Derek McInnes finds himself under intense pressure just four games into his Rangers managerial tenure, with the club yet to register a win under his stewardship. Despite the criticism, football history suggests that a rocky start at Ibrox has rarely been a reliable indicator of what follows.
Rangers currently sit with just one point from their opening two league fixtures. Compounding matters, the club crashed out of the Europa League after a costly aggregate defeat to Polish side Jagiellonia Bialystok, following a 1-1 draw in the tie played on British soil. The exit drops Rangers into the Conference League for the remainder of the European campaign.
While the results have prompted some observers to label McInnes as "out of his depth" and even a "dead man walking," such reactions echo patterns seen throughout Rangers' managerial history. Graeme Souness, for example, endured a nightmare start as player-manager, being sent off in the first half of his league debut away at Hibs before Rangers went on to lose 2-1. His side also lost their third match of the season. Yet Souness guided Rangers to League Cup success and the league title that same campaign — their first championship in nine years.
A similar pattern emerged when Dick Advocaat took charge in 1998. His first match in charge, played at Tranmere's Prenton Park due to stadium restrictions, saw Rangers fall 3-0 behind to Shelbourne in the first leg of a European tie. Although they eventually progressed, Rangers lost their opening league fixture just days later. That season nonetheless ended with a domestic treble.
These historical examples serve as a reminder that early-season struggles do not necessarily foreshadow long-term failure, even if the modern football landscape tends to amplify criticism faster than in previous decades. Reflecting on the shift in football discourse, commentary has noted that today's culture of instant judgment stands in contrast to the patience once afforded to managers in similar situations.
Interestingly, the manner of Rangers' Europa League exit may work in McInnes's favor moving forward. By dropping into the Conference League, Rangers are now competing in a competition many view as more winnable than the Europa League, theoretically improving — however marginally — their odds of silverware this season. The exact scale of that improvement remains a matter of debate, with suggestions that the increase in trophy probability could range from negligible to modestly significant, though no one can say for certain.
McInnes's start invites comparisons to other managers who have taken charge at Ibrox during turbulent periods. Rangers' recent struggles, following on from a difficult finish to the previous campaign under a different manager, have heightened expectations for whoever sits in the dugout to deliver immediate results. Whether McInnes can replicate the trajectories of predecessors like Souness and Advocaat — turning a difficult opening spell into eventual success — remains to be seen.
For now, Rangers fans and pundits alike are left to debate whether patience or panic is the appropriate response to a start that, while statistically poor, is far from unprecedented in the club's storied history. The coming weeks in both league and cup competitions will offer clearer signals as to whether McInnes can steady the ship and build toward the kind of turnaround that has previously followed similarly inauspicious beginnings at Ibrox.
Based on reporting from The Guardian (Football Daily).