded out some people, but it’s clear this is our first major move. Many will question the time taken to do so. I suspect we’ll never really know a good reason for that, but I also believe that the AGM and passing of Resolution 11 have had a big bearing. Some have suggested that the fact Pedro Caixinha just got a new job and we seemed to instantly move for McInnes was also of importance. It’s possible we were still paying the previous management team in some way, and freeing that up now allows for movement. All of this is speculation, and that’s likely all we’ll ever be able to do in this regard.
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The response from the fans towards the prospect of McInnes was always going to be mixed. In truth, it wouldn’t have mattered who was signed, there would be some who were unsure. In previous articles, I’ve stated why I would have preferred certain other managers. However, like any fan who has doubts, I’ll be there to support the club, and hope to be proven well wrong. Like most of our players, McInnes has everything to prove with regards to his ability to be good enough for Rangers. It’s rather interesting to note that his previous managerial experience has included very few players without extensive British football experience. The squad he’ll be inheriting will be something different from what he’s used to. That’s just one of many intriguing challenges facing him.
Yes, I’m being presumptuous with regards to his appointment. I’m aware there still could be a twist. It just seems beyond unlikely that Derek McInnes will still be Aberdeen manager by their game on Friday. I think Graeme Murty will get one last game in charge of the first team on Saturday, and McInnes will be in to oversee training and officially take charge for the away game against Hibs. He’s got a hectic start and a lot of important games coming up.
This article alone shows just how much the managerial situation has dominated the concerns of the fans. The AGM revealed a lot, and more will come from that in time, but for fans it’s about the team in the main. We now know for certain who the club wants to lead the side for the next few years. What we can look forward to are the answers to all the questions that raises, and the ones we haven’t even thought of yet.
Are you looking forward to Derek McInnes as Rangers manager? Tweet us @rangersnewsuk with your thoughts!