Derek McInnes is grappling with a troubling start to his Rangers tenure after a 1-0 home defeat to Hibernian extended the club's winless run and exposed glaring defensive frailties that have plagued the side since the beginning of the campaign.
The latest setback came courtesy of a disputed penalty, converted after summer arrival Vanja Dragojevic was penalized for grappling Josh Kerr to the ground. It was a moment symptomatic of a broader issue: McInnes has now fielded three different back-four combinations in as many matches, and none have managed to establish any semblance of stability.
In the draw with Dundee United, the defensive line featured Ben Godfrey, Dujon Sterling, Emmanuel Fernandez and Tuur Rommens. For the Europa League qualifying trip to Poland, Ross McCrorie replaced Godfrey alongside Sterling, Fernandez and Rommens. Against Hibs, the makeup shifted again, with Dragojevic and Olwethu Makhanya joining Fernandez and Rommens at the back. That constant reshuffling has left Rangers short on cohesion at the worst possible time.
McInnes was defiant in his assessment of the Hibs loss, insisting his side had been unfairly punished. "It's really harsh on us," he said. "We were the better team and deserved far better than we got." He acknowledged the psychological toll of the result, adding: "It's damaging in the sense that we came here to win and we expect to win. What we've got to do now is just dust ourselves down because that was a blow for us. The response of the team in the latter part of the game was terrific."
The defeat follows a Europa League qualifying loss in Poland, after which McInnes had urged his players to tighten up defensively, telling them to be "far more stingy" with their work and to "defend the goal with our lives" while avoiding gifting opponents chances. He also drew a pointed comparison to last season's struggles, warning that the same worrying patterns were resurfacing.
Former Ibrox midfielder Ryan Jack was among those voicing concern over the club's trajectory, noting the significance of McInnes' underwhelming home league bow. "For Rangers to be at home in their first league home game of the season, Derek McInnes' first home game in charge, and to score through a Hibs own goal and not create too much with two strikers on the park will be frustrating," Jack said. He added that a winless run of this length typically signals trouble. "If you go one without a win it's trouble, then two, now three, usually that's crisis time and people start asking serious questions. It's early on in Derek McInnes' reign and a lot of new players are in, so you need time for that to gel, but as you do that, you need to pick up results as this football club demands it."
Notably, McInnes has now suffered more home league defeats as Rangers manager than he did during his entire spell at Hearts, a striking indicator of how far below expectations the club currently sits.
With the second leg of the Europa League qualifier against Jagiellonia Bialystok looming on Thursday, time is short for McInnes to address the issues. The situation was further complicated by news that striker Youssef Chermiti was carried off on a stretcher on the same day it emerged Rangers had turned down a substantial offer for him.
McInnes has made it clear that reinforcements, particularly a winger and defensive additions, remain a priority despite nine signings already arriving this summer. "We've got a few bids in for several players and a few things are ongoing at the minute," he said. "Ideally, a lot of these things would have came to fruition a wee bit quicker. But hopefully, if there is any news to tell, it'll be in the upcoming days on a few of our targets."
Based on reporting from BBC Sport Football.